Friday, July 4, 2014

So what if I prefer physical copies?

Rule number one of the internet: there's never a reason NOT to be an asshole. Latest example I've witnessed just now: some douche who thinks physical copies of video games are outdated to the point where anyone who still buys them that way is "holding gaming back". (That choice of words suggests one of those intolerably stuck-up PC gamers who are keeping consoles alive simply by virtue of no one sane wanting to associate themselves with them in any way.) Well excuse me if I like having something tangible in my hands rather than a bunch of zeroes and ones on a hard drive. Also very convenient in case of console malfunction or other annoyances of the sort, at least you don't lose everything. Did I mention I have a download quota of 65 GB per month? These days even one digital game would make a huge chunk of that vanish.

Yes, I'm well aware digital download is also very convenient in other ways, especially when it comes to services like Steam. Or games that have an embarrassingly low amount of physical copies made - let's hope Xenoblade is the last of its kind to command such enormous prices on the used market. But to belittle people who like having hard copies? That's just stupid.

Edit: Case in point. I'm downloading Arkham City right now. 17 GB. That's a quarter of my download quota gone right there. Fortunately I never get anywhere close to it unless a TSG week-long marathon is involved, but just downloading two such games in the same month could get me right around 65 GB.

19 comments:

  1. I prefer physical copies as well. Saves a lot of disk. I accidently got Bravely Default as a digital copy due to an offer from my local game store. If people prefer digital copies, more power to them. They just don't have to bully others because of it.

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  2. I prefer physical copies mostly because I like having something physical on the shelf to add to my collection. I could have, like, a list of digital games, but that's not nearly as impressive. Digital games have their advantages, but I'll do physical whenever I can. I'm still holding out on a Phoenix Wright 5 physical release.

    That being said, with PC games, it's digital all the way. You can't get Steam sale prices on physical copies, that's for sure, and my PC library is so large that managing a physical collection would be too difficult.

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    1. Hate to tell you this, but the original Phoenix Wright trilogy will get a remastered version which will also be Digital-Only. I think that you're fighting for a lost cause. The only way they'll start making international physical copies again is if the digital copies sell well enough to warrant for Capcom to listen to common complaints.

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    2. I doubt Capcom will listen even if digital sales are incredible. Either way, I'll buy the digital version eventually if no physical version is announced.

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    3. Capcom? Listen? At this point they're as much of a lost cause as EA or Activision.

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    4. Well, their Monster Hunter division has much more fan interactions than you might think. Although I guess it's true that I shouldn't assume the same applies to ever single division of the company. Monster Hunter and Phoenix Wright are their only saving graces now.

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    5. @Slowflake
      Well Capcom at least is fair enough to remove every fails copyright claims Youtube/Google gives us so they're not that bad.

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    6. I'll give them credit for that. But they way they've been handling the likes of Megaman and Resident Evil, I won't shed a tear if they actually DO end up being bought out.

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  3. Not only that, but remember the GameSpy shutdown ? If any accident suddenly happens to the company managing the servers then BAM! No more online services, you can't buy games until it's fixed. Would be especially bad for Nintendo since they have no idea of how to manage servers traffic.

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  4. I prefer physical copies. Something more satisfying about having the physical box or whatever...

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  5. I think digital downloads suit PC's more, as more companies will register games to an account for you (Blizzard, Origin, Steam, etc) I have had problems with digital downloads with nintendo, so I only get my free stuff for doing certain promotions as digital downloads on my consoles now

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  6. Cartridges are my favorite, no scratches, easy to carry and rip from, otherwise, no preference

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  7. I'm a regular on XSEED's forums, and since they're just a small company (like, a dozen people) localizing niche games, they can't afford to go physical all the time. Here's the thing, though. There ALWAYS seems to be somebody who just doesn't get this, and so they'll make a thread bitching about XSEED releasing a game DD only, whining that it should be physical, and that they won't buy it if it's DD-only, even if they were really looking forward to the game. And my god, do those threads get out of hand.

    Ultimately, digital gaming is a mixed blessing, IMO. On one hand, it's convenient to have multiple games on your console without having to switch cartridges/discs (which can break, get scratched, become dirty...), and games that wouldn't have been released otherwise can now be played by English speaking audiences. On the other hand, you're not allowed to sell the game, in the event you didn't like it, or need some extra cash, and if a game gets pulled down due to licensing issues, you ain't buying or redownloading that game. And then there's Sony and their ridiculously expensive memory cards... Anyway, I try to go for physical whenever possible, but if a game's DD-only, then I'll still get it if it's a game that I want.

