-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Would you buy a diskless PS4?
- Thread starter EverydayBeast
- Start date
EverydayBeast
thinks Halo Infinite is a new graphical benchmark
visiblemode
Member
My kneejerk reaction was “no way,” OP but a super large HD would definitely go a long way to change my mind.
hououinkyouma00
Member
I mean while they didn’t take off, they still made them so I’m sure you can find them.
Strazyplus
Member
I don't have a ps4 soo kinda no. but if it went diskless they would have to provide us a steam like service for free, no more of this monthly fee to play online while already paying for internet connection.
Yes, I think there are at least three of us.
EverydayBeast
thinks Halo Infinite is a new graphical benchmark
If priced effectively than I don't see why not because as of now disk drive failures is one of SONY's greatest threats entering next gen from cds, blue-rays etc. getting stuck, to laser failures, to not ejecting, to making a shit ton of noise etc. either make a better disk drive or scrap it and cut costs.
S
SLoWMoTIoN
Unconfirmed Member
.N..no!
HeresJohnny
Member
Only if it came with a cartridge slot instead.
Seriously, though -- NO. I don't like these companies having control over my content. Last I checked, you can buy a system, plug it in and not connect it to the internet and play games off discs. You can't do that with digital. Plus, having a physical copy of the game appeals to the collector in me. Besides, most times the digital version is MORE expensive than the physical version. I remember buying a copy of Darksiders on disc and checking the price on PSN and it was $14 more. There's not as much competition on the digital marketplace as there is with retail. I guess one could argue that iTunes wouldn't be successful if digital wasn't the future, but one of the key differences with services like iTunes and PSN or Live is that I can burn myself a backup disc of any music I've purchased at any time that plays perfectly fine on any offline disc-based device. So yeah, the convenience of digital doesn't warrant the oftentimes higher price and lack of security for me as a buyer of not having a physical copy of my purchase. I can go plug in my Dreamcast, N64, or PS2 and play a retail game off the shelf with zero authentication, control, or interference from the publisher. And for me, it's going to stay that way.
Seriously, though -- NO. I don't like these companies having control over my content. Last I checked, you can buy a system, plug it in and not connect it to the internet and play games off discs. You can't do that with digital. Plus, having a physical copy of the game appeals to the collector in me. Besides, most times the digital version is MORE expensive than the physical version. I remember buying a copy of Darksiders on disc and checking the price on PSN and it was $14 more. There's not as much competition on the digital marketplace as there is with retail. I guess one could argue that iTunes wouldn't be successful if digital wasn't the future, but one of the key differences with services like iTunes and PSN or Live is that I can burn myself a backup disc of any music I've purchased at any time that plays perfectly fine on any offline disc-based device. So yeah, the convenience of digital doesn't warrant the oftentimes higher price and lack of security for me as a buyer of not having a physical copy of my purchase. I can go plug in my Dreamcast, N64, or PS2 and play a retail game off the shelf with zero authentication, control, or interference from the publisher. And for me, it's going to stay that way.
EDMIX
Member
Funniest thing about this, is going diskless will add more cost and issues then having a drive as the cost is just too low to really be making a huge dent.
Consider, its likely cost Sony maybe 20 or 30, they are not going to passing on that DIRECT savings on a diskless system, even if we say they do.
Now that you don't have a disk drive, here are the following things you actually need.
Bigger HDD (will cost money)
ISP that doesn't cap you, never mind speeds folks, you need to be able to even download that much bandwidth without getting capped, charged extra etc
SPEED, who is willing to wait MORE hours and slowing down the network for everyone else in your home to get a game without the disk?
HDD fails? Guess what? Time to spend hours and hours downloading a whole slew of games vs what? mere minutes of a install with a disk and you are back to playing? I'll take gaming in less then 4 min vs HOURS of a download.
Want a game at a discounted price? OH you ONLY have sales, oh Call Of Duty Advance Warfare on PS4 or XONE or Steam isn't on sale? guess you have to wait to play or fork over full price vs getting it USED FOR CHEAPER ALL YEAR ROUND.
