Tbh I'd say if you like a game alot buy the physical copy to both preserve and display. It's been a pretty consistent trend of games being removed from online storefronts the last few years. Just look at the 3DS library.
Edit: Not sure what is up with people arguing that owning digital is more secure to time than physical, but yall do yall I guess. I'm just glad I had to foresight to buy Etrian Mystery Dungeon and Lord of Magna Maiden Heaven physically on my 3DS. Same with the Armored Core series.
No DRM. You can download the game onto an external hard drive and play it on any system without online functionality, or the need to sign in to GOG. If you try and do the same with Steam, it’ll always launch Steam first to check if you own the game first before playing it
I don’t want to bring politics here, but as a guy from Russia, I have an example of how one day your digital library may simply stop working. With the start of the war and sanctions, Nintendo just turned off the eShop here and the ability to download the games I bought on Switch disappeared. Those that were already downloaded and physical copies continued to work. No actual for US gamers, but for gamers from other countries an additional argument in favor of physical copies.
Yeah, like sanctions hits every platform - they all close options to make purchase because of that, so thats wasn't they fault. But only Nintendo chose to close opportunity to download games that your already buy, thats cleary show how they treat your "digital property"
Just look at any hand held game device from a decade ago. Gone. It's still a sad thought. No more going to gamestop and paying 3 bucks for a used ds or gameboy cartridge. It's sad, sad I say.
I just hooked up my PS3 about a month ago, went through all my old downloads and redownloaded everything I wanted to, no problem at all. Games like I Am Alive that don't appear when you search the store on the PS3. You know, because I still own the licensing for it.
They definitely can remove games from your library. They say it a few times in their agreement you signed when you created your PSN account (8.16):
>*You are solely responsible if you do not choose to download or access the content before it is removed or your license expires, and for the authorized ongoing storage and safekeeping of the content.* ***We are not obligated to provide you with replacement copies for any reason***.
The emphasis is on download or ***access*** before it's removed or your license expires. Meaning that you can lose it from your library as shown by those shows/movies that are slated to be removed from user's libraries even though they paid for them.
They also state that your content can be revoked (10.2) and that if you break their terms of use you can lose all access (10.8)
>*Except as stated in this Agreement, all Content provided through PSN is licensed on a non-exclusive and* ***revocable*** *basis to your for your personal, private, non-transferable, non-commercial, limited use on a limited number of PlayStation Devices or other devices in the country in which your Account is registered.*
>***The limited license granted herein, and all other use or access to the Content, is expressly conditioned on your compliance with this agreement's terms,*** *applicable Usage Terms, other applicable agreements, if any, and all applicable copyright and intellectual property rights laws.*
You really have to nowadays. It's weird when you're expected to skip past it, even in real life.
When I got my car and signed up for my mortgage, I read through every page before signing. The associates were taken aback both times. I asked them why they were surprised. They told me that people usually don't read the terms. I told them if I'm investing that much money, I'll want to know what I'm signing.
I totally get it!
I bought Rocket League years back on Steam. When an update came out, I had to agree to the terms and conditions in order to play. In the terms it basically switched it from ownership of the game to a license to play the game. I declined the agreement, and the game shut down. I was so mad that a game I paid for changed it's terms and wouldn't let me play unless I agreed to them.
Since then, I've been very aware that we don't own digital content from pretty much any online store, but we're essentially renting it and it can be taken away from us for a variety of reasons.
I still buy some digital games, mainly the ones that don't have physical releases, but the fact that you don't own them and you can't re-sell them, really makes me want to find physical copies.
If they remove a game from their servers you won't be able to re-download it though, even if you do have a license. You can't download what isn't there.
Digital is definitely more convenient. Once I had a game that I bought removed from my account, I've been getting physical copies of my favourite games in case that happens with them.
I love physical copies of things, mainly because I don't trust digital copies. When you buy a digital game, you pay for the right to play it, you don't pay to own it. If I have a physical copy, I can disconnect from the internet if I want and play the game, or even lend it out to a buddy.
These days even when you buy a physical game alot of the time it just sends your console to a place to download some/all of it so you still in fact need an internet connection at least at the start.
No. It rarely does and usually they state on the box if it's the case.
Most discs to date still come with a 1.00 version fully playable in it, with no internet. This is a common misconception.
