Digital distribution is the future. The question is when.

Right now, the infrastructure and the technology prevent it from being too wide spread.

However, I fear the "savings" predicted by those who believe in the technology may not materialize. After all, look at the PSP Go -- it is more expensive than the model with the drive. In part, this may be to get the stores to carry them so they can make a profit (theorized by some in other threads).

Mike from Morgantown

I support this petition. I also support the petitions to keep these evil 'automobiles' from taking away my beloved horse-and-carriages. I've grown up with carriages, and I have a great deal of nostalgia for them.

I would like to see a combination. It's nice to have some short fun games online that I can get for cheap (Flower, for example), but I like to go out and buy most games. I'd be willing to make an exception for handhelds since it's more convenient to go DD only in my opinion.

Digital distribution is pretty much here. PSN, Xbox Live Arcade and now its getting to full release games on the Xbox 360. By next generation you may be able to buy any and every game through digital distribution. Why should people who only buy media from retailers care? So long as there are other like minded individuals then you shouldn't.

More people nowadays are downloading digital music than buying CDs. Over 1M people use the Xbox 360 Netflix service in the U.S.A. This number is just going to keep growing.

Nostalgia never stops progression

I can see the advantages to digital distribution, I have wrote dozens of reports on it for my degree, but my word I hate it.

I think I am still the only person left in the world that still buys vinyl and CDs.

I dont mind it in its current form (XBLA,PSN,WW) but if they ever take away my boxes, manuals and physical media Ill be super pissed

They have already taken away your manuals.

I dont like the digital distribution either. I like to have a collection and to know its always there. With digital distribution i cant bring the hottest new game to a friends how to play but i'd have to bring the whole system.

Im sure if say you have a PSN account, Sony knows on your record what game you've bought and will be allowed to redownload them anytime. However if you have to keep redownloading I just feel thats a waste of time, the need of internet connection, and if its a big game costing you your bandwidth cap.

If anything, digitial distribution should always go hand-in hand with a physical copy.

hm, apparently people seem to think I am against any kind of digital distribution. I love the online connectedness of the PS3, 360, and Wii(well...not so much the Wii), and I don't mind the ability to download games, even full sized games, onto my system. I just have issues with the way it LOOKS like digital distribution will take over. I have practical concerns, which I outlined. Of course, as long as they sell games on physical media, I will buy them on physical media.

As a future games developer, I'll always be involved in the industry, regardless of whether it goes all digital or not. I'd just prefer the latter, and wanted to see how many others felt the same.