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Forums - Microsoft Discussion - Physical media is like "having a dead body handcuffed" to Xbox One

archer9234 on 01 August 2013
endimion said:
Well me I'm ecologically against physical media period.... between the plastic waste, from the box, the ink, the blister warp, the metal, the waste of energy to press box ship and all those people driving around to get them... the good old I can't wait to dl because my connection is too slow or I just want to own a plastic dust collector because it's my choice, just seem arrogant and self-centered... they should gas you with the fumes of the burning plastic....

Btw I'm in no way a tree huger but I at least try to do my share when it is easily accessible and doable without a lot of personal constraints


You really can't have it in one area but not complain about it, in say how your TV, fridge, sofa etc. are manufatured and delivered. Discs are not wasted. Unless it's thrown out. Even then, everything is recyable to a degree. You can even argue the shipping. Games aren't the only thing delvered in the plane, train, boat, or truck. Other things are shipping with them.



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Adinnieken on 01 August 2013
archer9234 said:
Adinnieken said:
Digital only doesn't mean you have to download it.

Let's use Microsoft in this case. Microsoft could provide a kiosk at a retail location, where you make your purchase. From that kiosk, you insert a thumb stick, enter in your gamertag, and it copies your copy of the game to the thumb drive.

Go home, stick it in your console, and either it just works or you enter in a code from your receipt to fully license it. No long downloads. For those who have fast connections or are willing to wait, they can download directly from home, but for those who can't a quick and easy way to get the game.

Or maybe you purchase the game via your console but obtain the game via the kiosk using your mobile phone as verification. Walk up to the kiosk send the authorization code to the kiosk from your phone, it copies a fully licensed copy to your thumb drive or once again provides you with a code to plug in when you get home and install it.

You could also have a Special Edition digital retail package too. Where you get a special edition thumb drive with the game installed on it, a code to enter in, and possibly other goodies.

Digital doesn't have to mean download only. There are options with digital.


So your going to the store. Downloading the game. Then downloading the game to your system. All to avoid disc loading which would be faster. And you'd need a 64GB SDXC card. Still not cheap yet. What if you buy more than one game. You'd need more cards or a bigger SD card. More waiting. 256GB SDXC is over 500$ The point of digital is to avoid going to the store is it not? And switching the game to a thumb drive in a retail pacakge is just changing the media its stored on. You'd still add in an extra step. Unless you can run the game off the thumb drive. Which voids a digital option again.

No, you're copying the game at the store, and installing the game on your console.  Copying is infinitely faster than downloading.

You wouldn't use an SD card.  If you really wanted to, you could use an external HDD, but a thumb drive is much more convenient.  Most games will fit on 32GB, but otherwise if they were larger you'd need 50GB.  Just because a Blu-Ray holds 50GB doesn't mean games will be that big.  They rarely exceeded 10GB Gen 7, I doubt they will be bigger than 32GB early in this generation.

64GB SanDisk USB Flash drive is $40.  For $80 you can get two (128GB).  For $160 you can get four (256GB).

The ability to download at home is a potential feature/benefit for consumers, but it isn't the only benefit.  I would say the primary feature/benefit of digital distribution for consumers is lower priced games.     

As for the USB Flash Drive, once you've installed the game you can leave it on the flash drive or delete it.  If you need to copy it again for archival purposes, just copy it from your internal HDD to an external HDD.  Neither system, even with disc-based games, will allow you to play off the disc in Gen 8.  Both PS4 and Xbox One will require an install.  If a game was distributed on a flash drive, you'd install it from the flash drive and then you'd be able to remove the flash drive and either archive it or delete the game off it.  It wouldn't be necessary to run the game.



Adinnieken on 01 August 2013
wick said:

Or you could just go to a store and hand over cash in exchange for a disc and go home and play it.

WOW

The point missed is that downloads can be facilitated by kiosk, and a digitally distributed game would, more than likely, be cheaper even if available at a retail kiosk.  The exception would be if the game is distributed in a special edition on a flash drive.  It would, obviously, increase the cost but the flash drive would be reusable.



Adinnieken on 01 August 2013
Trunkin said:
archer9234 said:
Adinnieken said:
Digital only doesn't mean you have to download it.

Let's use Microsoft in this case. Microsoft could provide a kiosk at a retail location, where you make your purchase. From that kiosk, you insert a thumb stick, enter in your gamertag, and it copies your copy of the game to the thumb drive.

Go home, stick it in your console, and either it just works or you enter in a code from your receipt to fully license it. No long downloads. For those who have fast connections or are willing to wait, they can download directly from home, but for those who can't a quick and easy way to get the game.

Or maybe you purchase the game via your console but obtain the game via the kiosk using your mobile phone as verification. Walk up to the kiosk send the authorization code to the kiosk from your phone, it copies a fully licensed copy to your thumb drive or once again provides you with a code to plug in when you get home and install it.

