A new downside to digital downloads

[Erik_Twice]

Inazuma?!

Not that I really want to open this dialogue, but I promise you I can name some upsides to digital downloads.

Hahaha, was I really that bad?

While I had a slip and said digital downloads only have downsides, what I really mean is that increased control of a company over the product is bad because in practise the costumer doesn't care about what he buys. And as more and more people get into gaming, the less and less people will care about this stuff because the overall involvement will be lower.

So it's not about digital downloads being bad, it's about increased control being bad. And since increased control is completely free to adopt with digital downloads, I'm extremely wary of them.

The biggest benefits of digital downloads is being able to offer a bigger catalogue, which wouldn't be a problem if the industry stopped killing it's own tail by focusing on the bigger, newer, pricier.

[Hazerd]

This reminds me of TMNT Turtles in Time Re-Shelled for xbox360 and ps3, i purchased it when it came out with some friends and then when Ubisoft lost there TMNT license and it was taken down but i can still download it off PSN.

Reasons digital distribution is fail, you can argue it all you want, your digital library of games wont stand the test of time.

[noiseredux]

Reasons digital distribution is fail, you can argue it all you want, your digital library of games wont stand the test of time.

I don't follow. Where is your proof that a physical game will last longer than its digital counterpart?

[ExedExes]

New update to this story:

EA: Oops, our bad (read: fan backlash)

But yeah, I am still not liking this digital stuff all that much. It started on the Dreamcast in a rather primitive form and it continues today.

[Hazerd]

Reasons digital distribution is fail, you can argue it all you want, your digital library of games wont stand the test of time.

I don't follow. Where is your proof that a physical game will last longer than its digital counterpart?

I would like to think our Physical copies will last our current life-time maybe another 40-50 years, so depending on how old you are, your games will still work when you kick the bucket hopefully.

And after your dead, it wont matter if it's physical or digital anyways.

[DinnerX]

Reasons digital distribution is fail, you can argue it all you want, your digital library of games wont stand the test of time.

I don't follow. Where is your proof that a physical game will last longer than its digital counterpart?

Assuming this is a DRM'd download you'll lose it when your console breaks after the servers have been shut down.

Consoles don't last as long as physical games do.

[noiseredux]

Assuming this is a DRM'd download you'll lose it when your console breaks after the servers have been shut down.

Consoles don't last as long as physical games do.

yes, but we don't really have proof of how things will go in the future. Presuming the downloads are linked to your account rather than the console (so like Sony does it, rather than Nintendo) then you should have those digital games "forever."

Right now, if your PS3 dies, you can buy a new one and activate your PSN account and re-download (at no extra cost) those games you already bought. If this went on to the next gen consoles, keeping that same PSN account then those digital games should last you just as long as physical games. Right?

I assume Steam is the same way? If your computer dies, you don't lose all those digital games you paid for, right?

Now if PSN or Steam were to die, that's a differet story. But it also seems like a lot to worry about right now. Let it be known, I prefer physical media. But something like Zanac X Zanac goes for nearly $200 used... I downloaded the PSN game for under $10. Let's say PSN "dies" in 10 years and my PS3 dies. I'm not going to feel cheated.

[Hazerd]

Im always worried about not having internet, all those digital downloads on some far away server in some far away land are useless without internet, while my Physical copies have nothing standing between me and them!

[DinnerX]

Assuming this is a DRM'd download you'll lose it when your console breaks after the servers have been shut down.

Consoles don't last as long as physical games do.

yes, but we don't really have proof of how things will go in the future. Presuming the downloads are linked to your account rather than the console (so like Sony does it, rather than Nintendo) then you should have those digital games "forever."

Right now, if your PS3 dies, you can buy a new one and activate your PSN account and re-download (at no extra cost) those games you already bought. If this went on to the next gen consoles, keeping that same PSN account then those digital games should last you just as long as physical games. Right?

The PSN isn't going to support the PS3 forever. One day the servers will be shutdown, just like what happened with the oXbox.

Unless the PS4 is backward compatible with ps3 stuff, downloaded ps3 games won't work on it without porting. This would only happen with the most popular games and they might want to make you rebuy the game since porting code isn't free. Also, even if the ps4 is perfectly backwards compatible with the ps3, the chain of backwards compatibility is bound to break somewhere alone the console line.

[noiseredux]

@Dinner: I'm just saying we don't know. Considering Sony was wise enough to realize that they need to make their digital PSP games play on the Vita, they may realize the value in making digital PS3 games run on "PS4" or whatever. I don't know, and you don't know what will happen in the future is all I'm saying.

@Hazerd: again, I agree physical copies are great. I will always prefer physical copies. But I'm just saying that there is sometimes an economical convenience that makes digital versions of games justifiable even if we can't be promised that we'll still have them the day we die.