Topic: Digital vs Physical games

[gazzalfc]

So 90% of all games sold in the UK in 2022 were digital

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-64187547

Now a huge chunk of that comes from mobile games sold on app stores etc, but there is no getting away from digital games on current consoles/PC's.

I am from an era of cartridge and CD/DVD gaming where there is a pride in owning physical copies. I still have my old Sega Master System games from the late 80's. But the likes of Steam/Gamepass Ultimate/PS+/Nintendo e-store are here and are taking over.

I'm not necessarily against digitally owned games. With the internet speeds the way they are, they are easy to access and if you get a decent deal can be cheaper than owning a physical copy.

But I have major issues with alot of 'digital ownership'. You dont technically own the game, you cant pass it on for profit once you're finished, if the library/store dies you lose access the game. Games now also take up so much space that you need TB's of storage just to be able to play a handful of games.

There is no answer here. Digital copies of games are here to stay.

[tubby]

I'm kind of halfway between the two.  When digital versions first started coming out, I always wanted the physical copy instead, but now I'm slowly drifting towards digital.  Think it's just the way it's going.

[AndyMuller]

Yeah I'm the same as Tubby, mainly for the convenience and plastic cases aren't exactly good for the environment are they?

[naYoRHa2b]

I tend to weigh up the pro's and con's. Sometimes I can find the physical edition cheaper than the digital store fronts. I might really like the artwork on the case, limited edition cases etc or just a game I really value l like to have a physical copy of.

On the other hand sometimes there's benefits like early access with digital stuff. With the ever growing catalogues of subscription services I use them more for games I'm on the fence about and i wouldn't be bothered if they left the service (which happens often).

Just that kinda balance really.

[Elzar]

I prefer physical.

I bought a game digitally last year, started playing it and realised there was a bug on the game mode I liked, meaning I couldn't continue. (Couldn't upgrade basically).

I asked for a refund and PS said no as I'd downloaded and started playing, and I needed to prove the bug and have communication with the game creators - Like that would ever happen.

So basically wasted money as the bugs still not been fixed.

Just seems digital games can fuck you over. Phone games can suddenly be rendered not useable on the latest phone software, so that's then dead money if you bought the game. Lose your account access? all your games gone...

[ScottScott]

I'm 100% digital, have been for a while. For me it's easier to not have to change discs or store them anywhere, plus all that plastic is a massive waste. With Game Pass Ultimate my need to buy games has fell off a cliff anyway

For any games that I do buy, I only ever buy in a sale. There are very few exceptions to this where I'd pick a game up at full value but those are the likes of GTA 6 where I know the quality is guaranteed and it'll be a game played for ages

Cloud gaming is getting bigger now as well. I got a Gamesir X2 Pro for Christmas and my phone is now a Game Pass machine. Plays really well and definitely something which is only going to grow

[ScouserAtHeart]

I went from all physical games on the XBox 360 and PS3 to basically all digital from the following gen onwards, mostly because I was too lazy to get up and go insert a new disc when I wanted to play a different game, and too impatient to wait for the physical copy to be delivered.

If there are games I really love, I end up buying a disc version so I can (in theory) play it years from now even if Sony/Microsoft are no longer in the gaming business, or the studio discontinues support for the game in any way

[gerrardisgod]

Physical for Nintendo and Sony, as I only really do the exclusives. Digital for Xbox, as it’s primarily used for Game Pass.

[Craig Mac]

I often sell on games once I have completed them, especially story driven single player games. This way I am essentially getting them for almost free. Can't do this with digital. There would have to be a significant markdown on digital console games for me to go this way. If anything I find digital games more expensive

[El Lobo]

I dont think I've bought a physical game since I bought Football Manager....2017 maybe, and went to put the disc in my laptop and found out that my laptop didn't have a disc drive.

[Ed-Zeppelin]

I never used to get rid of physical games quickly and so didn’t really recover much from them. This and mostly laziness, if I’m honest, means that I was all digital last year.

I play games less than I used too which means I tend to buy very few games on launch day and as such don’t pay full price generally.

