So firstly I'm a fan of digital distribution, it is a great concept. Buy the product, download it then enjoy it. I'm set up just fine to use it, decent internet speed, reasonable storage etc.
So the question is why would I want discs? The answer is not for me for for a number of reasons that affect more people than we imagine.
1. Internet Access:
Whilst I have unlimited internet access, there are many people out there who can't get access to the internet - not because they can't afford it but due to the service providers dropping the ball. There are still places in the US that can't get decent speed internet. There are other countries that have similar problems. China, the largest internet community in the world, is still getting the nation "online". It takes time.
2. Bandwidth Caps:
Yup, now more and more tiered internet plans are surfacing. In some countries like Australia bandwidth caps are already prevalent. I look at my friends list online and people can't play online / download a game as they have "maxed out" their account, to break through this limitation they have to pay more. This new business model presents a definite barrier to Digital Distributions growth.
3. Storage Space:
Looking as this objectively, the most accessible gaming experiences come with paltry storage space. PS3 has 250GB, 360 has the same, alot of PCs (the ones most would be able to afford) are 250-500GB. Apple's devices max out at 64GB. This sounds like alot but with HD gaming destined to get more HD plus providing 3D options space will start to become a precious resource. If you are an avid iTunes user, you could fill your iPad up quite quickly especially as you can import your iTunes purchases from previous devices e.g. iPod, iPhone etc. For consoles some games are weighing in a 12GB+ for a DL. That's 5% of your space in one shot. Plus most consoles provide multiple entertainment DL options such as Movies, TV, Music etc. It gets quite easy to fill this space up.
4. Pre-Owned Games and the power of retail:
Yes, Pre-Owned is a touchy subject. The big guys - Sony, MS etc - hate it. You buy a game, trade it in at which point Mr. Retailer essentially sells the game for a 2nd time and the big guy sees none of this revenue. However the pre-owned marketplace is sizable and efficient-ish. If we switched to exclusive DD alot of people would buy alot less games that is for sure. Gaming is a luxury to many so if they can't use their games inventory as collateral for their next purchase they'll buy less often.
Also consider the power of retail network such as Walmart, GameStop and so on. Their relationships with the big boys would become very strained if Sony, MS etc essentially pulled their games on the shelf and made them available via the cloud. The issue then would become would these mass retail networks still want to sell the hardware? At first sure, but later on who knows?
There are probably more reasons to support this case but I think these 4 present a decent case for keeping physical media around - again I reiterate - I myself don't need physical media anymore but there are lots of us who do. So here's hoping that the entertainment world still keeps them in mind when looking at the services of tomorrow.
WTMG's Leo Faria: "God of War: Sons of Sparta is a very interesting prologue to the series as a whole, and a welcome return to the franchise’s original Greek setting, but as a metroidvania… I mean, it’s good, but it’s nothing I haven’t seen and played dozens of times before, especially in a post-Silksong and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. But I still love the fact it exists. The fact it’s somewhat unambitious and smaller in scope might actually be my favorite thing about it. This is a type of game I missed from Sony, something more focused, streamlined, to the point. I’d rather have three or four games like Sons of Sparta a year then yet another live service whose servers will be shut off after just two or three months."
The latest publisher sale is live on the Nintendo Switch 2 and Switch eShops, this time featuring games from SEGA / Atlus. Some games are at new low prices here, including the likes of Sonic Origins and Etrian Odyssey HD.
Reanimal is a co-op, survival horror, stealth and a cinematic platformer with light puzzle elements.
I have a fifth reason: customers still want physical retail. It's game companies - not an outcry of customers - who keep clamoring for digital distribution. Buying a PC game used to be a fantastic experience. You got a solid box, a nice manual with a ton of information and cool artwork, a jewel case (not a crappy paper sleeve), and often times you would get bonus items included with the standard game (you didn't have to buy some high-priced Collector's Edition) like a cloth map in Ultima or a keychain or something.
PC devs wonder why their games don't sell at retail? It's because the boxes are covered in ugly artwork, they're flimsy, and inside all you find is a two-page manual and your disc tucked into a paper sleeve. Booooring.
This is something that EA has already tackled. Now all games come with a code that allows online play, if the next owner wants to go online he must buy a new code for 10$. There EA just ensured themselves a peice of the pie whenever a game shifts hand using digital distribution.
But the days of the CDs are over. Publishers, developers, governments and the public knows this. More and more publishers are using websites to sell their products, the price for making the music drops and so does the final price that the customers pay for. Win-win.
Developers are even skipping publishers because this becomes so easy.
And many governments are working on ways to make dowwnloading legal, most of them don't work as all they want to do is charge us extra for internet.
But I like having something in my hands. I want to buy something, and I'd probablyr ather buy something in a large package. Ever bought a sim-card? The packaging is 20 times the size of the sim-card.
The day physical media dies is the day I'll finally be happy. I hate any physical media from books to CDs to games with a passion.
There will always be room for both the digital and fading retail market. Eventually digital copies of games will start catching on on consoles just as they have on PC in the last couple years because more and more publishers will start pushing for digital sales vs retail sales because of the HUGE leap in profit margins.
Physical FTW!