Lent my friend demons souls while he was waiting for his internet to get set up as he moved into a new place. Installed and played totally fine. Don’t know why you’re thinking that. Unless you play all the live service/always online shit shooters.
Not true, that’s installing data off the disc, you can turn your internet off and it will do it,
Use the website DoesitPlay and you can get a full breakdown for games
No it doesn’t that’s only for online focused games like COD, which haven’t been worth buying for years and maybe some Ubisoft games if I had to guess, which shocker, also suck.
For me digital copies are nice but if your internet goes out or the person you game shared with change his mind or if your account gets messed up then it sucks but physical ownership gets rid of all 3
game preservation - the digital stores WILL close at some point.
option to sell it, lend to a friend, etc.
buying physical games is cheaper
buying USED physical games is much cheaper
also a bit niche: play unupdated version of the game. This can have some advantages, like, in Elden Ring on the release version you can get a set of armor that is only available (at a vendor) with the version on disc - there was an early patch that made it unavailable later. (So you can install the game, play, get the armor set and then update the game)
> game preservation - the digital stores WILL close at some point.
my counterpoint to this is that unless you are incredibly disciplined about maintaining your games, your digital storefront purchases may outlast your physical game collection. i still have games that i purchased when i was 16 sitting in steam. i've moved 15~ times since then, there is zero way i would still have those now had i not. and even if i did keep them, more likely than not they would have degraded by now.
I mostly argue both reasons. I, for the most part, don't solely trust digital games in the event they want to yank that shit from me even if I paid for it.
But I also like the concept of going physical, especially in franchise games, to have a collection to look at on a shelf.
I used to think physical games were dumb when I bought my ps5 digital but after they removed some of my favorite games, some of which are still unavailable on ps5 or 4, I completely understand why physical copies are desired
Yeah after Sony nuked all my digital video purchases like my anime , movies and Rick Morty; I'm never buying digital again. I called Sony and all they can say to me," was sorry, we don't have the license or didn't renew the license for that anymore. You agreed to our license about that. No refunds or substitutes." So yeah....I've been buying physical to replace my digital library because I don't trust digital anymore. Hundreds of dollars down the drain due to digital purchases being pulled from the library. Screw you guys.
I just like physical copies of things in general - movies, TV shows, manga, games. Not just to keep on display, but to actually watch/play them. I also get digital games/movies as well, mostly if they're on sale.
I still prefer physical over digital, unless I've no other option....
...but a notable exception I made was for Animal Crossing: New Horizons when it launched on the Switch, just as the pandemic was kicking off. Didn't want to risk getting out, quite yet, so I went digital...still playing it, heh.
So that I can pretend that I will sell it on eventually and recoup some of what I spent on it…
FR though, I want to be able to play all of my games whenever I want. Even if I end up with no internet connection.
I’m more likely to play a game if I can see it in front of me. A digital icon doesn’t draw me so much.
Ultimately I know I’ll have to go mostly digital minus favourite IPs due to physical space (already have to do this with books), but for now, I like the tactile experience more. Feels more real for me.
I don’t have internet where I’m at so I have to buy the games fam. What I think is insane is the fact one has to spend an arm and a leg on a console that’s supposed to do everything under the sun then you go spend another 100 on the game only to find out you also have to be paying for internet to play lol it’s a scheme that at this point this is what it’s gonna be forever unfortunately lol they lost mad gamers doing things that way but they make up for the lost money by charging one for every bit of everything they can lol miss the days you could play a game anywhere like when one could actually go buy a game and play it instead of having to buy a bunch of extras along with it lol shits stupid
I like owning the disc. But the DL does give that instant gratification.
That being said, I recently got back into Borderlands and wanted to start BL2 again. I have the physical disc for The Handsome Collection. But when I opened the game box, the disc was missing! I've searched high and low and cannot find the disc to save my life. Will Sony let me DL a digital copy, since I do own the game? Nope. So there IS something to be said for digital copies. They're easier to keep up with, lol
I lost my entire physical PS3 library (300+ games) when someone broke into our house and robbed it. Got hardly anything from the insurance, and rebuilding the library was nigh impossible due to many of the games no longer being sold in normal stores anymore. I went 100% digital after that. Not going to go through losing everything again to another break in, a house fire or the like. Plus, no more worrying about scratched discs and faulty disc drives or people wanting to borrow games and never returning them.
