Anyone else going digital?

[ZenErik]

I know this probably isn't a popular choice on a retro game forum, but I was just curious if anyone else was transitioning to digital downloads. I am in the process of making the transition with the 3DS, Vita, PS3, WiiU, and Xbox 360.

There are a few reasons for this. Saving space. Not having to swap out games. Not caring about pre-ordering games for bonuses that I almost never actually make use of. I pre-order too many games that look good and hardly or NEVER end up playing. With a digital download I don't have to worry about pre-ordering or whether it will be in stock. When I am ready for a new game I can just hit download.

It's nice to have art books and soundtracks, but I generally don't even make use of them. The art books are often low quality at that. If I want a quality art book I'll buy a nice one online.

I still plan on buying physical copies of certain games still. Ones I am likely to take to friends' places that they are not likely to buy themselves.

Making the decision to go digital with games took the longest. I've already gone digital with music. I buy my favorite albums from iTunes or wherever else it is available because I want to support the artists, but I no longer have the mentality where I NEED to own a physical copy. Well, maybe some of my ABSOLUTE favorites I will still get physical copies of. But to be honest, I mainly just left the physical copy on the shelf still sealed.

I have gone digital with movies/TV as well. Amazon Instant Video with a Prime membership offers me a lot of free content to stream. And being to purchase my favorites to play back on my PS3, laptop, iPad, and iPhone is excellent.

[fastbilly1]

I will always buy carts, discs I am 50/50 on.

[isiolia]

I don't tend to buy digital if a good option for a physical copy is there. Even if I know, for example, it's a Steamworks title.

That being said, I certainly don't refuse to go with digital copies if they're a great deal, or the only option. I'm fine with streaming a lot of TV shows and things, happy to grab PS+ games, Steam sales, and so on. As a result, I do have a fair bit of content purely digitally, and as it happens, a lot of it is the stuff I use most frequently.

[Opa Opa]

Going digital on consoles/handhelds that still have physical copies (w/o drm) is just plain stupid right now.

You can always resell physical games and, if you wait long enough, get the games cheaper than digital.

[dogman91]

I agree with Opa Opa... can't sell a digital download but physical media will have value for reselling. I'm always paranoid about a digital-only game or something getting deleted too, so I would either always go with a physical copy or in the case of older games, multiple backups of isos/roms to go with a flashcart.

[mjmjr25]

I don't think there is enough history to know the long-term availability of something you download digitally. If you break your 3DS - don't you lose all those games you paid for? Maybe they say you can re-download them? There must be safeguards in place though - they certainly can't have you pay / download, claim lost and then download again, or you would just download it to a friends console. I understand PSN lets you download 5 times to devices on your account, sure, but do you think it will be in service in 5, 10, 15 years? A cart I bought 25 years ago from Nintendo will still play today and will likely play 25 years from now. Do you think whatever site or server is selling you a download today will be offering support in 25 years? I doubt it.

Honestly, if the space and hassle of swapping games is a concern, i'd much rather buy a boot multi-cart from hong kong, or an everdrive or something than invest in something like digital with such a short track record.

[SpoonyBard]

I've gone digital for movies and PC games, but I think that's as far as I can go.

I've already started stocking up titles with on-disc DLC so I can be prepared for when the servers stop hosting them.

[ZenErik]

Going digital on consoles/handhelds that still have physical copies (w/o drm) is just plain stupid right now.

You can always resell physical games and, if you wait long enough, get the games cheaper than digital.

Price isn't my concern. Sure I can't resell, but all the games I have gotten digitally so far are ones that I have already played for a good amount of time and greatly enjoy. I don't feel like I'm going to sell MH3U ever considering I've already put 80 hours in and will be putting in 200 more, most likely.

The fact that I can't resell is even a good thing in some ways. I am more likely to be cautious about what I buy and less obligated to feel like I NEED to buy day one for pre-order bonuses.

Will I end up buying a digital game I dislike and cannot resell eventually? Definitely. This is where the Xbox One policy actually can be good. Though I have no plans to purchase one day one I may eventually.

Don't get me wrong. There are definite downsides to digital downloads, but I no longer want all this clutter. And I don't want a wall of physical media.

[MrPopo]

The only reason I continue to buy physical copies of stuff is I like how they look on the shelf. My section of PC titles is full of Steamworks games where the disc is just a way of getting the digital assets faster than a download.

[CRTGAMER]

Say are there like a 1000 threads on this subject already?

Physical copies for both games and movies for me. I like the idea I can still pop in a 30 year old game and not worried if it will need an update or online connection in order to play. As for movies, do the digital versions have all the Special Features that Collectors Editions discs offer?