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For or Against Optical Media for Next Gen Consoles


Vaentril
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Do you want to keep using optical media for your games  

59 members have voted

  1. 1. Do you want to keep using optical media for your games

    • I want everything to be downloaded or cloud based.
      2
    • I like having my shelf of games.
      46
    • Don't care either way just let me game.
      11


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I want the physical copy. Maybe if you could install the game to the hard drive and keep the disk then fine, but i don't feel like i actually own the media when at aytime they could just take it away from you.

I also collect games and such so this topic is one of huge importance to me, as i DO NOT want my games digital!!

 

I am totally not an advocate for going hard core one way or the other. I like the idea of having both as a method of purchase. I am just tired of investing in these large ultimate or collector editions to get just the digital content that comes with it. I have friends that are huge collectors and have the figures and listen to the soundtracks and everything else. For me just give me my in game bonuses and I will pay a premium for that without having to get stuff that I either give or throw away. Perfect example for me was Defiance, ton of DLC stuff and some was unique to Ultimate Edition. Now I have sitting on my kitchen table a giant box with a man purse, a sealed figurine, sound track, and art book.

 

My reasons for preferring digital are simply more in line with the fact that I am more likely to lose or misplace a physical copy but if I have something stored digitally I always know where it is, usually its backed up, and again it keeps things more organized for me. I mean my desk here as I am sitting at work looks like a bomb went off on it but if you looked at my documents and files on my work laptop everything is all nice and neat as far as organization goes.

 

Typically what I end up doing is keeping my stack of active games sitting by my chair and the games I have finished or don't play are hidden away in the cabinet. But if I have my feet kicked back in the recliner with the cat curled up its a little annoying to have to kick him off and get up to switch games, and I don't even have to get up to switch games since the xbox sits right next to the chair on my small monitor and not even using it on the big screen.

 

BTW I don't hold anything against anyone that spoke out against me posting this. I know it can get frustrating seeing a flood of forum posts on similar topics. I didn't see one exactly addressing this particular aspect and I did really intend for it to be consoles in general, but I will try and be even more diligent in searching for a topic if there is one in the future, I just did a quick scan of the first few pages and didn't see a place this particularly fit but I will do a forum search in the future.

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If the next Xbox (or any console for that matter) was digital downloads only, I would not buy it. Simple as that. I wouldn't even consider it. I like to have physical copies of the games I'm spending £40+ on. Partly because I like actually seeing what I've spent money on and partly because I wouldn't trust digital downloads.

not only that but it's might right to recoop some of my investment when I buy a $60 game. Imagine if you couldn't resell you house or your car when you wanted a new one.

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not only that but it's might right to recoop some of my investment when I buy a $60 game. Imagine if you couldn't resell you house or your car when you wanted a new one.

 

I am sure thats what we want, but haven't they already started talking about killing the resale market? I think a few games already do, and PC games did it a long time ago. Especially games that require centrally stored data (MMO's are good example) the disc and contents aren't really what you are buying, but more the ability to register that game to your account.

 

I don't know how they really plan on doing any of this though because you have the side action of killing the rental gamer (redbox, gamefly) as well. But again someone else made the point that a lot of other content you buy is digital now. I know most of my reading is done via iBooks and my music from iTunes. No resale there at all and honestly how many people still buy CD's ;)

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I don't know how they really plan on doing any of this though because you have the side action of killing the rental gamer (redbox, gamefly) as well. But again someone else made the point that a lot of other content you buy is digital now. I know most of my reading is done via iBooks and my music from iTunes. No resale there at all and honestly how many people still buy CD's ;)

 

The rental market hurts the retail market which in turn hurts Microsoft. They're of no concern to them and they shouldn't be. People getting games from vending machines aren't keeping the gaming industry afloat, quite the opposite. If I was Microsoft I would implement these policies and force those companies out of business, cause that's how it works. Those people would be forced to buy games then when they couldn't rent them and they would.

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I don't think this is an unreasonable topic.

 

Personally, I still like my shelf of games, but I can see which way the wind is blowing, and I know eventually everythings going to be stored in the cloud.

 

I won't lose too much sleep that day. When you think about it, it's pretty insane that developers still bear manufacturing and shipping costs in today's market.

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It doesn't make you lazy, just realistic. Optical media is on it's way out and having to put a disk in every time you want to play a game is ridiculous in his day and age. Anyone who plays PC games and uses Steam knows how convenient it is to simply click on a game and play without having do insert a disk.

 

I'd be interested in seeing how many of these people who insist on having a physical disk for their Xbox games have torrented movies and music on their PC’s. The real concern for most of these people is that eliminating the disk also eliminates the used/rental game market.

