Physical vs Digital (Full Retail)

[Squirlruler]

> Imagine a world without internet.

> Going to just buy digital games

lmao

 

I usually go digital just because it tends to be cheaper with PS sales.

[Martyy23]

I picked up Cyberpunk for £20, only five days after launch, thanks to a very unhappy gamer on Facebook marketplace ?

 

Buy physical and don't like it, sell it.

Buy digital and don't like it, tough luck.

[UlvenFenrir]

26 minutes ago, djb5f said:

Yeah, I was just thinking, I don’t see a difference.  You need internet either way.

 

30 minutes ago, Martain2 said:

The digital copies of said games are also broken without the patches but come with it included and you still need the internet to download it in the first place.

 

27 minutes ago, MohandGamer7 said:

Don’t you need internet anyway to download digital games and/or update them to the latest version. You still need internet whether you own physical or digital copies if you want to get the latest updates. Right?!

What i meant was that owning physical is a little pointless as without frequent updates theyre not in their optimal state. So youre practically owning a broken game which is why im on the fence on buying physical as you could say an “always online” connection is required. Digital is just easier and convient. Physical games have lost their value a long time ago, not personal value obviously but just generally speaking.

 

Now if they reprinted the games with the patches already on disc then that would be a different story.

[djb5f]

16 minutes ago, UlvenFenrir said:

 

 

What i meant was that owning physical is a little pointless as without frequent updates theyre not in their optimal state. So youre practically owning a broken game which is why im on the fence on buying physical as you could say an “always online” connection is required. Digital is just easier and convient. Physical games have lost their value a long time ago, not personal value obviously but just generally speaking.

 

Now if they reprinted the games with the patches already on disc then that would be a different story.

Sure, but this was true two generations ago too (PS3).  I don’t think any game stayed at Version 1.00.

 

And without internet, you are stuck on that version either way, physical or digital.  Technically, could not get digital I guess so even worse?

 

Physicsl advantage remains the same: you enjoy collecting, like the box art, or the ability to resell.

 

 

Edited January 19, 2021 by djb5f

[AgentSmiz]

Physical for new games that I'm interested in and then whichever option is cheaper for anything else. If I want to try a particular game and it's currently on sale on PSN then I'll do that. Otherwise, it's down to the local CeX or Game to see how much it is there.

That is, when they were open. It's been mostly digital over the last year for obvious reasons.

[AJ_Radio]

Anyone aware this topic is nine years old?

[DaivRules]

Just now, Spaz said:

Anyone aware this topic is nine years old?

 

Yes. Is it not still relevant?

[shai_sr12345]

On 16.1.2012 at 5:07 AM, Dreakon139 said:

Do you think you would go as far as to buy a physical copy of a game you already downloaded, just to have it? Part of the reason I started this thread is to see if what I intend to do is silly.

Prefer physical then digital & for your question, I have some ps plus games that was interest to buy them before.

 

But when they was given free to ps plus I was wondering, is they worth physical if I got them from ps plus. And after some thought I was deciding if I will get them is if they will be very cheap on sale one day (but only those that i very like to own as physical)

[zizimonster]

Sometimes I prefer digital because I could play Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order for $5 via EA Play. And I adore that game so much.

However, when it comes to full-priced games, I prefer physical. Always.

[TheArcadeKid]

Digital. So many reasons why, but here's what comes to mind.