You could also have a Special Edition digital retail package too. Where you get a special edition thumb drive with the game installed on it, a code to enter in, and possibly other goodies.

Digital doesn't have to mean download only. There are options with digital.


So your going to the store. Downloading the game. Then downloading the game to your system. All to avoid disc loading which would be faster. And you'd need a 64GB SDXC card. Still not cheap yet. What if you buy more than one game. You'd need more cards or a bigger SD card. More waiting. 256GB SDXC is over 500$ The point of digital is to avoid going to the store is it not? And switching the game to a thumb drive in a retail pacakge is just changing the media its stored on. You'd still add in an extra step. Unless you can run the game off the thumb drive. Which voids a digital option again.

Not to mention the horrifically long waiting lines on launch day.

It would take as little as 16 seconds to transfer 50GB from a HDD to a USB 3.0 Flash Drive/HDD.

OMG!  The wait!!!!



Zappykins on 01 August 2013
archer9234 said:

Why is it so hard for people to accept that there is just people that want to own what they purchase. And not have it just as files, depend on HDD space, and accounts. How is physical with digital in anyway hampering digital. Microsoft was the one that "removed" the family share plan. Nothing was blocking them from retaining it with discs around. Or any other benefit that digital gives. It's all there for people who want that stuff. Plus, a ton of other factors are involved when people choose which way to go. Internet caps is one of them.

Think of it like a record LP vs an MP3 player.  (For this we are going to assume that the sound quality is the same, which it is not, but the game purposes would be the same.)

One get's worn out and scratch, hard to move around.  They add up an get heavy; you have to store them.  They get ruined in flood, fires, earthquakes and other disasters.   You have to get them to put them in the machine to play them.  They can be stolen, broken, and tripped over.  And the quality degrades every time you use it.

The other never wears out, always sounds the same, can be taken anywhere.  It's light an mobile.  You can have hundreds and it doesn't take up any space.  You can switch instantly from anything to anything.  As log as you can long in from any system to can get access to all your music/files/music/games anywhere on any device.

I think for some people physically owning the game is nearly a fetish or like hoarding things, some word to describe that, but for the rest of us, digital is great. 

Currently it's an easy choice.  But, like Music, I don't think it will be like that in a few more years.



 

Really not sure I see any point of Consol over PC's since Kinect, Wii and other alternative ways to play have been abandoned. 

Top 50 'most fun' game list coming soon!

 

Tell me a funny joke!
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Subie_Greg on 02 August 2013

Companies like Microsoft and Sony could easily make digital games more appealing by selling digital copies cheaper and offering more or better preorder bonus.

But we haven't seen that so far

Now they charge the same or more for many of the games found on XBL or PS Store. And the preorder bonus suck compared to what Gamestop or Best Buy offer.



starcraft on 02 August 2013
archer9234 said:

Why is it so hard for people to accept that there is just people that want to own what they purchase. And not have it just as files, depend on HDD space, and accounts. How is physical with digital in anyway hampering digital. Microsoft was the one that "removed" the family share plan. Nothing was blocking them from retaining it with discs around. Or any other benefit that digital gives. It's all there for people who want that stuff. Plus, a ton of other factors are involved when people choose which way to go. Internet caps is one of them.

How ridiculous. 

IF they kept the ability to share with ten people each without any restrictions on reselling disks you could quite feasibly have seen 100 people playing one copy of a game over the course of 12 months.



starcraft - Playing Games = FUN, Talking about Games = SERIOUS

Player2 on 02 August 2013

If he's sure having physical media is a bad choice he should make his own console without it.



The Fury on 02 August 2013

Royal Leamington Spa. Amateur journalists. :P

Yeah, I don't agree with a lot he says here but let him go to this precious Mobile market.



Hmm, pie.

binary solo on 02 August 2013
gooch_destroyer said:

Physical media is like "having a dead body handcuffed" to Xbox One

Thu 01 Aug 2013 7:57am GMT / 3:57am EDT / 12:57am PDT
BusinessPublishing

Codemasters founder and industry veteran David Darling feels physical media is a lost cause

Kwalee

Kwalee is a brand new start up developer and publisher of smartphone apps based in Leamington Spa, England.



Kwalee...

kwalee.com/index.htm...

"It was interesting how the market did pull back with Microsoft," he says. "I don't think Microsoft sold it in the right way - they weren't strong enough. I don't think they should have had a physical drive on Xbox One - it's like having a dead body handcuffed to you. It's dragging along this dead body and it's going to slow them down. They've let the market pull them back but I think that was a mistake."

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2013-08-01-physical-media-is-like-having-a-dead-body-handcuffed-to-xbox-one

Pretty much what I thought. MS should have gone all in with digital rather than go in half arsed. They would be alienating the physical media fans either way, but at least with ditching it all together they couldn't be accused of being DRM jerks.



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