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    1. Yeah, it's like people think things should just be handed to them on a silver platter, or something... Luckily, aside from a user or two that posts occasionally, that's pretty much the only idiocy there, and those threads only come up when XSEED releases a game DD-only, such as with Corpse Party and Senran Kagura Burst.

      My favorite moment from those threads had to be when a guy was asking for a PSP game to be released physically as a Vita game. I read that, and I had no words for it. Like, either have the game be put onto a Vita cart, with the same graphics and everything, or ask the incredibly busy company who made the game to up-rez the graphics, and then stick it on a Vita cart. THAT'S NOT HOW THINGS WORK.

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  8. I'm with you, period! I myself have almost exclusively physical copies. Why? The same reasons you mentioned: 1) the space (32 GB) on my WiiU for example just doesn't cut it. I mean I could connect one of my 2 TB external hard drives to it but I need them to work with and even then still 2) applies that having a hard drive crash would cause me losing all my games at once - and having a crash is a danger you face every day in every second. Oh yeah and I don't know how it is in the USA or Canada, but here in Germany Nintendo actually sells the downloadable Content MORE EXPENSIVE than the physical copies. Like 50 € instant for every 3DS Game and 60-70 for every WiiU Game. And that considering you can not sell the game anymore, you actually lose the game if your console dies, Nintendo doesn't have any extra costs producing the copy/disc and no splitting with the malls we buy the game in. On that point of view, DD is a lot more attractive for the companies which is why it's coming more and more. But with such ridiculous prices that won't happen.

    However that doesn't mean I do not own some downloadable games. For my WiiU I have bought myself Super Metroid and F-Zero (since they had a cost of about 8 Cents at one point), Ducktales remastered (since their is no physical copy) and Sonic Lost World. Last, I would of liked to have as physical but out of the Mario Kart 8 games I only had 3 left to download I didn't already own yet and those were next to Sonic The Wonderful 101 (way to large - 23 GB) and Game&Wario (don't care about that). On my Xbox 360 I have the HD versions of Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie which in that case is convenient, especially since Microsoft actually allows multiple redownloads a year if you have your account information so the games would not be lost. Last on my Computer I downloaded Final Fantasy VII and VIII for the PC. Older games actually profit from the system since they are not to expensive and mostly are modified a bit, but my new games will stay mostly physical.

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  9. Both forms have their advantages and disadvantages. As someone who mostly just plays 3DS games and never was one to sell my old games, I go about half-half on games that are available both ways (obviously some are DD only). I refuse to get into the versus war; the only thing I say is that if it's only DD, well tough I guess. Otherwise, go with whatever format you want, it doesn't bother me nor should it.

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  10. What an idiot! The only thing buying physical copies of games is holding back is holding back the publishers from taking even more advantage gamers even more with broken or invasive DRM schemes (and even then most physical games require steam or origin nowadays) and I almost always buy physical copies for console games and I am about half and half with PC games. Old games I will purchase physical copies as usually all they have is secu-rom for drm but there isn't much point in buying most new games since they require steam or origin anyways. At least they let you install part of the game off the disk (usually).

    If buying physical copies are holding back the future of "free to download but get raped by micro transactions to play" gaming then I don't want to be a part of the future of gaming. Sorry for the rant but that guy is just infuriating

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  11. Well that's pretty obnoxious, but then again people like that don't always just apply to the digital vs. physical copy argument, there's always going to be elitists like that. I prefer physical copies but I don't go around saying that everything is going digital and that is leading to a decline in gaming society. It sort of reminds me of the argument between print news vs. online news in a way.

    Anyways am I the only one that thinks the Arkham series' combat really feels like an un-engaging drag that pulls me out of the game? Like I get why the series is so acclaimed but it makes it more difficult for me to play in all honesty.

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  12. Personally I'll never go back to disks, but I have unlimited downloads and I'm a PC gamer, so digital makes a lot of sense for me. Nintendo really needs to get their shit together, backup-wise, before DD is really viable on their platforms.

    I think the main reason DD is so much better on PC than consoles is because PC DD services have competition (Steam, GOG, Humble Bundle). Console DD, on the other hand, is totally controlled by the company that manufactures the console. That's why no console has anything to match Steam Sales, for example.

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