So this got me to thinking.....

[TheGrandMom]

Sony launching two games in stores and on PSN simultaneously in Japan - Joystiq

"Sony may be experimenting with a new retail strategy for their first-party titles, evidenced by two PSP games which will be released in stores and on the PSN simultaneously in Japan this October. Agoraphobic gamers will be pleased to learn that Bleach: Soul Carnival and Yuusha no Kuse ni Namaikida or2 will both be available via digital distribution on the same day that their respective physical manifestations are shelved at Japanese brick-and-mortars -- better still, the downloadable versions of both games will cost around 1,000 yen (a little over $9) less than their tangible counterparts.

We wonder if Gamestop's recent show of boastful confidence was in response to this seeming victory for the digital distribution business model, or whether Sony's plan just happened to make an inconvenient appearance following Gamestop's announcement -- proving that the gods of gaming retail have a wicked sense of humor."

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So, this got me to thinking....

Would I prefer to pay $9-$10 less for a game via digital download or do I prefer to have the title physically in my possession? What about you? What are your thoughts on digital distribution of games for the various systems?

[MrMageo]

Re: So this got me to thinking.....

It really depends. If I can download it to a memory stick and use it on my PSP or if I need to be on my PS3. If it were possible to do that, then sure 10 dollars is worth it to me. Technically that way I would have a physical copy of the game. If it didnt work like that then the "real" version would be worth it.

[Kitalrez]

Re: So this got me to thinking.....

You know, I used to think that downloadable games were a really good idea. Then Windows began crashing on me. Once it happens to you, you start to realize how helpful it is to have hard copies of things...

[Pai Pai Master]

Re: So this got me to thinking.....

Depends on the game/publisher. I'm an avid collector, so I'll gladly sell my copy of Burnout Paradise and buy it on PSN, but I'd never buy something like say, a Final Fantasy game as DD only.

Hell, I bought Quest for Booty the moment it was up on PSN and I'm importing the UK disc version just so I can have the box.

[Feba]

Re: So this got me to thinking.....

I prefer games to be stored on the hard disk. I also prefer games to have a solid copy.

Just give video game consoles REAL hard drives instead of the pitiful little things they have now, and let us copy the disk images to the drive. You can find ways to keep people from gaming the system with rentals and resales without much creativity.

[Phanex]

Re: So this got me to thinking.....

I myself like hard copies, and I keep them all till the day I die. But I like idea I can download a part of the game and "Preview" it to see if I like it, before spending the big bucks.

But I have freinds who would also rather have the Hard Copy so they can trade them in when they get bored with the game.

[Effedup]

Re: So this got me to thinking.....

I prefer a hard copy over a direct download in most cases; like previously said, I've lost lots of stuff due to crashes and such and having a hard copy obviously makes re-installs much easier. Some D2D stuff is pretty good though, Steam comes to mind.

I like the Xbox Live system, too, although I have had issues with it in the past downloading original Xbox games D2D.

[TheGrandMom]

Re: So this got me to thinking.....

You know most of the people I've talked to about this feel that digital distribution will die out. My opinion is that more long time gamers prefer the hard copy but the younger more casual gamer prefer the download. I could never be without a hard copy of most games. Light casual fair that I d/l off of Live I don't mind losing but other than that I want to be able to access it 10 years from now.

I myself like hard copies, and I keep them all till the day I die.

Ya me too. Big joke around the house is when I die what they are going to do with all of my "shit". I have to say I've considered selling off my stuff once in a while. Back in the day I had some transmission casing issues with my Harley that were going to cost me a few thousand and I was sorely tempted.....but a level head prevailed and I didn't sell anything. After our recent flood, I had the urge to do it again. I hate seeing stuff get ruined and would rather have someone enjoy it.

[Phanex]

Re: So this got me to thinking.....

Speaking of, to see how much of a pack rat I am, I have 3 copies of the orignal Final Fantasy for Nintendo. Since it could only save one "game/team" I didnt' feel like erasing the game after i beat it with the combo I made.

So when i beat the game with "War/Thf/WHm/Blm" I went out and bought another one to try "War/Rdm/WHm/Blm" and so forth and so on.

But I tride to load it up a few years back and they were blank aparently they a battery or something...meh..oh sorry for the derail. o>O

[Aksannyi]

Re: So this got me to thinking.....

While I prefer to have hard copies of things, sometimes downloading is truly the way to go.