I always did like getting physical and am slightly surprised about how ambivalent I am to it now. The PS5 sounding like it was about to take off with a disc in it didn’t help…

[ScottScott]

I dont think I've bought a physical game since I bought Football Manager....2017 maybe, and went to put the disc in my laptop and found out that my laptop didn't have a disc drive.

I bought FM19 (I think) as a physical box, got it home, opened it up and there was a code for Steam in the box!

[JerseyKloppite]

Depends on the price for me, and if I can see myself playing the game long term. I got Ghostwire Tokyo recently, with the plan of smashing through it in a couple of weeks. Bought a disc copy and then flogged it on eBay, sending it off in the same envelope it arrived in The net cost was a fair bit lower than the digital price of the game.

Also depends on price, I'm not going to go through with the faff off reselling a game that costs a tenner, it's barely worth it

[Statto Red]

Most of the games i've brought recently are digital, the last physical game i brought was GTA V when i brought my PS4 back in 2017, most of the digital games i brought were discounted at the time.

[stoa]

I was an absolute hater of Steam when it came out and you had to use it, if you wanted to play Halflife2 even if that came on a disk. Have over 500 games on Steam these days (loads of them from stuff like Humble Bundle). Part of it is down to PC games becoming digital anyway, because you're only getting a code even if you buy it in a proper shop. Part of it is also down to it being easier to buy games. Not a big console gamer, but I do own consoles and most of the games there are digital ones as well.

The whole "not actually owning the game" thing is definitely something to think about, but with PC games I kind of feel it's worth it. I'm not a collector, so I don't need a nice package to put in a shelf or something. And with PC games it's pretty easy to buy them at a low price (unless you want them right at release) as there's always some sale going on somewhere. Whether it's the actual platform itself (like Steam or Epic) or whether it's in a legit key-shop. I've never really bothered with those dodgy key-shops, because I wouldn't want to get myself banned or something like that as you never know what source those keys are coming from. With my Steam account I don't feel it's worth it...

[Elmo!]

It's a right pain in the arse when you try to launch a game on the Xbox and get prompted to enter the disc becasue you forgot you owned a physical copy and not digital.

[I've been a good boy]

Always physical copy for me, they're a lot cheaper and I can sell them on once I'm done with it. Will only buy digital if it's on offer.

[Drinks Sangria]

It's a right pain in the arse when you try to launch a game on the Xbox and get prompted to enter the disc becasue you forgot you owned a physical copy and not digital.

I might be wrong but if it’s on Game Pass does it just use that digital version as it were?

Do game discs even have the content on them anymore?

An impediment in the UK is broadband - it’s still shite in most areas albeit full fibre is starting to become more prevalent. Regardless of government stats and OpenReach’s nonsense, less than 5% of the country has access and so for many it’s a multi-hour wait to download a game.

[Jm55]

Physical for me, I’m a bit of a geek and like collection the games.

I’ll get the odd game on digital, but generally only the Ps Plus games.

[Elmo!]

I might be wrong but if it’s on Game Pass does it just use that digital version as it were?

Do game discs even have the content on them anymore?

An impediment in the UK is broadband - it’s still shite in most areas albeit full fibre is starting to become more prevalent. Regardless of government stats and OpenReach’s nonsense, less than 5% of the country has access and so for many it’s a multi-hour wait to download a game.

If it's not on Gamepass you need the disc inserted just to prove you own it.

[jackh]

Always physical copy for me, they're a lot cheaper and I can sell them on once I'm done with it. Will only buy digital if it's on offer.

Physical for me, I’m a bit of a geek and like collection the games.

I’ll get the odd game on digital, but generally only the Ps Plus games.

I'm basically a combination of these - I like having a collection (this applies to books and music too) but it can also seem more cost effectively (particularly for annual releases like Pro Evo and F1 that I've tended to get over the years).

[Jm55]

I'm basically a combination of these - I like having a collection (this applies to books and music too) but it can also seem more cost effectively (particularly for annual releases like Pro Evo and F1 that I've tended to get over the years).

Yeah, for stuff that I’m not really arsed about (like Fifa, I’ll get the digital release if it’s cheaper to do so, but quite often I just wait for it to go into Ps plus anyway.

