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[BusierDonkey]

Digital works great on PC, I have every game I ever bought on Steam on a big bulk drive and if they decide one day to stop letting me play them, I have all the files and I'll find a way to play them anyways. In console land, I still buy physical Switch games because they tend to be playable without a massive day-one patch and the cartridges taste great. The last physical Xbox game I bought is a useless coaster without it's updates which is part of what made me second guess physical after the X360 was done. I owned over 100 physical X360 games, but only 10 Xbone games.

Besides, I already have more than enough shit for my family to throw out when I die, I don't need to give them more work to do.

 

[Rawdirt]

Just sold my copy of Valhalla for 40$ that I bought for 50$ on Amazon. That’s reason enough for me

 

[DelireMan7]

I am all physical and will stay as long as there is physical release.

I see only one advantage to digital : it doesn't take physical space.
The "switching game without moving" is not working for me since I usually play exclusively the same game till I am done with. Even without that I wouldn't mind disc swapping (because I will not change game every 10 min).

Physical gives you access to feature that can't be matched by digital :

• Lending / borrowing games to/from friends
• Sell games you don't want
• Buy second hand copy for a cheap price

There is then the pleasure to have a physical collection but this is not a practical reason.

To each their own but digital is definitely not for me !

 

[DonJimbo]

I was a defender of disc purchase but he'll I have more digital games than retail on my PS4 thanks to sales on the store
I think this gen I will go full digital

 

[The_Mike]

Thanks to the PSN collection I now have a bunch of games digitally available to me for the first time and using the console and jumping between game’s is so fast for the first time in my life I can see myself playing multiple games at the same time.

We are living in 2020 while op are living in 2009.

The only place digital games are more expensive are consoles. Pc is usually a lot cheaper to get digital, that's if you can even find a physical copy of a game.

If you live in a place that's expensive for digital downloads you can change region and get them much cheaper.

At the beginning of last gen dead rising 4 cost 80 euro on EU while it was like 40 euro in USA because of currency difference.

It would be even more expensive to buy the standard physical by then.

 

[GeekyDad]

It’s the convenience and great sales for me.

Yup, this right here.

 

[Killer8]

Disc every time.

Often cheaper.
Can be sold if it's shit for nearly 100% of the purchased price if you're quick enough.
You get a tangible object that you can display nicely on a shelf (esp. steelbooks). Browsing case spines, picking out what you want to play, then going over and putting the disc in the console is for men of culture and beats some shitty digital shelf with ugly banners.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

[DelireMan7]

You get a tangible object that you can display nicely on a shelf (esp. steelbooks). Browsing case spines, picking out what you want to play, then going over and putting the disc in the console is for men of culture

Ho man... You pictured perfectly why I love physical games. Then there was the holy time of paper game manual I liked reading when I couldn't play and couldn't get enough of a game.

Also from what game is the first picture ? Looks like Death Stranding but having played it yet so I might be wrong.

 

[Raonak]

Being able to jump between games in a matter of seconds makes digital way more appealing.

 

[Killer8]

Ho man... You pictured perfectly why I love physical games. Then there was the holy time of paper game manual I liked reading when I couldn't play and couldn't get enough of a game.

Also from what game is the first picture ? Looks like Death Stranding but having played it yet so I might be wrong.

It's Death Stranding

 

[teezzy]

I pretty much have all the physical games I'm ever going to want. My retro stash is nice. Very few things missing I couldn't otherwise emulate. I want the XSX because of the disc drive so I can play them the way they're intended via disc.

On PC, I haven't had a disc drive in a long while and my Steam collection is massive. For some reason I still prefer digital on console. Just feels fitting.

Moving forward with Xbox, I'm not entirely sure how I'll proceed. GamePass is awesome and I grab NHL and Madden every year. Maybe keep those physical? Idk

 

[cireza]

Went all digital with Xbox One. First question to answer is : "how much do you trust the company ?".

For example, I would never buy digital on Nintendo on a regular basis. If physical is available, it will always be my first choice. Wii store is closed and I believe you cannot redownload Virtual Console games. Wii U will probably follow the same path.

Sony ? I don't know for sure. I think that PS3/PSP/Vita games will be removed in a not so distant future...

MS however is investing a lot in BC, and even updated 360 recently with cloud saves for everyone. These are encouraging signs.

