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Would you buy a diskless PS4?

L

Louis Cyphre

Banned
BebopMcJigglypuff said:
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?
Click to expand...

How does Amazon get digital copies of Xbox Live and PlayStation Plus and why would they want them out there if they can control pricing on those?

aevanhoe said:
When you buy digital, you own it. It’s all a matter of perspective.
Click to expand...

When people say they like physical what they are really saying is they like being able to sell and trade and lend their games. The problem I see is how the physical side is so set in their minds. Obviously digital comes with some benefits as well. You have to remember forums don't usually speak for the mainstream and why you continue to see this pushback on online titles in favor of single player games. When a game is online only all of the sudden there is resistance, if a game is single player only then it's received more positively, why is that when both have an audience?
 
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Hendrick's

Hendrick's

If only my penis was as big as my GamerScore!
Louis Cyphre said:
How does Amazon get digital copies of Xbox Live and PlayStation Plus and why would they want them out there if they can control pricing on those?
Click to expand...
This is the point I was trying to make earlier. If physical goes away, there is no reason to believe that relationships with retail partners will just cease to exist.
 
G

gspat

Member
Sony claimed quite a while back that PS5 will be it's own thing.

So that leads me to ask...

PSP era storefront and digital games are all but gone, and with Vita support waning, I'd expect those games to vanish from the store soon as well.

How long do you guys suspect Sony will maintain their archives for PS3 and PS4?

All PSN+ games are digital. Paying the plus fee doesn't guarantee they will still be available for you to re-download, or even stream if that really is the next thing down the pipe.

How long will you still have access?

Physical isn't a guarantee either. Unless you get the GOTY edition with everything included (and not every game has or will have that), how do you plan to play the full version of the game once the content is removed?

What happens if the physical version has a game breaking bug and can't be played fully unless you download a patch... That doesn't exist anymore?

Where will we be in 30, 40 or even 50 years? Remember Atari 2600 is right around 40 years old now.

.:Edit: This applies to Microsoft and Nintendo games as well as possibly Steam.
 
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H

Hotel Security

Member
aevanhoe said:
When you buy digital, you own it. It’s all a matter of perspective.
Click to expand...

When you can only access something via a particular media, then you don't really own it. If I buy a game and can play it on my PC then I own it...I can take that and play it on any PC. If I buy a game and can ONLY access it via a Steam online account then I don't think you own it. You must also have Steam to play it which means they hold all the cards on how and when you can access that media. Much like having all your music on Spotify.

Also, you should NOT be required to be online to be able to play a game. It's a bad assumption to assume everyone has internet and doesn't take into consideration that you can't play a game if internet is down or compromised. This isn't the consumer freedom we want.

aevanhoe said:
It’s just resistance to change. Newer generations who grew up on app stores don’t even know what a disc is.
Click to expand...

BS. Once it's digital there is ONE store where you have to go to buy every game. No price comparisons, no deals, no shopping, no waiting for a price to drop, no sharing or lending games. It's "resistance" to a monopoly. If it goes digital, then everyone will pay more for games, period. And screw the newer generations...they have zero perspective on how controlled their internet-dependant lives are or how they now have to pay for things that used to be free.
 
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EDMIX

EDMIX

Member
"
aevanhoe said:
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.
Click to expand...
Disc gets scratched, you don’t have the game
Disc gets stolen, you don’t own the game "

A lot of that is still under your control though. Sorry but I'm not getting rid of an something to have less options lol When games keep getting larger (as I don't see them magically getting smaller yet more complex) less see how that digital future turns out. I'd rather trust keeping the disk vs a publisher having it digital for life
 
Kenneth Haight

Kenneth Haight

Gold Member
All valid points. Pros and cons to both. I have a mix of both this generation. For me though it’s generally cheaper with physical.


aevanhoe said:
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.
Click to expand...
 
hououinkyouma00

hououinkyouma00

Member
I'm basically all digital besides Yakuza games (I can't deny those Steelbooks) and Persona 5. Any other physical current gen games are because they were way cheaper and
but they are disc only
I use Gamefly for a month or two once enough games I'm partially interested in pile up.