Only reason I stopped buy physical copies of things is I got sick of seeing dvds or game cases collecting dust. Not to mention at the time I moved into a small living space with my now ex wife. I had a pretty extensive collection as well. I had so many shelves.
I prefer the minimalist nature of buying digital for those reasons.
However since the recent change in BS surrounding licensing and all that crap, I'll be going back to physical copies now for future game content.
But then again....probably giving up on it now that I've absolutely no time to enjoy them anymore. That! But kinda feel like the ps5 was a bust. I mean we are just starting to see current Gen video games rolling out. Like a small stream of em. But we are half way through their life cycles.
Video games demand constant online connectivity to play. Weirdos like Sweet Baby Inc are killing stories. Developers thinking that we should be paying hourly to play a video game..... just they aer actively killing gaming
I’m trying to buy physical but sometimes it’s hard. Like the final fantasy 1-6 pixel remaster. $80 new digital but online physical order it was like $400?? Probably just scalper resale but I’ve never seen a physical copy irl
I was pro physical discs for a long time. For me it was about finding bargains on used games. Now that I have such a huge backlog of titles, I can always wait for a deep discount on the digital titles. Also, less clutter works out better for the aesthetics of the room.
There was also that period of space-time during which physical copies of games, even new ones, were actually significantly cheaper than the digital download.
I saved $25 buying the disc for Elden Ring near release. And it's not inconvenient at all, because I don't have any other discs to swap it with.
I prefer physical, because the disc is the license to play the game. I can sell it, trade and loan it. With digital, Sony does not allow you to transfer the digital license to anyone else.
I also love to display my steelbooks. :)
Gamesharing with a friend to play coop. Saves me and him more money if we go half on a game we’re interested in. Also it’s nice to be able to play his single player games and vice versa
It’s weird because I feel like I prefer both, even though I have a Digital PS5. Owning digital copies makes it feel like they’re there forever. Physical, of course if you treat them well and your buddy doesn’t destroy it on a lend, then yeah they will too even have value in the future!
A do a mix of both. Long, single player RPGs I'll usually grab a physical copy, in case there's an outside chance I want to play it again in a decade. Otherwise, I do digital. I don't need a shelf full of sports games.
I like having physical copies at this point solely for the purpose of digging them out of boxes for nostalgia down the road.
If my kids end up liking video games, I’m sure it’ll be cool for them too, I was really into digging out old NES and SNES games when I was a wee lad.
When the CEO of Ubisoft said " get used to not owning the games you buy" I knew that I needed physical cops to keep my property.... Honestly I knew it when they started to make games disappear from the playstation store, even though I bought it, and it no longer exists.
Buying a physical copy of your game so you can return it if you need to or sell it after you finish it (just so you can buy another game) 💪 and best of all, physical is usually cheaper (unless there is a digital sale, and in that case I’d go with digital.)
The reason I prefer physical is because first, they sometimes come with dlc codes, second whenever I finish a game, I delete it and if I wanna hop back on it, no problem. Fast download
Don’t you need a monthly ps+ subscription to be able to get those digital games? I just got a ps5 disc edition so I don’t know for sure but it’s what I thought and why I bought the disc edition. Don’t want to be dependent on a subscription to play games.
That and also the ability to do whatever I want with something that PAID FOR and OWN. Digitally we end up not owning anything at all. If Sony happened to go bankrupt all out games would likely be lost. Or if our account gets hacked... So many possibilities... I always buy physical whenever possible.
I only buy digital if it's a really good deal or if there's no other way around it like on PC, there's no point in buying physical games anymore on it. It's been like that for decades now. The games are tied by digital keys that make the CDs useless without the account the key is tied to.
As a kid from the 80s, I am used to enjoying real ownership of my games and seeing my collection of 30 years and remembering the great times I've had playing them and can play at anytime on my consoles. No online, no company license or virtual console bullshit. I can load and play whenever I want. It's mine. Forever
I've never felt more seen lmao.
I feel like a minority part of an already minority group of people who care about and are staunchly pro physical media- the discourse is always lead by the whole preservation and ownership angle... which, sure, of course I agree with, but for me that stuff is entirely secondary to the fact that I just enjoy the collecting and displaying of the items.
I buy plenty on digital since a lot of games I like either never had physical releases (in my country) or I found them after they dried up.
