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[Darkstorne]

I wish more people would cite environmental concerns as a reason for buying digital. No printing, no packaging, no shipping, no warehouse transportation, no petrol costs on your end driving to the store and back. You're helping the planet =)

Why play videogames at all?

Well that's one of the dumbest comments I've read in a while.

Being mindful of your impact on an over-populated planet doesn't mean you shouldn't still enjoy yourself. There are many reasons to consider buying digital products over physical products, and the environmental benefits are one of them =)

 

[Justin_Bailey]

I refuse to go digital for one reason - After Burner: Climax, Outrun Online Arcade, Catan - Companies lose licenses or go out of business and if the game was only available digitally - it's gone forever (Unless you were lucky enough to buy it before it was taken down).

Had these games been available for physical release, you could still hunt down copies in the secondary market. I refuse to support a median that allows this situation to occur.

 

[Epcott]

Someone please explain gamesharing with digital games to me.

I've tried it, but maybe I'm doing it wrong. My primary PS4 at has multiple digital games under my account. I visit someone's home (where I'm logged in as a user but not the primary). I download my games onto their console and I can play them, but when I switch user or log off, a small lock icon appears on the game and they're not given access to it (even with apps such as Hulu downloaded with my log in).

What gives?

 

[Hoho for breakfast]

Someone please explain gamesharing with digital games to me.

I've tried it, but maybe I'm doing it wrong. My primary PS4 at has multiple digital games under my account. I visit someone's home (where I'm logged in as a user but not the primary). I download my games onto their console and I can play them, but when I switch user or log off, a small lock icon appears on the game and they're not given access to it (even with apps such as Hulu downloaded with my log in).

What gives?

That's how it works. The PS4 console designated as secondary must be signed in online with that shared account to play the games from that account.

That is why many people who game share set their own home console as secondary and the other PS4 as the primary. That way, you will have to sign into your account and be online to play your games, but the other person (with their system designated as primary) can then use any other account to play those games on their system.

To sum up, you did it backwards. Switch which console is primary and which is secondary.

 

[Epcott]

That's how it works. The PS4 console designated as secondary must be signed in online with that shared account to play the games from that account.

That is why many people who game share set their own home console as secondary and the other PS4 as the primary. That way, you will have to sign into your account and be online to play your games, but the other person (with their system designated as primary) can then use any other account to play those games on their system.

To sum up, you did it backwards. Switch which console is primary and which is secondary.

Ahhh I see. I was afraid I would be locked out of my own games on my home/primary console. Thanks for clearing that up.

To add to the discussion, convenience of getting a game without driving miles to a store and lack of sales tax really helps with the move to digital. Although it does suck when buying something, losing interest, and being stuck with it in your library, rather than being able to trade it in towards something you want.

 

[paxromana]

Digital is going to serve you well on any given platform for a pretty long time, but how about 20 years from now? Will your hard drive still be operation, or will it have failed? If it fails, and the servers no longer support the machine... well, there goes your investment. You won't be able to download those games again.

I'm not so sure this might be an issue because Microsoft and Sony have been unifying their networks. PSN is the same for PS4 and PS3, as in both consoles connect to the same network. There's just no crossplay and you obviously cant see the PS4 store on PS3 and vice versa. Microsoft has the same thing with Xbox Live, and Xbox One, Xbox 360, and now Windows 10 will all connect to the same network.

So I think the only issue in the future is that if Sony/Microsoft decide to take old generation games' data off the network, but I think as long as that network is up, old generations will be able to connect to it as it's the same network as new generations'.

 

[BumRush]

I go digital for RPGs. If I know I'm going to put 40+ hours into a game, chances are I'm going to be playing it for months. Single player action, platformers, adventure games are usually physical for me.

 

[Mauricio_Magus]

I don't live in the states, and if I want a physical game it usually takes two or more weeks for games to ship here.

Now that I have a good paying job, I just don't care and go digital, if I want a physical copy I just double dip.

 

[One-Shot]

I just like not having to switch up disks when I suddenly decide to play something else. Helps a lot when remote playing.

 

[mzupeman]

I'm not so sure this might be an issue because Microsoft and Sony have been unifying their networks. PSN is the same for PS4 and PS3, as in both consoles connect to the same network. There's just no crossplay and you obviously cant see the PS4 store on PS3 and vice versa. Microsoft has the same thing with Xbox Live, and Xbox One, Xbox 360, and now Windows 10 will all connect to the same network.

So I think the only issue in the future is that if Sony/Microsoft decide to take old generation games' data off the network, but I think as long as that network is up, old generations will be able to connect to it as it's the same network as new generations'.

