Page 1 of 6 123456 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 76

Thread: Which one you prefer? Owning games physically or digitally?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    HTTP_404
    Posts
    635
    Thanks
    4
    Thanked 48 Times in 38 Posts
    EP Points
    15

    Default Which one you prefer? Owning games physically or digitally?

    I have been wondering about this issue for ages.
    As for me, living in a small town, out of nowhere, its really impossible for me to find any games shop nearby. Unless if I visit a nearby city (which is miles and miles away), I probably have a good chance to see one.
    Therefore, my only source of games at the moment is non other than the internet. Just like what I do right now, downloading games from this forum and enjoying it.
    Great example of digital distribution of games are Steam, GOG and many more.
    I do like physical copy of games since there are many advantages of it such as I own it, I will not loose it, it will stay in my shelf for a longer time period, I can hold it (I mean the case) and many more.
    But currently, my concerned is owning the digital copy of games. I'm scare of hard drive failure, I may loose it without any warning or whatsoever, the game's provider probably close and I may not be able to reclaimed my games download and so on. Still, digital copy is my only source at the moment.
    Even though, I'm aware of the fact that I can loose my digital copy but it is still a good alternative for me at the moment. With digital copy, I don't have to go out of my house, I just have to download them, it is cheaper and I have my own way to get good games for free, I can make a backup of my games copy on external hard drive (so I may not loose them), I don't have to meet a courier (since my social skill is shit) and so on.

    What do you think is better or what do you practice right now? Owning physical or digital copy?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Orlais Val Royeaux
    Posts
    669
    Thanks
    72
    Thanked 1,350 Times in 160 Posts
    EP Points
    290

    Default

    in my case,really depends,. if you buying a rpg and it comes bundled with a lot of extras,.. like the game`s ost, a map, manual in full color or an artbook, then obvioulsy i choose the physical, but if you are buying a simple FPS (for example BF3) and if the site selling it in digital form not gonna count the number of times (amazon-> 10 times) you download it,.. then i would choose the digital cose is the fastest way,. ( no need to wait 15 days to arrive to your p.o.box if you live in another country like me, generally they are alil more cheaper [-5/-10$ ) imho. ( sorry 4 my engrish lol )
    Last edited by Izuna; 1st-March-2012 at 16:08.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Astral Void
    Posts
    4,466
    Thanks
    37
    Thanked 278 Times in 108 Posts
    Blog Entries
    3
    EP Points
    120

    Default

    I still prefer physical copies.

    Getting around to it... | Available via Retroshare 16/7.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    HTTP_404
    Posts
    635
    Thanks
    4
    Thanked 48 Times in 38 Posts
    EP Points
    15

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Izuna View Post
    if you buying a rpg and it comes bundled with a lot of extras,.. like the game`s ost, a map, manual in full color or an artbook, then obvioulsy i choose the physical
    Digital copy is pretty good as well when it comes to this bundled stuff. For the ost;I can get the digital mp3 of it, for the manual in full color;I can get the digital pdf of it, for the artbook;I can get the jpeg of it. It is a good quality as well. GOG.com is a prime example of it.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Orlais Val Royeaux
    Posts
    669
    Thanks
    72
    Thanked 1,350 Times in 160 Posts
    EP Points
    290

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Muscab View Post
    Digital copy is pretty good as well when it comes to this bundled stuff. For the ost;I can get the digital mp3 of it, for the manual in full color;I can get the digital pdf of it, for the artbook;I can get the jpeg of it. It is a good quality as well. GOG.com is a prime example of it.
    You are 50% right, but nothing like having those stuff mentioned above in real thing imo, and like you said, gog is a prime example, and i would add,.. is the only good example if you mean old games,but what about buying a new game like,.. let's say, Mass Effect 3 N7 Collector`s Edition?. Lets see the differences between the digital and the physical, both collector`s edition:

    Collector's:

    Get the ultimate Mass Effect 3 experience with the N7 Collector's Edition! This exclusive and limited package includes:

    • Exclusive N7 fabric patch
    • Art book, 70 pages
    • Dark Horse ME Series 3 issue 1, with alternate cover art

    A full collection of in-game content that can’t be found anywhere else!

