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[H_Prestige]

The only real benefit of digital is convenience. You may or may not be able to play those on the next system so it may or may not be a benefit.

The benefit of retail is, cheaper price, ability to sell or trade your game, the ability to borrow or loan a game, and the only real guaranteed way to future proof yourself if you want to play your games in the future.

How do you guarantee no damage or theft of a retail game disc or flash card? I feel much safer in my purchase of FFVII off PSN than that old as hell CD set I have in my closet.

And even if convenience were the only benefit, convenience is a pretty big thing. I'd certainly rate it an order of magnitude more important than the retail benefits you mentioned. Can't sell a game? Big deal, all of my old games that I don't play are worth next to nothing anyway and I don't make impulse purchases anymore either.

 

[commish]

Pros:

1. Don't have to carry games around.
2. Don't have to switch out cards
3. Don't have to worry about losing them as you can always re-download.
4. If a PSPVita 2 comes out someday and is backwards compatible with digital games (but not the physical games) they will still work. Just as it is right now (digital PSP games work on Vita but UMDs do not)
5. MSRPs are often below retail (if only by 10%)

Cons:

1. Can't resell
2. No retailer discounts means some games may stay at a higher price vs discounted retail prices.
3. Need more memory card space
4. Theoretically a game could be pulled from online and you could never re-download
5. Can't let your friend borrow a game.

Those cons so far outweigh the pros, it's not even funny. The fact that I need more mem cards and I can't resell a game are pretty huge negatives to me. I'd be fine if games were significantly cheaper but...

 

[Einbroch]

Only pro for me is the fact that the damn flap is really hard to open.

 

[PixyJunket]

Interesting topic, I don't have a Vita yet but just ten minutes ago I hopped on PSN (via PSP) to download Hot Shots Golf 2 until I found out Sony was still charging $30 for it.

The UMD is $10 new, $3 used on Amazon.

 

[Electivirus]

Not having to fuck around with carts (especially with a handheld) is a big plus to me.

 

[tahsutify]

speed


oh wait

She is quite hot, I forgive her. I've always imagined her as an old ugly woman.

 

[Rengoku]

Yeah, retailer discounts and the ability to resell are huge ones for me, and who needs to preload games when there are stores out there that frequently break street dates

 

[Marty Chinn]

How do you guarantee no damage or theft of a retail game disc or flash card? I feel much safer in my purchase of FFVII off PSN than that old as hell CD set I have in my closet.

How do you guarantee the servers don't get swallowed up into the earth? You really feel that safe after PSN went down for how long last year? You feel that safe over what happened with Direct 2 Drive?

And even if convenience were the only benefit, convenience is a pretty big thing. I'd certainly rate it an order of magnitude more important than the retail benefits you mentioned. Can't sell a game? Big deal, all of my old games that I don't play are worth next to nothing anyway and I don't make impulse purchases anymore either.

Selling a game is a big deal given how many people traded in stuff for a Vita. I don't sell games; I keep everything I buy. That doesn't change the fact that it's a huge sticking point; you know actually owning the game you purchased rather than only owning a right to play it that could disappear. What's big for me is borrowing and lending games though. How is that not a factor?

 

[Killthee]

I think it was taken when she was explaining the new format of the psn store..

Yup. Here's a crappy version of the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwh1ysYPlOc

 

[PaulLFC]

What's big for me is borrowing and lending games though. How is that not a factor?

You pretty much can't do this with Vita. Well you can, but it locks out trophies for the second person unless they delete the first person's data and saved games.

 

[RotBot]

According to Giant Bomb, you should get the physical versions because they come in cool mini-cases.

 

[entremet]

I don't really sell games ever, so going digital will be a win win for me. Convenience, assured BC, etc., etc. Sony fucked up though. They should've offered a 64GB option.

Switching carts is kinda weird on a handheld.

 

[Marty Chinn]

I don't really sell games ever, so going digital will be a win win for me. Convenience, assured BC, etc., etc. Sony fucked up though. They should've offered a 64GB option.

How is it assured? It may be assumed, but not assured. Heck we just need to look at the Vita right now as proof.

Switching carts is kinda weird on a handheld.

What? Since when? There's a 25 year history of it....

 

[Shadow780]

I'm thinking of going mostly digital this time, sans any deals or LEs that are cool to get.

case in point: couldn't find DW Next everywhere on launch day, went home, downloaded to my PS3, and 15 minutes later, there it is.

I don't sell my games and I have no real friends, so it works out.

 

[Palette Swap]

What about imports? If I had a Vita and wanted to use DD for domestic and import games, would I have to have 2 accounts, one funded with import prepaid cards? Or even 3 accounts considering I live in Europe.

Sorry if this is an obvious question but this is important to me. Hell, there are still 2 Japanese PSP games I want to buy. I guess I'll have to avoid UMD for these.

 

[Deadstar]

What's the benefit of Steam? I don't have 100 game cd's laying around and can download/reinstall any game whenever I want. That is the biggest benefit for me. It's so nice to be able to play whatever you want without switching something in the slot.