 

[German Hops]

I'm 70% physical - 30% digital at this point.

I'd imagine those number flipping in five years or less because I'm increasingly getting annoyed by physical clutter.

I've been blackpilled this week and I can't seem to play games anymore....

I was also blackpilled months ago , but I've gone back to the blue pill for comfort..

 

[Stiflers Mom]

fuck this gay earth

Amen, brother.

 

[scalman]

Nothing to think there, ps4 didint saw any disc in it, pc laptop for 3 yrs without disc drive never needed one. Never will. In psn finding best prices on deals , cheaper then buy used games in discs

 

[ZywyPL]

IMO the only reasons to NOT to go digital is when you either sell the games once you're done with them, or buy them from second hand market to begin with - the games have to be installed on the drive either way, all the patches, updates, DLCs etc. have to be downloaded anyway, and digital distribution is just all that convenient.

 

[Vae_Victis]

It is a lot more convenient to lend a physical game than a digital one, and you can resell physical copies (even though I personally hardly ever do the latter).

Conversely, it's easier to find most games cheaper as digital copies during a sale, since most stores don't do big sales (at least where I live) and even used games usually go for €30-40.

Bottom line is, if you don't care about giving your games away in any capacity and you don't have problems with internet speed/data caps, you might as well buy digital. If you do either, physical is better. Nowadays I buy a bit of both.

 

[xiskza]

As someone who actually believes that in the future we will be controlled by an all digital environment (cashless society which the UN is pushing for, etc), where if you have the wrong thought or post the wrong tweet that goes against the narrative, they can freeze your access to your bank account for you to get money to sustain yourself until you bow down to the powers that be, I think the same will be applied to digital media. So I only see advantages in the physical media form, even if digital is more convenient, at least you get to actually keep those games under your thumb. With digital, everything can be taken away from you easily. That's how I feel anyway.

 

[.hacked]

Switched to all digital partway into PS4/Xbox one era. Been all digital on Switch since day one.

sucks if you buy a bad game usually stuck with it and can’t sell stuff when you are done.

Plus large game library that takes up no physical space. MS has a but better refund policy now so can usually refund a bad game.

 

[TonyK]

For me there are several reasons apart from the obvious convenience of not swapping discs:

- Always there are offers in digital in the PSstore. So that "digital cost most than physical", in my opinion is only relevant in release date.

- Games rarely are discontinued in digital. Meanwhile, in physical games disappear and you need to go second hand, Ebay, whatever. That adds to physical the sense of urge: buy now just in cause it would disappear from stores.

- I really like to buy a game at 2:00 am (or whatever hour or day, for example Sundays) and play. Not waiting to go to a store or waiting Amazon to come with my game.

- And this is not exactly a reason to go digital but it's relevant to remember that going digital with videogames is not the same as with movies, music or books. Digital games are exactly the same experience than physical, bit to bit. Streamed movies look worse than a bluray. Spotify sound different than a vinile. A digital book lacks the feeling of a paper book. But a downloable digital game is the same as physical when installed.

 

[mrmeh]

I like fun driving games so just picked up Dirt 5 for my series X on disc.. for ~£35... so... its not great, sadly not that fun... (also recently got wrecked.. just better game all round) I now have the option of selling it. Cheapest I could purchase it on digital was close to £50 and if I would have gone down that route id be stuck with it with no option to sell on.

PS5 games (..probably Xbox too) are allegedly going to regularly hit $70, no game pass for first party titles... your just asking to get fucked over

 

[bad guy]

No game boxes leaves more room for snacks.

 

[Ridaxan]

I don't like unnecessary clutter, that's primarily why I've been fully digital for about 10 years now.

 

[michaelius]

Went all digital with Xbox One. First question to answer is : "how much do you trust the company ?".

For example, I would never buy digital on Nintendo on a regular basis. If physical is available, it will always be my first choice. Wii store is closed and I believe you cannot redownload Virtual Console games. Wii U will probably follow the same path.

Sony ? I don't know for sure. I think that PS3/PSP/Vita games will be removed in a not so distant future...

MS however is investing a lot in BC, and even updated 360 recently with cloud saves for everyone. These are encouraging signs.

That's quite funny. Microsoft already killed GfWL store together with all content it had and abondomed Windows Phone when numbers didn't work for them.

