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I was wondering what you guys do for the current gen when bolstering your collection. Obviously the easy thing to do is buy all 3DS and Wii U games digitally. Don't need to leave your house, never need to change discs, etc.

But how does that affect you as a collector? Do you feel there is something missing by not having a physical copy of the games you are purchasing for display? Don't care at all?

Thoughts?

Physical vs digital has been discussed numerous times on the forums here. It seems like the community here is split almost down the middle of people on either side. There's a select few that don't have much of a preference.

Talking about the 3DS and Wii U specifically, the main problem most of us have is the way purchased games are handled. Purchased games are tied to the system that they were purchased on, which creates possible problems. My main hangup with it is if the system is every stolen, damaged, etc. You lose all your game purchases. With, for example, the PS3, you can just log into your account and download all your purchased games. Most people feel this way about Nintendo's system, and don't buy games digitally because of it.

Personally, I really enjoy having physical copies of my games anyway. Sure, they take up room, but I like having them. I own a few current gen games digitally and I really miss having a case for them. It's also because I'm a retro gamer, I'm thinking about 15 years from now. If I own my games physically, I know that I have them and always will. I could grab any console to play them on. If I have them digitally, do I actually have them? What if 15 years from now something happens to my console and I can't redownload the games anymore? The only thing I'd really have to rely on is if the system is some how cracked and I can download the games from the internet.

For the 3DS, I wouldn't mind owning more games digitally for it. It is a handheld, after all, and having all your games on the go is welcomed. It's the same problem though, where if my 3DS is lost, stolen, damaged, etc I will lose all my games along with it. That's really keeping me from buying more games digitally. But at the end of the day, I still always prefer having a physical copy.

As Ziggy said, many of us have thought long and hard about this.

Personally, I can't justify going digital on a closed platform that becomes obsolete like a games console. What happens when Sony/Microsoft flip the switch and no longer store and support those games?

It's much easier for me to buy everything digitally on PC where the various methods of backing up data and the continuity of the platform, make it much less risky to buy digitally.

Of course I still buy some digital products on consoles and handhelds. I just try not to make a habit of it.

I like digital when it's cheap because I pretty much view it as a rental. However I prefer to have physical copies overall since I don't have to worry about the status of a Download server each time I feel like installing it and because I just like to buy things that I can physically keep in my collection long term.

If a game I want is offered physically, I buy it physically. If it's not, I will buy it digitally though a tad grudgingly. It's not so much a hoarding thing as it is I like to be able to resell games if I choose to.

Fragems wrote:I like digital when it's cheap because I pretty much view it as a rental. However I prefer to have physical copies overall since I don't have to worry about the status of a Download server each time I feel like installing it and because I just like to buy things that I can physically keep in my collection long term.

Spot on.

I tend to like digital for convenience sake ... but I always prefer physical. I usually get into a situation on steam where I've re-bought (for $1-$4) something I already own just to have a more convenient copy (For now), or to have a PC copy.

They'll all go away eventually, even if you physically own something that game will stop working within your lifetime.

Cronozilla wrote:
They'll all go away eventually, even if you physically own something that game will stop working within your lifetime.

I don't know. 40 year old VCS carts still work fine, and disc media will preserve well if taken care of. Blu-Ray is especially durable from all I've read. I think the idea that this stuff will just "inevitably" stop working sometime in the next 50 years or so is a bit of a falsity...

dsheinem wrote: I think the idea that this stuff will just "inevitably" stop working sometime in the next 50 years or so is a bit of a falsity...

It's not. This stuff will inevitably stop working. Nothing lasts forever. Lots of carts have already gone bad due to bit rot. I even see pictures here and there of disc rot (though who knows if it's disc rot or user damage). And lots of consoles have already become broken (due to age/use, not user damage), some beyond repair.

The only next gen system I have is a 3DS, but like Ziggy said, I'd MUCH rather have the actual games because if you lose your system, you lose all your digital games on there.

Plus, I really like having a physical copy because I enjoy the artwork, manual and inserts or whatever else may come with it. I liken it to vinyl records where you get a huge package and sweet looking artwork in addition to the music. I miss when games like ActRaiser not only had a coolass looking cover, but came with a really nice poster too. It expanded the game's universe and added to the experience IMO.

Ziggy587 wrote:

dsheinem wrote: I think the idea that this stuff will just "inevitably" stop working sometime in the next 50 years or so is a bit of a falsity...

It's not. This stuff will inevitably stop working. Nothing lasts forever. Lots of carts have already gone bad due to bit rot. I even see pictures here and there of disc rot (though who knows if it's disc rot or user damage). And lots of consoles have already become broken (due to age/use, not user damage), some beyond repair.

It is inevitable all media will become useless, but not that it will happen in our lifetime. If you have stuff in good condition and work to keep it that way...