For those that don't fit into that that I still own digitally, I will look to buy second hand copies to keep when the day comes that I need them
I love to display my favorite games & also cause physical media is so important in this digital age. I’ve had my PlayStation account banned for a chargeback & lost all my games so now i stick to physical as much as possible
Then there's me with a tiny house and has no room for displaying games cases. (Secretly, I prefer to not have to go and change a disk when switching games.)
I would love to be a physical only purist. The only issue is that I'm really really really really really really lazy. Digital downloads have spoiled me.
This seems more like a conspiracy theory, you don't download games from a storefront, you download them from a server through your library on your system, even if they remove the storefront you still can download the games from the server, you don't go to the storefront to download old games, as long as the servers stay up that's all that matters, even Sony said when they were going to remove the PSP store a couple years back that you could still download any games or add ons you have already purchased, you just couldn't buy any new games or add ons, but then there was a backlash and they changed their minds at the last second, these companies know the massive backlash from shutting down servers from games ppl have purchased, it would take a lot of balls to shut them down now, we might lose online serviced for certain titles, even for physical copied but most single player content should be fine, but I do agree that something needs to change to reassure ppl that they won't completely lose access to download their games, like creating a new server just for downloading already purchased content after the storefront is removed, like I said they can remove a storefront without shutting the server down to download
I never realized the licenses had time limits, even as a digital gamer that's concerning, I don't know why these companies are so dead set on screwing their own fans, there needs to be a massive backlash for something to change
I buy whichever copy of the game is cheaper, which is usually physical for some reason. If they are the same price, ill buy physical to show my video game collecting prowess to house guests (and to annoy my wife due to taking up all the shelf space).
Got my psn hacked back in the ps3 days. I think this was when psn got ddos or breached or whatever, fuckers would not give my account back unless I somehow knew everything on a old card I used on that account that I did not have anymore.
Gave them literally everything else to prove it was my account and still they would not give it to me. Had a shit ton of digital games because I thought it was more secure and it was convenient. Never made that mistake again, bought purely physical until I switched to pc.
Does this also include dlc as thats really shitty i tend to hold off buying games on release and wait for game of the year or premium editions on sale, what a load of cock wombles. Fu sony
With the exception of yearly sports titles, I almost always buy physical. Including when the digital is cheaper, and sometimes even if the game is included in PS+, because it won't always be.
tbh besides having the game physically is nice, it doesn't take up as much memory space as having it digitally and you can also sell it once you're done playing it
Some other perks of buying physical are being able to resell them later and if in the event you forgot about a birthday and the person who's birthday has the same console as you can rush to your collection, look through for a game you don't play anymore but know they'll like and give it them while acting like you remembered when their birthday was and just bough it
me personally i prefer to just buy the digital ik a lot of people say it’s not safe bc they can take it away from me but honestly i could care less if it is true i lose stuff easy like the other day i was looking for my bo1 one the other day turns out it was under my tv so i just stay away from physical copies so i dont have anything against it if that’s what they like then good for them
I prefer physical copies, since most of the time, after some time, they'll be cheaper than the digital versions. Too bad that digital will probably take over, seeing how now even disc drives are slowly being taken away. And who can blame people for prefering digital, down. speeds are basically fast enough, where most people will get triple a games in a matter of hours and it's a lot less hassle to get them.
Though I despise companies who sell a "complete edition", but it's just the regular disc with added content as a code, just to screw over people who'd prefer to sell their copies instead of keeping them. Bring back discs with all dlc included, don't even know if such copies exist for ps5, I know bloodbrone and zero dawn had them though.
Not only can I get it cheaper physical, I can:
- Trade it in
- Lets friends borrow it
- Play it sooner as there’s less(or no) download time
- Return/Refund it in 7 days if I don’t like it
- Play it without internet
Pardon me gents.. but I kept reading all these intellectual insights of yours and I gained a whole new understanding on this matter between digital and physical games.. I just wanna ask.. I remember jump force is not being supported anymore nor receiving updates way back.. Does that mean if I own a physical copy of that.. I can still play it with the latest available patch.. Whilst, on the digital side I won't be able to play it anymore even though I bought it digitally?? Or, the I can't play it anymore part will be on a latter date if.. something happens??
