How do you feel about digital going into the 9th gen?

[mαrkαsscoρ]

The 7th generation was the first mainstream taste of downloading full games digitally. Then it went into the 8th gen where people buying digital games became more the norm. This was also the generation where Microsoft released the Xbox One SAD w/ no disc drive, so it seemed to Microsoft at least thought that consumers were ready to accept a console that was digital only. [oh yeah and there was also the PSP Go]

Now we're up to the next generation where both Sony and Microsoft are offering digital only alternatives to their consoles at launch. So my question isn't necessarily if you're gonna get a digital or disc based system from them, but rather, where do you stand on digital games nowadays? Are you fully on board w/ getting your games digitally or do you still like having the discs still but are leaning a little more towards digital? Or are you rock solid on physical games no matter what?

 

[Sheikah_Witch]

I’m all digital since at least before the pandemic. As long as you’re willing to put in the extra bucks for external hard drive and sd cards then why not? Cheaper and less hassle with plastic.

 

[Princess Niki]

I prefer physical cuz they take up less space on the hard drive and Nintendo loves to release small ones. I do have an SD card for it and it's running low on room.

 

[Bowsette Plus-Ultra]

I'm not a fan.

I will continue to prefer physical copies, since those don't require any sort of internet to play (unless you're playing some hot trash like Tony Hawk Pro Skater HD) and good internet is never a guarantee. If I'd been forced to rely on digital copies when I was deployed to Bahrain with terrible internet, I'd be playing new games a week after buying them due to the slow download speeds.

 

[SinkingBadges]

Physical is in a weird spot. It feels gimped since due to day one patches there's not even a guarantee the game will ship complete on disc, at least for a while. There's also how physical console games still get copied to and read from internal storage anyways, disc being effectively more of a physical license to "download" it again in case you have to delete it to make space for something else, which some developers would seem to take it upon themselves to make you do by making their games hundreds of GBs.

It doesn't help that platform holders seem to put significantly more resources into gradually making digital look more attractive from a consumer standpoint, what with Microsoft's Game Pass and other subscription services. Even as someone who remains fond of physical, that looks like companies are investing a lot into one option while slowly gimping the other.

 

[MapelSerup]

It depends. I always prefer physical, at least if everything is included in the physical copy. Digital games are so much more convenient though, so I get the move towards that. I just hope physical games are always an option, as I love being able to add to my collection.

 

[Spiritual Mask Salesman]

I still prefer physical games, I want to be able to physically display my library, I have no pride in having a digital selection of games. I get the convenience, and sometimes I will but a game digitally, but I still lean in favor of physical games.

 

[mαrkαsscoρ]

ever since manuals have gone away, my care for physical games has been gradually diminishing, I have more digital games on switch and ps4 than physical, granted a good portion of that is b/c of sales, I just care on where I can get the cheapest option

regarding the next gen consoles having no disc options, while it's still ideal to at least have the option of being able to use discs, I'm not dismissing the digital only options either, but I'm not looking at getting either next gen system anytime soon so I'll cross that bridge when it comes

 

[A Link In Time]

I still prefer physical but it's true that the reasons for buying physical games continue to grow slimmer and slimmer. No more manuals, no more promotions, at least some games still have artwork on the inside when you open the box. I like what companies like Limited Run Games do to make you feel like you're in the old days of physical releases but the days of mass-printed physical game media is slowly ending. I fully expect around 90% of Xbox Series X/S and PS5 sales to be digital. Nintendo might still around with physical for a generation longer due to their consoles having less internal storage.

 

[Bowsette Plus-Ultra]

I still prefer physical but it's true that the reasons for buying physical games continue to grow slimmer and slimmer. No more manuals, no more promotions, at least some games still have artwork on the inside when you open the box. I like what companies like Limited Run Games do to make you feel like you're in the old days of physical releases but the days of mass-printed physical game media is slowly ending. I fully expect around 90% of Xbox Series X/S and PS5 sales to be digital. Nintendo might still around with physical for a generation longer due to their consoles having less internal storage.

I feel like there's something to be said for physical copies even without manuals. Being able to install your game without internet is still the biggest benefit in my book.

 

[Jimmu]

I’m not a huge fan of digital only. While I can see an appeal in terms of convenience, I can see huge trade offs in the long term.

I can now boot up my NES and chuck in a game anytime, share it with my friends to play on their console, or sell it. 30 years from now will the same be true for the digital only copies of current generation console games?

Will you be able to buy and sell individual games once they eventually turn off the servers sometime down the line or will consoles be stuck with the games they already have downloaded onto them? When the console breaks down that could be it for your entire game library after support has ended.

 

[mαrkαsscoρ]

Will you be able to buy and sell individual games once they eventually turn off the servers sometime down the line or will consoles be stuck with the games they already have downloaded onto them? When the console breaks down that could be it for your entire game library after support has ended.

I never understood the argument of your console breaking, therefore all your digital games are lost, b/c if you get another console and sign in w/ your account, couldn't you just redownload all your software again?

also on the wii, despite the servers now being completely shut, you are still able to go to the wii shop channel and redownload anything you bought in the past, granted the console-breaking argument does apply to the wii, but that was always the case even during it's relevancy, it's more of a problem w/ how nintendo handled digital games on the wii than digital games as a whole

 

[Jimmu]

I never understood the argument of your console breaking, therefore all your digital games are lost, b/c if you get another console and sign in w/ your account, couldn't you just redownload all your software again?

also on the wii, despite the servers now being completely shut, you are still able to go to the wii shop channel and redownload anything you bought in the past, granted the console-breaking argument does apply to the wii, but that was always the case even during it's relevancy, it's more of a problem w/ how nintendo handled digital games on the wii than digital games as a whole

Have Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft all committed to supporting redownloads of existing purchases forever on all of their existing consoles? I honestly am not sure about this point and am unaware of such commitments being made or not, but I highly doubt they will maintain this support forever. Also what happens if one of these companies goes bust? Not likely at all in the short term but not entirely out of the realm of possibility for the longer term either.

 

[Bowsette Plus-Ultra]

This is Fat Princess.

It's a pretty good game. Reminds me of a lighthearted Star Wars Battlefront 2. The goal of most game modes is to break into the enemy base and kidnap their princess (who starts off at a very normal weight). Teams can frustrate these efforts by continuously feeding their princess cake in order to make her heavier.

It's genuinely one of my favorite PSP games.

I also can't download it anymore.

Even though the Vita is technically backwards compatible with most PSP games, for some reason it doesn't allow the downloading of this one. That means I paid $20 for a game that I can no longer download on my PSP (which can't access the Playstation Store anymore) or my Playstation Vita. the only way for me to play it (outside of emulation) would be to buy new charger for my PSP and a new copy of Fat Princess.

A game that I legally purchased is no longer playable on a console that is designed to be compatible with it. That be why I don't like this era of mostly digital purchaes.

 

[Quin]

I'll stop paying for games if we go full digital.