So, the way they actually were back in days?

ah i see what you’re saying now. Yes, I wouldn’t mind an “extra nice” physical release…just as long as they continue offering a non-premium physical release. Otherwise, if one or the other, then keep it as it is atm.

Depends on the game, but I already spend a lot of money on collector/limited edition of games. I try to buy a physical copy of every game I wish to buy, even importing whenever not available in my region.

I just really want the value for it, and there's going to be DLC, I want it included in my collector's edition.

The high majority are not okay with going to the store and buy a physical game so doubt a higher price for a premium will attract more.... People may blame publishers but it is a fact that stores are downsizing physical game or getting rid of them because gamers don't want them.

All game stores/gaming store departments are basically becoming retro/nostalgic sections with figurines/mugs/shirts etc. This is why you get then Retro stores on youtube that invest into youtubers who hype up their stores in the hope that they attract some gamers who are kind of lost in life and become part of their community who then end up investing a ton of $€ in the store or a lot of their time watching those youtube vids.

If they put effort into the boxes, bought back manuals, made it worth buying them with simple nice touchers (reversable covers?), sure but in the end I'd prefer just cheaper digital games.

If all you get from new games in stores is a flimsy case with only a disc or code, why would more people go to a store?

As you said, stores are becoming retro, since the actual physical stuff still sells. Publishers aren't making the things game collectors want anymore. I've been going to my favorite store less and less exactly because publishers only put out the flimsiest cases without even putting any effort into making a nice looking disc label.

End result: I play far fewer games nowadays. New releases don't give me the passion anymore to make time for them. They're throwaway digital stuff without any extras. Play for a few hours, forget.

Then when I find a half decent game I just stick to that for months. Not in any hurry to play it as I have nothing on the horizon to look out for. Decades of false promises, cancellations, delays and bug riddled releases have beat that out of me :/ I hardly follow game previews anymore.

So this year I'll probably mostly play Hitman 3 on PSVR2 and Aces of Thunder (if it ever comes out). And maybe dabble back into PoE2 with my wife in GGG comes back to their senses. (So much anger over 0.2 update, broke far more than 'fixed')

With Switch 2 I'll be watching. Atm I'm a no, however if MKW and DKB get a nice physical edition for those $90, world map, art book those kinda things I might be swayed to go for Switch 2. If it's just a stamp (cartridges have zero space for artwork, too tiny) in an empty box with additional download required, then it's a hard pass at launch. Maybe far down the line when the physical editions are cheaper second hand. I'm not paying $90 for a stamp.

Digital feels like rentals did in the past. If your mom let your rent a game, even a game that was awesome, it never felt the same as the games you got for Christmas or your birthday. You'd play them, sure. But eh, if you didn't have time before school to go much further than the first level, you'd just turn it off and forget about it. And then the two days would pass, it would go back, and that was that until maybe your mom let you rent it again.

But the games you got for Christmas, or your birthday (assuming they were good), those were the ones you spent all your time on. Those were the ones that would go on become a part of your identity, part of your soul. You would cherish those, because they were yours.

I think that's why people like us hate digital. They don't feel like ours. They feel like they're someone else's; like they're rentals.

I think Switch 2 games have a price increase for physical because it has been so common for retailers to undercut the MSRP by around €10, especially during the latter half of Switch's lifecycle. It reeks of Nintendo baking that into the MSRP to end up with physical game prices for Switch 2 that match what Nintendo charges for digital games.

In 2023 a bunch of physical Nintendo games I bought came with stickers or posters. That's not the kind of stuff I would pay more for, but they were free additions, so no problem. Almost all special or limited editions turn me off because the extras are usually not worth the additional cost.

Anyway, I expect the plain physical Switch 2 games to end up with prices close to their digital counterparts. Not right away because retailers may want to capitalize on initial hype and high demand, but in the mid to long term there's going to be virtually no difference in prices between digital and physical.

I'm fine with the game in the box for the standard price. I would prefer manuals and art cards, etc like the old days but sadly companies are to cheap to add them now a days. A better argument for me is how much cheaper should a digital game be for me to go in on it. If digital games were $20 cheaper I'd be more likely to purchase that then physical for 75% of my gaming needs.

With the Switch 2 I'll be doing a "wait and see" approach before buying in. If I do get one I wont be purchasing games for the $80 price tag for physical/digital. Luckily for physical I'll wait and keep an eye out for deals or on the used market. I'm patient, I dont have FOMO for Nintendo first party games.