Same here.

Shadow1980 is correct. And, for the record, I have both a PS3 and a PS4 that are permanently offline (the PS3 is the original 60GB and the PS4 is my launch model that was replaced by my Pro). Both systems run any disc that I or friends who use said systems have put in them without internet. Sony has absolutely no idea whatsoever what games are successfully installed and run on any account on either of these systems and has absolutely no power whatsoever to revoke my ability to play said games on either of these systems. While I'm not saying digital doesn't have some advantages, this is, I would argue, an advantage for physical copies of games.

Not trying to be a contrarian, but I cannot access any of my digital purchases on the original Xbox (like the DLC for Ninja Gaiden). When MS shut that service down, MS took away my ability to re-download all of my digital purchases for that system. I understand that this may not be the norm, but it is a valid example nonetheless. Also, I know this isn't gaming (and I'm honestly not trying to pick on MS), but I believe people also lost access to their purchased music for their Zune after the Groove Music Store was shut down (source).

I don't know what your network setup is, but it could be your ISP, DNS, or your router. I have a 300Mbps fiber optic connection, but my download speeds on the PSN and Xbox Live were only about 8MB/s (wired). Then I got a WiFi 6 router and I'm looking at about 20-25MB/s (still wired). I also never stick to my ISP's DNS. *shrug*

Skipping patches is never ideal especially in this time of age. Also many claiming you can play games offline because you own the disks are also the same people subscribing to Live and PSN to also play those same games online. The principle of owning games on consoles is far from true and very contradicting in some aspects.

There is nothing wrong with collecting, i like collecting as well however its nothing more than a cosmetic now. A good example would be that I own physical games that no longer work due to many reasons, some no longer work due to damage, some no longer work due to iv lost them, some no longer work due to the hardware that runs them no longer works and some no longer work because the servers shut down, having the physical versions did not save them. Warhammer Online is a game that comes to mind, and i brought the $200 collectors edition. Also for the record, all my digital games on Steam still work today. My SNES Doom game no longer works well and sometimes just doesn't work at all where as my Doom game i own on Steam works like new every time i install it, i cant lose it, the hardware will never age because its BC and the game can never deteriorate over time. 

I am not sure if the argument of playing classics without subscribing or repurchasing is the right call either. I can play more classics now thanks to digital. Good luck trying to find a classic game that works, sold for a reasonable price and if you have the hardware that plays it.

That's just my opinion.

Feels like I'm back in the early 2000's. Physical on PC has been dead for well over a decade, Jim. Time to let it go man :P

assuming that the long-term future of gaming is almost certainly streaming based, the 'console' will only be each company's controllers and accessories

so 'physical' games I believe, will be a lifetime access code in a box, maybe with in-game extras and merchandise?

Crunch is not something we want in this industry, its what ruins great teams and is why we have companies split and talent devs go elsewhere. I am no fan of it as i also work at a job that requires crunch and even when i know i am earning more money, it makes me want to quit and find a better job. Everyone is different, however that's my personal experience with it.

Fixing old consoles or games ends up costing more money than just playing the digital game you already own on your digital library. Every time i upgrade my PC, my 1000+ Steam games carry straight over without any issues with BC and lets add most digital games improves over time due to patches that add more graphic options and also iron out bugs that might have been their from launch, and its free. Something physical media cannot do.

I can relate that at the time Steam was new on the block, it was horrible to use, i had no idea what i was doing and i had the old dial up internet where i had to download HL2, it took ages and crashed multiple times. But eventually when Steam matured in the market it was no longer an issue. 

If it really comes down to it and you want to play a classic game like Elder Scrolls or Fallout, you can simply just buy it digital and you will have it forever, exact same as you owning the disk, except that disk wont last forever as tech has a life span. As i said i can play The Ultimate Doom any time i want as i own it digitally, the physical version on my SNES barely works, plus the digital version is leagues better to play to begin with. Every scenario is different for everyone, humans aren't perfect so expect things to happen. The industry is moving into the direction of games requiring you to sign up, log in, download a patch, and even now, the disk doesn't even have the full files on it, you still have to download some of it anyway making the disk nothing more than a coaster.

As much as i like collecting media, i am also relieved i don't have to carry all my games around with me and find space for them and keeping them in good condition etc. 

I made a thread about companies raising costs on video games and i can tell you, what we get today for physical media is not worth the $60 we spend let alone the new $70 price they want to push compared to the older video game days where you actually received a box with actual content in it. If gaming was like the 80s and 90s again than yes, i don't mind paying for them, but right now, all we get is a Green or Blue case with just a Disk in it (Sometimes a code) 

Its a good read below

https://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/thread/243383/game-prices-should-not-rise/

Just look at this Video of the OFFLINE installation process of Half-Life 2. It's from 2016 but that doesn't matter, the installation process without internet access is real.

