The Many Terrible Reasons Why I Don't Buy Digital

Lack of support for digital console games is impacting our wallets and the video games industry at large. What keeps digital store prices so high? One of our writers explores how many gamers may be contributing.

[darthv72]

I buy both digital and physical. some games just arent released in physical form and there is no other choice.

They both have their pros and cons. As a long time gamer (30+ years experience) I support the industry as a whole. some games you just have to hold in your hands while others are perfectly fine in digital form.

There is enough fun to go around no matter which type of consumer you are. I look for deals like the other person but sometimes that new release gets the better of me and I just have to have it no matter how it is packaged.

[Eidolon]

Digital only is a given. I prefer getting the physical copy of the new $60 games because of the resale value :(.

[XtraTrstrL]

When there's a choice, I guess you are usually buying physical then. Digital is rarely ever cheaper than physical, even though there is so much talk of the big companies wanting to go digital-only. They want to stay in good faith with stores like Gamestop, so they get as much profit as possible, so it takes digital longer to go down in price. I've been buying digital only so far on PS4, but it's very hard sometimes when you have a game still listed as $60 digitally and it's around $25 for the physical copy brand new.

[TomShoe]

If there's a choice, I'll always go physical. Being on a budget means when I want a game, I will always try to get it as cheaply as possible. Digital sales just can't keep up with retail right now.

[Eidolon]

I Gamefly most games, but if I really want the game bad and fast, I'll buy on release and try to be done with and get back most my money. Usually the ps store sales is when I get my digital games. And yeah, digital prices are kind of ridiculous compared to physical/used.

[Dirtnapstor]

That and the fact that I can get most new games below cost because of retail incentives.

[ShinMaster]

Games have gotten to big lately.

I only buy smaller games digitally.

For bigger titles I buy physical.

[Codey47]

With also 30 plus years of gaming service...I vowed I wouldn't purchase "current/next gen" digital version of games due to the cost versus physical. I never sell or trade physical games(even if the title happens to be the worst game ever).

But to be honest.. I've embraced it only for one reason alone and that reason is remote play. I can play most of PS4 Library on my Vita 100 miles away from the console itself.
And it's also a blessing that my internet connection can download a 50gb game in under two hours.

[jahfen83]

I was going to do all digital until PSN went down and I couldn't even play the single player of all games cause it couldn't verify the license. After that, I said never again.

[TardcoreGamer]

http://www.gfycat.com/Encha...

[Pro_TactX]

"The many terrible reasons..."? Throughout the entire article the author only listed one single reason: The price of buying retail vs. the price of buying digital.

[vikingland1]

I buy both although I have bought mostly digital in the last year. My closest game store is in another town 15 miles away. Sometimes I just don't want to make the drive so I buy digital. But I still actually love the physical version. But I also like the no disc swapping with the digital version. It's quite a delema going on in my brain lol.

[our_games_are_art]

I'll buy physical if I plan on trading a game in but for the most part I buy digital. Any online multiplayer games I own I definitely get digital I'd hate having to get up and swap disc for a few rounds of pvp. Still the price could be lower on digital

[Eidolon]

You can "share" digital version by activating primary console(PS) or transferring content licences(xbox). I wish I had done this for some games I purchased 2 of so I can play with my brother.

[Bobby Kotex]

I'm 100% digital, on steam for 10 years and currently on PS4 and Xbox One. The advantages outweigh the disadvantages for me. I can afford not to sell my games anyway.

[danny818]

got tomb raider digital. Never again will I buy digital

[Wikkid666]

Why?

[KwietStorm_BLM]

I'll never understand when I see comments talking about going physical because if resale value. As a gamer, I would think that would be the very last thing on your mind. If you straight up can't afford them, fine, but it's always agitated me when I see that thrown out there as a priority.

[Whirlwind_Fanfare_08]

Ever since going digital, i haven't regret it since! the fact i can just quit a game and start up another without swapping discs out, i love it.
Never going back to physical copies again. BTW i don't do trade-ins no more! ;-)

[medman]

@kwietstorm
Why would that bother you? I've sold many a 60 dollar game back to Amazon a month after release for 40 bucks, and put that 40 toward another game. If that game had been digital, I would get no 40 dollars, and have a game on my hard drive I have no interest in returning to, assuming I don't just delete it. Where is the value in that? 40 dollars is 40 dollars. If you can't see the value in a dollar, that is a you problem. I don't know about you, but if I'm handed a choice between 40 dollars and zero dollars, I'm choosing the 40 bucks, Every...Single...Time. This is not to suggest I do this with every game. I buy alot of games and I generally keep the gems and throw the guppies back. I still have nes cartridge games like Ghosts and Goblins, Super Mario Bros., and R.C. Pro Am. So I collect quite a few, but I'm not going to keep them all, and it's nice to get some return on the one's I choose not to hang onto.

[KwietStorm_BLM]

You missed my point but ok.

[Tankbusta40]

I saved all my nes Sega ps1 n64 games from my child Hood...you know where they are? Sitting in a box in a closet. I very rarely take them out to replay...so around the Ps2 era I realized keeping games are just a waste of space and might as well trade them in

[toddybad]

That's a ridiculous argument. The sensible consumer choice is to purchase something that still has value once it's been used. This is common to any product.

[InTheZoneAC]

Yes it sucks to have to wait for certain games to come down, one's that you don't want to get on launch day, but I have gone digital for ps3, ps4, vita, wii u and 3ds and don't regret it one bit.

I wish I kept my old nes, snes, virtual boy, gameboy's and ps1. Well if I download my stuff then I can keep it forever and not worry about cluttering the room.

I don't worry about resale because I want to keep my games and this means I try to get what I know I'll like and if something is new I'll just try the demo.

PS+ also swayed me into going all digital because of their frequent sales to keep up with some retail pricing. I can wait for certain games to come down simply because of all the great games I got for free or discounted. I'll never catch up on my backlog.

It's also convenient to just browse the system for games and just pick one instantly. No discs to worry about.

If I didn't have but a few games then I could understand owning discs, but I don't mind saving space and no one else I know has a ps4 that wants to borrow games.

Movies are a different story, I use them in multiple places so I prefer physical copies.

[TardcoreGamer]

Sounds like a typical console peasant to me.

[Roccetarius]

Physical is always the first option for me, if it's available. If it's digital only, then i just wait until the price goes down. All you get with digital is a license to play, instead of having something that can be used when a service shuts down.

One example is Witcher 3 next year. You're not restricted by a service like Steam, if you buy that physical version.

[xxmagicmanx]

I buy digital games on my Xbox One and my son can have the game too. For $60.00 we can play the same game at the same time even MP in different console not limited. Playstation share can't beat that

[Tdmd]

Digital games should be cheaper and consoles shoud come with bigger hard drives (at least 1tb). Otherwise, I rather keep feeding my physical collection.