I agree. It's great to have boxes and have something to show other than a few bytes on a hdd.

With game's getting bigger, it's unlikely we'll see digital distribution as the sole option next gen (consoles) anyway.

Storage just isn't there yet for anybody. Consoles with a TB hdd would still only be able to hold 20 games at 50gig each assuming next gen games would equate roughly to some of sony's exclusives. Also download speed's just aren't there yet for most gamers either.

I just don't see it unless thing's improve drastically in the next few years as no doubt next gen's consoles are already at the planning stage of some sort.

Well, a few things to consider.
-DD will not happen for probably decades yet, the infrastructure around the world for data transfer is horrible. Would a hardware company try it in just North America? Bad idea, the fiber optics here isn't much better in terms of coverage. So, DD not happening outside of japan really.

-your provider loves you....loves your downloading right? But magnify that by all 90mill of us and that doesn't include PC or Ninny! The costs for that alone means that the hardware/publishers would have to get in bed with every provider to figure out how to keep the costs down. Not happening.

-we like to be able to trade....and they don't like it, but they'd like the above costs less.

-digital media can get corrupted. Physical media can get scratched.
Guess which one is easier to control.

-cloud services are a likely service for DD, but ONlive is garbage lagfest with downgraded graphics. Can a much bigger Corp like Sony or MS do it better? Likely. But they ain't interested yet....and neither am I. Lol plus, have you guys heard of these fools called hackers? They hurt both DD & physical...but I'm curious which one is affected more?

no! i wouldnt...

i dont know why ppl need to have a box, for what? i bet many games out of that little collection will not be touched after the 1st year and will be forgotten when the next gen starts..

all i need is to turn on my tv and be like this is what i got. screw plastic boxes and the manual. less plastic in land fills and more trees for clean oxygen.

how many ppl even read the manual? i cant remember the last time i took it out the box!

i keep reading ppl saying "the world isnt ready" all i know is, my world sure as hell is ready..

nope,i'll take the cheaper prices over retail boxes.

DD is already my norm, I'm fine with that.

Instant purchase, download the night, make backup, infinite play, no more DVDs the switch.

Perfect world.

The only downside would be steam closing, which is pretty much impossible seeing the current situation, and i'm sure they'd release something for people.

Didn't buy a DVD for...pfff.... ages

just goverment will tax you to the death ,for virtual downloads like what sony doing i spent 1.49 they taked me 9 cents ,imagine 60.00 for a game they tax you more i perfer the boxes ,if your systems crash you insert a disc reboot virtual you cant

I would, but I care more about the environment and our almost depleted resources.

That is the future but I don't like it. Only because I get such a good deal from Amazon. I would buy less games if I paid full price.

Yes I will. I love building a physical collection of games.

I love having a physical format for games that I'm really excited for. Theres nothing like opening a game up the first time after waiting ages to play.

Normal games that I want but dont care if I dont get dont matter though.

Only is not for me. If you buy a single player game or a game you'll likely to finish and not go back to you can at least sell it on eBay and get back at least half your money back towards another game. Digital you have just an option to either keep it or wipe it. I bought heavy rain for £35, finished it sold it for £.28 after a months play that's just one example, there is no way I'd go down the digital track unless of course the games were half the shop price, but that won't happen.
Steam prices are ok in the sales, but why would I pay the same price for a new game that has no disk,no box, no book and no shipping and be stuck with it when I've finished.

Nope.

Yes, I would. Definitely. I'm unconcerned, but download only gaming is the baddest thing that can happen to gamers with a slow internet connection.

I´d surely miss my palpable boxes,same with CDs and movies but to each their own.

part of gaming, at least for me, is having the physical box with a copy of the manual and a disk. im fine with services like steam as i buy games off there every so often and the prices are pretty awesome compared to a physical copy. then again im the kind of person though who does not trade in my games and will 9 out of 10 times buy the complete box even if it is more expensive. keeping and having the game is just as important to me as playing it.

I guess my question is whether it is really going to matter what we want. Technology changes, and there's nothing we can really do about it. People are going to adapt to it, and those of us holding the line for our ideals will just get left behind.

Gosh, look at Steam as an example. People will pay to download games. It's proven. You can leave your PC running when you're away from home and the downloads just happen. Then, when you get home, you fire it up and play.

Some people would be disenfranchised in a download-only world, so I don't think we'll see the end of physical media for a while. People still buy music and movies on disc because that's the only way they can get them. But don't think for a minute that there's a publisher that wouldn't love to kill off physical media and save those overhead costs.

but when I have a choice, I always like having the physical product. I buy games on Steam and XBL and PSN..

But for full retail releases on the systems, I like ripping the shrink wrap off, and having the boxes, and keeping the disks in super good condition, and keeping the box all nice.. Just one of those things.

I am contemplating buying loads of dvd holders and getting rid of all my boxes, apart from the odd really snazzy box-set.

As long as they have really good deals like Steam. I can go to the store and get Crackdown for like 5 bucks but on the marketplace its 20. It'll be just another way for companies to rip us off. If the only way to get games is through them then thats a monopoly of sorts

Its a con.

a con so they can cut out the middle man and make more profit.

a con so you practically own 'nothing' except data. they will eliminate 'resale value' as you will have nothing to resale. once you buy their digital product you have something that is completely worthless other than the few hours of entertainment it will bring you.

I wont be supporting the digital download con, i want something i can hold, something that has actual worth.

download is for fools

call me a luddite if you like but i like being able to hold my purchases in my hand, i just prefer getting something physical in return for my money.

something i can stick on a shelf, that can't be taken away by the publisher, that i can lend and borrow, or sell.

and that's what digital downloads are really about, making sure we can't sell what we've paid for, well that and there being virtually no overheads when compared to boxed product, make one copy and you can make an infinite number of copies at no extra cost, yet oddly the games can often cost the same.

download is great for smaller titles, stuff that would never make it on a retail shelf, for those offbeat smaller games download is perfect, but for bigger games, bigger as in scale, production value, file size and cost, i will always choose something that has portability due to it being on disc, or other storage medium, that is not tied to a single account or user, and can not be taken away on a whim by greedy publishers.

Physical copies FTW

love watching a collection grow, lending to friends and going back and replaying old games

Tell me again how the multiplatform strategy was supposed to fix everything. Look at your results and compare them to Nintendo, which keeps thriving with exclusives. Your loyal fans are gone. And let’s not forget the pile of IPs you purchased only to let them rot.

The worst thing is this is down from last years numbers/expectations which was down from the previous years numbers/expectations. You think about how long “down” has been a consistent part of the communication and you realize those subscriptions are what’s holding that boat together. The price cut of gamespass is still a price raise in a string of price raises. They are trying to use players to offset the missing revenue. Now call of duty is out of gamespass, which is literally WHY they bought the company. To draw people to the subscription. They realized they missed a boatload of money and that wasn’t sustainable. Now you pay for it like you would have if they never bought the company… so why buy the company? Mind you those billions still need to be paid back. Yeah it gives you a chance to say we make the biggest FPS… but the internal conversations must be brutal at high level on topics that really matter. Like revenue. Profitability. And ROI for the shopping spree.

Is this like the 10th quarter in a row they're down 33% on hardware how is that even mathematically possible. You would think their mediocrity would Plateau