    • N7 arsenal pack – N7 Sniper Rifle, Shotgun, Pistol and SMG
    • Squad-mate alternate appearance pack
    • Normandy mechdog companion
    • Shepard casual appearance– N7 hoodie
    • Exclusive extended soundtrack
    • Exclusive 4x6 lithograph
    • Day 1 DLC – the Prothean (Adventure/Character)
    • XBL Normandy Avatar
    • Exclusive forum, social avatars, badges and perks

    Digital Deluxe:

    Get the ultimate Mass Effect 3 experience with the N7 Digital Deluxe Edition! This exclusive and limited package includes:

    • 70-page digital art book featuring hundreds of unique and gorgeous illustrations from the BioWare development team.
    • Limited edition digital Mass Effect comic by Dark Horse Comics, complete with unique cover artwork.
    • Exclusive 4x6 lithographic digital print featuring a one-of-a-kind piece of artwork.

    A full collection of in-game content that can’t be found anywhere else!

    • N7 Arsenal Pack – Bring the firepower with the N7 Sniper Rifle, Shotgun, SMG, and Pistol.
    • Access to an additional downloadable mission and character
    • Mechdog Companion – A faithful sidekick to keep you company on board the Normandy.
    • Squadmate Alternate Outfit Pack – New appearances for your favorite squad members.
    • N7 Hoodie – For Commander Shepard’s casual days on board the Normandy.
    • Relive all the greatest moments of Mass Effect 3 with the digital soundtrack.
    • Display your initiation in the N7 ranks with a collection of forum and social badges, avatars, and perks.
    I choose the physical. ( btw i preordered it )

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Astral Void
    Posts
    4,466
    Thanks
    37
    Thanked 278 Times in 108 Posts
    Blog Entries
    3
    EP Points
    120

    Default

    The manual scans are hit and miss, some aren't as good as they could be. GoG is the only digital download service I 'like', no DRM goes a long way.

    Getting around to it... | Available via Retroshare 16/7.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    In the Sea
    Posts
    1,411
    Thanks
    305
    Thanked 38 Times in 29 Posts
    EP Points
    830

    Default

    I prefer owning the physical copy, but I can't afford all the games that I want to play. Therefore, I download them. Also some games are hard to find or very expensive, in that case I just get them off the internet. Another advantage of downloading is that I can get a game to try it out, if I don't like it I can just erase it.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Virginia & Smashville
    Posts
    72
    Thanks
    5
    Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post

    Default

    Actually having a copy is better. Memory cards, memory sticks, flash drives, hard drives, and other forms of media corrupt and digital downloads find ways to lock you out from playing the game when you know you paid for it, but in the end the market is getting to the point where there will be no used games. Games will be available for download only. There will be no reason to have used game stores like gamestop or any of that.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Posts
    31
    Thanks
    18
    Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post

    Default

    Personally I prefer the physical copy. I like having a disc in case of hard drive failure (As pointed out above), or if it's one of those games that requires the digital version to be connected to the internet 24/7 (GLARING at you Ubisoft). I also like having an instruction booklet for the artwork and whatnot because not all digital versions even come with one, or if they do it's sometimes lacking. If I find I don't like the game or a sequel comes out I can trade in the physical copy for cash or store credit and I don't live far from a game store so depending on the site I'm downloading from it could be faster to drive to the store. That of course depends on how busy the site is or how big the game is, and if the store has a line I suppose. Then finally, the other thing I lke about having physical copies is I can loan my friend a game as collateral for buying a game!

