Author Topic: Physical Games vs. Digital Games: The Face-Off  (Read 21188 times)

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Offline NWR_DrewMG

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Physical Games vs. Digital Games: The Face-Off
« on: February 19, 2014, 12:44:59 PM »

Two NWR staffers pit the virtues of discs against downloads. Who wins? You decide. 

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/36550/physical-games-vs-digital-games-the-face-off

For some, it is a case of 'old habits die hard.' For others, the new technological era cannot come soon enough. Chances are that those of you reading this have gravitated towards one of these two camps since Nintendo took the plunge into the digital age with the 3DS and Wii U eShop, offering full retail games in download form in addition to their traditional physical media.



As it turns out, the Nintendo World Report staff is quite evenly divided between the old and new schools. Therefore, in an effort to make sense of the endless argument over what media is best, we asked one advocate of physical games and one proponent of digital games to make the five-point case for each.



Once you have read and digested what they had to say, we encourage you to join the discussion in the forums and let us know whether you prefer to buy your games at retail or download them instead. Long may this debate continue...

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Offline Oblivion

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Re: Physical Games vs. Digital Games: The Face-Off
« Reply #1 on: February 19, 2014, 12:47:05 PM »
Since I can't sell my digital copies? Physical all the way.

Offline Leo13

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Re: Physical Games vs. Digital Games: The Face-Off
« Reply #2 on: February 19, 2014, 12:54:45 PM »
Digital Games going on sale Sunday in the form of 20% off eShop cards at Best Buy. That's what the email Nintendo sent me this morning says, plus here's a link on the story


http://nintendoeverything.com/best-buy-eshop-cards-getting-20-discount-again-starting-feb-23/

Offline tchaten

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Re: Physical Games vs. Digital Games: The Face-Off
« Reply #3 on: February 19, 2014, 01:37:48 PM »
On the 3DS I am digital all the way. Imagine having a handheld with every first party Nintendo game ever created for the system on it and a ton of awesome indie and 3rd party titles. That is one heck of a handheld to have and own. Game sizes on handhelds are still small enough to make that a reality.


It also is fantastic to be all digital on my Japanese system - having games instantly from the eShop instead of paying for international and slow shipping from Japan is quite nice.


On the Wii U however - I like my discs - It has to do with it being a home console and my affinity to collect games for those - I never had that affinity to collect games for handhelds. The downloads are also bigger on Wii U.


I never sell my games so that part of the equation has never been in the mix for me. I do own a few carts of duplicate games like ACNL and Pokemon where I want to trade or do local play features with my other 3DSes.

Offline xcwarrior

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Re: Physical Games vs. Digital Games: The Face-Off
« Reply #4 on: February 19, 2014, 01:39:11 PM »
I see there is no argument for what digital is better than physical. You guys make claim this is simply a link error, but it's Fruedian slip.

Because physical is better than digital. I hate buying any game digitally unless there is no other choice.

I own a physical copy of Ducktales Remastered on the WiiU. I gotta be one of like 7 people who have it, but once I heard there was a disc version, kept me from buying it digital.

Same will go for Wii Sports Club. Not buying until that retail version comes over here to America.

On the 3DS I am digital all the way. Imagine having a handheld with every first party Nintendo game ever created for the system on it and a ton of awesome indie and 3rd party titles. That is one heck of a handheld to have and own. Game sizes on handhelds are still small enough to make that a reality.

This would be great if it were true. But Nintendo isn't going to publish 75% of their first party content on the VC. I think that's pretty evident by now.
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Offline chilenozo

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Re: Physical Games vs. Digital Games: The Face-Off
« Reply #5 on: February 19, 2014, 01:43:57 PM »
Hard-copy all the way!

1- I have a brother who also owns a WiiU. So we both talk to each and buy different games, with the exemptions of those ones where we can play multiplayer, specially co-op. So it's a no brainier we can exchange games whenever we see each other.

