Random Gaming Thoughts

[marlowe221]

I also live in the boonies in the SE USA. I'm already all-digital on PC with Steam/GOG games. Then again, I don't buy many "AAA" games because they take FOREVER to download. At least GoG is kind enough to break up the big games in to lots of small chunks for downloading purposes.

That said, I do buy a good number of digital games, but most of them are relatively small sizes.

Re Nintendo: I am not really expecting Wii U backwards compatibility but I will admit that I I will be a little annoyed if they don't have it. That's just me though.

But Nintendo is not ready for all digital. Their download servers for the Wii U and 3DS are freaking SLOW. I can (and have) download a similar sized game on Steam twice as fast as a full retail release on the U.

[RyaNtheSlayA]

I love digital. However, I totally understand the argument for physical media still being a thing. I have a 10GB data cap here. I have to go to the library to get any downloading done and its about 256KB/s there on a good day. Just isn't feasible to download lots of stuff.

And I really don't think Nintendo will be abandoning it any time soon. I'd say it will be 2020 before any major console manufacture really tries to push digital only again.

[isiolia]

Sony still supports physical media. Microsoft still supports physical media. Why would Nintendo be the first to abandon it?

Because Nintendo's #1 priority, since the NES, has been absolute control over their content and distribution. They made the big retailers play by their rules, set up their own shipping, etc.

They're the ones -not- reprinting titles, and instead pointing at the eShop. When a big MS or Sony game comes out, you can pretty much bank on it having a Game of the Year edition come later, then a Greatest Hits versions, and on down the line. Eventually, it'll be $15 with all the DLC, right?
When's the last time you've seen Nintendo do that? Or even do a Selects release? Pretty much the Wii, where they didn't support full size game downloads, that I recall. It's not like they don't have titles that'd be prime candidates for that either.

Digital lets them all but eliminate the preowned market too, and they've got high margin Amiibos to cram into retail space.


Some people not being able to support download-only is kind of moot. Nintendo doesn't need them. There are plenty of other potential customers with adequate internet. Products simply need a large enough support infrastructure to work, and they have that. Lack of physical software hasn't exactly slowed iOS sales, for example.

Figure, they don't want to be MS or Sony. They want to be Apple. Seeing them emulate more of what Apple does would not be surprising.

[Exhuminator]

Some people not being able to support download-only is kind of moot. Nintendo doesn't need them.

Considering the dire state of Nintendo's console sales right now, Nintendo needs every customer they can get. And that's another reason why I don't see Nintendo cutting out a huge swath of their potential NX demographic by going digital download only. You guys who live in areas with great internet access have a bias towards that convenience understandably, but there are large parts of the USA and entire world where such a luxury doesn't exist. Nintendo is well aware of that. And Nintendo's not about to turn down hundreds of thousands if not millions of potential internet-challenged customers by abandoning physical media entirely. Not when they need every sale they can get.

Nintendo has done a lot of reprints by the way. From 1996-2010 they had the Player's Choice series. From 2011 to the present day its the Nintendo Selects series. They've done reprints for Wii, GameCube, N64, SNES, GBA, and GB. Quite a lot of games reprinted actually: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_Selects Even Xenoblade got a reprint for cryin' out loud.

You want to know why there's not any Nintendo Selects reprints available for Wii U yet? It's because they haven't sold out of stock for any of those games. Sad but true.

[isiolia]

Nintendo has done a lot of reprints by the way. From 1996-2010 they had the Player's Choice series. From 2011 to the present day its the Nintendo Selects series. They've done reprints for Wii, GameCube, N64, SNES, GBA, and GB. Quite a lot of games reprinted actually: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_Selects Even Xenoblade got a reprint for cryin' out loud.

You want to know why there's not any Nintendo Selects reprints available for Wii U yet? It's because they haven't sold out of stock for any of those games. Sad but true.

They used to. They don't now. They point at the eShop. Think stuff like Starfox 64 or Ocarina of Time on 3DS, or Pikmin 3 or Wind Waker HD on Wii U. Gamestop got a few Wii reprints done (at least), but that's Gamestop, with a vested interest in physical media.

Nintendo, of all of the console makers, is the one that will just say "no, do it our way".


There's a practical limit to accommodating customers too. Plenty of people across the globe don't have electricity to their homes either, but nobody is making a hand-cranked console. Cars rely on gas being available.
Nintendo could also work around it by having kiosks to directly copy games to USB sticks (or the console itself, if portable), while locking the purchase to an account still. The systems MS and Sony use could support that too. If it were a dealbreaker, keeping a substantial customer base away, they could work around it.

At this point, console sales are absolutely dwarfed by mobile platform sales, which have no physical media. PC/Mac software is almost all digital now as well. Streaming video pretty much put Blockbuster and the like out of business.
It runs counter to the notion that physical media is particularly critical for establishing a large, profitable customer base.

[Exhuminator]

Plenty of people across the globe don't have electricity to their homes either, but nobody is making a hand-cranked console.

Then I doubt they'd be buying a digital download only console either. So that's a moot point.

At this point, console sales are absolutely dwarfed by mobile platform sales, which have no physical media.

Mobile games are far smaller in storage size than a modern console game, negating the need for physical media. Being small to download they are also more compatible with even spotty cellular coverage, broadening the demographic. And if you own a smartphone you obviously have access to a cellular network, so you can get to those games. But if you own a console that doesn't automatically mean you have internet access however.

PC/Mac software is almost all digital now as well.

In the indie space yes. Your big AAA PC releases are still getting physical prints though.

Streaming video pretty much put Blockbuster and the like out of business.