All this before we even talk about gamers rights to content (hint hint P.T is the reason why folks need to worry about any digital only future)
This is why I will never buy a diskless console or will NEVER build a gaming PC without a disk drive. I gain nothing by having a part missing and limiting options.
So that extra $30 someone will save, will actually cost way, way, waaaaaaaaaaaaay more then its really saving. Not when NEED internet access to obtain a game, larger hdd to hold libaries of content, less options to obtain games etc. That will cost folks.
So easy example. You see a vid of Call Of Duty AW and say "Wow, didn't know that single player was so lit brah, let me buy it, oh...WTF? Its 59.99 on PSN, XBL and Steam?"
Soooooo you.
A. Wait for a sale (yup, that is always a plus, waiting instead of gaming /s)
B. Buy it full price (even better, SPEND MORE MONEY to show off that you saved soooo much money on your new diskless PS4....ONLY to wait for that download lol)
https://store.playstation.com/en-us...0002-cusa00803_00-codawpsngoldedit:emcid_null
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MU1YEZY/?tag=neogaf0e-20
Consider, its likely cost Sony maybe 20 or 30, they are not going to passing on that DIRECT savings on a diskless system, even if we say they do.
Now that you don't have a disk drive, here are the following things you actually need.
Bigger HDD (will cost money)
ISP that doesn't cap you, never mind speeds folks, you need to be able to even download that much bandwidth without getting capped, charged extra etc
SPEED, who is willing to wait MORE hours and slowing down the network for everyone else in your home to get a game without the disk?
HDD fails? Guess what? Time to spend hours and hours downloading a whole slew of games vs what? mere minutes of a install with a disk and you are back to playing? I'll take gaming in less then 4 min vs HOURS of a download.
Want a game at a discounted price? OH you ONLY have sales, oh Call Of Duty Advance Warfare on PS4 or XONE or Steam isn't on sale? guess you have to wait to play or fork over full price vs getting it USED FOR CHEAPER ALL YEAR ROUND.
All this before we even talk about gamers rights to content (hint hint P.T is the reason why folks need to worry about any digital only future)
This is why I will never buy a diskless console or will NEVER build a gaming PC without a disk drive. I gain nothing by having a part missing and limiting options.
So that extra $30 someone will save, will actually cost way, way, waaaaaaaaaaaaay more then its really saving. Not when NEED internet access to obtain a game, larger hdd to hold libaries of content, less options to obtain games etc. That will cost folks.
So easy example. You see a vid of Call Of Duty AW and say "Wow, didn't know that single player was so lit brah, let me buy it, oh...WTF? Its 59.99 on PSN, XBL and Steam?"
Soooooo you.
A. Wait for a sale (yup, that is always a plus, waiting instead of gaming /s)
B. Buy it full price (even better, SPEND MORE MONEY to show off that you saved soooo much money on your new diskless PS4....ONLY to wait for that download lol)
https://store.playstation.com/en-us...0002-cusa00803_00-codawpsngoldedit:emcid_null
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MU1YEZY/?tag=neogaf0e-20
Imtjnotu
Member
BlackBanditSho
Member
I would consider a no-disc Xbox One with a small apple tv form factor. Maybe a 500 sdd. Option to stream utilizing SHADOW tech. I think that's the future. The near future.
S
SLoWMoTIoN
Unconfirmed Member
500 is way too small.
stargateheaven
Member
no way. Digital has barely any advantages over physical.
Advantages of
physical:
cheaper
i can get it earlier
and be able to sell it
digital:
i can play instantly without switching disc.
Advantages of
physical:
cheaper
i can get it earlier
and be able to sell it
digital:
i can play instantly without switching disc.