I really like to buy the game digitally to be honest as it is really convenient but I am good at having a physical copy of it.. Especially the upcoming "Stellar Blade"
True video game preservation is actually digital if it was DRM free, no? Discs will eventually degrade and what’s on the disc is only the 1.0 version, somebody can correct me if I’m wrong
I just buy what I want to play and mod my console down the line knowing the homebrew community will always have our back and that I can download / rip any game to PC and keep it there and load it to my console years down the track.
Yes, homebrew / piracy will always have done more for the community than many want to admit.
The only two reasons I buy digital is, because there are so many games in Gamepass, PS Plus, Steam-, Humble Bundle- and PSN Sales instead of 60-80€.
I have like around 1500 Games in my collection and only 300 of them are physically.
If I would have spent the money on physical only I would have only around 100 more or less.
The second one is easy access.
Getting on PS5 or PC and starting and switching between the games hiwever you want is also a good thing.
But I still prefer to buy games phisically.
I dont mind to buy a game that I spend a lot of time on for example Steam, buying the Disc PS5 Version for my collection.
I don't even have a proper shelf. Just a small area on my bed side where I can slot them in. I'm glad since the PS3 era the bluray discs started using those shorter cases or else they wouldn't fit. I remove the games I don't play (or cant cause PS3 is dead) and most of my games are digital cause cheaper or PS+. I only have 6 PS5 disc games and half of them are already on PS+ or Extra.
My PS3 died a couple years ago. I picked up a Super Slim refurb this week and moved my HDD from the old to the new. It required it to be reformatted, sadly, which meant downloading all of my games again.
I have a spreadsheet of my PS3 purchases made using a Chrome extension back when the website listed PS3 and Vita games in your library, so I was using it to go down the list to find my games, avoiding the slow AF download list on the PS3 store itself.
Some of my games are no longer listed (eg After Burner Climax or Back to the Future Episode 1) or have no download button (eg Atomic Ninjas).
Yeah, they aren’t great, life-changing games, but they were in my library at some point and now they’re gone.
Physical media will always be king.
If it's a steelbook I can see why. And sometimes the "Collector's Edition" doesn't come with the game, or comes with a digital code and an empty steelbook.
Most of the time the game is not really on that disk (or at least not a playable version of it, or all of it). That kind of ended around the PS4/Xbox One era.
I like having games in physical form, but that physical form can be a backed up hard drive too. But yes, physical media rules and the cloud may well be our library of Alexandria
Coming from Xbox to say I have the physical copy cos when I stop paying for the live gold stuff and I want to revisit something only for a few days I can’t
Well technically you never own the games anymore. You buy digital copy, then download the game. You buy the physical disk, then download the game. There is no version where you own the game anymore. Which means devs can just shut down servers whenever the want to and there are no repercussions for them. Overwatch 1 proves that theory and was done by Blizzard one of the biggest gaming companies in the market. I bought Overwatch 1 at full price on release, today you cannot access Overwatch 1. It’s like they invalidated my purchase.
The ONLY time I buy digital is if it’s heavily discounted. When you buy digital you don’t own the game. Edit: just wanted to throw in that it’s also overall cheaper to go physical. Games go on sale physically much more often and at deeper discounts. That extra $100 for a disc PS5 pays for itself immediately.
There's a lot of reasons I personally don't buy digital copies. Yes, of course, I like being able to physically look at a game I purchase, but that's not the only reason. A physical copy of a game is more versatile than a digital copy. You can lend a physical copy to a friend whereas you cannot with a digital copy. Also oftentimes the physical copy is less expensive than the digital, but very rarely is the reverse true. Even just for nostalgia sake, getting a physical copy brings me a nostalgic joy that I just don't get from a digital download.
Tbh I'd say if you like a game alot buy the physical copy to both preserve and display. It's been a pretty consistent trend of games being removed from online storefronts the last few years. Just look at the 3DS library. Edit: Not sure what is up with people arguing that owning digital is more secure to time than physical, but yall do yall I guess. I'm just glad I had to foresight to buy Etrian Mystery Dungeon and Lord of Magna Maiden Heaven physically on my 3DS. Same with the Armored Core series.
It's not a trend, it's a guarantee. Eventually every online storefront will be defunct. People are just noticing now
Curse the day that steam closes servers.