2.- There are always better sales and discounts, so far, of CDs than eshop games...if sometime in the future eshop becomes something like, say, steam, maybe just then I will fully commit. but as I said in # 1, I won't be able to exchange games with my brother, but if eshop games have huge discounts, then we can both buy more games!

3.- As the guy in 1st post said, I can always sell my games...I have been very successful selling my used games, I usually know when and how to sell them. I don't sell many games, as I am very picky and buy always the best, but year franchises like Call of Duty get useless quite fast as the new releases come so I sell them after a year or so.


I have 12 WiiU CDs so far and plan to buy more. I only buy digitally VC games and indies. And I have make the most of my purchases by buying most of my games at a discount.

Offline NWR_insanolord

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Re: Physical Games vs. Digital Games: The Face-Off
« Reply #6 on: February 19, 2014, 01:44:23 PM »
I see there is no argument for what digital is better than physical.

The "Digital is Better" article, aka the correct article, should be posted tomorrow.
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Offline Ian Sane

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Re: Physical Games vs. Digital Games: The Face-Off
« Reply #7 on: February 19, 2014, 01:51:50 PM »
I can make a compelling argument in favour of physical copies with two major points:

1. You never really own the games you buy as the seller realistically has a remote off switch where they can disable your game at any time.
2. There is no ability to have used copies so years from now certain games will be effectively lost.

My points stem largely from a historical videogame preservation perspective.  But the thing is that one can wipe away my whole argument by saying "but I don't care about those things" and the discussion is over.  People have different values and I'm making the incorrect assumption that what I value is shared by everyone.  I think it is very important and honestly if you don't think it's important I think you're being a short-sighted fool but if you don't care my points mean nothing.  This is a key part of the physical vs. digital argument for all IP, not just videogames.  I notice in particular that younger people that have spent more of their lives in a internet/cellphone/digital world don't value creative works in the same way that someone my age typically would.  They see it as much more disposable.  So if I say "hey these games will be lost to time" to them I might as well be saying "throw that candy wrapper in the garbage and it will be lost forever" to which the response would be "so?!"

Digital will take over in my lifetime as younger generations that embrace it become the majority and people like me become old geezers that marketers don't care about anyway.  The part that lets me deal with it is that the games that will not be preserved will be microtransaction pieces of **** that I don't care about being preserved anyway.  My favourite Nintendo games for example have all been released in physical format and are already preserved.  The games I care about will be fine and the garbage the "kids today" are playing won't matter to me.  Going back to the topic of values, I won't value their games anyway.  If anyone suffers in the end it will be them.

Offline KeyBilly

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Re: Physical Games vs. Digital Games: The Face-Off
« Reply #8 on: February 19, 2014, 02:29:31 PM »
Good points in the article and talkback for both sides.  I have been an advocate of digital downloads for a long time on the PC.  Going back to games from the 80s, digital versions are generally still easy to use and games with a big enough fanbase even get extra mods and upgrades over time.  Plus, with digital, I can play on any PC I have, and move the game to upgraded PCs with minimal hassle.  Steam sales also give the equivalent of used game pricing for digital goods.

With Nintendo consoles, I feel the opposite.  I don't trust that my games will transfer or continue to be supported.  With physical copies, as long as I have a functional console, my games will work.  If it breaks, I can buy repair parts or get a used one and all my games will still work.  That, coupled with the ability to loan or borrow and buy used, means that physical is what I choose most of the time.

Offline Killer_Man_Jaro

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Re: Physical Games vs. Digital Games: The Face-Off
« Reply #9 on: February 19, 2014, 02:36:16 PM »
Andy Goergen will be covering the other side of the coin tomorrow, for those of you asking about balancing the debate. It's written as a fairly direct response to the points I made, so whilst I stand by my case, his rebuttal sheds some light on factors some of the physical advocates may not have considered.