Last edited:
Snoopycat
Banned
Yeah, I was just thinking that our PS4 could already be diskless and it wouldn't make any difference. Every game I've bought has been digital. The only concern now is we have such a big library that if Sony don't make PS4 games compatible with the PS5 I won't be buying one.
fvng
Member
I would but it would have to be the size of the PS2 slim but obviously a little thicker to accommodate the hard drive
The way you use it and the way it is are two different things. That disk drive is still there even though you don’t use it.
I love light and thin electronics so the idea of a relatively tiny PS4 appeals to me
The way you use it and the way it is are two different things. That disk drive is still there even though you don’t use it.
I love light and thin electronics so the idea of a relatively tiny PS4 appeals to me
Last edited:
Ge Os
Member
^^THIS^^
Besides, as some people already pointed out, some cover arts are really beautiful, and the feeling of having a rare game in physical form is unique.A clear example, I own Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver on Steam, but when i saw the oportunity to buy a PS1 copy, I throw the money right away. Months later, I bought a factory sealed copy of The King of Fighters XI for PS2. And more recently, my CE of God of War (PS4).
EDMIX
Member
" if Sony don't make PS4 games compatible with the PS5 I won't be buying one."
LOL huh?
Ok bud. I'm buying a PS5 to play PS5 games....when PS5 comes out, its not as if my PS4 will stop existing or something. I'm even planning to buy a PS4 Pro some day, so I don't see me selling 2 PS4's before PS5 comes out as it just makes no sense. My PS3 sits right next to my PS4, my PS5 will sit next to my soon to be PS4 Pro. I don't get why last gen games would be more important to someone then next gen games on a next gen system lol
Louis Cyphre
Banned
Not many wish to have a VHS player and a DVD player and bluray player all connected to one TV if they don't have to. Sony will be making a mistake if they don't embrace it next generation as digital libraries continue to grow and sell at the pace they are. You're just as bad anyways because you have no idea what the PS5 is, you will just blindly buy it and Sony loves customers like you which is why they get away with not embracing BC and other things.
ROMhack
Member
I wouldn't but that's mostly because the PS4 doubles up as my DVD/Blu-ray machine.
It's quite interesting comparing the difference between movies and games when it comes to what consumers expect from physical vs. digital copies. The difference between physical and digital games isn't much in the grand scheme on things. You get a box but not much else, rarely even a manual these days. Sure you can sell it on but in terms of content there's not a lot of difference overall, not unless you're willing to fork out for a collectors edition which might include some physical goodies.
With movies, physical copies often include extras that you can't get elsewhere. Things like commentary, interviews, featurettes, etc. Gaming doesn't really do that kind of thing.
It's quite interesting comparing the difference between movies and games when it comes to what consumers expect from physical vs. digital copies. The difference between physical and digital games isn't much in the grand scheme on things. You get a box but not much else, rarely even a manual these days. Sure you can sell it on but in terms of content there's not a lot of difference overall, not unless you're willing to fork out for a collectors edition which might include some physical goodies.
With movies, physical copies often include extras that you can't get elsewhere. Things like commentary, interviews, featurettes, etc. Gaming doesn't really do that kind of thing.
Last edited:
Snoopycat
Banned
LucidFeuer
Banned
Consoles are not PCs.
The reason why emulators are big things on PC rather than the original console platforms they should be on, is because manufacturers and publishers have made mediocre efforts in guaranteeing the legacy/backlog value and the system to use them.
I'm already highly dissatisfied with the lack of backward compatibility on PS4, didn't buy a Switch because of that, and after having that experience on PS3 I'm not interested in buying any digital or cross-platform games on PS4 (people who still do will very soon regret it if PS5 does the same mistake), especially as a collector.
The results is: I haven't bought a single digital game on PSN (except for 2/3 exclusive ones although I prefer limited runs) and only buy cheap second-hand exclusive PS4 games that I conserve in a nice steelbook, not knowing whether I'll have to rip them for emulation later or be able to actually use it on a PS5, which will also in fact influence my decision to buy it.
