Digital or Physical?

[ihateghirahim]

How do you prefer to get your games? Do you prefer to the good loading times and easy storage of a digital copy? Or do you favor collecting physical copies and saving memory on your system?

I favor physical copies. They're fun to collect. You can just pull up the games whenever you want on your computer, but its so much more fun to see each game with its own neat cover art. Also I can use my games on different systems and keep using them if the system brakes. I'd also hate to run through all the memory on my Wii U or 3DS and have to buy more. The physical storage system just seems so much more sensible. I dread the day it leaves us.

 

[DarkestLink]

Physical...so I can take them around and if I get a new system with enough BC, I won't be forced to keep the old system.

 

[Azure Sage]

I'll go with whatever's more accessible to me at the time, but I kind of prefer physical, since memory space can fill up quickly. I don't really mind one way or the other though; if I can't get a physical copy, I have no problems with that.

 

[Terminus]

I generally like Physical. I have a Digital copy of Pokemon Y that I bought because I had a huge SD card and Eshop credit though.

 

[Fig]

I personally don't mind how I get my games, it really is about what is more convenient for me much like what Az previously stated. That being said, I tend to buy my games in its physical variant as I love holding the game in my hands! Plus I always had my games as a physical copy since I started gaming back when I was still learning how to play Super Mario 64 at the age of one! XD

 

[Vaati101]

I'm torn between Physical and Digital. It's nice to have a physical copy for collection sake and that is saves up system memory but at the same time with digital you can get the games you want when retail doesn't get said game in stock. You have more access to games digitally than Physically but you can usually get a physical copy of a game much cheaper than a digital one.

It's hard to choose which one is better, I guess they have their equal share of advantages and disadvantages.

 

[Ver-go-a-go-go]

I've personally always preferred physical when it's available. I don't mind digital only games, specifically those on the 3DS/Wii shop, because I know it's more cost-effective for smaller developers to produce their games like that. WayForward is one of my personal favorites, with the Shantae series. Risky's Revenge for the DSi was a marvelous game, despite it being exclusively digital from what I can recall. But I've always liked having something I can hold in my hands and put on display, if not just for the sake of having a good, visible collection. I know the future is probably just digital, but I'll always be a boxart guy.

 

[PhantomTriforce]

I selected unsure. I like physical copies so I can return them or exchange games with friends without having to swap consoles. However, I do realize that digital copies are much more environmentally friendly, so I am thankful for the option for the people who care about this kind of stuff.

 

[bunny]

A physical copy is preferred, but if I don't have a choice, I'll just go with the digital download. Having the game in your hands is better in my opinion because it saves memory space, you can let friends borrow the game, and you don't have to worry about what will happen if you lose your console or if it breaks, whatever. On the other hand you can get a game instantly from wherever if you just download it, plus you can't lose the game unless you lose the console. So I guess they both have their up sides, but I still prefer physical copies.

 

[Cfrock]

Typically, I don't mind either. I like having a physical copy because it's something to put on your shelf, it makes a game feel slightly more valuable, and a box with a really lovely cover image is always a treat. That said, digital copies don't take up any space on my shelf, are quicker and easier to start playing, and are often fairly cheap--unless it's a brand new game on Xbox or from Nintendo, who both seem to think that not needing to pay printing, manufacturing, distribution, and retail costs somehow makes a game more expensive.

I have plenty of games on digital format on 3DS, Wii U, PC, and Xbox 360. At first, I didn't like not having a disc/game card that I had to take out of a box and stick into a console, but I eventually got used to it and appreciated that if I had all of my digital games as physical copies I would just get annoyed at how much shelf space they would take up. As it is, the only real issue I have with digital copies anymore is that I tend to forget I own certain games because there isn't a constant reminder on the shelf. That and, again, Nintendo's ridiculous approach to pricing, I suppose.

I voted for physical, though, because I do still prefer it to digital. I don't have any issue with buying a digital copy of a game, but given the choice, I'd take a physical copy in most cases.

 

[Mercedes]

Digital by a mile, Steam has well and truly converted me. I like having all my games in one place, all nice and organised, and you just can't beat Steam sales, or sales from GOG and the Humble Bundle, I have more games than ever cos of them, and I like the insurance that they're always there, since there's no chance of a disc scratching, breaking, getting lost or borrowed or anything. Sometimes network issues can mean I can't download some, since you can still play games you've downloaded offline, but I know they're still there. I still own every single game I've ever bought on Steam from the first to the last and I definitely can't say the same for games I've bought physically over the years.

I love being able to just install a game I bought 7 or so years ago and not worrying it might not work or something or having to find it. I also love the cross-platform functionality and the ability to install them anywhere. I keep a backup of most of them on a HDD, so I can carry all 500 of my games around with me anywhere I go (I don't have them all on the HDD though, naturally), and I like how GOG.com just gives you installers to make it easier.

That said, for consoles I've not yet gone digital. Digital does surpass physical in many ways, though I may just be talking about Steam here, there's little to no reason bar the odd cheaper price to go for a physical PC game over a digital as long as you have the bandwidth, but I feel there needs to be a certain level of trust between you and the provider. I trust Valve, I trust my games being under their lock & key. That's important. I trust CDP as well, so I buy from GOG. Both of them being private helps cos they can do whatever they want. MS, Sony, and Nintendo on the other hand, even if I like the companies, which I do, haven't earn't that same level of trust. Nintendo and Sony I don't trust on a technical level to start with, and I don't fully trust any 3 of them with my games either. It's why I don't buy games from other sites too unless they can be activated with Steam.

So yeah. Digital on PC, almost exclusively using Steam with a smattering of GOG.com and Steam-activated games from other websites, but still physical on consoles.

 

[Mudora]

Definitely physical. I actually like having a copy of the game at hand, it case something goes wrong with my system. Plus, I use to love collecting them and reading through the manuals.

 

[Salem]

Whatever is more convenient, for PC games, digital seems to be more convenient, but for console, it's physical.

 

[Kahz]

God I've seen this so many times. As Sroa Link said, PC I'd rather have Digital, consoles are physical.

 

[Clank]

Both have their advantages

Spoiler

Physical: 1. I have found less DRM fairly consistently
2. You can share with friends(assuming no DRM)
3. It looks pretty and can be used as a display piece

Digital: 1. Most have DRM(I'm looking at you Steam, Gabe Newell a hero, right... I suggest you rethink what you say.)
2. Faster loading times, especially if you buy an SSD
3. Convenient, you can easily carry around hundreds of games without trouble.

In the end both have their perks, but provided there is no DRM I don't really care which one I have to use.