I've heard this before, and I hope this line of thinking is right. I'm not convinced, though.

 

[Darkstorne]

Digital is going to serve you well on any given platform for a pretty long time, but how about 20 years from now? Will your hard drive still be operation, or will it have failed? If it fails, and the servers no longer support the machine... well, there goes your investment. You won't be able to download those games again.

Also worth noting - I buy most games digitally, but will invest in physical collector's editions for those I really care about. One of my favourite games of all time is Vagrant Story for the PS1. My PS1 no longer works. My PS2 could have played it if I still owned it (and again, if it still worked). PS3 and PS4 aren't backwards compatible.

I bought a PSP years ago primarily so that I could purchase a digital copy of Vagrant Story. Last year I bought a Vita and thanks to the benefits of digital games I was able to download the digital copy of Vagrant Story I bought for my PSP onto my Vita.

If it wasn't for the benefits of digital games, I'd have a very pretty physical copy of Vagrant Story to look at, but nothing to play it on unless I wanted to reinvest money and living room space into a PS1/PS2. Digital platforms like the PSN store and GOG.com allow us to enjoy older games at great prices, without having to own dozens of different hardware setups. I think we're reaching the point where it's hard to argue that physical games outlive digital. It's swinging the other way as far as I can see.

 

[Dr. Kaos]

On PC, it's totally fine to buy digital because there are cracked versions of games, so even if shit goes south, you can always find a game and play it a decade or two later. Gamers have the power to keep the games they love alive for all eternity, and humanity is richer from it.

On console, digital is CURRENTLY the devil+comcast because gamers have no power. Games can disappear forever at the whim of the console maker or the game publisher. This has already happened many times and if you've been paying attention to Neogaf, you already know this.

This is in addition to the fact that for digital, you are granted a "license" for the game as opposed to actually owning a copy that can be resold, and even gain enormously in value years down the line. You can actually have a valuable collection. It's a complete no-brainer financially.

Remember that viral video of Shuhei Yoshida lending a game to Adam Boyes? They did it with physical, not digital.

This can all change if laws are passed that protect the consumer by giving them the equivalent rights and powers that they have with physical content. Then digital will cease to be literally hitler and become a perfectly valid, sensible and convenient option.

 

[GreenMonkey]

I refuse to go digital for one reason - After Burner: Climax, Outrun Online Arcade, Catan - Companies lose licenses or go out of business and if the game was only available digitally - it's gone forever (Unless you were lucky enough to buy it before it was taken down).

Had these games been available for physical release, you could still hunt down copies in the secondary market. I refuse to support a median that allows this situation to occur.

Things like this are the reason you can't count on digital games. Someday the authentication servers will be shut down for XBLA or Steam or the like also.

Full price new games are only physical purchases for me, or, DRM-free from GOG or the like is acceptable also.

I buy DRMed digital games only at sub $10 pricing / very high discount. Because it's not necessarily a purchase, but more like a rental of indeterminate time...until servers aren't there, the license is lost and you have a HDD failure, etc.

And yes, this matters. I still play some NES games, PC games from the 90s, etc. In the same way I'll bet I'll want to play Dark Souls or Civilization V or Gears of War maybe.

 

[semiconscious]

TL;DR:
I'm going digital because:
1. I can share my digital games with another person. It's like 2 copies for the price of one.
2. Recent deals made buying digital a better deal than physical
3. I have a 2TB PS4 so plenty of space to fill up

i had no plans whatsoever to go digital. but, since buying my ps4 last november, i've gotten the following for less than half available retail ($20-$25/canada):

assassin's creed: black flag
watch dogs
tomb raider: de
sleeping dogs: de
metal gear solid: ground zeroes
littlebigplanet 3
middle earth: shadow of mordor
dragon age: inquisition

otoh: infamous, order: 1886, & ff type-0 are the only games i've bought physical copies of (with bloodborne to come)...

so, for me, basically: when owning something day 1 isn't a factor, digital has, so far, easily been the cheapest way to go. i didn't expect this to be so, but damned if it hasn't been ...

 

[CambriaRising]

Both have their benefits. I see no reason to lock myself out of one for the other. But you do you, Op.

 

[jesu]

I just go with whatever is cheaper.Sometimes digital, sometimes physical.
Bought some cheap £50 MS cards recently so my next few games will be digital.

 

[nib95]

Physical almost every time for me. I can most times find the game at a cheaper price, plus the option to sell, trade in, lend etc is ideal. I also enjoy having the cover art and a physical box, and feel all these things are worth the tiny bit of effort required to disc swap.

 

[Clockwork5]

That's so unclear when they say non-exclusively. The rest paragraph makes it sound like you're the only one who can use it. But it's also nonexclusive? WTF?