At 8:13 in that video the installation begins... from the DVD.
Steam gets installed and updated (all files copied from the DVD so far):

At 9:41 Steam is installed and instantly the DVD-installer from Half-Life 2 starts (without even going online since it ain't started):

Then the copying of the 3 GB from the DVD starts, no downloads are required in the whole installation process!

The whole installation works even without a Steam account, so there couldn't be any unwanted downloads up to this point.
The Steam registration was AFTER the installation.

At 11:41 in the video even is a proof that he was offline the whole time until trying to registrate a Steam account:

So your installation story is bullshit. You only needed to be online to play HL2 (until activating Steam offline mode), not to install it.

(Your later story about being banned probably is, too. That's just your latest spin).

But enjoy the rest of the video, when he gets pissed that an internet connection is required, first claiming that the requirement wasn't mentioned on the box (and then finding that requirement on the box) and then angrily shuts down his fresh upgraded PC.

For your claim that "Offline mode does not exist" (you used present tense): of course it exists, how can you even deny that?

If you meant that the offline mode wasn't available when HL2 launched in November 2004, you are also wrong.

https://forums.unknownworlds.com/discussion/85584/hl2-in-offline-mode-in-case-steam-dies-again

So to recap:

• you didn't need to be online to install HL2 from DVD
• you didn't need to download anything in the installation process
• you didn't need to be registered on Steam to install HL2 from DVD
• you did have to register online to be able to play HL2
• after the steam registration and starting up Steam the first time you had the option to activate the offline mode
• while online for that few minutes, you also had to enter the cd-key of HL2 (online validation of cd-keys wasn't new in 2004 due to multiple activations with the same offline-key of some users)
• after activating your Steam games and then the offline mode you were able to play Steam games offline (of course no online modes)
• the offline mode was buggy in the past, so every ~two weeks Steam required you to go online, then you could activate the offline mode again

Steams online infrastructure has evolved completely since its arrival back in 2003. Games are generally well preserved on their servers and anything removed from store is still downloadable from archives and your library. Given the choice, if at the the same price or cheaper, digital is a lot more convenient for most PC gamers and easier to deal with than discs especially when you can amass a great deal of games, for not so much money. Especially when sales are on.

There are other alternatives to Steam like GOG who's games are DRM free and are able to be backed up to your digression. Granted when I started gaming on PC I started on CD-ROM, moving onto DVD I think Steam actually brought a lot to the table for PC gamers. It was literally an open market with no ecosystem before.

Consoles on the other hand are another matter entirely. With the looming price hikes and sustainability of AAA games, its hard to see how the landscape will change for the better for us consumers should all consoie manufacturers move to all digital future .

Avoiding permabans ain't THAT hard.

If someone gets permabanned due to constantly cheating in online games (spoling the fun of the other players), I don't feel any pity for him.
If someone gets permabanned due to playing pirated copies, I don't feel any pity for him either.
If someone gets permabanned due to threatening or insulting other players, I don't feel any pity for him either.

And when I take a look in your PSN profiles, all three PSN accounts are older than 10 years. So obviously all of you learned to behave "good enough" online to avoid permabans:

https://psnprofiles.com/DPsx7
https://psnprofiles.com/Don-Ferrari85
https://psnprofiles.com/SvennoJ

Of course large corporations can make mistakes by swinging the ban hammers. But underserved bans (f. e. your account gets hacked and the hacker does shit of the above) can be resolved in most cases by contacting the support. And if you are a good customer (bought many games) most support staff will do their best to resolve the issue instead of pissing the customer off.

Lost passwords to digital accounts also can be retrieved quite easy, so you don't have to "throw away" an account just because you don't remember the password.

I don't game online so I wouldn't be banned on that. Still their internal regulation basically allow them to ban you on their own choice with your TOS acceptance meaning you accept it no matter the reason. Also not accepting a TOS (let's say when people got concerned about the new feature of voice recording) will mean you can't access the PSN so you won't be able to redownload.

That is just to much power in the hand of the corporation against you.

I agree with you that Steam has always had offline mode.

That being said though, I think his anger is justified. He just bought what looks to be a collector's edition of Half Life 2, only to have the fucking thing DRM tied to his Steam account. Imagine buying BotW, and Nintendo forces you to make a Nintendo account. That Nintendo account then gets tied to your physical copy of BotW, making sure that you can't resell your game, or loan it out to a friend.

If LRG or some other company did physical disk no-DRM required PC games I'd be all over that. Thankfully GoG is getting better everyday offering up lots of DRM free games.