Xbox One

[H8ter2]

Re: Xbox One

Regardless of console, it's very easy for me. Disc all the way for the following reasons -

1) Monetary expense

This is my main reason. At $60 a pop, if I end up not liking a game, there's no way I want to get stuck with it and lose $60 on a game that im not going to play. Also, with being a GCU member at Best Buy, I save so much money to where I can buy and try out more games than I normally would. For example, MGSV is one of those games. Not really an MGS fan and quit the series after MGS2 but I figure with my 20% GCU discount and $10 reward certificate, at worse, it becomes a $5 rental if I don't like it and thus, trade it in. Sometimes, I even make a profit and that's after I complete the game.

For somewhat older games, here's a perfect example, The Evil Within is listed at $59.99 on Xbox.com but at Best Buy, it's currently on sale this week for $19.99 but the regular price is $39.99. That's a $20 difference. Why would I spend an extra $20 for the digital version when I can get the disc for $20 less. There's a lot more examples but I don't feel like looking them up.

2) No monetary or credit value

Once I complete a game, I trade it in, get the credit and use that credit towards the next game that im buying. I can't do that with digital purchases. Once I buy it, that's it. It's mine forever unless the IP holder pulls the license from the game. That rarely happens but it is possible and you can't do anything about it.

3) Takes up too much hard drive space

While the discs have to be installed, the difference is that once I finish the game and trade it in, I delete it off my hard drive. Granted, I can do the same with the digital version but since it can take up to a few hours to download a game, I wouldn't want to keep having to do that. Add in the fact that for those who go all digital, they end up having to spend more money to a bigger hard drive and for those who use an SSD, it costs even more money.

4) The more consumers buy digitally, the more disc based games will eventually be phased out. This creates a huge problem simply because if you can only buy a game digitally, you will have no other choice but to either A) buy the game at the full digital price or B) don't buy the game at all.

People will say though, there's sales, discounts, etc. but that only exists because there's actual competition between disc and digital. Eliminate the competition and those little sales and discounts that exist now will be gone in a heart beat.

5) Pre-order bonuses, season passes, dlc, etc.

Imagine if games were only digital and you're now required to purchase DLC or a season pass or to pre-order the game in order to get the full experience? Granted, this is probably not going to happen but imagine if it does. You would be stuck paying money and more money and don't know what you're getting.

Of course, this is just my own personal opinion. In fairness though, I do buy digital games but it's PSN/XBLA/Indie games that aren't available on disc and my limit is $10. And here's something that's funny, I purchased Assassin's Creed Chronicles China for $10 and to be perfectly honest, I wish I had that $10 back. It's not horrible but I do regret that purchase. At least if I buy a game on disc and don't like it or think it sucks or just can't get into it, I trade it in and get back the majority of my money in credit and while it's credit as opposed to cash, that credit goes towards to the next game that I want to buy.

Anyway, sorry for the long post. Obviously, it's up to you. Look at the positives and negatives for yourself and go from there.

Yea i feel you on pretty much every point you make, it's crazy that games several years old are still full price digital and under $20 physical, not enough incentive in my opinion to go full digital yet, only games I usually go digital on are sports games as most lose tons of trade in value after the real world season and I generally pick them up every other year unless there's a HUGE change in gameplay which is rare, and there's plenty of places to get roster updates nowadays.


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[mestevo]

Re: Xbox One

Physical goods have shelf life cycles, it's less about competition outside of release windows. Virtual markets will adapt or sales will suffer but they have different patterns than retail. There have been a lot of sales on digital content... the example given, Evil Within, has been at least 50% off.

Everyone has their tipping point for digital, just a matter of time IMO.

[daniel77733]

Re: Xbox One

Physical goods have shelf life cycles, it's less about competition outside of release windows. Virtual markets will adapt or sales will suffer but they have different patterns than retail. There have been a lot of sales on digital content... the example given, Evil Within, has been at least 50% off.

Everyone has their tipping point for digital, just a matter of time IMO.

The sales and discounts that are given on digital games is only because of the competition that digital has which is - retail disc. Also, after the sale, the game always goes back up to it's original $60 price tag. If the MSRP drops to $40, the digital version should do the same thing on the same day but yet, that doesn't happen.

I don't see sales, discounts or lower prices happening whatsoever if/when games are digital only simply because I don't see publishers taking less money. After all, if the consumer has no other choice, why would they?

As for the tipping point, for me, it will end gaming. I'm not going all digital. Even if I was a millionaire, I wouldn't go all digital. I want the actual game disc, the actual product. Of course, this is just me.

