Microsoft: We don't want to upset Xbox 360 retailers with Games on Demand

[Zappykins]

Adinnieken said:
If for Xbox 8 Microsoft is essentially using the disc as the means of distributing the software, not providing the ability to play from it, than it is likely that not far down the road will be the ability to walk into a store with a USB thumb drive, purchase a game, copy it to your thumb drive, and install it on your computer.

Go into Best Buy, log into a kiosk, stick your thumb drive in, slide your credit card in, and your game of choice is copied to your thumb drive. The only thing you have to do is stick it in your console where the license is tied to your device, and you're off to the races.

While I like your idea, I don't think it even needs to be that hard.  They should give retailers the option of selling the game on disk or the game on digital.  Disk would be the standard thing it is now (disk, case, booklet), digital would just be a code and a map/booklet.  You enter the code, and the game downloads for you - when the console is off if you have a slow connection.

That way they still have to come into the store for a purchase- but the stores can save space, shipping, and offer more games - as a digital card takes so much less space, shipping and manufacturing energy that a disk and case.  I bought Alan Wake digitally, and that's about all it was (although it was just a card, and no little booklet.)   And if I delete it, I'm supposed to be able to download it again, for free.  The nice benefit is I don’t have to go hunting for a disk if I want to play.

I remember the numbers last year something like half of things sold digitally on Microsoft's Consoles went through a retail store.  Either the game, or the MS points cards, etc, half were connected to retail.  It does not benefit anyone to lose the retail experience and put Gamestop out of business.