SNES Classic coming September 29th

[Ziggy]

Who said anything about being able to buy something any time you want?

The consumer!

[Reprise]

You know what really reigns in scalping? Switching to all digital.

Yeah, just look at Turtles in Time Re-Shelled. You can buy that game any time your wish due to the fact that it's digital only!

Who said anything about being able to buy something any time you want?

And if you have to remove a game due to space limitations and need to re-download from the server at a later date?

[Tanooki]

Well most places still allow the download, but sometimes the TOS also states if the reason it was removed was over a licensing change/dispute or other third party impact then you're out your game and your money. Sometimes even the first party can do this as well by their choosing.

That's my big issue with digital. I don't care to shelf queen stuff, but when you truly lose control and you're up to the whims of the service(storage) provider and they get into a spat or are just tired of hosting something you bought, you're screwed unless you go by some outside way of backing up and restoring goods they don't want you doing in the first place which few have the technical know how to do anyway.

It's partly why a place like GOG is so loved, they're DRM free and you can get installers so even when they have a licensing pull which is rare, you still have an installer. And it's why older generation folks who grew up pushing carts into systems still prefer ownership rights over convenience. it's also why a closed ROM box like this or the previous NES are enticing too, it's set in stone, what is there is there, and it works. No one is going to come in from Konami or Tecmo and say well we revoked the license, hand it over you can't play SuperC or Ninja Gaiden anymore so tough on you.

[MrPopo]

Well most places still allow the download, but sometimes the TOS also states if the reason it was removed was over a licensing change/dispute or other third party impact then you're out your game and your money. Sometimes even the first party can do this as well by their choosing.

Do you actually have an example of a game not being downloadable anymore for people who paid for it? Because I'm not aware of any cases like that, while I do know of a bunch of games that got removed due to licenses running out but people who purchased can still download.

But again, my point is you can either have physical but also scalpers, or go digital and remove scalpers. Which is more important to you?

[noiseredux]

the only example of a removed game not being possible to redownload that I can come up with is PT. But that wasn't a paid game, it was a demo. So still not the same thing exactly.

[Ziggy]

I don't like the one or the other choice, each with it's bag of tricks. I want my cake and eat it too, dammit!

[Sarge]

Of course, the benefit to physical is that even if a company goes out of business, you still have the game/system/whatever. Of course, physical has issues, too, because of failing hardware, disc rot, theft, or anything else you can think of.

I know it seems unfathomable that something like Steam could ever fail, but the day may come when those servers are no longer available. What do you do then? (And contrary to opinion, I've never found verification that they will "flip a switch" to remove DRM in their client or allow offline installs.)

[MrPopo]

I don't like the one or the other choice, each with it's bag of tricks. I want my cake and eat it too, dammit!

The best you'll get is continuing getting both physical and digital releases, but the physical stuff will sell for more when people sense the ability to move it for profit. As soon as something is tangible then it's limited, and limited means it can be held hostage for a higher price.

[Ziggy]

Well, yeah. That's what people are complaining about.

PS, I'm being slightly obnoxious about it in jest.

[MrPopo]

See, now you neither get to have your cake nor eat it. This is why we can't have nice things.