I would be interested in it if the form factor was small and it was cheaper. Minimalism brought me to digital games and the lack of clutter is great for me. Give me a VESA bracket so I can just attach it to the back of a tv and I'm set. I don't want this to be the only option though, as I understand a lot of people don't like digital and want to keep their discs.

I would love for next gen to drop discs in favor of flash memory though. That might actually get me back to physical with the form factor.
 
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flashfire926

flashfire926

Member
stargateheaven said:
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.
Click to expand...
- Game sharing, which allows a single game you can share on multiple consoles.


Also, what does the bolded mean?
 
Clear

Clear

CliffyB's Cock Holster
For me I doubt the buy-in cost saving would be enough to justify limiting the media playback options long-term, if an optical drive equipped sku was available anyway.
 
D

Deleted member 752119

Unconfirmed Member
Louis Cyphre said:
Sony saw the drawbacks with PSP Go and they have continually marketed themselves to the hardcore crowd so I don't see them not offering a physical copy game console.
Click to expand...

Yeah, there's not way there isn't at least a physical option. There are too many places in the US and elsewhere with shitty internet, not to mention places like South America, that they'd just be writing off by only having a discless option. It's hard enough for those people to get patches, much less to have to download 50GB+ (and ever increasing) base game installs.
 
A

aevanhoe

Member
llien said:
When I buy digital in a way, when I don't depend on some server out there somewhere, then I own it.
Click to expand...

Same could be said for physical ownership - when you buy physical in a way, when you don't depend on some thin, plastical thing from not scratching, then you own it.

Besides, today, we depend on some server out there anyway. Most games have some sort online component that requires servers, most software requires latest versions of operating systems etc. To me, today, not feeling ownership because a server is required is like saying you don't own a console or a computer because it depends on electricity. We live in the online age. There are benefits and downsides to that, but you definitely own things when you buy them digitally - you own the licence. Just like you own certain privileges or entitlements in life that are not physical.
 
M

MB2Z

Member
I play a lot of games and going all digital will be annoying since the storage space will be filled so fast and I will have to delete games.
 
Plague Doctor

Plague Doctor

Member
Short answer: no.

Long answer: Fuck no.

I have zero trust in companies not to fuck around with digital media rights to give them all the keys with a diskless platform. This extends to the other big two. You give them an inch and they will take a mile. A third party retail market in the form of physical copies helps keep them honest.

And let's be honest, has the cost savings of a lack of distribution, packaging, and retail add on actually driven prices down on new releases? Nah. It's $60 bucks and they still try to weasel out a few extra dollars whenever they can. Digital is only for convenience and the impatient. They will still fuck around.
 
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Z

zackmorris

Member
No, I buy my games based off the best pricing which is often physical games especially amazon prime discount pricing on new games.
Also is a 10 TB drive cheaper than a disk drive? I just cant see that. When I built my PC last year drives in that size were $350+for a mediocre obviously non SSD or non hybrid drive.
 
Z

zackmorris

Member
Demacabre said:
Short answer: no.

Long answer: Fuck no.

I have zero trust in companies not to fuck around with digital media rights to give them all the keys with a diskless platform. This extends to the other big two. You give them an inch and they will take a mile. A third party retail market in the form of physical copies helps keep them honest.

And let's be honest, has the cost savings of a lack of distribution, packaging, and retail add on actually driven prices down on new releases? Nah. It's $60 bucks and they still try to weasel out a few extra dollars whenever they can. Digital is only for convenience and the impatient. They will still fuck around.
Click to expand...
I agree with you. But I've always heard the lack of discount pricing on digital has to do more with not wanting to piss off physical retail stores by undercutting them, since they still need that space to sell consoles and accessories. If Gamestop goes under in the next few years as some are predicting we will see. I wouldn't expect game prices to lower, but this is by far the cheapest games have ever been at $60 dollars new. They haven't increased the price in a few gens now.
 
Plague Doctor

Plague Doctor

Member
zackmorris said:
I agree with you. But I've always heard the lack of discount pricing on digital has to do more with not wanting to piss off physical retail stores by undercutting them, since they still need that space to sell consoles and accessories. If Gamestop goes under in the next few years as some are predicting we will see. I wouldn't expect game prices to lower, but this is by far the cheapest games have ever been at $60 dollars new. They haven't increased the price in a few gens now.
Click to expand...

