Is physical media for modern consoles worth it?

[FracturedVeil]

As someone who has less than reliable internet, I'd say a physical copy of a game still has some value.

[Jagosaurus]

I say all this... and my physical copy of Master Cheif Collection and the much larger 142GB file size on my XB1 HDD says hi ...

This seemed to get wayyy worse when data reads left the CD/DVD/BD drive and went to the internal HDD for speed requirement. There was some of this in the 360 & PS3 era but it was required last gen. If the system has to use the HDD for I/O either way... data on disc lost importance to devs.

This is why modding 360s & PS3s is so important to the preservation scene. How else are you going to get those patches & DLC onto the system without modding once the servers go down? Already started for that 360/PS3 gen.

I first ran into this with Halo 2 on OGX & SOCOM II on PS2. Was a hooker to get the web download only maps onto the system HDD for both. Required modding tools post life. Halo 2 actually released a map disc... remember those? Proof discs still mattered... somewhat Then... Bungie released a XBL DL only Blastacular pack . Even back in 2005 or so, it was starting.

[Nexus-X]

I think collecting physical games still has merit. Many on-disc versions of games are still playable without day one patches. You just have to educate yourself about which releases are most affected by updates and patches. Anything from a major AAA publisher is suspect, but there are plenty of AA and B-tier releases that will play mostly the same 10 years from now when updates and patches have long since been removed from servers.

There’s also a big difference between a day one patch and say a Switch cartridge that’s missing a massive chunk of game content so that the publisher can put the retail release on a cheaper cartridge size.

[marurun]

There’s also a big difference between a day one patch and say a Switch cartridge that’s missing a massive chunk of game content so that the publisher can put the retail release on a cheaper cartridge size.

Happens with disc games, too.

[TristanX]

I'm all in for digital copies. It helps saving the planet.

I still have some old carts and discs in my storage box. I have Megadrive (Genesis), Sega Saturn, Dreamcast, PS1, PS2 and PS3. Don't which friend borrowed my SNES and PS1 and did not return. I skipped PS4 due to not enough games I wanna play. Shooting for PS5 once the shortage is over.

[Nexus-X]

Happens with disc games, too.

I was just using them as an example as games like LA Noir stand out in my mind. I’m sure there are plenty of similar situations on other consoles. It’s hard to miss the giant banner on those Switch titles.

Regardless, it’s probably best to stay away from releases on any console that do this if you plan to collect physical games for modern consoles.

I think groups like Does it Play are slowly keeping track of disc and cart-based content and console functionally in the long term. So at least there are resources for people who want to know what they’re getting into with modern collections.

[Raging Justice]

I personally get irritated with the dishonesty of many physical releases. You should know whether or not you're getting the game in its entirety when you buy physical and that's not always made clear.

I honestly would like to see the industry go all digital at this point, with new releases being digital only, and physical copies being released later in limited quantities for the people who really want them. Those physical copies, being released much later than their digital counterparts, would have ALL patches, updates, DLC, etc, etc. on the disc, kind of like what we see with Game of the Year Editions. At least I'd know when I put money down for a physical copy I'm getting my money's worth.

This would actually make what companies like Limited Run Games do feel more meaningful instead of them pumping out physical copies of incomplete games. I think it would also force them to sell physical copies of QUALITY games that there is a demand for. They seem to make physical releases for just about anything these days

All of this is a pipe dream though, I know things aren't going to change from the way they are now and I'm learning to accept that.

[PretentiousHipster]

I think Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 had the most ridiculous case of this. I'm not 100% of what exactly it consisted. I just know that the overall campaign of it wasn't on it. The level creation, and I think character creation were the only stuff on the disc.

[Gunstar Green]

I'm very choosy about what I get physical these days but even then I never really know when a game will still require a download to work properly. Even something you'd think would be safe like the Turrican Flashback collection for Switch shipped broken with constant crashes that made later games in the collection unplayable. For most releases it's simply not worth it anymore unless you can pick up the physical release from a discount section or used cheaper than on digital storefronts. If there's a game I really love I find myself crossing my fingers for a GOTY/Anniversary release and that it hopefully includes all of its content on disc.

I stand my opinion that the digital download era has done more good than bad for videogames as a whole but that doesn't make it all good, especially on the preservation end of things which has become a lot more complicated.

[Nexus-X]

I mentioned this group above, but their site and database has grown significantly over the past couple of years:

https://www.doesitplay.org/

Anyone who is interested in collecting for modern consoles should check them out.