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[Rean no Kiseki]

Long rant incoming:

So i have a confession to Make, I love digital games, they're convenient and easy to access, but i'm an indecisive idiot!

I'm ashamed to say I own multiple games both physically and digitally and i hate myself for it because once i own a game digitally I'll always re-download rather than just get up and change the disc, i recentally got a pretty decent 5G wifi and I'm happy that I can now download games and patches that are over 30Gigs in an hour or 3 at the most, so where's the problem you might ask? So i want to play RE8 but my local Amazon is refusing to ship the game to my location for some reason, and I was like "why don't you just buy digitally you idiot?"

I'm at a cross road of sorts, I buy anything that's not indie or MP focused physically but i wonder why i do that now, the moment i get the box, i look at it for a few seconds, take out the disc put it in my CD-bag and never look at the box again for months or even years! I have bought RE3R and FF7R digitally and never deleted them and yet my stupid ass went and got them physically just because i want to say I own it! But what's the point? My wide keeps nagging me about the ludicrous amounts of empty boxes in the closet when I can just get digitally and not waste space, she's no gamer and I've no gamer friends so who am i showing off to?

It made sense in previous gens to own physical when games came complete and at most patches were like 100MB at the most! But with last gen and this one i don't see the point, even with the Switch which i was still buying physical for no reason when digital is way better and Switch games are small in size anyways and SD cards are plenty and are cheap! So there's no NEED to ever delete anything!

End rant.

So GAF give me your stories and opinions please, i need them!

 

[01011001]

Physical was nice back when physical games were more than just empty cases with a disc in it that has often half the data missing.

back when games had well designed manuals, some extras and ALL of the game in the physical release, that was when it really made sense to still get them. Nowadays I couldn't give a damn about 99% of all physical releases, partly because of the convenience of digital games.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

I was a disc supporter till around 2014 when I got a big Seagate HDD so all my games could be digital.

What changed for me is that starting last gen, all games have to be installed anyway, while during the 360 era almost all games ran straight off the disc. I milked a 20gb HDD with a white 360 Pro unit until 2012 when it RROD. Somehow that 20 gb drive was still able to store XBLA games, XBLIG games, patches, map packs and DLC, OS dashboard updates, saved games, and still had room to spare.

So if I need to spend time getting an HDD and spend time waiting for a game to install, I might as well just get the digital version.

I lose out selling back a game to EB or Craigslist for $20, but at this point I don't really care about going through the hassle.

Another perk of digital is home sharing, so I split the costs of all Gold, sub plans and digital games with a friend. So any savings I would had got selling a disc, it's basically a wash paying for half with a friend.

 

[Moonjt9]

I’m still physical on most of my games because I enjoy collecting them. It’s really fun for me to look at my bookshelf and see games from NES to PS5.

Though I admit there are quite a few games I bought digitally. I usually regret it though and wish I bought the physical versions of them.

 

[Rean no Kiseki]

well designed manuals

Why put manuals when modern games hold your hand and teaches you EVERYTHING!? Seriously i bought Garou Mark Of The Wolves on sale back in 2017-18 and randomly re-downloaded it recentally and i was shocked that there was nothing explaining how to play the game or it's mechanics or special moves like modern fighting games.

 

[01011001]

Why put manuals when modern games hold your hand and teach EVERYTHING!? Seriously i bought Garou Mark Of The Wolves on sale back in 2017-18 and randomly re-downloaded recentally and i was shocked that there was nothing explaining how to play the game or it's mechanics or special moves like modern fighting games.

well, true xD but still. manuals back then were more than tutorials, they often had lore and art in them. GTA manuals were basically tourist pamphlets for example. and on top of that every GTA came with a map of the world

 

[OrionNebula]

For me Village was it. Amazon has not even shipped it yet, expected May 11th-13th. I was even reluctant to get it physically. I’m really not mad because I got plenty to do this week end, but I really do not see any point at all anymore to pursue physical (and boxes are practically empty and most games require day 1 patch anyway). It’s just impractical nowadays, as far as I’m concerned, just like cds and dvds before them

 

[Zeroing]

I have really fast internet and I’m too lazy to keep changing disks. Although I think options are better than no options, physical is not for me. Also due to my weird country… everyone is a hoarder and we end up with no market for second hand physical games.

 

[Skifi28]

Physical these days has all the negatives of both physical and digital.