And J.P., you troublemaker... we'll see who has the last laugh.  :P: :
« Last Edit: February 19, 2014, 02:41:20 PM by Killer_Man_Jaro »
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Offline Jet Pilot

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Re: Physical Games vs. Digital Games: The Face-Off
« Reply #10 on: February 19, 2014, 02:38:29 PM »
Until Nintendo can set up its account system to protect the consumer from loss of purchases and the ability to transfer purchases from one device to another on the user end (like iTunes or PSN) I will not purchase anything more than VC games on the eShop.

In addition, they need to stop hosing the consumer and allow multi-device installation of games. I have two kids...I shouldn't have to buy the same digital copy twice if I want them to be able to share the game.  I shouldn't have to pay twice to put SMB on my Wii U and my 3DS.  If I buy a song on iTunes I can put it on all of my family's iPods for one price.  It should be the same way with eShop games.  If I buy a new iPod I just have to sync it and my data transfers.  I don't have to file police reports and call Apple customer service and go through some long transfer process which may or may not be approved.

Nintendo's download game system is broken. Until they fix it I'm sticking with physical.

Offline Ian Sane

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Re: Physical Games vs. Digital Games: The Face-Off
« Reply #11 on: February 19, 2014, 02:48:15 PM »
It seems that physical vs. digital on Nintendo systems is a different debate.  One where my response to the pro-digital side would be "are you fucking nuts?!!" :)

Offline Ceric

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Re: Physical Games vs. Digital Games: The Face-Off
« Reply #12 on: February 19, 2014, 03:11:22 PM »
As a long time PC Gamer my feeling is that its about time I can live in a digital world.  It is very annoying to me to have to manage a Physical thing to play my games and the space and clutter that it causes.  Since I don't sell games, not a good enough RoI,  digital is great for me.  The only downside is that now I can't share 3DS games with my Son.
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Offline NWR_insanolord

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Re: Physical Games vs. Digital Games: The Face-Off
« Reply #13 on: February 19, 2014, 03:13:11 PM »
I don't understand all this talk of inability to transfer purchases when all downloadable games on Wii and DSi could be transferred to their respective successors. All my Wii downloads transferred easily to my Wii U, and my DSiWare went from DSi to 3DS, and then transferred again to my 3DS XL along with my many 3DS eShop titles.

As for Ian's claim that there's some kind of remote kill switch, that may be true of some other services, but with Nintendo's systems, as long as they're still on your system and the system works, you will be able to play those games regardless of anything Nintendo does.

Does Nintendo's eShop infrastructure need to be improved? Absolutely. They need to expand their account system so that you can move between systems without jumping through a ton of hoops, and tweak a few other things, and I'm confident that they will. Nintendo has steadily improved their online offerings over time, and while it's happened far more slowly than it should have, I don't doubt they'll get to that point in time.
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Offline Chad Sexington

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Re: Physical Games vs. Digital Games: The Face-Off
« Reply #14 on: February 19, 2014, 05:09:56 PM »
100% digital in all things that are available in digital.


I want to own as few physical things in my life as possible.  Digital movies, streaming online television shows, digital games, etc.  I haven't owned a TV in ~10 years.  If I can't play a game on my laptop or 3DS then I'm not interested.


I came to this change in my life after I cleaned out drawers & shelves worth of plastic Gamecube crap from my room and wondered what the hell I was doing.  Moving it all sucks, sifting through it all sucks, and losing a copy sucks.


Whatever I can do to have less physical stuff, the better.
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Offline Mop it up

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Re: Physical Games vs. Digital Games: The Face-Off
« Reply #15 on: February 19, 2014, 06:52:24 PM »
Why can't we have both? Why can't we all just get along?!

Offline Adrock

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Re: Physical Games vs. Digital Games: The Face-Off
« Reply #16 on: February 19, 2014, 07:00:03 PM »
Physical games. How else am I supposed to appreciate all of my unplayed games than to display them proudly on a shelf I walk by every day?