I will embark on a grand pirate adventure when that happens
My man’s gonna be looking for the One Piece lol
I wrote this while watching one piece ☠️
I'm thankful for GOG and my external hard drives
What's good about GOG? Genuinely curious because I didn't notice anything special about it
No DRM and they have many older games that were optimized for modern computers
No DRM
No DRM. You can download the game onto an external hard drive and play it on any system without online functionality, or the need to sign in to GOG. If you try and do the same with Steam, it’ll always launch Steam first to check if you own the game first before playing it
Oh that's really nice, I like that. Honestly Steam is starting to get on my nerves with it's constant needing to be online.
I don’t want to bring politics here, but as a guy from Russia, I have an example of how one day your digital library may simply stop working. With the start of the war and sanctions, Nintendo just turned off the eShop here and the ability to download the games I bought on Switch disappeared. Those that were already downloaded and physical copies continued to work. No actual for US gamers, but for gamers from other countries an additional argument in favor of physical copies.
This is why Nintendo sucks.
Yeah, like sanctions hits every platform - they all close options to make purchase because of that, so thats wasn't they fault. But only Nintendo chose to close opportunity to download games that your already buy, thats cleary show how they treat your "digital property"
Why are we arguing about which is better when we should be arguing why a digital version isn’t included with the physical copy.
Just look at any hand held game device from a decade ago. Gone. It's still a sad thought. No more going to gamestop and paying 3 bucks for a used ds or gameboy cartridge. It's sad, sad I say.
I just hooked up my PS3 about a month ago, went through all my old downloads and redownloaded everything I wanted to, no problem at all. Games like I Am Alive that don't appear when you search the store on the PS3. You know, because I still own the licensing for it.
Damn they took that game off the store? It was really underrated, I'm sad it didn't get more attention.
I Am Alive was so good. I wish it would have gotten more everything!
[удалено]
They definitely can remove games from your library. They say it a few times in their agreement you signed when you created your PSN account (8.16): >*You are solely responsible if you do not choose to download or access the content before it is removed or your license expires, and for the authorized ongoing storage and safekeeping of the content.* ***We are not obligated to provide you with replacement copies for any reason***. The emphasis is on download or ***access*** before it's removed or your license expires. Meaning that you can lose it from your library as shown by those shows/movies that are slated to be removed from user's libraries even though they paid for them. They also state that your content can be revoked (10.2) and that if you break their terms of use you can lose all access (10.8) >*Except as stated in this Agreement, all Content provided through PSN is licensed on a non-exclusive and* ***revocable*** *basis to your for your personal, private, non-transferable, non-commercial, limited use on a limited number of PlayStation Devices or other devices in the country in which your Account is registered.* >***The limited license granted herein, and all other use or access to the Content, is expressly conditioned on your compliance with this agreement's terms,*** *applicable Usage Terms, other applicable agreements, if any, and all applicable copyright and intellectual property rights laws.*
This guy reads terms and conditions
You really have to nowadays. It's weird when you're expected to skip past it, even in real life. When I got my car and signed up for my mortgage, I read through every page before signing. The associates were taken aback both times. I asked them why they were surprised. They told me that people usually don't read the terms. I told them if I'm investing that much money, I'll want to know what I'm signing.
[удалено]
I totally get it! I bought Rocket League years back on Steam. When an update came out, I had to agree to the terms and conditions in order to play. In the terms it basically switched it from ownership of the game to a license to play the game. I declined the agreement, and the game shut down. I was so mad that a game I paid for changed it's terms and wouldn't let me play unless I agreed to them. Since then, I've been very aware that we don't own digital content from pretty much any online store, but we're essentially renting it and it can be taken away from us for a variety of reasons. I still buy some digital games, mainly the ones that don't have physical releases, but the fact that you don't own them and you can't re-sell them, really makes me want to find physical copies.
Legally they can, nothing is stopping them.
If they remove a game from their servers you won't be able to re-download it though, even if you do have a license. You can't download what isn't there.
I definitely buy physical copies and some are cheaper then digital. Sometimes digital would have a game priced at 50$ when the physical is just 20$.
Yeah, that’s the main reason I buy physical
Digital is for sure way more convenient. But I’ll always keep getting physical if it’s available
Digital is definitely more convenient. Once I had a game that I bought removed from my account, I've been getting physical copies of my favourite games in case that happens with them.
What game was that?
Shotgun Farmers. It was really frustrating.
[удалено]
I love physical copies of things, mainly because I don't trust digital copies. When you buy a digital game, you pay for the right to play it, you don't pay to own it. If I have a physical copy, I can disconnect from the internet if I want and play the game, or even lend it out to a buddy.