[KillieRed]

Here’s a thing: we have 3 Xboxes in my house, but mines is the only account with Xbox Live. I normally download digital copies, but sometimes buy a physical one. From time to time my daughters will login to one of the other Xboxes whilst I’m on mine & start playing something. This results in me being (angrily) booted from my game. Is this just digital download specific?

[NarutoReds]

Here’s a thing: we have 3 Xboxes in my house, but mines is the only account with Xbox Live. I normally download digital copies, but sometimes buy a physical one. From time to time my daughters will login to one of the other Xboxes whilst I’m on mine & start playing something. This results in me being (angrily) booted from my game. Is this just digital download specific?

Bloody hell, 3 XBoxes in one house.      Boss that.

[KillieRed]

Bloody hell, 3 XBoxes in one house.      Boss that.

One is pretty old if that makes you feel better 😂

[Rosario]

Mostly through PS+ and other bargains on through the store but still buy the odd physical copy if I can find it cheaper usually on bigger new release games but I only buy one or two new release games a year these days anyway. Plus internet in Australia is beyond trash compared to other countries so can’t be stuffed waiting for bigger games to download sometimes.

Looking into getting a physical copy of Hogwarts Legacy next month after that though haven’t seen anything else due to be released this year that would make me pay full price at release.

[darragh85]

i prefer a phyical copy but if digital sales put Gamestop out of business then im all for it. awful chain.

[GiorgosCarraGoonies]

I was almost all digital for much of the last gen but from about 2020 I've been buying all Sony 1st party games as physical, with some 3rd party physical also on both PS and Xbox.  Most of my Switch games are physical too but I do buy digital when there's a random good sale on the eShop.

[has gone odd]

Digital for anything on sale/cheap but always prefer physical. Trouble is, there are zero game stores in my area now, both closed down, so generally no impulse buying.

No resale value in digital which is a bummer, just look at the money you can get from old games these days

Like many things in modern society, gaming has also gone a bit sterile and throwaway.

[[new username under construction]]

I'd love a wall full of games again! Digital is convenient but crap. I bought Civilization 2 years back and it came with a 400 page book FFS, they were great

[Wullie160975]

Physical for PS4 (some digital if cheaper, but that's very rarely the case), digital for PC (mainly why I don't have a DVD drive in my PC anymore)

[Zlen]

Playing on Xbox Series S and Switch - so only digital for me.
No drive on Xbox and I'd rather poke my eyes out than swap those stupid Switch cards.

[ToneLa]

I'd love a wall full of games again! Digital is convenient but crap. I bought Civilization 2 years back and it came with a 400 page book FFS, they were great

I am all digital these days apart from the physical copies of the one I make but boy do I miss manuals. (Part of why I stopped getting physical games is they are just a Steam code in a box or a disc in a box and that's yer lot)

Civ 2 manual is indeed an all-timer

http://www.replacementdocs.com/download.php?view.365

[gazzalfc]

The Wii U and 3DS online services are getting closed today. That means anything with online play (including Super Mario Maker 1) will be closed and stopped.

Also any digital game bought from the Wii U and 3DS store will not be able be downloaded again. Even though you paid money for those games. They will be made unavailable to you.

[Henry Gale]

Physical only for me, I avoid digital like the plague.

[AndyMuller]

Digital only for me, I avoid physical like the plague!

[Henry Gale]

Digital only for me, I avoid physical like the plague!

I'm a collector! I like to collect things 

[RedKenWah]

Digital for me, mainly for the ease of not having to drive to a GAME store or whatnot to buy. Think it was more amplified during COVID times and never really looked back.

[[new username under construction]]

I wonder how they'll fuck us all over eventually. I see EA Play subscription has gone/going up 80%. Seems that at some point they'll just say, yeah everything is now subscription, all your digital copies (which are ours by the way, you just lease them from us) are now behind a paywall, pay us or don't play anything

[Elzar]

I wonder how they'll fuck us all over eventually. I see EA Play subscription has gone/going up 80%. Seems that at some point they'll just say, yeah everything is now subscription, all your digital copies (which are ours by the way, you just lease them from us) are now behind a paywall, pay us or don't play anything

The subscription model needs to fuck off quick. It will 100% become the only way to access games or necessary features at some point.

Can't believe how easily people just shrug their shoulders and sign up to every subscription going for TV etc.