On PC I have less of a problem with that, well first of all because those degenerate PC manufacturers never adopted blu-ray drives and therefor most PC games on multiple DVDs are unbearable, but also because you get to have as many external/internal disk you want to stock them, but most importantly because you can ALWAYS play legacy games on a new PC or emulated system, and of course because Steam allows you to access and download you whole library from ANY "generations" on any PC you're connected to (granted download can be slow and I don't trust them either).
The reason why emulators are big things on PC rather than the original console platforms they should be on, is because manufacturers and publishers have made mediocre efforts in guaranteeing the legacy/backlog value and the system to use them.
I'm already highly dissatisfied with the lack of backward compatibility on PS4, didn't buy a Switch because of that, and after having that experience on PS3 I'm not interested in buying any digital or cross-platform games on PS4 (people who still do will very soon regret it if PS5 does the same mistake), especially as a collector.
The results is: I haven't bought a single digital game on PSN (except for 2/3 exclusive ones although I prefer limited runs) and only buy cheap second-hand exclusive PS4 games that I conserve in a nice steelbook, not knowing whether I'll have to rip them for emulation later or be able to actually use it on a PS5, which will also in fact influence my decision to buy it.
On PC I have less of a problem with that, well first of all because those degenerate PC manufacturers never adopted blu-ray drives and therefor most PC games on multiple DVDs are unbearable, but also because you get to have as many external/internal disk you want to stock them, but most importantly because you can ALWAYS play legacy games on a new PC or emulated system, and of course because Steam allows you to access and download you whole library from ANY "generations" on any PC you're connected to (granted download can be slow and I don't trust them either).
EDMIX
Member
Who is to say they won't? I'm getting a PS5 regardless of BC and I have no plans to sell my PS4 as I don't sell my game systems.
"Not many wish to have a VHS player and a DVD player and bluray player all connected to one TV" ???
Those are not game systems and who is saying all my game systems over the course of several generations are all connected? huh? lol I can only play one at a time so.....
I'm buying a PS5 because clearly it will be a game console that follows what Sony has done with PS1, PS2, PS3 and so on, on top of playing 3rd party games. "blindly" relax bud, no need to get emotional over it, how is saying we are all buying PS5 sight unseen REGARDLESS of the situation? If they make PS5 with their great teams, a solid console, 3rd party support, I'm buying it. That is my choice as a consumer. Stop attacking folks just cause they have a different view bud. Its my money and I'll spend it how I feel just. (worry waaaaaaaaaay too much how others spend their money)
Last edited:
Louis Cyphre
Banned
How am I attacking you anymore than you are attacking others who say they won't buy a PS5 if it doesn't play PS4 games? You are acting just as emotional so relax buddy pal. Did you buy a PS3 when it first came out too?
Last edited:
ultrazilla
Gold Member
No. Never. Ever.
BebopMcJigglypuff
Member
No I wouldn't buy it. If it were the only option I would probably just avoid that console altogether.
Lightsbane
Member
I wouldn't, because I'm collecting for the PS4. But it's probably the last console that I will collect physical media for.
If the PS5 turns out to be diskless, I'll buy it. I'm going full digital.
If the PS5 turns out to be diskless, I'll buy it. I'm going full digital.
If it was the only option? Probably. But if there was a choice - one with a drive, one without, i'd go for the one with everytime. Even if it cost extra I'd easily make that back through:
1) selling or trading in finished/unwanted games
2) buying 2nd hand games at lower prices than they are available on digital
at the moment new releases tend to be more expensive through digital than you can get the physical from amazon, etc, and then if you do buy it digitally you've no option whatsoever to recoup any cost in the future. for games i know i will never sell, it's an option, but for the majority of purchases there's no incentive.
of course, what this shows is there's a HUGE incentive to the platform holders to go this route, as they have much more of a captive market allowing prices to stay higher, and where they reap a greater proportion of the profits. a very dangerous situation.
and the day that i can't browse the shops in town in the hopes of stumbling across a bargain game - they will be sad days indeed.