 

[M3d10n]

If you live in countries where the only way to buy games is to import them yourself (paying for shipping and maybe taxes) or buying through local "distributors" (aka: people who import the game and charge double for it), buying digital turns to be far cheaper.

 

[kodt]

Those cons so far outweigh the pros, it's not even funny. The fact that I need more mem cards and I can't resell a game are pretty huge negatives to me. I'd be fine if games were significantly cheaper but...

I think the biggest Pro is the future system compatibility. I just think it would suck to have like 50 useless UMDs. Where as if you bought all digital PSP games you can play them all on your new device. (once compatibility is improved.)

 

[Returners]

SAVE DATA

You don't know when it saves to game card or memory card.

 

[Marty Chinn]

I think the biggest Pro is the future system compatibility. I just think it would suck to have like 50 useless UMDs. Where as if you bought all digital PSP games you can play them all on your new device. (once compatibility is improved.)

They still work on the original PSP though. Plus, there's no guarantee the future system will be backward compatible and even if it is, there's no guarantee the game you bought will work. Look at the Vita right now and see how many games don't work.

 

[jono51]

For a portable, being able to play any game, any time, with no easily misplaced carts is a pretty huge plus.

 

[zoku88]

Have you seen the size of those games? I know myself well enough to know that I'd lose them.

 

[Murkas]

I don't mean to sound snobbish or like an asshole but is switching the carts that much of an inconvenience to some people? It only takes a few seconds.

I'm sure carrying around 10 games is a chore but you could always get one of those pouches that hold the unit and games, or just put the carts in your pocket since the carts themselves are small. I guess I can understand if people are prone to losing them that they'll switch to digital.

I just never got this one.

 

[shira]

They still work on the original PSP though. Plus, there's no guarantee the future system will be backward compatible and even if it is, there's no guarantee the game you bought will work. Look at the Vita right now and see how many games don't work.

Why can't they make it easy. Like for Blizzard if you buy a game you have the physical copy, a digital copy on the network, and it's all tied to a unique code.

 

[Marty Chinn]

Have you seen the size of those games? I know myself well enough to know that I'd lose them.

You know what's even smaller than the games? The memory cards that will fill up fairly quickly.

Why can't they make it easy. Like for Blizzard if you buy a game you have the physical copy, a digital copy on the network, and it's all tied to a unique code.

I would totally love this.

 

[ThaiGrocer]

Also don't forget that DD has unlimited inventory and shelf space. So that obscure game genre and/or mix that tickles your fancy in a very personal way can now exist!

To make it clearer, the publisher doesn't have to worry about how many physical copies to make.

 

[GavinGT]

It'll teach you the merits of a clean fridge.

 

[Barkley's Justice]

because this doesn't look ridiculous in the slightest:

 

[MarshMellow96]

Going digital, save for annual sports games and unmissable deals. Feels like it makes sense.

 

[RedSwirl]

I just don't wanna lug around a bunch of cartridges. Digital is preferable when dealing with handheld games.

 

[entremet]

I don't mean to sound snobbish or like an asshole but is switching the carts that much of an inconvenience to some people? It only takes a few seconds.

I'm sure carrying around 10 games is a chore but you could always get one of those pouches that hold the unit and games, or just put the carts in your pocket since the carts themselves are small. I guess I can understand if people are prone to losing them that they'll switch to digital.

I just never got this one.

Once you get spoiled it's hard to back go. I actually got spoiled via custom firmware with the original PSP. Especially as a portable platform, switching carts in moving train during my commute can be a hassle.

 

[Marty Chinn]

Also don't forget that DD has unlimited inventory and shelf space. So that obscure game genre and/or mix that tickles your fancy in a very personal way can now exist!

To make it clearer, the publisher doesn't have to worry about how many physical copies to make.

Oh like OutRun Online Arcade?

 

[zoku88]

You know what's even smaller than the games? The memory cards that will fill up fairly quickly.

I almost lost the card when I opened the package. When I opened it, the memory card flung out. :-/

 

[RockmanWhore]

Digital is more convinient because you have everything on your console and don't have to go to a store etc... But since you can't sell your digital games, and considering the price of the memory cards, I don't see myself buying big games like Wipeout or Uncharted digitally. That said, it's true on consoles and PC, for the small and cheap games that wouldn't make any sense from a busyness perspective, digital distribution is a blessing, but for brand new big budget games, physical copy is the way to go.

 

[Jaded Alyx]

Digital distribution is a godsend for people like me who have to otherwise import everything. Shipping costs and customs fees can be ridiculous.

 

[Solid warrior]

is there any tax on digital downloads?

 

[entremet]

You know what's even smaller than the games? The memory cards that will fill up fairly quickly.




I would totally love this.

Clean the fridge and keep your favorites on that card. You can always redownload and your saves will be kept. Not really hard.

is there any tax on digital downloads?

Depends on the state, assuming your in the US. Not sure about other countries.