 

[kyliethicc]

Digital only since 2014. Love it.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

well, true xD but still. manuals back then were more than tutorials, they often had lore and art in them. GTA manuals were basically tourist pamphlets for example. and on top of that every GTA came with a map of the world

Anyone who never played old computer games (which came in whatever the fuck giant box they felt like) back then had all kinds of shit. Big manuals (often for helping with troubleshooting and install instructions), but you could get fucking novelty cloth maps!

Back around the 96-99 era, EA would also include coupons where if you buy 2 EA Sports games, you mail in the card and pick a free PC game.

 

[Tranquil]

Physical is nice because you can buy the game used 2 months down the line for half the price.

 

[01011001]

Anyone who never played old computer games (which came in whatever the fuck giant box they felt like) games back then had all kinds of shit. Big manuals (often for helping with troubleshooting and install instructions), but you could get fucking novelty cloth maps!

Back around the 96-99 era, EA would also include coupons where if you buy 2 EA Sports games, you mail in the card and pick a free PC game.

I still have Monkey Island 1-3 in PC boxes, with dial a pirate plates and everything. really cool shit. I should also have GTA Vice City still somewhere, which came on I think 4 CDs...

 

[MayauMiao]

Console physical but I will settle for digital if the games are dirt cheap.

PC game is all digital via Steam. Can't find boxed PC games anyway.

 

[Imru’ al-Qays]

I mostly stick to physical in part because it encourages me to actually play one game at a time and finish them. I've made some mistakes, though, like buying MK11 in physical format when digital would have been better - for some genres like fighting games you really want to be able to have them available at a moment's notice without having to get up and change discs.

 

[lh032]

Physical
1. trade value.
2. able to play even when the digital store is closed

 

[Rean no Kiseki]

Physical is nice because you can buy the game used 2 months down the line for half the price.

That is nice indeed and i used to do this often in the past but nowadays? If i'm REALLY interested in a game i'll get at LEAST week 2 of release and for games i don't want to play immediately or have little interest in i get for cheap when the go on sale on PSN, case in point what got my back into Assassin's Creed was a 3 in 1 sale of Black Flag/Unity/Syndicate for 19.99 on PSN back in 2017-18! I really cant remember the last time i sold a game either, maybe around 3-4 years ago?

 

[kingwingin]

I went digital for the ps4 and back to physical for ps5.

I impulse purchased games way more. So easy to read an OT get hyped then click a few buttons and bam I'm in.

I found I beat a lot less games when going digital, like with netflix I would scroll this never ending list and could never settle on something I wanted to play.

I also like showing off my games on a shelf.

 

[InterMusketeer]

Just go for whatever is most practical for you. Sounds like digital is more convenient for you, so I'd just flip that switch and never consider physical again, just for that peace of mind.

 

[EverydayBeast]

Not having to get up to put a disk in is critical.

 

[Trogdor1123]

Being able to get a game to download while I'm driving home is awesome.

 

[angrod14]

Go all digital. Embrace the dark side. You're only postponing the inevitable.

 

[nush]

Physical becomes pointless when you have to install the games anyway and then insert the disk to play them. Plus the price drops so, so fast on digital your resale value is shit.

 

[FloatingIslands]

I switched digital after the Wii. It's more convenient, lower price than physical (third world country here) and I don't need to swap discs.

I just don't get the "but you don't actually own it" thinking. It's not that you own the game if it's a disc anyway.
If you say that in the future the servers could shut down, well, I think that there'll be another way of getting it, like downloading from a dubious repository.
Also, why do you think your disc reader will still function in the future or replacements will still be available?

I think that the inner motive of buying physical over digital is just for collecting stuff and the fact that we're talking in a gaming forum generates some sort of status among us. Like people that still buy vinyl discs for music but without any advantage.

 

[lachesis]

All about $$$ for me to be honest.

I like owning physical things, but I also like the convenience of digital, no doubt.
But sometimes, older rarer games - the physical version becomes too expensive for what it is (IMO), so I just go the route of owning digital.
Also if a game that I really wanted to play is on sale for 10 bucks digitally or less - I buy digital.

But in vast majority of cases - a game gets released and physical copies drop in price much quicker, and you have more options/stores to buy from than MS or Sony or Nintendo's proprietary stores - which means I can find best deal. I rarely sell games anymore, but also that means I can sell it back if I don't like it, or finished it or whatnot - (but when I finish a game, I tend to hold onto it as a memento) - or even give away to friends.

 

[TheUsual]

If a physical edition is substantially cheaper than digital at the time I want it, I will go physical.
I'll deal with the patches and having the disc in the drive.

Otherwise, digital is just too damn convenient.