 

I am in support of physical products, not digital versions.. and I've never downloaded anything from a virus prone torrent in my entire life. I always buy rent or stream from legitimate sources. My IT friends tell me to avoid torrents altogether and I have. Personally, I'd rather pay 2 bucks and see the tv show I missed than to deal with virus's on my laptop.

 

You are right though, when everything goes digital only (I'm sorry but I don't see physical media when it comes to movies and tv shows and bluray disks going away anytime soon) there will be no used games market anymore unless something is set in place that gives digital ownership of games the ability to be sold.

 

Although I could give two fucks because I never buy used games anyways, I do care about not being able to purchase used games because how else are we going to be able to find that rare retro gem that is so sought after by collectors?

Edited by Delow317
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Personally, I still like my shelf of games, but I can see which way the wind is blowing, and I know eventually everythings going to be stored in the cloud.

 

I won't lose too much sleep that day. When you think about it, it's pretty insane that developers still bear manufacturing and shipping costs in today's market.

 

I agree, except that I'm not actually that attached to my shelf full of games. I was attached to the thousand CD's I had on my shelf ten plus years ago, or so I thought, then iTunes came along and I put them on my computer. It's never bothered me, I'm kind of a minimalist at heart anyway.

 

Although I could give two fucks because I never buy used games anyways, I do care about not being able to purchase used games because how else are we going to be able to find that rare retro gem that is so sought after by collectors?

 

Here's the thing about this comment, if everything was digital you wouldn't have to hunt down that rare retro gem because you'd be able to download it without any fuss whenever you wanted. The physical copies that exist now will still be out there to find, just like anything else they don't make anymore. One current example would be a game like Tales of Vesperia. This isn't a game you can walk into a store and buy new, you can find a new copy but it's rare enough. You can order it on Amazon but I've seen the price anywhere from $25.00 - $79.00+ and a used copy currently sells for $39.99 at Gamestop. Games On Demand price? $29.99. Granted, it's one of the few exceptions to the Games On Demand rule but it's how it should be.

 

Now this is just my opinion and hardly anyone will agree, but the Xbox 360 generation of gaming is so far away from being a nostalgic era that by the time that it is, I'm going to be way too old to care. I'll jump on the next-gen consoles and keep moving forward with new games as long as they hold my attention. But when this generation is done, it's unlikely I'll ever revisit it. In five years or so down the road I don't see myself too bummed out that I can't redownload Dash of Destruction again.

 

Games will never be digital only.

 

Alot of games already are digital only, eventually they all will be. Xbox Live Arcade is a fine example. Steam is another. I'm sure back in 2005 people said the same thing about buying those titles and we know how that turned out. If we make it through the next generation without it switching over entirely, I'll be surprised. The thing that needs to happen along with the transition is that the prices of games need to adjust/decrease more appropriately over time. Take a game like Oblivion for example. A new copy of the Game of the Year Edition has been $19.99 for years and if you buy it in pieces on demand, it would cost you $35.00 and that's only after a very recent price reduction on the game and it's two major add-ons.

Edited by WalterWhite
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The rental market hurts the retail market which in turn hurts Microsoft. They're of no concern to them and they shouldn't be. People getting games from vending machines aren't keeping the gaming industry afloat, quite the opposite. If I was Microsoft I would implement these policies and force those companies out of business, cause that's how it works. Those people would be forced to buy games then when they couldn't rent them and they would.

 

- I know, people should buy new cars instead of used.

- When buying a new fridge freezer, take the old one to the local tip/recycling instead of selling it used.

- Get rid of Ebay etc.

 

Alot of games already are digital only, eventually they all will be.

 

Which ones apart from XBLA? This is geninue I don't look at Games on Demand.

Edited by cjdavies
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- I know, people should buy new cars instead of used.

- When buying a new fridge freezer, take the old one to the local tip/recycling instead of selling it used.

- Get rid of Ebay etc.

 

I should have overexplained myself for the funny guy. Those are reasons Microsoft might want to go that route, I didn't say renting games made someone a demon. Try and think about why companies do something that makes sense financially for them instead of just yourself. Get rid of eBay? That's a stretch.

 

Which ones apart from XBLA? This is geninue I don't look at Games on Demand.

 

PSN, XBLA, Games on Demand, mobile and Steam aren't enough of an example?

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I don't mind digital only but I do mind when there aren't any price drops or enough sales. So I'd rather have optical media for consoles still. For movies/pc games I'm over it though. I'm ok with new games being 59.99 but when something has been out for almost 2 years and is still 49.99 on GoD but you can go to target/best buy and get it new for 29.99 there is a bit of a problem. Then you got these old arcade games that are still 800 points and no way worth that now. Most the time they get delisted before a price drop.