    Despite all of these reasons, I have a mixture of digital and physical copies. Due to me getting off work late and the store being closed or it being a holiday or whatever I've downloaded games in the middle of the night to satisfy my impatience. I did that with Skyrim quite recently

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Also Robot Spaghetti.
    Posts
    1,250
    Thanks
    42
    Thanked 33 Times in 25 Posts
    EP Points
    25

    Default

    I prefer physical copies of my game, though I'm not against digital distribution. It's really just a matter of preference for me.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Unimportant city, USA
    Posts
    1,286
    Thanks
    1
    Thanked 61 Times in 41 Posts
    Blog Entries
    7
    EP Points
    95

    Default

    I love having physical copies, and I go out of my way to find COMPLETE games, as in having the box, manual, any of the extras that may have been included, what have you. Cost isn't exactly a big issue for me when it comes to this (since I've spent almost 100 USD on a single game), it's the thrill of having the whole thing in my hands, knowing that nothing will be thrown away or damaged.

    Of course, given that I have over a hundred games on Steam, I'm not adverse to having digital games. If anything, I like having digital copies of PC games so I can mostly avoid the hassle of stupid things like DRM and invalid CD keys, even if it means jumping through hoops like finding patches online to make the game work in Windows 7.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jun 2002
    Location
    Wall Sconce
    Posts
    19,566
    Thanks
    392
    Thanked 13,302 Times in 1,165 Posts
    EP Points
    49335

    Default

    I'm not really against digital distribution. But I don't like it at all. And I feel the need to point out that you don't "own" your purchases. With the download licensing agreements they're basically just unlimited rentals. Totally fine if you just wanna play it once and move on, they're usually pretty cheap. But don't think that you actually have any ownership.
    *PSA* Wii Redump collector's can now unscrub ISO files. So scrubbed games can now be verified. You can find the program to do this here

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    israel
    Posts
    8
    Thanks
    3
    Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts

    Default

    physical copy no doubt

    steam and the rest of the bunch is a risk,what happen if the server go down..? there's a good chance you can kiss all of your games goodbye,never grasped the concept of people buying half a game,the one and only time i bought a steam game was counter strike 1.6 which i didn't knew need extra downloading after the initial install,i don't buy 90% book sure as hell not gonna buy 90% game,psychical copy can last years and years and virtually for decades,DRM infested games hosted on servers not so much.

    i remember the good old days when you bought a game got home install it and entered you're serial and that was ALL to it,sadly gamers don't realize they losing more and more rights with all the DRM crap,granted game company's want to keep their baby but there are other methods.

    ubisoft is the worst of the worst when it comes to DRM

    now days constant internet connection&serial number&pass key&server authentication required for to many games.

    so to conclude physical copy (the good type with no DRM in it)

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    ????
    Posts
    5,948
    Thanks
    187
    Thanked 138 Times in 84 Posts
    Blog Entries
    1
    EP Points
    170

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Ragnar View Post
    I'm not really against digital distribution. But I don't like it at all. And I feel the need to point out that you don't "own" your purchases. With the download licensing agreements they're basically just unlimited rentals. Totally fine if you just wanna play it once and move on, they're usually pretty cheap. But don't think that you actually have any ownership.
    ^This

    There are too many things that can go wrong for my liking. Things that are entirely out of my control like a computer crash (as unlikely as it is but computers do just eventually die, and while I back up my data who knows...) or the service going down if there is DRM or you have to be online to play etc... Meanwhile my physical media will never get damaged because I'm not an idiot.

    I also collect so that's a part of it as well.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Sweden
    Posts
    16
    Thanks
    6
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts

    Default

    I rather have my consoles games physically PC games if okey Digital. As I collect games I rather have them physically than Digital. Like Digial Collectors editions is not as great as physicall ones. Like Art book is way better to have in your hands and shelf than some Jpegs on my hardrive. To be honest steam is way to expensive on some games even if they are digital allot of PC games I own physically ways like 15-20 Euero sheeper on my game store than steam. I tught it would be sheeper to have digital store than a regular but seams not like it.
    Last edited by Welkin25; 1st-March-2012 at 21:44.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
About Us

We are the oldest retro gaming forum on the internet. The goal of our community is the complete preservation of all retro video games. Started in 2001 as EmuParadise Forums, our community has grown over the past 18 years into one of the biggest gaming platforms on the internet.

Social