 

[Rockondevil]

I'll stay physical as long as I can. Physical is generally cheaper if you get a game a little down the road.
But my main reason is resale value. Sure you don't get all that much trading them in but if you wait till the game stores have the get 50% extra or whatever they do if you trade towards various other products you can get a pretty good deal.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

Digital only since 2012

i aint ever swapping discs again.

 

[OrtizTwelve]

I miss physical games when it made sense to buy them, as when the entire game basically ran off the disk and no download or patches we’re required. You actually had the whole game.

Now it doesn’t work that way anymore. Physical games are nothing but useless DRM in a pretty box as almost all games require patches and fixes to work as the developer intended.

 

[noise36]

Bad with money = all digital
Good with money = mostly physical and resell, buy digital only on deep discount.

 

[Kilau]

I started off the PS4 gen digital only but slowly I started getting physical games again because of really good sales/price errors or a nice CE of a game I really wanted (Persona, etc.)

Now…even though I got both disc PS5 and XSX I can’t imagine buying another physical game since I got uncapped gigabit fiber. Digital is just too fast and convenient. Maybe if this gen actually starts to have decent sales on disc games I’ll get those again.

 

[Excess]

I still consider digital formats as "collecting", even if it's not physical. It could be improved, though...

What I'd to see happen is the ability to turn physical games into digital formats. For example, I converted all my old DVD's and Blu Ray's into MKV's and now have a digital collection of my films on Plex. With that, I get the convenience of a digital library, but I also own the films physically on display.

 

[jakinov]

Bad with money = all digital
Good with money = mostly physical and resell, buy digital only on deep discount.

If anything it sounds more like not having money than being bad with it .if you have to spend extra effort and time going to the store, switching discs waiting for deep discounts, and spending time reselling games then it's not just simply about being good or bad with money.

It boils down to different situations and different strokes for different folks. Some people are bad with money some people aren't Some people prioritize convivences over saving a buck, sometimes it's cheaper to go digital. Some people like buying something physical. Some people don't care.

 

[Magnific0giganticus]

And right this moment Dark Souls remastered is $40 on the PS Store. Digital can go fuck itself. They control the pricing all the way, if that's the future you want, enjoy it. When there's no more physical left I won't be buying anything anymore except for some cheap old games, I'll find other ways to play new releases....

 

[kiphalfton]

Digital-only gamers are insecure, and I only ever see them bring this topic up. Shut up about having digital-only consoles, especially when the associated disc-based version is capable of playing digital. You're not losing out on anything by having a disc drive, BUT if console makers did get rid of disc drives altogether to appease you, those who want a disc drive would be missing out.

 

[protonion]

There is no debate.

Physical only.

- cheaper day one.
- cheaper later
-TRADING!!! The trades I made last gen financed my ps5.
-re installs are near instant, no need to manage space
-you can get the games days earlier
-true ownership
-even with the huge patches, I'd rather have an unpatched disc than nothing when the store goes down

Unless you are a hardcore environmentalist there is absolutely no reason to go digital.
The current physical/digital split is a collosal consumer failure. Unbelievable.

Hugging my collection

 

[kungfuian]

Anyone else have a pattern of buying smaller games digitally (indi, $5-$20 games, 10 gigs or less) and larger games physically (AAA, any game that cost full $60 at retail, bigger digital footprint)?

I usually only go digital because I have to. If I could get physical copies of smaller digital only games I would, but since most aren't available, or limited run, I go digital with these. Otherwise I will almost always buy physical.

 

[noise36]

If anything it sounds more like not having money than being bad with it

Not at all, you spend a dollar then you dont have a dollar.

Everyone has limited resources, doesn't matter if you are rich or poor.

All digital is significantly more expensive.

 

[Riky]

"Unless you are a hardcore environmentalist there is absolutely no reason to go digital"

There are a couple,

My son has my Home Xbox Series X, therefore he has access to all my digital games which probably runs to a thousand with Gamepass now, we can play the same game together with one purchase.

I have two Series S consoles in the house.

Disc Rot or damage, had a couple of old Xbox and PS2 games suffer from disc Rot and there is always a chance a disc will get damaged accidentally.

 

[bellome]

I want to own my games, I only buy physical whenever it's possible.

 

[mxbison]

Digital games being more expensive than physical is just ridiculous, I'm not supporting that as long as I have a choice.

I can also borrow physical games to/from friends which is another big plus.

 

[jakinov]

Not at all, you spend a dollar then you dont have a dollar.

You have hundreds or thousands of extra dollars you don't care so much about saving a small fraction of it by sacrificing convivence or free time and it makes a negligible impact on the overall finances.

