daredevil.shark said: I love manuals. They are integral part of retail games. After opening a game I always smell game box and manuals.

Nothing beats that new game feeling. Too bad it doesn't work for digital :P

Mystro-Sama said: daredevil.shark said: I love manuals. They are integral part of retail games. After opening a game I always smell game box and manuals. Nothing beats that new game feeling. Too bad it doesn't work for digital :P

Yup.

Nintentacle said: daredevil.shark said: I love manuals. They are integral part of retail games. After opening a game I always smell game box and manuals. Good, I'm not the only one.

Yeah.

Cheebee said: Nintentacle said: daredevil.shark said: I love manuals. They are integral part of retail games. After opening a game I always smell game box and manuals. Good, I'm not the only one. I do that too. X'D They just smell so nice!

Yup, me too!

Manuals are a really outdated concept. Nowadays the game itself includes all of that information. When was the last time anyone opened a manual for game help? I've messed around with digital manuals on both Vita and Wii U, but they just seem pointless. There are a few reasons why core gamers prefer a physical manual over in game options, but what makes digital manuals better than in game info?

If one came with "Don't Starve" I definitely would have consulted to figure out how to bring up the map. Turns out you depress the touchpad.

Oh yeah I had that same problem. I saw youtube videos with it and just assumed the map was crafted.

You could have pressed options and then controls to figure out how to bring it up. The manual isn't needed. However in this case I just think it's bad game design. No game needs to explain X is jump, but since the PS4 is new these launch games need to explain touchpad is "select." Don't Starve should have put a very simple reminder while the game is loading.

Video game manuals started to lose their value as the age of the average gamer increased (most people could figure out controls) and with the rise of  the Internet. What I always liked about them , however, was the authenticity and artwork that  they often had. It seems as if games in general are slowly losing their attention on fine details. =(

Sad to see manuals go, but I am glad to see Nintendo putting some effort into the digital replacement. I always read the manual before playing a game. It used to be a great way to introduce you to the mood and atmosphere of the game, although that has only been the case for a small number of publishers for years now.