Random Gaming Thoughts

[Sarge]

I wouldn't be surprised either, but I hope not.

I guess the only positive is that it takes so much time to download games that there would need to be some distribution system for folks that have terrible ISPs, if any. I mean, I'd never be able to go full digital on the PS4.

Now, it wouldn't surprise me if they went to some method similar to Steam, where you can buy physical media, but it's still tied to a login. I sure hope that's not what they do. I do know that it would be much more ideal on all the platforms if I could download the data on a PC somewhere else, and do a restore from a flash drive. That's what I do all the time with Steam stuff.

[Luke]

Physical vs Digital media is a case study that I'd like to research. In depth.

Knee jerk reaction says "less production, less cost, more profit".

Brain says, "lots of jobs lost on all fronts, loss of physical value".

ROMS are free, CIB's aren't. It would be a circular argument, but I do wonder what, in the end would be more profitable.

[Kidpanda]

From a business standpoint, digital would be more profitable. No physical overhead and no retail presence. You would need a great set of servers and the consumer would need a large bandwidth. But then again, if I were in charge, I wouldn't allow a lot of the bloat ware that is incoming disguised as AAA titles.

[Luke]

From a business standpoint, digital would be more profitable. No physical overhead and no retail presence. You would need a great set of servers and the consumer would need a large bandwidth. But then again, if I were in charge, I wouldn't allow a lot of the bloat ware that is incoming disguised as AAA titles.

From a business standpoint, how do you quantify that? I'm looking at the big picture.

Employing people can be a bug economies of scale issue when it comes to taxes, The more you hire, the bigger tax breaks and incentives you get.

Cost of theft could be caught easier with physical media.

There is no right or wrong answer as of now without...I'd say at least a year of research.

[Exhuminator]

Sony still supports physical media. Microsoft still supports physical media. Why would Nintendo be the first to abandon it? Do you guys even remember how long it took Nintendo to get their multiplayer online gaming going? And that was after Sony and Microsoft had been doing it for quite a while. Remember when Nintendo was reticent to leave cartridges behind, and it took Sony's success to force their hand? Sony and Microsoft had a digital gaming storefront well before Nintendo did as well.

Nintendo may be a forerunner when it comes to novel control input, but when it comes to leaving the old ways of gaming media behind, yeah not so much. Don't get your hopes up dudes.

[Sarge]

Nintendo may be a forerunner when it comes to novel control input, but when it comes to leaving the old ways of gaming media behind, yeah not so much. Don't get your hopes up dudes.

You mean keep your hopes up, because they won't be going full digital.

I think it's a matter of time before it happens, but then again, you start looking at 4K content and you start needing better storage media again. And some of us live in the proverbial boonies. (Heck, actually, I can get better Internet back where I grew up, which most people would call the boonies, and I can't even get DSL two miles outside of a city of 25k, which balloons to 45k when the students are in town.)

[MrPopo]

Nintendo may be a forerunner when it comes to novel control input, but when it comes to leaving the old ways of gaming media behind, yeah not so much. Don't get your hopes up dudes.

You mean keep your hopes up, because they won't be going full digital.

I think it's a matter of time before it happens, but then again, you start looking at 4K content and you start needing better storage media again. And some of us live in the proverbial boonies. (Heck, actually, I can get better Internet back where I grew up, which most people would call the boonies, and I can't even get DSL two miles outside of a city of 25k, which balloons to 45k when the students are in town.)

You boonies people trying to hold back download technology are like the horse and cart people trying to block the automobile.

[Exhuminator]

True story, I live in the boonies. True story, I have shitty cellular internet. True story, I still download games to my 3DS and 360. I've downloaded lots of GOG games too. Moral of the stories? I'm not a Luddite about it. I just prefer physical releases for reasons that ought to be obvious.

[Sarge]

If they gave me the ability to actually download to another device, I could get it done at work. Dragging my system in is certainly non-optimal.

I think Exhuminator really has my motive behind it all... I don't want to go all-digital, with the incumbent loss of ownership rights that heralds. If we go DRM-free, then I might could stomach it, but it's certainly not my preference.

[Exhuminator]

Yeah at least with GOG you can physically archive the installation files and extra media (which are all deliciously DRM free).