[ubernoob]

Re: Xbox One

.
Everyone has their tipping point for digital, just a matter of time IMO.

Not a matter of time thing. We don't have the infrastructure for it in the US.

We won't for a long time either.

As for above, I won't quote because it's a pain to redo on tapatalk as i'm homebound from Vegas...

I agree. Consoles going all digital is a terrible idea. Not least because of consumer rights issues.

The day consoles go digital is the day I stop playing new consoles.

[NYGiants4Natic]

Re: Xbox One

The sales and discounts that are given on digital games is only because of the competition that digital has which is - retail disc. Also, after the sale, the game always goes back up to it's original $60 price tag. If the MSRP drops to $40, the digital version should do the same thing on the same day but yet, that doesn't happen.

I don't see sales, discounts or lower prices happening whatsoever if/when games are digital only simply because I don't see publishers taking less money. After all, if the consumer has no other choice, why would they?

As for the tipping point, for me, it will end gaming. I'm not going all digital. Even if I was a millionaire, I wouldn't go all digital. I want the actual game disc, the actual product. Of course, this is just me.

I guess you don't know about pc then

Disc are 60 because many other parts must get paid per disc

When digital prices will be lower because there is no middle man

PC games new are 60 because disc are 60 on consoles but pc drops price quick and have major sales.

All digital will be the norm soon and at less then 60 price

[mestevo]

Re: Xbox One

Not a matter of time thing. We don't have the infrastructure for it in the US.

We won't for a long time either.

Wasn't referring to the industry, but rather individuals. Like DVD movies, there will be a market for physical for a long time.

[ubernoob]

Re: Xbox One

I guess you don't know about pc then

Disc are 60 because many other parts must get paid per disc

When digital prices will be lower because there is no middle man

PC games new are 60 because disc are 60 on consoles but pc drops price quick and have major sales.

All digital will be the norm soon and at less then 60 price

This is entirely wrong, by the way.

PC prices are so low specifically because there is no "PC Marketfront." It's an open marketplace.

Games are $60 because that's the price (over the course of time provingthis and different studies doing the same) that is the sweet spot.

Who controls the XBL Marketplace? Microsoft. Who controls the PS4 marketplace? Sony.

Who controls the PC marketplace? Exactly.

It works on PC because there is no store. See: GMG, GOG, Steam, HumbleBundle, g2a/kinguin (even if they are shady and non legit sites), etc - and this is without mentioning buying the disc for the game or buying direct download from the publishers - none of which are available on consoles.

I really hate people thinking switching to digital is going to make things cheaper, when it's already cheaper to buy brand new games in physical form (see: GCU) specifically because those guys have to compete.

[mestevo]

Re: Xbox One

Even 'cheaper' they'd stay the same price because that's what the market has accepted. Any games wanting to be perceived as a value can back off of that slightly and we've seen that both digital and physical, and then there's the indie and arcade tiers.

Physical or digital, none of that will really change. Wish Best Buy sold digital codes like Amazon did. I'd use my GCU more.

[daniel77733]

Re: Xbox One

I guess you don't know about pc then

Disc are 60 because many other parts must get paid per disc

When digital prices will be lower because there is no middle man

PC games new are 60 because disc are 60 on consoles but pc drops price quick and have major sales.

All digital will be the norm soon and at less then 60 price

I do. Steam has outstanding sales but here's why -

Consoles ....disc and/or digital. Check sales figures, games don't sell as much on PC as they do on consoles.

There's no middle man now for digital games and yet, they still get released at $60. Why not release it at $40? Because publishers want every dollar they can get.

If anyone thinks that games won't be $60 if/when it goes all digital, then maybe im blind because when I see season passes, DLC, etc., that tells me publishers want to squeeze every dollar possible. Just look at Batman Arkham Knight and others. If publishers do this with season passes, DLC, etc., why would you or anyone for that matter think that any publisher is going to give you a lower price when you no longer would have any other option?

Publishers like EA, Activision, Ubisoft, Sony, Microsoft, etc. want full control and to limit your choices and options. They don't want you to have more options and choices. They want you to have less and force the issue.

Another issue is that with retail discs, it's so pathetic. No manuals anymore whatsoever. I look back and remember the 80 page manual that came with Chrono Trigger for SNES. Granted, the game was $80 but back then, it was so worth it. Now, not even close. Majority of games aren't even worth $20, let alone $60.