Again serious answer is that people have different priorities and situations. People who buy digital for convivence aren't bad with money just because they have option to save a buck (which really isn't always the case) and don't choose to because those options come at a sacrifice of convivence or time. It's like saying people who can afford delivery fees are bad with money because they don't save money by picking up their food. Spending the time to save the buck isn't really always the optimal choice either; depending on your situation, you have to consider what your time is worth. Some people can make more money in the time they spend saving a buck

 

[FoundryMusic]

Huge chance of a lot of digital only stuff vanishing in future as all these touch-feely clowns rewrite history and suddenly decide lots of things are now problematic. It's happening with TV shows and films, it'll happen to games too.

But at least you never had to get up off the sofa I suppose...

 

[Arun1910]

For me I always had this mindset:

If i know a game is one and done, get Physical.

If I think the game is going to be something I want to revist in the future, I got Digital.

What ended up happening for me with my PS4 was that I ended up basically only getting Sony Exclusives/Assassins Creed Games/GTA/RDR2 etcetera (Basically massive hits) on Digital and everything else as a physical that I'd sell within the month.

That money would basically be recycled for my next one and done game.

Now that I have a 3080 in my new PC build things are slightly different. I have a PS5 for Exclusives still but they're Digital, and any 3rd Party or MS game I'll play on PC, which is also Digital.

I guess having a PC kind of killed Physicals for me which is kind of a shame as I can't cycle back those games I won't play again.

 

[WakeTheWolf]

Long rant incoming:

So i have a confession to Make, I love digital games, they're convenient and easy to access, but i'm an indecisive idiot!

I'm ashamed to say I own multiple games both physically and digitally and i hate myself for it because once i own a game digitally I'll always re-download rather than just get up and change the disc, i recentally got a pretty decent 5G wifi and I'm happy that I can now download games and patches that are over 30Gigs in an hour or 3 at the most, so where's the problem you might ask? So i want to play RE8 but my local Amazon is refusing to ship the game to my location for some reason, and I was like "why don't you just buy digitally you idiot?"

I'm at a cross road of sorts, I buy anything that's not indie or MP focused physically but i wonder why i do that now, the moment i get the box, i look at it for a few seconds, take out the disc put it in my CD-bag and never look at the box again for months or even years! I have bought RE3R and FF7R digitally and never deleted them and yet my stupid ass went and got them physically just because i want to say I own it! But what's the point? My wide keeps nagging me about the ludicrous amounts of empty boxes in the closet when I can just get digitally and not waste space, she's no gamer and I've no gamer friends so who am i showing off to?

It made sense in previous gens to own physical when games came complete and at most patches were like 100MB at the most! But with last gen and this one i don't see the point, even with the Switch which i was still buying physical for no reason when digital is way better and Switch games are small in size anyways and SD cards are plenty and are cheap! So there's no NEED to ever delete anything!

End rant.

So GAF give me your stories and opinions please, i need them!

Now I don't mind buying digital at a higher price than physical but I have different reasons for this than most.

For me it's a few things like how my local game stores are an awful experience. They are filled with unhelpful unfriendly lazy staff these days. Never used to be. Also part of the experience was going to a midnight launch.

A big thing is reselling games. Nowadays marketplace is a hassle as everyone low balls you or messes you around. So it's just a lot easier to get digital and not deal with any bullshit.

 

[makaveli60]

It’s not like it was in the past but I still like OWNING my games in physical form and have more control.
It basically comes down to this, just like a lot of things in life: do you want more control or you sacrfice that control for the sake of conveniance.

 

[Ozzie666]

Digital prices are so bad in this country, they should not be equal to physical copies period. I assume it's like that all over the world?

There is something about owning physical cartridges, Switch is close, but not perfect. Nothing beats a beefy physical NEO GEO style case and cartridge.

 

[AeonGaidenRaiden]

Nowadays I rarely buy brand new. So it would depend on price, usually a used copy will show up earlier than an actual discount on a month old game. But then digital is great for those random sales of games you never knew you wanted and were 80% off.

 

[Putonahappyface]

Physical is mandatory for me as I don't keep games for long as I rarely replay them. Unless it's free via PlayStation Plus I won't go digital! Digital via a playstation means no come backs 99.9% of the time and I won't get burnt again.

 

[Withnail]

Whenever I think about buying physical media I just look at the box of 200+ music CDs in my garage which are now basically worthless.

I can see the point of physical media if you regularly trade in old games for new ones but collecting discs? It's only a matter of time until you're left with a worthless pile of plastic.