Would you miss boxes?

Digital distribution is probably the future, but while the benefits are clear for both publisher and consumer alike, there’s still a reluctance to firmly embrace the download only format. Let’s explore a hypothetical situation: Say that everyone who would ever buy games has a connection to the internet and retailers found a way to not be marginalized. How would you feel about downloading your games as your only purchase option?

[Dramscus]

Not bad I'd still have a bunch of animated game tiles and such. I already enjoy browsing through my psn games. If I didn't have them already I would have bought infamous and mag and lbp from it.

[Dark_Charizard]

Yes, but not as much as I miss cartridges!

[Shok]

Yes, I would. I like having a physical box. I like a physical collection of things. While having a game in a file format is fine and all, I just don't get the same satisfaction unless I have the box to that game sitting on my shelf. It's weird, but it's just how it is.

[DavidMacDougall]

Same, plus its like putting all your eggs in one basket, if your harddrive breaks its taking all your games with it.

[I_find_it_funny]

Same here

[branchedout]

I see what you're saying, but you can re download all those eggs.

Without a harddrive you can't play disk games either way.

Though, redownloading is indeed a pain.

[Commander_TK]

You'll get used to it if u game on PC. U guys who buy on Steam know what I'm talking about.

[UltimateIdiot911]

Suppose something happens to your account or you hit the "download limit". Maybe something happens to the company and the servers that host the games finally shuts down.

It's just not the same as physical disc.

[DavidMacDougall]

Yeah all my steam games are on my account, what happens if theres an error with the account and i lose my games, to many things can go wrong, discs keep it nice and simple.

[AssassinHD]

I would be fine with it. People need to be adaptable to change.

[Kran]

I thought the image was a white picture at first xD

Yes, I would miss boxes. I like to have a copy, just so I have a nice collection to myself. It's like a stamp or coin collection for me.

[Dazel]

I like owning something I can sell later. I keep very few games and wouldn't be able to buy half as many new games without trade ins or eBay profits.

[Jellzy]

I agree. It's great to have boxes and have something to show other than a few bytes on a hdd.

With game's getting bigger, it's unlikely we'll see digital distribution as the sole option next gen (consoles) anyway.

Storage just isn't there yet for anybody. Consoles with a TB hdd would still only be able to hold 20 games at 50gig each assuming next gen games would equate roughly to some of sony's exclusives. Also download speed's just aren't there yet for most gamers either.

I just don't see it unless thing's improve drastically in the next few years as no doubt next gen's consoles are already at the planning stage of some sort.

[Grimhammer00]

Well, a few things to consider.
-DD will not happen for probably decades yet, the infrastructure around the world for data transfer is horrible. Would a hardware company try it in just North America? Bad idea, the fiber optics here isn't much better in terms of coverage. So, DD not happening outside of japan really.

-your provider loves you....loves your downloading right? But magnify that by all 90mill of us and that doesn't include PC or Ninny! The costs for that alone means that the hardware/publishers would have to get in bed with every provider to figure out how to keep the costs down. Not happening.

-we like to be able to trade....and they don't like it, but they'd like the above costs less.

-digital media can get corrupted. Physical media can get scratched.
Guess which one is easier to control.

-cloud services are a likely service for DD, but ONlive is garbage lagfest with downgraded graphics. Can a much bigger Corp like Sony or MS do it better? Likely. But they ain't interested yet....and neither am I. Lol plus, have you guys heard of these fools called hackers? They hurt both DD & physical...but I'm curious which one is affected more?

[Fallouts]

no! i wouldnt...

i dont know why ppl need to have a box, for what? i bet many games out of that little collection will not be touched after the 1st year and will be forgotten when the next gen starts..

all i need is to turn on my tv and be like this is what i got. screw plastic boxes and the manual. less plastic in land fills and more trees for clean oxygen.

how many ppl even read the manual? i cant remember the last time i took it out the box!

i keep reading ppl saying "the world isnt ready" all i know is, my world sure as hell is ready..

[jim2wheels]

"i keep reading ppl saying "the world isnt ready" all i know is, my world sure as hell is ready.."

Well as long as you're sorted, let's not worry about everyone else.

Mind what you say, people might take you for an American.

[NYC_Gamer]

nope,i'll take the cheaper prices over retail boxes.

[chak_]

DD is already my norm, I'm fine with that.

Instant purchase, download the night, make backup, infinite play, no more DVDs the switch.

Perfect world.

The only downside would be steam closing, which is pretty much impossible seeing the current situation, and i'm sure they'd release something for people.

Didn't buy a DVD for...pfff.... ages

[wenaldy]

Your avatar + your statement = Irony

[Fallouts]

i still buy dvd's only cause im a console gamer with not much of a choice. i dont know what gives everyone the impression that it CANT be done when its been done for ages.. you can do it now with older games on live and psn..

just being able to buy a game if your snowed in or its late at night is enough for me to jump in.

[ranma6899]

just goverment will tax you to the death ,for virtual downloads like what sony doing i spent 1.49 they taked me 9 cents ,imagine 60.00 for a game they tax you more i perfer the boxes ,if your systems crash you insert a disc reboot virtual you cant

[chak_]

Which is 6% VAT.

Why shouldn't downloaded things have VAT?

[perfectCarbonara]

I would, but I care more about the environment and our almost depleted resources.