Offline Ian Sane

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Re: Physical Games vs. Digital Games: The Face-Off
« Reply #17 on: February 19, 2014, 07:17:35 PM »
Why can't we have both? Why can't we all just get along?!

For retail games we currently do have both which is nice.  I can have a physical copy of Bravely Default while someone else can instantly download it from the eShop.  Perfect!  Everyone gets what they want and deals with the cons accordingly.  But we all know that digital will take over in the future.  In the free market too often options cease to become available if those that want it are in the minority.  As physical media consumers decrease the option will be removed for everyone.  Thus we get a bit of a pissing match.  The pro-digital crowd is slowly and unintentionally taking something away from the pro-physical crowd, something they've had their entire lives.

Offline Chad Sexington

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Re: Physical Games vs. Digital Games: The Face-Off
« Reply #18 on: February 19, 2014, 07:42:33 PM »
Why can't we have both? Why can't we all just get along?!

I should also add that I recently bought a nice 3DS case from Amazon that has pockets for 6 games.  So I do have physical copies of Crono Trigger, Lego Star Wars Complete Sage, Lego Star Wars III, and Dragon Quest IV.  I'll probably end up buying Dragon Quest V and VI.

If these were available in digital, I would get them digitally.  But I they fit nicely in the case I got so I don't mind having 7 physical games (no more!).
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Offline ejamer

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Re: Physical Games vs. Digital Games: The Face-Off
« Reply #19 on: February 19, 2014, 07:49:56 PM »
Rent vs buy argument in a lot of ways. I know which I prefer, but that doesn't mean it's a better choice for other people.

For me, the biggest factor in preferring physical copies is that I appreciate things more when I own a tangible good. This applies to all sorts of things - not just games or entertainment.

This is why playing a ROM isn't as enjoyable for me as playing a game I've actually made a conscious decision to pursue and purchase.
This is why putting something on my credit card is much easier than opening my wallet and handing out cash.
This is why I look at my shelf of DS/3DS games with pride, always wondering what should be the next game to play, while my PSN games are largely forgotten and ignored despite being downloaded on a PSP and ready to play at a moments notice.


Maybe things are changing though. Do people who have spent their whole lives in the digital age value the concept of ownership less, or appreciate the idea of digital goods more? Or are they just young enough to not be concerned about the idea of ownership because there is always something new to experience just around the corner? They certainly are trained to accept digital goods and service-based objects at a much younger age.
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Offline smallsharkbigbite

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Re: Physical Games vs. Digital Games: The Face-Off
« Reply #20 on: February 19, 2014, 08:32:04 PM »
I don't understand all this talk of inability to transfer purchases when all downloadable games on Wii and DSi could be transferred to their respective successors. All my Wii downloads transferred easily to my Wii U, and my DSiWare went from DSi to 3DS, and then transferred again to my 3DS XL along with my many 3DS eShop titles.


We'll see where Nintendo's O/S goes as well as as where their account system goes.  Both of those things are very important to me before I would be willing to invest in Nintendo downloadable games frequently.  The Wii games that are either aren't bought again for the Wii U or are not re-released (Wiiware, VC games that don't get rereleased) are probably gone on future consoles because I don't see future iterations having a Wiimode.  Now that Wii U is the base of future O/S systems I would guess that 3DS/DSI software is in danger of becoming extinct. 

Quote
As for Ian's claim that there's some kind of remote kill switch, that may be true of some other services, but with Nintendo's systems, as long as they're still on your system and the system works, you will be able to play those games regardless of anything Nintendo does.


As a platform, steam is becoming more and more appealing (even as a physical guy).  That said, I can't see a time where I don't have a PC.  I could see a time where I don't need to buy the next console.  I'm 33 years old, and while I love my PS3, I'm not that enticed by the PS4.  While I don't regret buying a Wii U, the appeal of a successor is waning on me. 