 

[German Hops]

No game boxes leaves more room for snacks.

you should change your username to "fat guy"

 

[DelireMan7]

- Always there are offers in digital in the PSstore. So that "digital cost most than physical", in my opinion is only relevant in release date.

- I really like to buy a game at 2:00 am (or whatever hour or day, for example Sundays) and play. Not waiting to go to a store or waiting Amazon to come with my game.

While this is true, there is some nice digital offers, they are timed usually. So if you want a specific game at good price, you might have to wait.
Which conflicts a bit the second point of being able to buy games whenever you want. I recognize it's an advantage but don't really go with nice price.
Of course you can buy only discounted game and not necessarily the one you wanted. This can lead to nice discovery.
Different way to consume games, I guess which is nice

- Games rarely are discontinued in digital. Meanwhile, in physical games disappear and you need to go second hand, Ebay, whatever. That adds to physical the sense of urge: buy now just in cause it would disappear from stores.

Technically I can't say you're wrong but nowadays it's pretty rare not being able to find physical games even if 10 years old.
But yes it's difficult for some games from PS2 or prior generations (where digital was not existing). And for these I bless port/remaster, even if only digital.

- And this is not exactly a reason to go digital but it's relevant to remember that going digital with videogames is not the same as with movies, music or books. Digital games are exactly the same experience than physical, bit to bit. Streamed movies look worse than a bluray. Spotify sound different than a vinile. A digital book lacks the feeling of a paper book. But a downloable digital game is the same as physical when installed.

I give you this point. Even if I find playing physical games give me more pleasure than digital, in the way I like to open the box, take out the CD and put it in the console. But it’s very personal. In the end, games are the same.


Anyway, different people, different taste ^^

 

[noise36]

All digital in an ecosystem that only has one game store with a monopoly on game sales is for people that hate money.

 

[IShowUBasics]

The only reason to go physical these days is if you want to buy a game on release and sell it once you finished it. Physical copies are just a waste of space.

 

[cireza]

That's quite funny. Microsoft already killed GfWL store together with all content it had and abondomed Windows Phone when numbers didn't work for them.

I am a console gamer, can't help people who play on PC and Phones.

 

[point decay]

I would never have stuck with BloodBourne if Id bought a physical copy, Id have given up and traded it in.

 

[ripeavocado]

There is no reason to go all digital, going all digital is the bad for you and everyone else.

Retail games are often cheaper, you can trade or borrow them and are yours forever as long as you keep the disc.

 

[GymWolf]

I switched to digital when my vhs of sinful sensations (milfs edition) deteriorated enough to be unusable.

 

[brian0057]

I like owning what I buy so that's a no from me, bro.

 

[John2290]

I'm all digital but I'm still getting that disc drive, A 4k HDR uncompressed film every now and then would be worth it alone, I have to imagine.

 

[Petaya Berry]

My only reason is the price.

Digital is sometimes 3x cheaper around here. It sucks and I rather have physical, but I am not paying (the equivalent of) US$ 78 in a copy of Mega Drive Collection for the Switch.

 

[John2290]

I like owning what I buy so that's a no from me, bro.

You technically never own a game, even if you own the disc.

 

[brian0057]

You technically never own a game, even if you own the disc.

Yes, but unless Nintendo or Capcom come directly to my house and take my games at gunpoint, I can do whatever the hell I want with my copies.
Miss me with that sword of Damocles of a developer or publisher possibly depriving you of your library when they see fit.

 

[Every Flamingo]

I'd like to go all digital, but here in the UK that's just way more expensive. Games on the PSN store are usually anywhere between £10 and £20 more expensive on release day than they are on Amazon/Shopto etc.

 

[DelireMan7]

You technically never own a game, even if you own the disc.

Care to elaborate. I never get this argument.

I have a disc and a console to read it. I put the disc in, the game is launching. I don't need any internet connection or store to download it. Of course I am not getting the patches but the game still work.

 

[Haggard]

Digital

Pro
- Convenient

Contra
- More expensive
- Can`t be sold / you do not really own what you bought (<=my personal K.O. criteria)

 

[MastaKiiLA]

If you travel, or live abroad, going digital has probably already been a major part of your entertainment habits. However, if you bought a disc version of the PS5, why switch to digital? That seems counterintuitive. Unless you have a bunch of BR movies, there's no need for the drive as a digital gamer. And if you have a bunch of movies on disc, you probably aren't worried about storage for disc games. IMO, digital collections are about more than just lazy game swapping from the couch. For me, it represents a level of convenience that is required for my lifestyle. I just can't collect as many physical objects as I once did. I'll wait until the PS5DE is readily available before I jump in.