Take WoTG, for example. They fucked it up on release date and PC version wasn't in stores. On vent, chatting with an acquaintance who was in Mountain Time, he offered to pick up some XBox 360 versions for the codes while we torrented the content. Paid him by PayPal and all was good. In a case where they screwed up a release of something, I was really happy to be able to do that. Granted, that's not exactly a common occurance, but I do like the idea of having the availability to download content online if it's necessary for whatever reason.

Plus, it lets me stop going to shitty stores like GameStop. =)

[Tickmeoff]

Re: So this got me to thinking.....

As far as I am concerned, you don't own a game unless you can hold it in your hand.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: So this got me to thinking.....

As far as I am concerned, you don't own a game unless you can hold it in your hand.

You never "own" a game, you merely purchased the license to experience it. You don't own Star Wars, George Lucas does, your DVD of Star Wars is just that - a DVD. You don't have a stake in Star Wars, you don't contribute to it in any way, you just partake of the experience. There's no real ownership in that.

Digital distribution is something people will grow to accept and pretty much already have. The only issues are that media outlets want to find a way to control how that media gets to us still and there isn't a way to do that that isn't going to fly in the face of things like the First Amendment. The internet makes ir risky and that still scares them as much as it did practically a decade ago. Though now its much more retailers worrying than it is the likes of Sony, which only a few years ago finally gave up their silly little war against stuff like MP3s.

People have gotten used to the idea of listening to music without a tangible format in the last five years or so, so movies and games shouldn't be such a stretch.

[Feba]

Re: So this got me to thinking.....

You never "own" a game,

Unless you do. I own plenty of games. FLOSS is a good thing.

As to the rest of the thread, my problem with digital downloads is that they greatly favor the retailer over the customer. For example, let's say I want to buy Lost Winds. On WiiWare (along with any exclusive PSN, Steam or XBLA title) those outlets control all distribution of the game. They control how much it costs. On the other hand, if Lost Winds were distributed to stores on a disk that only costs $10 (and this has been done on the PS2, some tanks game I owned was sold in bargain bin prices from release, not to mention the whole Simple series over in Japan), then you have WalMart, Target, Kmart, Best Buy, Gamestop, TRU, and more all competing to sell me that product. There will be coupons. There will be discounted prices. When the game becomes unpopular, it will be put on clearance for a fraction of the original cost. With WiiWare (or PSN or XBLA or Steam) there's no promise that prices will ever decrease, or that there will ever be special sales. There's not even any promise of a title always being available-- if Wiiware/psn/xbla/steam decide to stop selling a title (or are forced to by licensing issues), I'll never be able to scrounge around and find an old disk on eBay or in the back of a used game case.

[TheGrandMom]

Re: So this got me to thinking.....

As to the rest of the thread, my problem with digital downloads is that they greatly favor the retailer over the customer. For example, let's say I want to buy Lost Winds. On WiiWare (along with any exclusive PSN, Steam or XBLA title) those outlets control all distribution of the game. They control how much it costs. On the other hand, if Lost Winds were distributed to stores on a disk that only costs $10 (and this has been done on the PS2, some tanks game I owned was sold in bargain bin prices from release, not to mention the whole Simple series over in Japan), then you have WalMart, Target, Kmart, Best Buy, Gamestop, TRU, and more all competing to sell me that product. There will be coupons. There will be discounted prices. When the game becomes unpopular, it will be put on clearance for a fraction of the original cost. With WiiWare (or PSN or XBLA or Steam) there's no promise that prices will ever decrease, or that there will ever be special sales. There's not even any promise of a title always being available-- if Wiiware/psn/xbla/steam decide to stop selling a title (or are forced to by licensing issues), I'll never be able to scrounge around and find an old disk on eBay or in the back of a used game case.

AMEN!!

[Pai Pai Master]

Re: So this got me to thinking.....

Thankfully PS3 games that are available at both venues still follow Sony's official retail pricing. Sure, you won't get clearance level prices, but at least Warhawk and Burnout Paradise on PSN are still considered "Greatest Hits" and are priced accordingly.

Sony does have PSN sales occasionally. Two weeks ago you could get a number of $10+ games (not just crapfest games; bestsellers like Pixeljunk Monsters and PAIN were included) for $4.99 each. When the first Warhawk booster pack came out, the full game went down to $30 for a couple weeks and it could be purchased with the booster for $35, and when the second pack came out, both boosters were bundled for $10 instead of $16. They'll probably do something similar with Operation: Fallen Star next week.

XBLA Points are widely available at retail stores, and you can sometimes find them on sale and clearance at various stores if you look hard enough. I dunno about XBLA's pricing specifically, if content ever goes on sale or not.

Nintendo on the other hand, prides themselves in ripping you off. Don't expect to see WiiWare or VC games ever go on sale or anything.