| okr said: More like 5 years. Physical gaimeng media will die with the end of this gen. |
People said that physical media was dying 5 or 6 years ago, and it's still going strong.
Great. I'm not going to stop buying games on disks until they stop making them 
!
I don't get online at some stages. One bloodborne patch pissed the hell out on me when my savegames were rendered useless and RE revelations required online authentication from time to time. This is why physical media still makes sense and is reliable when network issues arise. The bloodborne patch is a different thing in regards to topic but pertaining to how online connectivity and digital copies are concerned, they can be such a pain in the ass and you wished you had the disc versions
okr said:
Quote from the OP: "By the end of this year, global sales of console games delivered over the Internet, no disc required, are expected to hit $5.6 billion, up 14 percent from last year, according to PwC." 14% increase in just one year on consoles, i.e. despite popular belief console gamers are already and pretty quickly switching. Next gen the industry won't give gamers the choice anymore. Next gen games won't be inserted, they will be either downloaded or streamed, regardless of individual bandwidth limitations or data caps. It already works on PC, where within a few weeks after release on Steam 2.5 million gamers downloaded the 65GB of GTA V and more than 550.000 already downloaded the 35GB of The Witcher 3 (Steam alone, not counting its original platform GOG), it will easily work on consoles next gen. Game prices will probably be a bit lower on consoles next gen (if gamers are lucky), profits will be higher though than today. And in the end most console-only gamers will accept and even embrace any change, like they always did, see paywall for online play combined (to make it look like a bargain) with selected monthly "free" digital (aha!) games they never would have bought in the first place. |
I bet most of those downloads last year were in the US and other 1st world countries that have access to good internet. Not everyone around the world has access to decent internet. Even in the US there are people who have crappy dial-up and satelite internet because that is the only option. How on earth will digital only become a widespread thing? Who wants to wait 24 hours for a ~60GB game to download? This will be even worse if games get bigger next gen. If the big 3 force the world to change, then they will fall flat on their face. Acevil already mentioned data caps. Do you really think people will run up their internet bill to play a game? Yes it happened with music and movies, but I just don't see it happening that fast with games. Come to think of it, physical never went away with movies and music.
As for game prices, I don't see that happening either, but that's a topic for another thread.
| IamAwsome said: If the big 3 force the world to change, then they will fall flat on their face. Acevil already mentioned data caps. Do you really think people will run up their internet bill to play a game?
|
Yes, I think console-only gamers will accept almost anything as long as they can play their games on a console. Just like Xbox owners accepted fee-required online play last gen and PS owners this gen. If Microsoft would theoretically buy the worldwide exclusive rights to all 3rd party JRPGs, most JRPGs fans would follow. If an industry forces you to accept a change, most people will follow. I am no exception. Steam basically forced the worldwide PC community to accept digital games if they didn't want to lose access to many PC games. Not all of them followed but millions did, including myself. Did we want it or ask for it? Nope. We had no choice. RE technichal concerns or limitations: I wouldn't be surprised if Microsoft and Sony will find a (fee-required) solution for any technical issue. The shift to digital-only is still a few years away anyway.
I''m not saying I want consoles to go digital-only next gen, I'm just saying I will be suprised if they won't. If there will be a next gen in the first place.
| burninmylight said: That said, anyone who thinks physical media is going away any time soon is bonkers. A couple of years ago, I let a friend who didn't even have home Internet service of his own download a few games to his PS3. About 8 gigs of data took around 12 hours on a stable 3 Mbps connection.
|
That's why M$'s strategy would have worked. They release physical copies that need to be registered online and gives you digital rights without needing a disc anymore. They work like install discs. Sell it to gamestop and they provide digital codes when they resell.
@Topic:
I've been going all digital on my games since all these cheap deals on 360 and PS3 came about. I love scrolling through my hundreds of games and not having to swap discs, because it's a hassle. Eventually cases will wear out from opening and tabs break, discs scratch, disc drive lasers get worn out and I lose calories that I don't have to by swapping discs. I only buy collector's edtions and never open them. Then when games go on sale digital, I buy them. I have a backlog of over 1000 digital games, so I can wait for new games to get cheap before I jump in.
Downloading off the internet is the only downfall. The best way to do this is by having stores sell you digital codes, along with an install disc, which was what M$ was doing. Another way is to borrow a copy of the game from a friend or redbox and install it. Then take the disc out and then buy a digital copy online. The digital rights will be added to your install and you won't need a disc anymore. That's how it works on Xbone.
Both Sony and Microsoft are working on Digital Trade and it should be announced at E3.
pbroy said:
That's why M$'s strategy would have worked. They release physical copies that need to be registered online and gives you digital rights without needing a disc anymore. They work like install discs. Sell it to gamestop and they provide digital codes when they resell. @Topic: I've been going all digital on my games since all these cheap deals on 360 and PS3 came about. I love scrolling through my hundreds of games and not having to swap discs, because it's a hassle. Eventually cases will wear out from opening and tabs break, discs scratch, disc drive lasers get worn out and I lose calories that I don't have to by swapping discs. I only buy collector's edtions and never open them. Then when games go on sale digital, I buy them. I have a backlog of over 1000 digital games, so I can wait for new games to get cheap before I jump in. Downloading off the internet is the only downfall. The best way to do this is by having stores sell you digital codes, along with an install disc, which was what M$ was doing. Another way is to borrow a copy of the game from a friend or redbox and install it. Then take the disc out and then buy a digital copy online. The digital rights will be added to your install and you won't need a disc anymore. That's how it works on Xbone. |
the problem is that it was the the only Way MS intentend it to be. And PS4 offers the same what the X1 does now, it has a buy button on every game installed from Disc games in the crossbar menu
Retail version is always my favorite.
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