 

[Kataploom]

There's no reason to go full digital.

I go full digital cause I move a lot due to me not being on my native country and scalating on life oportunities... Apart from that, I'm in a country where any electronic device are easy burglars targets, I'd rather not carry physical games with me unless they're gifted or idk.

I'm thinking on getting different external HDDs so each game I purchase gets downloaded to one of them, that way I'll have ready to play whenever I feel it.

I only have two physical games on my Switch, the rest is digital on PC since like 10 years ago so I'm very used to digital anyway, not that I ever had an option where I was (even going digital was a priviledge where I was).

 

[AgentP]

Some disc prices are much better than digital. I got Watch Dogs for $25, the digital "sale" was $40. Not going to give away $15 for putting a disc in once. I don't juggle games, so I don't swap often.

 

[Valonquar]

It's sad that box stores have to price cut media that costs more to produce to compete with digital.

 

[Daymos]

I've thought about this alot and I decided the logical choice is NEITHER all digital nor all physical, get some of each. I used to claim all physical, but now my ps4 disc drive doesn't work sometimes.. AND this morning when I turned on my switch it told me I had taken the game out, except it was still in there! Physical media doesn't actually last longer than digital media unless the company goes out of business.. and you can't predict that, can't predict when your game cartridge is going to die or when your wife is going to stick your game disc in a random DVD movie case and throw it away either.

If you want to go further than that, rarely to never buy anything on release! Buy consoles on sale, buy computers on sale, get some DRM free games on good old games, buy some steam games.. get a little bit of everything but only when it's cheap and hoard it away like a dragon with a pile of gold! Don't pay $100 for a game and season pass when two years later you can buy the complete digital edition OR the complete physical edition for $20.

Basically don't put all your eggs in one basket.

 

[Zog]

Going digital is just less hassle. Less clutter with game cases, zero having to get up and change games, zero having to go to the store to buy a game.

I've been all digital since mid 360 generation and haven't even considered going back.

I hope you get up to go to the bathroom or is that too much effort too? Adult diapers perhaps....

 

[Resistance100]

I brought all my PS5 launch games on disc along with a bunch of PS4 games but after a couple of weeks I’m definitely moving to digital from now on. I miss the convinence of being lazy and not getting up to change discs which I’ve got used to with my Switch.

 

[dcx4610]

I finally went digital with PS4/XBO because I realized it was like buying big box PC games in modern times. When you buy a big box PC game, you are installing it via disc, it goes on your hard drive, in most cases, it gets tied to some kind of digital service and then they force you to put the disc in to verify you actually own the content. Essentially, you are just buying the disc as a distribution method instead of downloading it. It's still a digital game when it comes down to it.

With PS4 and Xbox One, it's basically the same thing. You get the disc but you have to install the game and get patches for it. The version that's on the disc is instantly outdated and the game doesn't play off the disc. It's completely dependent its digital counterpart. The only reason to own a disc for a game is if you like to sell or trade your games (I don't) or have a box to put on a shelf. For cartridge based games and/or pre-internet consoles, I would absolutely own the physical versions. For modern games, they are pretty much digital whether you like it or not.

All of that said, I treat movies completely differently. Movies on disc are better versions than what's available digitally and are not bound to particular machines like consoles. If I want to watch some obscure Criterion movie, I either have to track it down on a streaming service and watch it in mediocre quality, find an illegal download, OR, I can simply own the movie on Blu-ray in its best possible version and have it forever.

A game on disc is the same game that's available digitally (minus the patches). With movies and music, there's still very much a reason to own them physically since the quality varies. With games, those reasons are dwindling beyond just wanting to physically have something in your possession.

 

[Afro Republican]

Game Pass to try out a game i want to buy a physical version of. That's as far into digital I am going.

 

[Zog]

- Games rarely are discontinued in digital. Meanwhile, in physical games disappear and you need to go second hand, Ebay, whatever. That adds to physical the sense of urge: buy now just in cause it would disappear from stores.

That's not how it works. Want a physical copy of Super Mario Bros/Duck Hunt? They are easy to find but the NES digital store would have been discontinued long ago if it had existed.