 

[Deadstar]

I don't mean to sound snobbish or like an asshole but is switching the carts that much of an inconvenience to some people? It only takes a few seconds.

I'm sure carrying around 10 games is a chore but you could always get one of those pouches that hold the unit and games, or just put the carts in your pocket since the carts themselves are small. I guess I can understand if people are prone to losing them that they'll switch to digital.

I just never got this one.

I'm guessing you aren't a pc gamer? I used to think the same thing. Throw in a cd, takes 5 seconds, who cares. Well now that I use Steam or digital distribution exclusively on the pc I could never go back. Sure, swapping game carts is fast and not a major pain but why have that extra step if you don't need to do it when buying digitally? It's just faster, easier and you don't have to carry anything with you but the unit.

Also, I never sell any games so that point does not factor into my decision at all.

 

[Marty Chinn]

Clean the fridge and keep your favorites on that card. You can always redownload and your saves will be kept. Not really hard.

I thought you were joking. Are you seriously advocating Nintendo's line? Doing so means you're now data managing. Data managing means you just killed part of the convenience factor.

 

[therapist]

Not much really...its nice to have some games on ur device all the time and u don need to swap game cards.

But the measly 10% off retail coupled with ridiculous memory card prices means its really not worth it yet.

One large downside is obviously the fact you cant sell/trade in those games however.
So if you buy digital you best hope you really wanna keep the game youre buying.

I.e Uncharted - its good but im quite glad i didnt buy it digital as its large and doesnt seem to have much replay value at all , and the fact that is 50$ just compounds that fact.

 

[entremet]

I thought you were joking. Are you seriously advocating Nintendo's line? Doing so means you're now data managing. Data managing means you just killed part of the convenience factor.

Are all your Steam games installed?

I rarely replay games anyway, other than certain games, such puzzle, fighting and sports games.

This is obviously a personal preference and you prefer physical media. I'm not attacking that. I'm just done with physical media for the majority of my media consumption--film, games, and now books in certain cases. I do love a great hardback art or photo book, though...

 

[Murkas]

I'm guessing you aren't a pc gamer? I used to think the same thing. Throw in a cd, takes 5 seconds, who cares. Well now that I use Steam or digital distribution exclusively on the pc I could never go back. Sure, swapping game carts is fast and not a major pain but why have that extra step if you don't need to do it when buying digitally? It's just faster, easier and you don't have to carry anything with you but the unit.

Also, I never sell any games so that point does not factor into my decision at all.

I am a pc gamer, have about 180 games on Steam.

Even then I can still switch game CDs/carts so that wouldn't be much a con for me, but I still see what you're getting at.

 

[MomoPufflet]

speed

oh wait

Looks like she's on the "it" part of saying "deal with it"

 

[Marty Chinn]

Are all your Steam games installed?

This is obviously a personal preference and you prefer physical media. I'm not attacking that. I'm just done with physical media for the majority of my media consumption--film, games, and now books in certain cases. I do love a great hardback art or photo book, though...

Most of my Steam games are installed. I have a nice big HDD that can fit them which is not the case with the Vita. I don't have to manage anything. It's not on the go either so I don't have to worry about any of that. Plus for the important games, I still buy the physical versions. Otherwise, a lot of my Steam stuff is double dips, digital only, or stuff I probably wouldn't have gotten unless it was 90% off anyway. Plus there's by far less of a worry if Steam shuts down how I'll be able to access my content; that's just the nature of a PC. That's not so true with a console/handheld.

 

[GavinGT]

Looks like she's on the "it" part of saying "deal with it"

Lol good pull. Too bad the sunglasses won't come down and cover up her crooked smile.

 

[toddhunter]

Benefits: Some games are cheaper

Maybe the price and...

Price, but that's offset by expensive memory cards.

Price

Hopefully cheaper in the long run.

Better price

You guys, always joking!

 

[MikeE21286]

Transferability. Convenience.

I wil go mainly physical though.

 

[jony_m]

They both have plus and minuses.

I personally do a combination... Bigger & SP only games (Uncharted, Rayman, NGS+) get on physical. Smaller, MP & Heavily re-playable games (Lumines, SSD) get on digital.

 

[Thoraxes]

You can't sell them back, you can't buy them from cheaper retailers, you can't buy used, and you can have all your games on on proprietary cart that you may need multiples of in the future depending on how many games you want to download that cost upwards of $100 for the largest size.

 

[Withnail]

While Sony are gimping DD with the price of memory cards it is better to go with physical, IMO.

(Though personally I think Sony are giving retailers a huge margin on the memory cards to keep them sweet. It's PSPgo all over again.)

Remember how much Memory Stick prices have gone down and capacities have gone up over the life of the PSP. 32MB was a decent size at its launch and 1GB sticks were about $100 IIRC. Presumably the same thing will happen over the life of the Vita and make digital a better deal later on.

Yep, we'll probably be carrying >1TB cards in the Vita by the end of this handheld gen.