Point regarding manuals is that it was cost cutting move which just proves my point when it comes to all digital. This is why I stopped collecting games. I'm thinking the way the publishers do. Maximize profit and minimize expenses. I have no problem buying games at launch for $60 but once I finish them, I trade them in simply because why should I spend more money when I don't have to?

Think of it this way...disc based games lose their value once it gets old and the trade in value decreases over time but with digital games, once you hit the confirm purchase button, there's no value for the consumer whatsoever. It's worth nothing. Even if the game is a classic, how many times are you going to play through the same exact game? Eventually, you're going to get bored and want to play a new and different game.

Here's another little example of why im not nor ever will go all digital -

The new Hitman game that releases in December. You pay $60 and have access to everything that they release throughout 2016. That's all fine and well except for one major problem - you're paying $60 for an unfinished game and are depending on the developer to not just half *** their way through the remainder of what you're supposed to get.

Even Indie games that were once $5-$10 last gen are now $20 at launch. Really??? Come on. No ******* way!!!! There's a saying - "you get what you paid for" - but that never has nor ever will apply to video games.

This generation, I only regret purchasing AC Chronicles China but thankfully, it was only $10. What happens when I pay $60 for a digital only game and end up not liking it? Hell, take Zombie Army Trilogy for example. $50 digitally. $50 on disc but $40 for me thanks to GCU. Traded it in and it ended up costing me $18. Good solid game. 7/10. $18 is not a huge deal but $50??? Hell no.

The only game that I can honestly say that I WANT to pay more money for would be The Witcher 3 and I will do just that when I buy the game again next year once both expansions get released. Why? Because while not perfect, they seem to care a little more than every other developer and publisher and do things their way.

And that brings me to another point of disc versus digital...and yeah, it's rare but when I opened up The Witcher 3, there was a map, two mini manuals, stickers and a thank you note. That shocked the hell out of me. It also put a huge smile on my face and despite never playing a Witcher game before, I was like, damn this developer seems pretty solid, let me give this game a shot. A few hundred hours later, game is the first classic this generation in my opinion.

To have that feeling like I did when I opened up Chrono Trigger, you can't replicate or feel that when buying a game digitally. Not going to happen. And granted, im older than most and old school where as new school loves streaming, digital, etc. but not me. Give me that game that when I open it and see the contents inside that I know im in for a one hell of an experience and an excellent game.

Sorry for the very long post and yeah, I know the majority of you have read it before. But for me, that's why im against gaming going 100% all digital and how it will turn out won't be known until it happens but I would much rather stay with what I currently have now and what im able to do and to get that "hell yeah" thrill when opening up a game and getting ready to play it.

In the end though, to each their own.

[joet6683]

Re: Xbox One

Physical or digital, none of that will really change. Wish Best Buy sold digital codes like Amazon did. I'd use my GCU more.

I wish all retailers could have digital codes as well as disks.

[NYGiants4Natic]

Re: Xbox One

There is no way that if the middle man is cut out from disc version $60 that all digital will be $60 just because is Xbox and Sony owning the stores.

They have to show customers the value in going all digital and it starts with a lower price.

With 60 the customer got something physical but if they remove that aspect and also save themselves from losing money on trades which devs and companies make no money from they will show a lower price to make things easier for the customer to not bitch about it.

I also predict that you will see more and more EA access programs along with perhaps a monthly netflix style thing where you get to play all games for a monthly fee.

They will give the customer options that will soften the blow of losing a disc to call their own.

[ubernoob]

Re: Xbox One

There is no way that if the middle man is cut out from disc version $60 that all digital will be $60 just because is Xbox and Sony owning the stores.

They have to show customers the value in going all digital and it starts with a lower price.

With 60 the customer got something physical but if they remove that aspect and also save themselves from losing money on trades which devs and companies make no money from they will show a lower price to make things easier for the customer to not bitch about it.

I also predict that you will see more and more EA access programs along with perhaps a monthly netflix style thing where you get to play all games for a monthly fee.

They will give the customer options that will soften the blow of losing a disc to call their own.

I am sorry that you don't understand how this works.

[sbauer318]

Re: Xbox One

R.C. Pro Am (Rare Replay) brings back some memories. I loved that game.

[mgoblue]

Re: Xbox One

Article from Ubisoft heads about digital vs. disc price drops

http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertco...-so-expensive/

[NYGiants4Natic]

Re: Xbox One

I am sorry that you don't understand how this works.

We shall see won't we....You claim that we will see 60 digital when no more disc are available and I say they will be a bit lower. I guess only time will tell