 

• It's convenient to have all of my games accessible in one place. I move around a lot, and the idea of carrying an entire games collection around is a headache to even think about. I'll always have an internet connection. I don't always have storage space.
• Digital sales on PSN have been extremely strong for at least five years. In the UK, I can't imagine being able to buy as many games as I have digitally, in physical format. Retailers don't hold sales nearly as often as PSN, and the savings aren't nearly as big. 
• Digital means developers and publishers definitely get a cut of my money. Obviously this doesn't happen with second-hand copies, which is one of the reasons I try to avoid them. Admittedly, I buy most of my games on sale anyway, but even so, I'd rather devs and publishers get something rather than nothing.
• If a digital game doesn't work right, it's to do with the code or my console. Physical copies mean more potential problems, and I've encountered this twice on PS4 - my disc copies of The Order and Sonic Forces just wouldn't install properly for some reason. Across 400 digital games, I've had 0 critical issues.
• Physical media rots. So do disc drives. It might take ten or twenty years, but it'll happen eventually - sooner rather than later, if you don't live in museum-like conditions. And that means more stress.
• I've already played the physical media collection game. As I type this I've got about 50 Sega Saturn games behind me, and a bunch of Master System and Mega Drive games in a drawer. And that's where they'll stay. Yes, there's a certain pleasure in physical media, but I simply don't have the time or the lifestyle to revisit them in any meaningful way. And honestly, I don't want to. I'd rather keep looking forward. 

Will there come a day when I suddenly lose access to all my digital media? Maybe. But I've got one-hundred-and-too-many platinums linked to a PSN account that I technically don't own, which Sony can take away any time they like. It's all transient, and I'm fine with that. As for the games themselves, I find the idea of revisiting old games 10, 15 years down the line extremely unappealing. I'd rather just buy the damn game digitally, play it and move on.

[DrBloodmoney]

since the advent of the 'day one patch', Physical games have lost their benefits for me.

 

I had no strong opinion on the subject going into the PS4 generation, but over those years, I came to only buy 10 games on physical discs, (out of 287), and each time I try to load a game and it asks for the disc to be inserted, it irritates me.

 

There is no benefit. The size of the digital footprint on my storage space seems to be the same for a physical disc game as for a digital - indeed, I have noticed as I try to reduce my outstanding games list to reduce the storage footprint on my system, the biggest game on there is Final Fantasy XV - a game I bought physically!

 

Couple that with the deep discounts now constantly on the digital store, along with the potential issues with disc scratching / misplacing / breaking (Yeah yeah, I know what you young-gamers are thinking, but trust me, once you have young kids, this will be more of a concern, believe me!  ) it's a complete no-brainer for me.

 

I am now trying to finish all my disc games once and for all, so I can happily get a digital only PS5.

[Arcesius]

Personally, I buy only digital. There are a lot of reasons why, many of which have already been mentioned in previous posts and which I don't want to repeat. 

 

However, there is a reason important to me personally that I havent seen mentioned yet... and that's an environmental one. Physical games generate millions of tons of waste every year, both the packaging and the discs. And sure, a huge amount of energy is required for cloud gaming, keeping servers running, etc... But that applies to games regardless of whether they have been purchased physically or digitally.

 

Since the one aspect of gaming where I can easily reduce my contribution to waste generation is how I purchase my games, I choose to purchase digital games only. 

[DrBloodmoney]

1 minute ago, Arcesius said:

Personally, I buy only digital. There are a lot of reasons why, many of which have already been mentioned in previous posts and which I don't want to repeat. 

 

However, there is a reason important to me personally that I havent seen mentioned yet... and that's an environmental one. Physical games generate millions of tons of waste every year, both the packaging and the discs. And sure, a huge amount of energy is required for cloud gaming, keeping servers running, etc... But that applies to games regardless of whether they have been purchased physically or digitally.

 

Since the one aspect of gaming where I can easily reduce my contribution to waste generation is how I purchase my games, I choose to purchase digital games only. 

 

Great point

[ladynadiad]

I prefer physical, but if digital has a good sale or there is limited physical availability (like Limited Run games or games that only get a physical limited edition). then I have no issue buying digital  I've found that outside of stuff with very limited print runs that if you're patient enough physical will typically end up being less expensive.  Why?  Because with physical you have multiple factors that can drive towards reduced costs.  Physical games have the existence of a resale market, more competition, and limited shelf/warehouse space in stores.  I've gotten some great deals before from stores putting a game on clearance just because they needed the space for other games.  You also can get some great deals around holidays because each retailer is competing for your money by trying to offer the best deals.  Many stores also offer broad sales across all games on certain platforms, all of their games in general, or all games within certain price ranges.  For example, Gamestop very often will run sales for buy one get one half off on used games.  Sony only offers deals on certain games and there are actually quite a few devs that never put their digital games on sale or are extremely stingy with sales.