1) selling or trading in finished/unwanted games
2) buying 2nd hand games at lower prices than they are available on digital
at the moment new releases tend to be more expensive through digital than you can get the physical from amazon, etc, and then if you do buy it digitally you've no option whatsoever to recoup any cost in the future. for games i know i will never sell, it's an option, but for the majority of purchases there's no incentive.
of course, what this shows is there's a HUGE incentive to the platform holders to go this route, as they have much more of a captive market allowing prices to stay higher, and where they reap a greater proportion of the profits. a very dangerous situation.
and the day that i can't browse the shops in town in the hopes of stumbling across a bargain game - they will be sad days indeed.
Hendrick's
If only my penis was as big as my GamerScore!
That's only because physical exists. Getting rid of physical would allow for competitive digital markets to grow and prices would come down.
BebopMcJigglypuff
Member
You really think the existence of physical is what is keeping the prices in the digital console storefronts up? They're closed systems... what competitive digital markets? Does the apple store undercut itself?
Hendrick's
If only my penis was as big as my GamerScore!
It's possible that they become closed storefronts, but I feel agreements with the likes of Amazon, Best Buy, etc. will be made, opening up the space for some competition. I could be wrong, but even if we can only buy from the platform holder, at the very least, digital prices should come in line with what retail is now.
D
Deleted member 752119
Unconfirmed Member
That just wouldn't happen. It happens on PC as that's an open platform and you can buy most games from a variety of stores so they have to compete on pricing.
Consoles are closed stores on each platform, so there's little competition. You see more digital sales on third party multiplatform games as those are on all consoles and PC stores so there's some competition there--but that wouldn't change if physical went away on consoles. First party game sales on the digital stores are few and far between and tend to be small discounts. That's not going to change as the main reason the platform holders want physical to die off is to kill the second hand market and give themselves full control over pricing of their games. That will blow for people like me who mostly play Sony and Nintendo first party games. Though no real change with Nintendo since they so rarely put their games on sale and price drops take ages to come.
The only thing that could drop prices for us is Gamepass being a huge success and "renting" games digitally becoming the norm. That will be cheaper for people who play a lot of games a year, but only viable if the selection expands to include all or most games a hardcore gamers wants to play every year.
Last edited by a moderator:
EDMIX
Member
lol oooooook pal.
We don't know that for sure, if anything, eliminating an option will have publishers have a stranglehold on the market and basically choose not to discount games or rarely discount them.
https://store.playstation.com/en-us...0002-cusa00018_00-b000000000000343:emcid_null
So I don't know how having less options and getting rid of competition would then "allow for competition digital markets" .
What is stopping Activision from keeping Call Of Duty or any publisher from keeping their games full price the whole gen besides for sales? "prices would come down" based on what? Does anyone really have any real evidence that anyone is really going to lower their price with such a situation or? We have many options now and that isn't even enough for publishers to lower the prices of their games outside of sales, yet you folks really, really think that when they OWN THE MARKET they are going to play nice and pass the savings on to consumers? Well......are they doing that right now with digital games?
Consider its not even JUST Activision that even does this junk.
https://store.playstation.com/en-us...0002-cusa00018_00-b000000000000343:emcid_null
https://store.playstation.com/en-us...0001-cusa04459_00-wd2fullgame00000:emcid_null
So if publishers have no issue doing this right now, I don't think I want to imagine what they will do when we have less options and can only buy from them directly digitally.
dispensergoinup
Gold Member
Nope, I like physical. Also my friends like to borrow games so there's that.
Kenneth Haight
Gold Member
Until digital games are as affordable as physical on a consistent basis, then no, absolutely not.
sadaiyappan
Member
Ya, most of my games are on steam.
Disc gets scratched, you don’t have the game
Disc gets stolen, you don’t own the game
HDD dies, who cares, redownload the game.
PS4 stolen, who cares, redownload the game
It’s just resistance to change. Newer generations who grew up on app stores don’t even know what a disc is.
When you buy digital, you own it. It’s all a matter of perspective.