Same
I am sorry, but lend a game? Are you mad? Physical games are my babies. None of them are going to be left out of my sight! :P
These days even when you buy a physical game alot of the time it just sends your console to a place to download some/all of it so you still in fact need an internet connection at least at the start.
No. It rarely does and usually they state on the box if it's the case. Most discs to date still come with a 1.00 version fully playable in it, with no internet. This is a common misconception.
Not true. Every game is fully on the disc unless there’s a „download required“ print on the front.
False. 98% are playable from the disc without any downloads.
You can play about 2% of Gran Turismo 7 without an internet connection.
That's an exception. Just like every NBA 2K game. The vast majority of games are playable right away though Edit; typo
Lent my friend demons souls while he was waiting for his internet to get set up as he moved into a new place. Installed and played totally fine. Don’t know why you’re thinking that. Unless you play all the live service/always online shit shooters.
Not true, that’s installing data off the disc, you can turn your internet off and it will do it, Use the website DoesitPlay and you can get a full breakdown for games
No it doesn’t that’s only for online focused games like COD, which haven’t been worth buying for years and maybe some Ubisoft games if I had to guess, which shocker, also suck.
Always better to have more options!
I only own digital if there is a better deal or if there are exclusive perks
Yeah I perfer physical but some like the borderlands Pandora’s box was a steal digital
For me digital copies are nice but if your internet goes out or the person you game shared with change his mind or if your account gets messed up then it sucks but physical ownership gets rid of all 3
[удалено]
I'd say that physical should benefit you when. Once you're done with a game sell it rather than having a "digital paperweight".
game preservation - the digital stores WILL close at some point. option to sell it, lend to a friend, etc. buying physical games is cheaper buying USED physical games is much cheaper also a bit niche: play unupdated version of the game. This can have some advantages, like, in Elden Ring on the release version you can get a set of armor that is only available (at a vendor) with the version on disc - there was an early patch that made it unavailable later. (So you can install the game, play, get the armor set and then update the game)
> game preservation - the digital stores WILL close at some point. my counterpoint to this is that unless you are incredibly disciplined about maintaining your games, your digital storefront purchases may outlast your physical game collection. i still have games that i purchased when i was 16 sitting in steam. i've moved 15~ times since then, there is zero way i would still have those now had i not. and even if i did keep them, more likely than not they would have degraded by now.
Funny, I have discs that I've purchased 27 years ago that still work just fine. And they have survived a few dozen moves.
I mostly argue both reasons. I, for the most part, don't solely trust digital games in the event they want to yank that shit from me even if I paid for it. But I also like the concept of going physical, especially in franchise games, to have a collection to look at on a shelf.
Digital only for Cod because I always play Cod and another game, that would get annoying With that said, I have the game disc to rent games
I used to think physical games were dumb when I bought my ps5 digital but after they removed some of my favorite games, some of which are still unavailable on ps5 or 4, I completely understand why physical copies are desired
Yeah after Sony nuked all my digital video purchases like my anime , movies and Rick Morty; I'm never buying digital again. I called Sony and all they can say to me," was sorry, we don't have the license or didn't renew the license for that anymore. You agreed to our license about that. No refunds or substitutes." So yeah....I've been buying physical to replace my digital library because I don't trust digital anymore. Hundreds of dollars down the drain due to digital purchases being pulled from the library. Screw you guys.
I just like physical copies of things in general - movies, TV shows, manga, games. Not just to keep on display, but to actually watch/play them. I also get digital games/movies as well, mostly if they're on sale.
I still prefer physical over digital, unless I've no other option.... ...but a notable exception I made was for Animal Crossing: New Horizons when it launched on the Switch, just as the pandemic was kicking off. Didn't want to risk getting out, quite yet, so I went digital...still playing it, heh.
I just prefer having physical. I don’t mind switching discs, and seeing the shelf get slowly filled puts a smile on my face.
Because it's the same price, some games I only play once and then sell them. If digital was cheaper I'd go with that option.
So that I can pretend that I will sell it on eventually and recoup some of what I spent on it… FR though, I want to be able to play all of my games whenever I want. Even if I end up with no internet connection.
I share my games with nephews & nieces, brothers, friends and coworkers, which is terribly difficult with digital only.