[mushroomwig]

Don't believe propaganda.

[VenomProject]

I guess you think "global warming" is real too, eh?

[Tuxedo_Mask]

I already miss boxes that aren't flimsy thanks to the eco-movement. I still buy CDs, DVDs, and as long as they're available in brick and mortar stores I'll buy games in their physical manifestation too.

Why not attack companies that sell bottled water for not only their wasting of resources but also selling something that's free from any river or fountain? I still have my NES games and the black plastic sleeves some of them came with and I have my PS1 and PS2 games with their cases. If I were to get rid of them I would not throw them away, I would sell them and the cases would go with them.

[twig743]

That is the future but I don't like it. Only because I get such a good deal from Amazon. I would buy less games if I paid full price.

[dragon82]

Yes I will. I love building a physical collection of games.

[Ares84PS3]

I'm with you!

I just love to look at my collection.

Some people collect berr bottles, others collect stemps. I collect videogames and blu-ray movies.

Currently standing at 201 games and 500 movies.

[DoomeDx]

"Currently standing at 201 games and 500 movies."

HOLY SHIT !!!

give me some

[Ares84PS3]

No, I'm greedy and keep it all for myself! :D

[Shackdaddy836]

I love having a physical format for games that I'm really excited for. Theres nothing like opening a game up the first time after waiting ages to play.

Normal games that I want but dont care if I dont get dont matter though.

[iistuii]

Only is not for me. If you buy a single player game or a game you'll likely to finish and not go back to you can at least sell it on eBay and get back at least half your money back towards another game. Digital you have just an option to either keep it or wipe it. I bought heavy rain for £35, finished it sold it for £.28 after a months play that's just one example, there is no way I'd go down the digital track unless of course the games were half the shop price, but that won't happen.
Steam prices are ok in the sales, but why would I pay the same price for a new game that has no disk,no box, no book and no shipping and be stuck with it when I've finished.

[Pandamobile]

Nope.

[Sneak-In]

Yes, I would. Definitely. I'm unconcerned, but download only gaming is the baddest thing that can happen to gamers with a slow internet connection.

[Malebaria]

I´d surely miss my palpable boxes,same with CDs and movies but to each their own.

[christheredhead]

part of gaming, at least for me, is having the physical box with a copy of the manual and a disk. im fine with services like steam as i buy games off there every so often and the prices are pretty awesome compared to a physical copy. then again im the kind of person though who does not trade in my games and will 9 out of 10 times buy the complete box even if it is more expensive. keeping and having the game is just as important to me as playing it.

[ReBurn]

I guess my question is whether it is really going to matter what we want. Technology changes, and there's nothing we can really do about it. People are going to adapt to it, and those of us holding the line for our ideals will just get left behind.

Gosh, look at Steam as an example. People will pay to download games. It's proven. You can leave your PC running when you're away from home and the downloads just happen. Then, when you get home, you fire it up and play.

Some people would be disenfranchised in a download-only world, so I don't think we'll see the end of physical media for a while. People still buy music and movies on disc because that's the only way they can get them. But don't think for a minute that there's a publisher that wouldn't love to kill off physical media and save those overhead costs.

[danielle007]

but when I have a choice, I always like having the physical product. I buy games on Steam and XBL and PSN..

But for full retail releases on the systems, I like ripping the shrink wrap off, and having the boxes, and keeping the disks in super good condition, and keeping the box all nice.. Just one of those things.

[Workshyskiver]

I am contemplating buying loads of dvd holders and getting rid of all my boxes, apart from the odd really snazzy box-set.

[Bromeslice]

As long as they have really good deals like Steam. I can go to the store and get Crackdown for like 5 bucks but on the marketplace its 20. It'll be just another way for companies to rip us off. If the only way to get games is through them then thats a monopoly of sorts

[danielle007]

It goes both ways, though.

Marvel vs Capcom 2 is $40 for PS2 pre-owned at GameStop, while it's $15 on XBL. Rare-ness would become obsolete, which would be kind of nice.

But it will suck when there's no way to trade in old games that I don't play anymore.

[pcz]

Its a con.

a con so they can cut out the middle man and make more profit.

a con so you practically own 'nothing' except data. they will eliminate 'resale value' as you will have nothing to resale. once you buy their digital product you have something that is completely worthless other than the few hours of entertainment it will bring you.

I wont be supporting the digital download con, i want something i can hold, something that has actual worth.

download is for fools

[hazelamy]

call me a luddite if you like but i like being able to hold my purchases in my hand, i just prefer getting something physical in return for my money.

something i can stick on a shelf, that can't be taken away by the publisher, that i can lend and borrow, or sell.

and that's what digital downloads are really about, making sure we can't sell what we've paid for, well that and there being virtually no overheads when compared to boxed product, make one copy and you can make an infinite number of copies at no extra cost, yet oddly the games can often cost the same.

download is great for smaller titles, stuff that would never make it on a retail shelf, for those offbeat smaller games download is perfect, but for bigger games, bigger as in scale, production value, file size and cost, i will always choose something that has portability due to it being on disc, or other storage medium, that is not tied to a single account or user, and can not be taken away on a whim by greedy publishers.

[aaronobst]

Physical copies FTW

love watching a collection grow, lending to friends and going back and replaying old games