How Nintendo approaches the account system is a big deal.  Now if my Wii U breaks and I choose not to have Nintendo repair it (at a significant cost) I lose those games.  But what if I chose to have the Wii U be my last console ever?  Nintendo will only repair Wii U's for so long.  Nintendo will only allow Wii U's online for so long.  So while that date is significantly out there (10-15 years) there is a kill date for people that don't decide to make the next $400, $450, $500 or more investment in Nintendo hardware.  The reason Steam is so appealing is because I can't see ever not having a PC.  So the future investment is basically $0.  The future investment to access Nintendo games is potentially several hundred (and maybe even thousands of dollars as time moves forward). 


That may be a small deal to you, but the Snes is my favorite console ever and it is approaching 23 years old and I can easily track down treasures for it.  I have a functioning Coleco that is 32 years old.  Maybe it's because I love retro gaming, but longevity is very important to me as a game player, because I've come to realize games that are once good are always good and worth a replay at some point. 

Quote
Does Nintendo's eShop infrastructure need to be improved? Absolutely. They need to expand their account system so that you can move between systems without jumping through a ton of hoops, and tweak a few other things, and I'm confident that they will. Nintendo has steadily improved their online offerings over time, and while it's happened far more slowly than it should have, I don't doubt they'll get to that point in time.


I think the standardized O/S piece is as important as the standardized account piece (as mentioned above).  Because how else will I be able to play NSMBU (if I bought it download, which I didn't) on future hardware once Nintendo stops repairing Wii U's. 

Offline yoshi1001

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Re: Physical Games vs. Digital Games: The Face-Off
« Reply #21 on: February 19, 2014, 08:47:24 PM »
I think the physical side of the debate tends to be more enthusiastic about their choice. For me, having to switch cartridges repeatedly during heavy StreetPassing at Pokemon nationals a few years ago convinced me to go digital.
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Offline Razorkid

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Re: Physical Games vs. Digital Games: The Face-Off
« Reply #22 on: February 19, 2014, 09:30:38 PM »
Digital all the way. Physical is for people who sell their games regularly, share them, or collect them.  None of that applies to me and the convenience of it trumps all.  Plus sales are steady and regular for what I want.
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Offline ejamer

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Re: Physical Games vs. Digital Games: The Face-Off
« Reply #23 on: February 19, 2014, 09:33:38 PM »
I think the physical side of the debate tends to be more enthusiastic about their choice. For me, having to switch cartridges repeatedly during heavy StreetPassing at Pokemon nationals a few years ago convinced me to go digital.


They are the only side with something to lose (more to the point, something that almost certainly will be lost eventually).
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Offline Shaymin

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Re: Physical Games vs. Digital Games: The Face-Off
« Reply #24 on: February 19, 2014, 09:47:10 PM »
I think the physical side of the debate tends to be more enthusiastic about their choice. For me, having to switch cartridges repeatedly during heavy StreetPassing at Pokemon nationals a few years ago convinced me to go digital.

This is actually part of the reason I've moved to predominantly digital on the 3DS. Well, that and it's nice to have a legal way to do things I was doing with quesitonable legality in the US (but perfectly legal here) in the DS era when my game collection exceeded my age.

On handhelds, what I've started doing is either buying games on sale - Atlus is quite good at this - or using retail discounts to make sure I *want* to keep a game, then I'll buy it digitally and trade it for what I've paid after I move the save over. I can usually get close to what I paid for it. (Example: I bought SMTIV on launch day for $33, bought the eShop version a couple of weeks ago for $30, and traded the physical in for $19. Net cost: $42.)

The storage solution isn't so bad for Nintendo people since they use existing standards - USB hard drives and SD cards. I paid $5 for a Y cable to use a little 500GB pocket drive I picked up a few years back for my WiiU, and I got a 64GB SD card on sale for $40 for Boxing Day. I'm about to drop $110 on a similar sized card for my Vita and will be doing it with teeth gritted so hard they'll snap in half.
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