In any event, that provision is to prevent people from hacking the game and pirating. If Sony was concerned about game sharing on one other console they could easily revoke the feature as I'm sure they know this activity is happening.

Non-exclusive means they can sell the license to people other than you.
But yeah this is against the TOS and also infringes on the publishers copyright.

 

[family_guy]

I wish more people would cite environmental concerns as a reason for buying digital. No printing, no packaging, no shipping, no warehouse transportation, no petrol costs on your end driving to the store and back. You're helping the planet =)

On the other hand, that's also allocating less jobs to people who would do these things so not as good for the economy.

 

[Ertai]

I'll be sticking with physical for quite a while as far as new releases are concerned. Reason?
- BF: Hardline €69,99 digital, €55,- physical
- Final Fantasy Type-0 HD €69,99 digital, €51,- physical
- DBZ Xenoverse €69,99 digital, €59,99 physical
- Evolve €69,99 digital, 49,- physical
- Dying Light €69,99 digital, 59,99 physical

This is pretty much always the case with every new release here in the Netherlands, physical beats out digital pricing 9 out of 10 times. Obviously game sharing can be cheaper if the other person pays you half for the game in question but if that person is not interested in a game you want, there's no reason to pay more for a digital version. If it can save me up to €20,- to have a small case on my shelf and take the long walk to my console to insert/eject the disc i'll gladly do it. It's not even some shady site that you have to order from. Just go to the store and buy it.

For now i'm mixing it up and i don't see myself changing it. Physical for day 1 purchases, digital for possible sales assuming physical isn't cheaper by then as well.

 

[Karsticles]

I would love to go all digital, but the price needs to be right. 20% GCU vs. Convenience is a hard sell for me.

 

[TimeEffect]

Gamesharing was a hell of a lot worse on PS3. I can't believe we lived in a time where one person could share his account on 4 different consoles, without the need for any of them to remain online.

PS4 is much more restrictive in that regard.

No taxes and day one deals are the only way I'm going digital here in Canada. I dont want to pay $80 for a new game and wont. So I wait for sales of physical copies, especially on GAF's B/S/T thread. That said, Amazon had a buy 2 for $100 deal and I will be going physical with Bloodborne and Uncharted, and probably games like MGS, just because there are milestone games that feel like they deserve a physical spot on my shelf.

 

[Aizo]

My issue is moving internationally. I just moved back from Japan in October, and I found moving lots of my games and the only console I brought at the time (360) to be a pain. Games just take a lot of space. I only brought the discs last time, so I can't even imagine moving with the boxes.

I'll be moving back in the Summer, and I just don't know what I'm gonna do. I wanna take my Japanese Wii U, Japanese PS2, PS3, and 360, (I imported the Japanese wii u, and a friend brought me the Japanese ps2 for christmas), but I obviously won't move all that shit. I don't know what to do.

It is already a problem and I want to buy a PS4 back in Japan, which is just more to move. I don't even know how many years I'll be living in the apartment I'm moving into, the prefecture, or even Japan in general. Moving sucks.

 

[TGO]

I actually think they should do it like movies, you buy the disc you get the digital version too.
Amazon do this aswell with music.

 

[SkoomaSuckinSwit]

I buy digital only when there's no physical option. And that's the way it'll always be.
For cheap disposable arcade games, digital doesn't bother me.
But when dropping $60+ on a AAA game, I want that shit in my hand, hoss.

 

[AngryNapkin]

I only buy digital now, my PS4 is literally on top of my entertainment center all the way in the back where it can't be seen.

I usually only buy games during some type of sale the only exceptions so far being Second Son, GTA V, and Bloodborne.

I'm not going to care if Sony closes PSN in 20 years because I'll be long past playing stuff on PS4 by then.

I don't think I've actually physically touched my PS4 in 8 months. The ability to switch between games whenever I want, pre downloading, never going to the store wasting gas and time, worrying about sales tax, waiting for compounding trade in deals, etc. is something I love being able to do.

The days of games coming with cool cases, manuals, maps, etc are long over.

I'd still buy a physical collectors edition possibly if I thought it would go up in value over a decade or so having never opened it.

 

[Hoho for breakfast]

Both have their benefits. I see no reason to lock myself out of one for the other. But you do you, Op.

You're the 3rd person to say something like this. Maybe it's the thread title that makes it seem that way, but I am not going strictly digital. I will still buy physical over digital if the deals are better for physical.

I actually think they should do it like movies, you buy the disc you get the digital version too.
Amazon do this aswell with music.

That'd be great. I make sure to buy the blu ray copies that come with Vudu digital copies of movies I like.