I heard that as well but figured it was more of speculation than anything else (unless someone from gamestop or the big 3 outright confirmed it). Also, it doesn't make sense as to being afraid of one or two retailers that much. I mean I can see it being a scapegoat excuse to keep prices artificially high. I figure they know people are used to and accept that price so they will stick with it. No reason to rock the boat yet.
 
JD_Shadow

JD_Shadow

Neo Member
Lots of things need to be addressed before a "yes" can come from me:

1. DRM! Will it be a thing in it? How will it be implemented? Can I trust that it won't screw legal customers over?
2. HD Space! Can I expand it? How much will it have out of the box? If I can expand the capacity, in what way?
3. Size of games! How long will I need to wait for my download to finish? What connection will it support (PS4 currently only supports 2.4 GHz when 5.0 is much faster), and how will it utilize it?

Right now, it's a "no" from me. A lot needs to be concrete for me to even consider it.

By the way, side note: when I read the subject line of this thread, I first read it as

"Would you buy a DICK-less PS4?"

Changed the meaning of this thread majorly.
 
S

sn0man

Member
HeresJohnny said:
Last I checked, you can buy a system, plug it in and not connect it to the internet and play games off discs.
Click to expand...

That is true for PS4 and Switch. The xb1 is still the only platform that requires you to connect it to the internet and create an online account before you can use the device to play games.

BebopMcJigglypuff said:
No I wouldn't buy it. If it were the only option I would probably just avoid that console altogether.
Click to expand...

Me as well. I like the Xbox as a longtime 360 fan. If Microsoft patched out the online requirement I would reconsider them.

My wish: you pay a premium when the game comes out and only get online access. After the developers finish the final patches and move on to develop something else, those that paid the premium get a disc / cart. The disc / cart contains the last patch that was known as “good” and from then on you have the physical complete version.

If a company is listening, I would go to you next gen if you did that. Best of all worlds.
 
L

Louis Cyphre

Banned
sn0man said:
That is true for PS4 and Switch. The xb1 is still the only platform that requires you to connect it to the internet and create an online account before you can use the device to play games.

Me as well. I like the Xbox as a longtime 360 fan. If Microsoft patched out the online requirement I would reconsider them.

My wish: you pay a premium when the game comes out and only get online access. After the developers finish the final patches and move on to develop something else, those that paid the premium get a disc / cart. The disc / cart contains the last patch that was known as “good” and from then on you have the physical complete version.

If a company is listening, I would go to you next gen if you did that. Best of all worlds.
Click to expand...

You're online now, I'm not sure I understand your issue with connecting the Xbox One once. The system plays games just like a PS4, you don't need to be online. The PS4 also has many features that benefit from being online or at the very least updated.
 
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S

sn0man

Member
Louis Cyphre said:
You're online now, I'm not sure I understand your issue with connecting the Xbox One once. The system plays games just like a PS4, you don't need to be online. The PS4 also has many features that benefit from being online or at the very least updated.
Click to expand...

Trying to Answer
For me it just is the carrot vs stick mentality. The 360, WiiU, Switch, PS4, etc. All these great machines start out as a game machine. You turn on and play. You go to a friends house and bring the console, you plug in the power and the AV and your friend can create an account and play.

Plus there is online. It is a great carrot to have downloadable demos, WiiWare indie games, updates and patches are on balance also useful. Expansions and DLC can also be another carrot when a developer treats it as an opportunity to delight and serve a customer. I'm not against any of that. As you said; I'm online talking to you right now. Online is a great option and feature.

With the XB1 it is different. The XB1 on initial startup requires an online connection to play anything on it. This is a stick not a carrot. I'm being corralled. If I go to a friends house and I want to create a profile for them I cannot do that. I have to string ethernet or ask for access to their wifi to create a full profile. Sure, they can play as a guest profile, but then they can't save their progress. Again, another stick when this could all be a carrot. Xbox GamePass, Xbox Live, even downloading of Xbox 360 and Xbox games from your disc are all carrots that would have the same effect for Microsoft (Getting people online.) but without feeling like I'm being forced.

I'm not alone in this thinking. If you do a search for Xbox One Offline Profiles, there are many threads on xbox user voice, reddit, gamefaqs, etc. requesting this.

Off Track
At this point I've derailed the thread. I think I've answered your question, but if I haven't feel free to PM me.

