Pros and Cons of going to an all-digital game library

[ODogg]

Re: Pros and Cons of going to an all-digital game library

So it appears Microsoft is considering doing a bit more with digital games. I just completed a rather long survey asking me about my buying habits, why I preferred physical or digital, pros and cons of each, what would get me to buy more digital, etc. To that I answered two things, lower price and loyalty rewards.

One of the questions they said was "Would you be willing to trade-in your digital game back for credit to your account? I answered yes.

They also asked about why I still buy physical (cost mostly is how I answered) and if I'd like to be able to loan out digital games, trade them, give them to family and friends etc.

It really bodes well I think for the future of digital based upon the questions that comprised this survey.

[Brandwin]

Re: Pros and Cons of going to an all-digital game library

So it appears Microsoft is considering doing a bit more with digital games. I just completed a rather long survey asking me about my buying habits, why I preferred physical or digital, pros and cons of each, what would get me to buy more digital, etc. To that I answered two things, lower price and loyalty rewards.

One of the questions they said was "Would you be willing to trade-in your digital game back for credit to your account? I answered yes.

They also asked about why I still buy physical (cost mostly is how I answered) and if I'd like to be able to loan out digital games, trade them, give them to family and friends etc.

It really bodes well I think for the future of digital based upon the questions that comprised this survey.

Interesting - I know the two main reasons I don't go all digital is price and trade in value. If someone could come up with a way to get lower prices (year subscription like Gamers Club Unlocked I would pay for) and maybe even a trade in system, add a rewards system as well, and I wouldn't hesitate to go all digital.

I don't care as much as taking games to friends houses or finding a way to let people borrow digital games, so those aren't huge issues for me.

[mgoblue]

Re: Pros and Cons of going to an all-digital game library

Interesting - I know the two main reasons I don't go all digital is price and trade in value. If someone could come up with a way to get lower prices (year subscription like Gamers Club Unlocked I would pay for) and maybe even a trade in system, add a rewards system as well, and I wouldn't hesitate to go all digital.

I don't care as much as taking games to friends houses or finding a way to let people borrow digital games, so those aren't huge issues for me.

If I could trade a digital game back for a decent enough value then it's much nicer for me vs. a disc.

I'll say it again, I'd love what MS was originally selling for Xbox One...just the stupid media and people overreacted to what was going to happen eventually.

[mestevo]

Re: Pros and Cons of going to an all-digital game library

Yeah, a lot of that was part of the original plan for the Xbox One.

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[Smooth Pancakes]

Re: Pros and Cons of going to an all-digital game library

Thankfully, it sounds like they aren't just going to let those plans die, but rather, via a PR process and getting the public to better understand what they want to do and achieve, still bring some of those ideas out in the future.

[ODogg]

Re: Pros and Cons of going to an all-digital game library

If I could trade a digital game back for a decent enough value then it's much nicer for me vs. a disc.

I'll say it again, I'd love what MS was originally selling for Xbox One...just the stupid media and people overreacted to what was going to happen eventually.

They are talking 10%, or basically $6 and I'm not sure that's enough to be honest. I think they would be better to do like Gamestop or Best Buy and give a percentage based upon the age and popularity of the game.

So for example lets say you bought The Division on day one and buddied up with someone who constantly said PANCAKE to you again and again so you decided to get rid of the game and disappear. You really should get like $20 I'd think for it.

But let's say you want to digitally trade in Madden 15 that is taking up space, for that you get $5.

I don't know, it just seems like $6 for any and all games is not a good idea.

[sbauer318]

Re: Pros and Cons of going to an all-digital game library

We would like it if they would do better but they don't need to. It's not like they can resell a used digital copy and make money. They're basically just giving you a partial refund.

[ODogg]

Re: Pros and Cons of going to an all-digital game library

We would like it if they would do better but they don't need to. It's not like they can resell a used digital copy and make money. They're basically just giving you a partial refund.

Tell me why they can't resell a digital license? Yes it's a bit more abstract but it's still a license. When you give up that license they re-acquire that and can then resell it is what I would think.

In other words, Ubisoft gives Microsoft 100,000 digital licenses of The Division. Lets say they sell 80,000. Microsoft gives Ubisoft their profit, lets say 8 million dollars.

Out of those 80,000 people, lets say half sell their license back to Microsoft a month later. So now Microsoft has 60,000 licenses to sell again (20,000 unsold plus the 40,000 they got back by paying their users for them).

Microsoft can now sell 60,000 licenses to the public for and pay Ubisoft another 6 million dollars.

In other words, I don't get why people think that a digital license cannot be resold. It's not "used" as in the sense a physical copy is, data is data.

Maybe I'm missing something here, if so please let me know but I really don't see what the issue is with reselling a license, at full value, once it's re-acquired back to Microsoft and removed from a users hard drive who has given it up for $6 or whatever..

[mestevo]

Re: Pros and Cons of going to an all-digital game library

They're not assets, is why, and the economics of game development don't work that way as I understand them. Developers pay a fee per copy for licensing, rather than provide a finite allotment available for purchase.

[mgoblue]

Re: Pros and Cons of going to an all-digital game library

They would have to have used licenses they resell I think....where there's a limited number of used ones based on the number of people who traded it in...

In theory.

6 bucks is too little for me right now, but it's the right track.

[Smooth Pancakes]

Re: Pros and Cons of going to an all-digital game library

10% may be too little, but I am glad that there is finally discussion on the topic starting. Hopefully fruitful suggestion and opinions can be gained from these surveys and something realistic can come out of it. No sure wouldn't mind "trading in" some of my one or two year old digital sports games that I don't touch anymore.

[ODogg]

Re: Pros and Cons of going to an all-digital game library

Yeah I've got like 5 or 6 old sports games that I'd gladly take $30 credit for in the store


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[jfsolo]

Re: Pros and Cons of going to an all-digital game library

As someone who has been all digital for a couple of years now, selling games back even for just a few bucks would be great to me.

[donkey33]

Re: Pros and Cons of going to an all-digital game library

Timed could be good. Trade in early, slightly larger return. After a set time, the 10%.

[RoyalBoyle78]

Re: Pros and Cons of going to an all-digital game library

I'm still all digital and will always be. My disk drive has like 0% wear and tear, not nothing. Love being all digital.

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