Actually Netflix's "DVDs to your mailbox" cyclic rental program combined with Redbox's convenient physical disc rental stations put Blockbuster out of business.

It runs counter to the notion that physical media is particularly critical for establishing a large, profitable customer base.

Then tell me why Sony and Microsoft have not abandoned physical media yet? (Despite the fact they always preempt Nintendo when it comes to online connectivity.)

[Sarge]

Exhuminator covered most of the points that I would have made. I have no issues with smaller downloads, but when you get stuff between 10-35 GB or so, it gets silly even for people with good Internet access. I had to bring my console to work over the weekend to download Tropical Freeze, which is about 13 GB. It's my understanding that many PS4/XB1 releases are much, much larger than that. I know they have "pre-loading" now, which seems like a somewhat tolerable way to handle things provided one has great Interwebs and no data cap.

I do remember everyone screaming about Microsoft's plans for this gen. I figure that's coming, it's a very Steam-like model... but they were also still allowing for physical distribution, it was just tying everything to an account.

Anyway, I have seen the future, and the future sucks.

[isiolia]

Plenty of people across the globe don't have electricity to their homes either, but nobody is making a hand-cranked console.

Then I doubt they'd be buying a digital download only console either. So that's a moot point.

Nah, that is the point. Nobody is worrying that someone with no power can't buy their console. Electricity is common enough, and the customer base with it large enough, that companies routinely target only that group.

Mobile games are far smaller in storage size than a modern console game, negating the need for physical media. Being small to download they are also more compatible with even spotty cellular coverage, broadening the demographic. And if you own a smartphone you obviously have access to a cellular network, so you can get to those games. But if you own a console that doesn't automatically mean you have internet access however.

Plenty of mobile games are as large or larger than 3DS games, at least, and many default to only using WiFi for big downloads as well.

In the indie space yes. Your big AAA PC releases are still getting physical prints though.

They do, but they clearly aren't the primary way people buy the games now. Gamestop would probably have more than an endcap or so worth of PC boxes were that the case. Steam sales, Origin, Amazon digital, etc are much more common.

Actually Netflix's "DVDs to your mailbox" cyclic rental program combined with Redbox's convenient physical disc rental stations put Blockbuster out of business.

I'd say that was more a competition, streaming is where Netflix really took off. Either way, the sheer popularity of Netflix, Hulu, and so on demonstrates how widespread internet connections that can support them are.

Then tell me why Sony and Microsoft have not abandoned physical media yet? (Despite the fact they always preempt Nintendo when it comes to online connectivity.)

You mean the Microsoft that's digitally delivering Windows 10 to millions of people today? (with physical as an option, yes, but it's still a several GB download as the default/encouraged delivery).

Either way, my take is that MS and Sony try to make robust systems that work for as many people as possible. That's why they've got generic-ish powerful hardware with all-around decent controllers, and so on, with licensed media codecs and all for value-add.
Nintendo hasn't tended to do that. Nintendo builds hardware for what they feel like doing, consumer and developer opinion be damned. Sometimes it works (at least for a while), sometimes it flops spectacularly.
If Nintendo feels like making the NX better suited to 3GB or smaller mobile games, they'll do that, then talk up how they don't need 50GB of data to create worlds and so on and so forth.

I don't disagree that there are downsides for abandoning physical options entirely. I just think Nintendo could easily feel that download only is viable, and could easily make the decision that it'd be better for them to go that route.

[noiseredux]

I remember when Netflix announced the streaming thing as a separate subscription to the discs and I was like "noooo! I want my DVD's!!!" and like a year later I was like "man, I can't believe I used to sit around and wait 2 days to get a single DVD in the mail."

[Exhuminator]

Nobody is worrying that someone with no power can't buy their console.

The amount of people in the world with reliable electrical access, versus the amount of people in the world with broadband internet access, is not a relatable analog in the context you are surmising.

Plenty of mobile games are as large or larger than 3DS games

3DS cartridges come in capacities ranging from 1 gigabyte to 8 gigabytes. Are you saying that the average mobile game is 1 gigabyte? Or that there are mobile games over 8 gigabytes large on an regular basis?

Gamestop would probably have more than an endcap or so worth of PC boxes were that the case.

Gamestop can't second hand sell PC games like they do console or handheld games, because of DRM online registration issues. It makes total sense that Gamestop limits their shelf space for PC games in that regard.

You mean the Microsoft that's digitally delivering Windows 10 to millions of people today?

You're conflating Microsoft's OS sales with their console division, which are wholly separate entities, and doesn't answer my original question whatsoever. As you yourself said; Windows 10 is available on physical media, and is being included preloaded with sales of physical computers. Negating the need to download it.

with licensed media codecs and all for value-add.
Nintendo hasn't tended to do that.

Actually Nintendo sanctioned the necessary codecs and channels for both Netflix and Hulu on the Wii:

http://www.wikihow.com/Connect-Wii-to-Netflix
http://www.hulu.com/help/articles/21004523

If Nintendo feels like making the NX better suited to 3GB or smaller mobile games, they'll do that, then talk up how they don't need 50GB of data to create worlds and so on and so forth.

Considering the 3DS and Wii U both support physical media exceeding the size of 3GB, I'd say the onus is actually on you to talk up why Nintendo would choose smaller file size formats for their next generation of games.

I just think Nintendo could easily feel that download only is viable, and could easily make the decision that it'd be better for them to go that route.

I think the reasonable thing is to offer both physical and download versions of their games. Which is what Nintendo is already wisely doing now. I see no reason or evidence to suggest that they would change this effective strategy going forward.