I downright refuse to pay full game prices for DD media.

If they want to go for fully digital makes those games $10-20 for something we don't own.

I like to display and hold onto what i buy.  It actually makes me feel like i actually bought something and can see where my money went lol $60 for a game..ohhh i better see it to believe it lol

I can see DD doing well for small devices such as music for MP3 players and games for portable gaming.

Once we reach an all digital distribution gaming future, then I'm quitting and finding another hobby. I can't bring myself to pay for a piece of media that isn't physical. The cons far outway the pros for me so far.

Pros

- Convenient

- Easy to find rarer games

Cons

- I do not own the game

- The service that is providing the game may not be around forever

- My bandwidth does not support the amount of games I would have to download to match the amount that I buy now.

- The prices are controlled by the service provider (Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo) and the competition will be non existent.

- No manuals,box arts, special editions etc

- Everything will be compressed so that the file size can be kept as small as it can.

- DRM

- Can't resell, trade in or give away

- My shelves become useless

- I can't sit back and admire my collections (I collect games, books and movies) and I also can't show them off when people come over.

- It takes me longer to download a 1.5 gig demo, than it does to drive to a shop and just buy the game.

I'm ok with DD so long as.

Its competitively priced. Given we dont own anything and cannot resell the media I think that the costs should fall by at least 50 percent.

Companies reckon they are losing billions to piracy so they should have no problem slashing the RRP given all the extra monies that will come rolling in with DD.

Its time to put up or shut up !

AAA games for 30 bucks

You raise a good point, it does offer the publisher more control, but more than that it adds higher profits and gets rid of the second-hand market. Because of this, DD needs to offer more value to the end user before it can become mainstream.

I'm a little confused on your point about paid monthly subscription and cancelling your account. All the digital download services I use for games (don't know about music and film) are free (except the actual purchases). Even X-box Live still lets you download games with a Silver membership. And how many companies actually get rid of account info? I thought they were obliged to keep your info on record, even in an "inactive" state. Account details don't exactly take up much space.

Anyway, new laws have to come into effect to clarify all this about digitally downloaded products. It's all fairly new and the laws are still a bit wishy washy.

There's good and bad things that come from it ... and overall I think it mostly balances out. I think it would be nice if publishers passed on the savings to consumers when they release digitally distributed games, but with how many low cost good games I haven't played that are available because the cost of keeping them "in stock" is non-existent I'm willing to accept the gouging on new games; and the games I'm unwilling to pay full price for will still be good when they are half the price.

digital distribution all the way and fortunately the market seems to agree.

As a consumer, thus a member of the market I have to disagree. Publishers, developers and console makers are not the market, they create products for the market who is the consumers.

If the industry was the market, then Other M would have pushed 1 million units instead of looking to be the worst selling Metroid game of all time possibly falling below Super Metroid's 1.42 million lifetime sales. Likewise, how do you explain Alan Wake which was widely heralded within the industry, but got smoked and rolled by Red Dead Redemption? How do you explain Michael Pachter downplaying Red Dead Redemption as not going to be a smash hit, yet it has already sold 6 to 7 million copies?

So please tell me who is this "market" whom a majority agrees "digital distribution" is "all the way?"

I apologize for my tone. I just get a little uppity over vague comments to the effect it is already a done deal by the VPs and upper managment without running it by the consumers who are the market. Furthermore, I don't trust upper management because with their golden parachutes they can push DD or some fad of the year to pad their resumes and jump ship to another VP job before the effects of their ridiculous proposals are realized.

well Microsoft is pretty much screwed really

they have two choices , they can move to Blu Ray and risk doing what Sony did and have an system with no games

or go DD which they certainly want since it removes the middle man, and never have to cut prices on games and subscription traps they can pull on you. 

Digital Distribution in gaming will fail while for movie rentals and demos and small games its the future.

there is NO way i am downloading a game at 30gig to have a chance of having to do it again.