On Track
To contribute to the thread: I would avoid any console that didn't have a physical media option. The PC is my diskless/cartless game machine and features like offline media and local couch co-op are what I value in a console. Thankful Nintendo and Sony offer that now, and I'm very very hopeful that both of them will do so in the next generation.
 
Protobear

Protobear

Neo Member
I think I wouldn't, not because I prefer physical disks, but because you can get physical for a lot cheaper these days than digital. I got FFXV the day it came out for 40 Euro while in the PSN store it would've been 60.
The benefits of digital are overall still greater to me, I can't lose the disk, I don't need to swap out games. I just turn it on and pick what I want to play. But I'd gladly let go of that benefit just so I could save a bit of money.

Besides I don't think Sony would move over quickly because collectors editions and all would feel pretty stupid if it came with a download code instead of a disk.
 
Muffdraul

Muffdraul

Member
When discs go away, I'll go disc-less. As long as there are discs, as long as discs are an option, I'm sticking with discs.
 
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B

BebopMcJigglypuff

Member
Louis Cyphre said:
How does Amazon get digital copies of Xbox Live and PlayStation Plus and why would they want them out there if they can control pricing on those?

When people say they like physical what they are really saying is they like being able to sell and trade and lend their games. The problem I see is how the physical side is so set in their minds. Obviously digital comes with some benefits as well. You have to remember forums don't usually speak for the mainstream and why you continue to see this pushback on online titles in favor of single player games. When a game is online only all of the sudden there is resistance, if a game is single player only then it's received more positively, why is that when both have an audience?
Click to expand...

I don't sell or trade my games EVER but go ahead and tell me what I'm saying. I still won't buy an all digital console, not now not ever. Pc is different as it's an open platform, but I avoid apple products altogether too in my personal life. Look at amazon digital prices vs physical though like destiny 2 is $6 vs 60$ they do not have the control over the pricing of the digital codes that they do with physical. Also no pre order discount (for prime). Do you think they're moving a lot of copies of that digitally on amazon vs physical? More often than not the digitial code is stuck at the original price. Usually it's only unauthorized vendors that undercut with digital codes, and they most likely didn't acquire them on the up and up.
 
Mihos

Mihos

Gold Member
If I could back them up locally... maybe, but if there is a physical option, that is where I will be.

Also, at anyone time, I usually have like 5 games out on loan.
 
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Hudo

Hudo

Member
I get the appeal but I really like physical things. Does anyone remember big box PC games? I miss those, man. I also dislike that I can't resell digitally bought games.
But there should definitely be a discless SKU for people that want to go all digital.
 
llien

llien

Member
aevanhoe said:
Same could be said for physical ownership - when you buy physical in a way, when you don't depend on some thin, plastical thing from not scratching, then you own it.
Click to expand...
Except not scratching "plastical thing" is totally in my control, unlike servers out there somewhere.
 
L

Louis Cyphre

Banned
BebopMcJigglypuff said:
I don't sell or trade my games EVER but go ahead and tell me what I'm saying. I still won't buy an all digital console, not now not ever. Pc is different as it's an open platform, but I avoid apple products altogether too in my personal life. Look at amazon digital prices vs physical though like destiny 2 is $6 vs 60$ they do not have the control over the pricing of the digital codes that they do with physical. Also no pre order discount (for prime). Do you think they're moving a lot of copies of that digitally on amazon vs physical? More often than not the digitial code is stuck at the original price. Usually it's only unauthorized vendors that undercut with digital codes, and they most likely didn't acquire them on the up and up.
Click to expand...

Playing so long on the PC you start to not care about the physical game issues. Of course physical has more options in the end which is the main thing but I just wish digital prices were lower for new titles and hope it's not all about respecting the retailers.
 
Mouse1

Mouse1

Neo Member
As a collector, no. I love having a bookshelf display of all of my video games. It's a comforting addition to my living space, especially since every game I buy and keep holds strong sentimental value for me.

But if the cheap price made it easier to justify, I'd eventually be open to adjusting
 
Portugeezer

Portugeezer

Member
Maybe if it was 60% cheaper, otherwise I lose too much value from being able to resell a game now and then, and lending/borrowing games.

I also enjoy having a physical collection of my favourite games.
 
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