Digital Downloads vs. Physical Disks

With the arrival of next generation consoles in less than a month and all the promise of digital goodies that the PS4 and Xbone bring, it is time to reflect on where digital downloads and real world disks stand in the console race and where we are going.

[KnowAll]

I will get MP games digitaly so I can start them whenever I want

[IRON883]

I'm still gonna stick with discs for know I like to have a collection next to my ps4:)

[Cloudyday71]

To the PS-Owl website who posted this - it is not spelt 'disks' it is spelt 'discs.'

Disk is short for diskette which were magnetic media in a plastic case.

[malokevi]

I'm going all digital, and consolidating as many games as I can on my Xbox. The way I see it, the Xbox was designed for digital games, and the ability to summon them on command (literally) will make my gaming experience so much more fluid.

No longer will I need to dig into my massive disk collection when I want to play something.

[305LoneWolf]

Disc based all the way,.. Those big downloads for digital games are a pain in the ass

[pyramidshead]

Judging by the size of the downloadable game files and the state of my internet connection... there's no way I'm going digital for AAA. Quite possibly digital for indie though.

[ZombieKiller]

Not to mention you can't trade in games. I don't do that at all really but at least the option is there. I used Craigslist to sell a few old PS3 games and I got $30 for each disc instead of the Gamestop special of trading a happy meal for it.

Disc based games for me. There can be a few exceptions though. I think if you play alot of COD all day, it's best for the console to run off the HDD. Other than that, I'd rather save the hard drive space for installs, movies, and stuff I WANT to have on there. I went bezerk with my PS3, filled it with 250GB of movies before Crap Ops II made me restore it.

[TimeSkipLuffy]

Before next gen disc based because it is cool, you can sell the games, etc.

with next gen digital because access a large game library without changing a disc, no disc damage, install size for disc sometimes/often the same as PSN size XD

and of course: REMOTE PLAY! Because there is no one who is going to change the disc for me if I want to play a different game ^^

[ZombieKiller]

NEVER THOUGHT OF REMOTE PLAY!

Good call. I really like that idea dude

[ZBlacktt]

Always a game collector. So Physical I always buy.

[shiftymorgan]

For AAA single player games I will probably buy the disc version so I can lend to friends and family but multiplayer games I am going digital.
When your down with a multiplayer game they never have value and I don't generally lend out those kind of games

[Neonridr]

Unless you have amazing internet speeds and an unlimited monthly bandwith, you may want to reconsider digital downloads.

Not only are these games going to be in the 30-50 GB range, but it will take you all day at a good speed to download that entire game. If you are having spotty speeds it could take you several days..

I think Digital Sales are going to take a hit next gen unless internet providers all start upping their services.

[Bladesfist]

I can download a 25gb file in an hour and my speeds are not amazing.

[Neonridr]

lol. Define not amazing.

60 mins to download 25 GB is downloading at a rate of over 7MB/s at a constant rate.

I usually never get more than 2 or 3 MB/s when downloading a torrent file...

So clearly your idea of not amazing is way off.

[amnalehu]

There are pros and cons to both. I can see why a lot of people want an actual disc. I have elected to go digital when ever possible with the PS4 for these reasons:

-games can't be lost damaged or stolen
-PS Vita remote play ease of use
-save space in my home
-PS4 UI is better suited for digital content

[famoussasjohn]

Physical for consoles. I prefer digital only on PC.

Unless of course it's the Walking Dead Game from Telltale, then definitely digital on console.

[theXtReMe1]

I'm going all-digital for the next generation, because I want to be able to stream my entire collection of PS4 games to my Vita. Can't do that if I need a disc installed to play a certain game. Kind of hard to change discs from a remote location, halfway around the world. :)

[GirlOnFire]

Digital is only good on PlayStation because I share a game with my friend. I saved a lot of money. I like disc for major releases like Last of Us, Bioshock infinite, Beyond 2 souls, or single player games. Other then that PS Plus gives us digital heaven of games. ^~^

[MaverickStar7]

If I'm paying the same price I'll take the disc every time. But some of the PS+ sales prices on games and bundles are way too good to pass up.

[Thenightwing]

No for digital. Nothing like buying a game to have it go on the PS+ instant game collection and not get a dine for it. At least if it goes on the instant game collection I can sellmy regular copy.

[BLAKHOODe]

I'll get games that my 6 year old can play digitally, like Kinect Sports Rivals. I don't want her handling disc at that age, but I want the games she'll play to be easily accessible to her.