 

On top of that, I can resell a physical game.  While it's rare for me to do so, it was useful a few years back when I was in a bad financial situation and needed some money.  I can't do that with digital games.  It also can be incredibly satisfying to get rid of a terrible game and get some money for it to put towards buying a far better game, with digital I'm stuck with the game and can't get anything back for it.  I can't even go and remove absolute rubbish games from cluttering my download list.

[Shiiinjitsu]

I currently have over 100 digital games. But I'm starting to regret it. Since there are some games I wished I can sell (looking at you Nexoman). I might consider rebuying all the games physically, or the ones I truly liked the most. Not looking forward to that ?. But the idea of having a physical collection seems really appealing.

 

So what about you guys, Is your entire collection digital or physical? and explain why.

[Tiagomarinho002]

4 minutes ago, Shinjiitsu said:

I currently have over 100 digital games. But I'm starting to regret it. Since there are some games I wished I can sell (looking at you Nexoman). I might consider rebuying all the games physically, or the ones I truly liked the most. Not looking forward to that . But the idea of having a physical collection seems really appealing.

 

So what about you guys, Is your entire collection digital or physical? and explain why.

My e tire collection is physical because i love have all the games in the shell, also once the store is off you dont know if you be able to play the games you bought só is way easier to have it physical also is very ez to have the dlc on the discs and special editions are amazing have them that thinks you can have digital 

[J23Krystian]

My collection is full physical since I'm a collector and I better like to own the thing you know to see it and touch it.
I got right now collection of
PS1 - 12 games
PS2 - 51
PS3 - 69
PS4 - 34
PSP - 25
PS Vita - 7
X Classic - 2
X360 - 12
and It's growing and growing.
Also I'm kinda person that needs to have everything in terms of all the stuff they include in the box so I try to have manuals and map (if the game had smthing like that) only those product registration I don't collect them. And all games that I buy I'll try to buy Black Label versions you know not that Platinum/Greatest Hits versions since those are less valuable.

[sealightbreeze]

I started off with PS3 and PS4 physical disc. After a while, I realized how much crap I had. Seriously. Since going through my stuff, I now only do Digital. And, I really like it. I like not having a lot of stuff lying around creating clutter. I also like the fact that I get the game the day it's released. Sometimes Amazon is late. Sometimes Gamestop didn't have it if it was not a pre order. I prefer digital

[ImApanda85]

PS3 I have around 60% physical, 40% digital

 

PS4 I'm 80% digitall, 20% phyisical

 

I think the reasons for the increase in digital are because 1.- It's easier to get niche titles digially and 2.- Some digital sales have been too good to passup, as long as you are patient and don't get obsessed with buying on day one.

[kanzenchaos]

Both. I just buy the cheaper option lol

[Shaun1094]

There’s a good argument for both although personally I prefer digital versions, especially in the last few months with all the massive sales. Typically I go digital just for the convenience of not having to order it online and then wait for it to be delivered or even going to a shop. It’s available straight away (apart from the download) and I’m lazy lol.

I think physical is better though because you can add games to your collection or sell them when you’re finished. 

[sealightbreeze]

Also too- unless I really love a game- once I platinum it, I do not play it again. As for my PS5 - all digital 

[maxfighter23___]

who is buying ps store games and pre orders i am buying from ps store and also on disc but most of my games are from ps store i like to do only digital but i have disc games also but i have changed my mind ps store was easier for how much are the disc games word if selling because if i have finished them i like to sell them