I've been thinking about this a little since the reveal of the physical price increase for the Switch 2. The implications kind of seems to be that physical games will be a bit more of "luxury" going forward which theoretically fits okay with collectors and less so with parents buying for their kids (though of course neither would be happy about paying more), but it got me thinking what if physical games actually were a bit more premium, because though there have been some cool exceptions in a way the opposite has been happening over time with games being stripped down to an empty box with a cartridge/disc. So far there's no word the Switch 2 will be changing that and if anything the cases have gotten uglier.

Below I have a couple of examples from my own games of physical games that went that little extra mile. None of these are collector's edition, some are day 1 editions some just the regular one, but they all either contain a little something extra or a sleeve or special case of some sort. Even something like Hades which was just a regular case but came with a code for the soundtrack and a character compendium is pretty cool to me and for me personally I'd actually be okay paying a tad more for physical if things like this became the standard, not because I want it for every game, but I'd switch over to pick and choosing the games I really want as physical and get the "less important" ones as digital (which is something I'm already practicing a little but still mostly getting physical). I'd be especially down with this idea if it could help bring back more physical PC games (as unrealisitc as that is).

What are your thoughts on this? Of course the best of both worlds would be to have regular physical editions and this slightly higher "tier" for enthusiasts, but that's probably a bit of a stretch as the reality probably is that physical will be treated more and more as second class. But in theory, if the alternative was for physical games to be premium editions at a slightly higher price (but still much lower than collector's editions) would you be okay with that? Or do you just want your damn cartridges so they can stick around forever?

No

I spent $100 on the TotK Collector’s Edition…unless I’m misunderstanding what you mean by “premium physical edition”? (I’m interpreting that as a physical edition which is itself premium.)

I'd prefer same price, but if they're going to be $10 more then at least put in a full physical manual. Maybe some sort of amiibo NFC card or poster too.

Depends how much more they want. It could easily be used as an excuse to eventually price physical ownership out of being practical for the majority of games and gamers. They should at least bring back full game manuals, that shouldn't cost much if anything.

If my copy of Monster Hunter Wilds came with an artbook, yes, you can bet your sexy round ass id pay those 20 extra.

As someone born in 1983 with a shipping container’s worth of physical games, I am very committed to the medium.

Would I pay more for a physical game than a digital game? Yes, to a degree. Would I want the costs to increase across the board because of additional trinkets? No; those CDs and art books don’t really do it for me.

As for physical games becoming more of a luxury moving forward, I think that’s right. Although the entire hobby is, and has always been, an inessential, expensive endeavor — the definition of a luxury.

No. Imo, the industry is lacking in originality. These are not the days of Chrono Trigger or Mario 3 anymore. These are not the days of MGS or OOT or GTA3 or FF7 where we're getting new games and IPs that blow our minds every single year. This is not the industry it once was. If it was, I might contemplate the idea of more expensive games. But since we're not, since we're currently living in the land of mediocrity, even among the greatest of developers and publishers, higher game prices is literally a no-go for me. I am not compelled to spend more money on these current games when I can spend the money collecting the legendary games of the past. There are more than enough of them to keep me entertained for the rest of my life. I don't need anything more.

But I'd be more than happy if they'd go back to the way it use to be. Actually, I'd be thrilled.

Just the game in the case. I don't need a bunch of extra bullshit of art card or a steelcase (honestly hate those) or a box that isn't standard size and putting it on the shelf is awkward.

Yes, I'd be willing to pay $10 more for decent inserts (like a nice manual and map) and $20 for exceptionally good inserts.  However, I want to emphasize that game key cards are not at all physical games.  They are the same as digital games IMO.  I want actually physical games with no internet required ever in order to play the game.