Ubisoft to switch game manuals to digital only

[MrPopo]

Not a matter to get so worked up over, but DLC is the future whether you like it or not.
1. No middleman
2. No retail markup (see Point 1)

As much as I would love these to be the case, it seems (almost) every digital download of a game is priced at the same point as the physical copy in a retail store.

To be fair, one aspect of that is that if they price digital copies significantly cheaper (cutting out production costs and retail markup) it will alienate the big retailers, who still have a lot of clout. That's why you see the digital-only stuff go for reasonable prices like $10-30 but dual releases are for the full retail price.

[J T]

Why anyone would pay the same amount for the retail version of a game, and one released via Steam or any other digital distribution site completely baffles me.

I'm kind of an outsider among collectors, but I often prefer digital downloads over physical media because I hate disk checks, which a lot of PC games use. I want to be able to just play my game without having to dig out the disk and have it spinning in my DVD drive, especially since I'm a laptop gamer and often play in different locations away from my disc collection. PC games also tend to have ridiculously oversized boxes that I don't have space for, yet feel like I shouldn't throw away.

Still, I'm not paying $50-$60 on new releases because everything goes on a crazy low sale at Steam eventually. I also buy on GOG over other digital distributors whenever possible because I prefer owning my download rather than just paying for a lease to use the game.

[s1mplehumar]

Why anyone would pay the same amount for the retail version of a game, and one released via Steam or any other digital distribution site completely baffles me.

I'm kind of an outsider among collectors, but I often prefer digital downloads over physical media because I hate disk checks, which a lot of PC games use. I want to be able to just play my game without having to dig out the disk and have it spinning in my DVD drive, especially since I'm a laptop gamer and often play in different locations away from my disc collection. PC games also tend to have ridiculously oversized boxes that I don't have space for, yet feel like I shouldn't throw away.

Still, I'm not paying $50-$60 on new releases because everything goes on a crazy low sale at Steam eventually. I also buy on GOG over other digital distributors whenever possible because I prefer owning my download rather than just paying for a lease to use the game.

Why not just keep the images on your hard drive?

Hey, different strokes for different folks

[BoringSupreez]

Don't forget about PC games.

I don't think any of us should be buying Ubisoft PC games, even if they did come with manuals. They're all coming with that lovely "phone home ever 3 seconds" DRM that requires you to have an internet connection to play at all.

PC games will probably continue to have manuals, because they usually have troubleshooting and installation instructions. And I hate the whole DRM thing. Like I've said before, I bought the 360 version of The Orange Box just to avoid it. My gaming PC doesn't even have an internet connection. That way, I don't have anywhere near as big a chance of getting virus's. It's worked so far. Years later, it still runs like new, with the outdated antivirus software that came with it free in early 2007.

As a collector I like having them, but if future games don't have them it makes it a lot easier to collect CIB copies. Why do people throw manuals away?

Very true, I have noticed manuals with current games are only a few pages in length these days compared to when they were 50+ pages or so. I'm still amazed that manuals get thrown away

I'm amazed at the difference in the size of Civ 3 complete edition manual (250+ pages, and I read the whole thing too before I played the game) and the Dead Space manual (Less than 15 pages).

terrible idea. i love printed media.

So do I. Hooray for huge, heavy manuals!

[MrPopo]

Don't forget about PC games.

I don't think any of us should be buying Ubisoft PC games, even if they did come with manuals. They're all coming with that lovely "phone home ever 3 seconds" DRM that requires you to have an internet connection to play at all.

PC games will probably continue to have manuals, because they usually have troubleshooting and installation instructions. And I hate the whole DRM thing. Like I've said before, I bought the 360 version of The Orange Box just to avoid it. My gaming PC doesn't even have an internet connection. That way, I don't have anywhere near as big a chance of getting virus's. It's worked so far. Years later, it still runs like new, with the outdated antivirus software that came with it free in early 2007.

I can't imagine saddling myself with terrible controls just to avoid big brother paranoia. Steam is pretty low on the "intrusive DRM" list. Also, my PC has been running since 07 with NO antivirus software and still runs like new. And this this is constantly connected to the internet. It just takes a little smart surfing. So there's no reason to screw yourself out of the joy of TF2 on the PC.

[ZeroAX]

PC games will probably continue to have manuals, because they usually have troubleshooting and installation instructions. And I hate the whole DRM thing. Like I've said before, I bought the 360 version of The Orange Box just to avoid it. My gaming PC doesn't even have an internet connection. That way, I don't have anywhere near as big a chance of getting virus's. It's worked so far. Years later, it still runs like new, with the outdated antivirus software that came with it free in early 2007.

you do know that's like saying you won't have sex for your entire life so you don't get STDs right?

[GSZX1337]

I can't imagine saddling myself with terrible controls just to avoid big brother paranoia. Steam is pretty low on the "intrusive DRM" list.

Considering what Steam does for the gamer (auto-patching, online similar to XBL/PSN, hardware surveys, cheap games when on sale, etc.) a little DRM isn't so bad.

you do know that's like saying you won't have sex for your entire life so you don't get STDs right?

[DerekG52]

True, you could get away with no AV by blocking most things w/plugins, and running the browser in a sandbox (see sandboxie).

[J T]

I can't imagine saddling myself with terrible controls just to avoid big brother paranoia. Steam is pretty low on the "intrusive DRM" list.

Considering what Steam does for the gamer (auto-patching, online similar to XBL/PSN, hardware surveys, cheap games when on sale, etc.) a little DRM isn't so bad.[/quote]

My sentiments exactly. The only thing annoying about Steam as DRM is that you have to log in occassionally, but at least it's not a constant online connection like Ubisoft is beginning to require for their games. Steam's DRM has only been a problem for me a few time when I was trying to play on a laptop and forgot to go into offline mode + had to reboot. Normally, it's not an issue.

[CRTGAMER]

The only thing annoying about Steam as DRM is that you have to log in occassionally, but at least it's not a constant online connection like Ubisoft is beginning to require for their games.

Just hate the notion of a purchased game being a "Rental". Everything moves on, older support gets dropped. PCs will probably have a longer cycle of DRM support compared to consoles, but who knows, say five years from now.