Why are some gamers so desperate to go pro digital?

[Zing]

Steam doesn't even count. Most games bought are part of some ridiculous sale and priced appropriately. I can't imagine myself paying more than $10 for a digital game considering the huge drawbacks.

If I bought digital on my 3DS, I'd have to buy every game twice so my daughter could play on her 3DS. I'd do it if games were $10-20 each. As it is, I can buy the games used for $20-30 and we share them. They have at least three save files.

If I bought digital on my Wii U, I'd already have been screwed over and at the very least had to spend a lot of time and effort convincing Nintendo to transfer over my purchases when I replaced my system.

[J T]

I like DRM-free digital better than physical copies because I can archive them, make extra copies for backup, and I don't lose any shelf space. That's why I won't buy games elsewhere if I know they can be purchased on gog.com or if I think they might one day end up on gog.com. I always download and backup my gog games, so even if they went out of business tomorrow, I would still have access to my games.

You can also buy DRM free stuff at Desura or DotEMU, and sometimes via Gamersgate or any of the various bundle sites (Humble Bundle, Groupees, India Royale, Indie Gala). In a few rare instances, you can even buy DRM free games on Steam (like the old id titles).

[dsheinem]

Steam doesn't even count. Most games bought are part of some ridiculous sale and priced appropriately. I can't imagine myself paying more than $10 for a digital game considering the huge drawbacks.

Of course Steam counts. Most digital games I've bought on XBLA or PSN were also less than $10 (sometimes much less) and usually purchased as part of some sale. Most physical retro games are less than $10. Most games of any era and format are able to be had for less than $10, eventually.

[Snatch1414]

I'm not big on having a huge hard drive on a console (i.e., cheap) so I guess I prefer the physical copies. The thing is my #1 reason is actually the packaging, but we don't even get a manual for most games anymore so that reason is kind of out the window at this point.

I still like buying CDs though......

[dsheinem]

I'm not big on having a huge hard drive on a console (i.e., cheap) so I guess I prefer the physical copies. The thing is my #1 reason is actually the packaging, but we don't even get a manual for most games anymore so that reason is kind of out the window at this point.

I still like buying CDs though......

CDs, Vinyl, Blu-Rays, erc. are worth purchasing given the increased quality of the medium. For games, a digital copy looks/sounds/plays the same as a physical copy.

[CavZee]

I'm not big on having a huge hard drive on a console (i.e., cheap) so I guess I prefer the physical copies. The thing is my #1 reason is actually the packaging, but we don't even get a manual for most games anymore so that reason is kind of out the window at this point.

I still like buying CDs though......

CDs, Vinyl, Blu-Rays, erc. are worth purchasing given the increased quality of the medium. For games, a digital copy looks/sounds/plays the same as a physical copy.

The issue for me and many others is over the "ownership". With a physical game you're given much more freedom in regards to said "ownership". I can easily lend a game to my brother or friend, I can resell it should I feel the need, and I can even pull it out of a box in 10-15 years and play it. I wouldn't give up any of that just in order to embrace the future. I don't like the idea of my game purchases having an expiration date.

Now digital purchases have a place in my hobby to be sure. I like the fact that indie developers and many smaller studios have an alternative avenue to push their games through. I like the $5-$10 impulse buys and I like what Sony is doing with PS Plus. As those sort of incentives get sweeter and sweeter maybe I'll come around a bit more. For the most part though, I'll be clinging onto to physical releases for as long as I can.

[ejamer]

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[CavZee]

Availability is a factor. Digital distribution as a method for reviving retro games - especially ones that are difficult to find physical copies of - is a godsend.

This is another thing I'll praise digital for and should have added to my positive points above.

[JC48573]

By the time games go full digital, I will most likely quit gaming. I mean, the reason why I started gaming is because I also love to collect. Digital purchases simply don't give me that same feeling of ownership even if there's a way to own them almost forever. I also don't like having most of my games on one hard drive and even going through the trouble of backing every game just seems too big of a hassle. If I lose a few games because of some accident, then no big deal because I have a backlog of games I can rely on. What if I lose all my physical games? Too bad I guess, but at least I owned them physically at one point. My "personal" collection is not surprisingly big because I only collect games I am interested in anyways, so don't expect to see a lot of shooters in my library.

[fastbilly1]

Like I said in the other topic:
Cartridges - physical if possible.
Disc - digital if possible, both digital and physical if a game I really like.
Caveat - I buy current gen console games physical first if possible, then digital. But I have moved to 100% digital on PC games as of three years ago and have had no issues with it. Infact, I am so enamored by it I am about to sell alot of my PC games. I mean someone else is going to get more fun out of a disc of Baldurs Gate or Kings Quest collection, than I am going to with my copies on Gog.