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Sorry, which specific games are digital only on games on demand? Or are they similar to Sonic the Hedgehog, I am Alive on XBLA? I'm thinking of retail titles like Gears of War: Judgement, Assassins Creed 3, Bioshock: Infinite.

 

A couple that I have picked up just off the top of my head would be Monday Night Combat. Its digital only for both console and PC versions. Additionally Iron Brigade or Trench however you prefer to refer to it as was a digital only download. Think about some of the new ported games from tablet back to console or other places. I know games like Angry Birds and Bejeweled did come out with physical copies due to popularity but there are others I am sure did come out digital only.

 

I think one kind of rational for the physical media that maybe we haven't thought about is not those that can buy the games ourselves but the young gamers that probably can't just buy with the parents credit card online. They have to convince the folks to buy them a game, and odds are the parent depending on the age or preference would have no idea or concept of how to get the game for them online. I know they could probably just buy them points but alot of parents probably still like to have some kind of view of what they are buying their kids. I remember when I first started gaming eon's ago my mother wouldn't let me buy any of the fun games. There was a reason I ended up with Paperboy and Marble Madness :)

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Sorry, which specific games are digital only on games on demand? Or are they similar to Sonic the Hedgehog, I am Alive on XBLA? I'm thinking of retail titles like Gears of War: Judgement, Assassins Creed 3, Bioshock: Infinite.

 

I see the confision here, it's my fault. The Xbox 360 Games on Demand titles aren't exclusive the same way the Xbox Live Arcade titles are, I just mean those are digital copies of the game that some people don't have a problem buying.

 

I think one kind of rational for the physical media that maybe we haven't thought about is not those that can buy the games ourselves but the young gamers that probably can't just buy with the parents credit card online. They have to convince the folks to buy them a game, and odds are the parent depending on the age or preference would have no idea or concept of how to get the game for them online. I know they could probably just buy them points but alot of parents probably still like to have some kind of view of what they are buying their kids. I remember when I first started gaming eon's ago my mother wouldn't let me buy any of the fun games. There was a reason I ended up with Paperboy and Marble Madness :)

 

That's a pretty good point but I wonder how many of these same kids can get themselves to a retail outlet without their parents to buy a game anyway. For example, little Joey is eleven years old. How's he getting to Gamestop to buy a game, let alone pay for it without his parents giving him money? Maybe his friend's mother drives them to the store? Little Joey's parents still have to give him the money. And then at what age do we draw the line? It's a good point but it gets confusing.

 

On the other hand, it's clear the majority of parents don't care what their kids play and they're still getting their hands on whatever they want now one way or another. There's evidence of this in every mature rated title I've ever played online where some squeaky eleven year old is shouting profanities and racial slurs at me. Most of the Xbox Hitler Youth out there today probably have a better idea of where to purchase a gun illegally or score drugs than I do so I'm sure they can figure out how to convince their parents to load them up with Microsoft points cards at the very least.

Edited by WalterWhite
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I see the confision here, it's my fault. The Xbox 360 Games on Demand titles aren't exclusive the same way the Xbox Live Arcade titles are, I just mean those are digital copies of the game that some people don't have a problem buying.

.

 

I see, I did download The Walking Dead for 800 points and I see the retail version is being released next month for about £25 - game is too short for that price.

 

Thinking about it, I trade in games once finished, but then if some reason I want to play it again I can't unless I pay for it again, an example being The Amazing Spiderman - I wish I kept this for my 5 year old nephew.

 

I downloaded Sonic the Hedgehog a few months back, deleted it to save space, I re-downloaded it yesterday for him for free, well I paid once, you know what I mean. The download history is really good, pay for it once, download, delete to save space, want to play again then download it again for "free", are there any restrictions on how many times you can do this?

 

From reading what I put above, I don't keep games unless I enjoy the MP, I would be more for digital if the price is cheaper than retail.

Edited by cjdavies
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The download history is really good, pay for it once, download, delete to save space, want to play again then download it again for "free", are there any restrictions on how many times you can do this?

I've done this myself a few times, and as far as I can tell there's no restriction.

From reading what I put above, I don't keep games unless I enjoy the MP, I would be more for digital if the price is cheaper than retail.

So would I. As it is I'm planning to get Dead Space from GoD since it's marginally cheaper that way than getting it second hand. On the other hand I've seen GoD games going for 50% more than physical media. I just wish more games were on GoD, since some games I'm after are either ridiculously overpriced (e.g. physical NTSC-J version of Sniper Elite V2 costs $83, whereas the NTSC version costs only $30 from GoD) or unavailable.

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Some people are just getting to lazy. I like going around town looking for cheap games, etc. Its called get out of the house dammit!

Unless the xbox has a PERMANENT satellite connection I wont be going outside....ever...I like over paying for games.

**says everyone who is all for digital games only**

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