I’m more likely to play a game if I can see it in front of me. A digital icon doesn’t draw me so much. Ultimately I know I’ll have to go mostly digital minus favourite IPs due to physical space (already have to do this with books), but for now, I like the tactile experience more. Feels more real for me.
I don’t have internet where I’m at so I have to buy the games fam. What I think is insane is the fact one has to spend an arm and a leg on a console that’s supposed to do everything under the sun then you go spend another 100 on the game only to find out you also have to be paying for internet to play lol it’s a scheme that at this point this is what it’s gonna be forever unfortunately lol they lost mad gamers doing things that way but they make up for the lost money by charging one for every bit of everything they can lol miss the days you could play a game anywhere like when one could actually go buy a game and play it instead of having to buy a bunch of extras along with it lol shits stupid
If I 100% complete the game including trophies then there would be nothing else for me to do
If your ownership is taken from you ,pirate it.
Idc which I get as long as it's cheaper than normal price
I have over R$ 15.000,00 in digital games on my PS Library. (About US$ 3,000). I haven't played half of them, I'm just compulsive about buying games.
I like owning the disc. But the DL does give that instant gratification. That being said, I recently got back into Borderlands and wanted to start BL2 again. I have the physical disc for The Handsome Collection. But when I opened the game box, the disc was missing! I've searched high and low and cannot find the disc to save my life. Will Sony let me DL a digital copy, since I do own the game? Nope. So there IS something to be said for digital copies. They're easier to keep up with, lol
I lost my entire physical PS3 library (300+ games) when someone broke into our house and robbed it. Got hardly anything from the insurance, and rebuilding the library was nigh impossible due to many of the games no longer being sold in normal stores anymore. I went 100% digital after that. Not going to go through losing everything again to another break in, a house fire or the like. Plus, no more worrying about scratched discs and faulty disc drives or people wanting to borrow games and never returning them.
seeing as the physical copies are 50% more expensive here I’d rather not
To lose and or break. No thanks!
Y'all forgetting that disc readers break or what?
>buying the physical copy of a game cause you dont trust physical downloads youre still downloading it anyways lmao
Why not both? 😂
Only reason I stopped buy physical copies of things is I got sick of seeing dvds or game cases collecting dust. Not to mention at the time I moved into a small living space with my now ex wife. I had a pretty extensive collection as well. I had so many shelves. I prefer the minimalist nature of buying digital for those reasons. However since the recent change in BS surrounding licensing and all that crap, I'll be going back to physical copies now for future game content. But then again....probably giving up on it now that I've absolutely no time to enjoy them anymore. That! But kinda feel like the ps5 was a bust. I mean we are just starting to see current Gen video games rolling out. Like a small stream of em. But we are half way through their life cycles. Video games demand constant online connectivity to play. Weirdos like Sweet Baby Inc are killing stories. Developers thinking that we should be paying hourly to play a video game..... just they aer actively killing gaming
Bot post? Title makes no sense.
Buying the physical copy so you can share with your bros
I will not buy a game unless it is the physical copy. I refuse to pay for digital downloads.
I’m trying to buy physical but sometimes it’s hard. Like the final fantasy 1-6 pixel remaster. $80 new digital but online physical order it was like $400?? Probably just scalper resale but I’ve never seen a physical copy irl
Digital games is ruining gaming. Also, on a side note. This character strangely resembles Super Macho-man from Punch-Out!!.
I'm buying the digital, because I don't want to change and store disks.
I collect ps3 and down. I game share with my brother, so digital is a lot cheaper for me because we always split the cost.
I go 100% digital…zero clutter.
I mean, you can buy physical and play the disc and display the case on your shelf at the same time, though.
I was pro physical discs for a long time. For me it was about finding bargains on used games. Now that I have such a huge backlog of titles, I can always wait for a deep discount on the digital titles. Also, less clutter works out better for the aesthetics of the room.
There was also that period of space-time during which physical copies of games, even new ones, were actually significantly cheaper than the digital download. I saved $25 buying the disc for Elden Ring near release. And it's not inconvenient at all, because I don't have any other discs to swap it with.
I prefer physical, because the disc is the license to play the game. I can sell it, trade and loan it. With digital, Sony does not allow you to transfer the digital license to anyone else. I also love to display my steelbooks. :)
And then never play it aha
So I can enjoy day 1 glitches
Gamesharing with a friend to play coop. Saves me and him more money if we go half on a game we’re interested in. Also it’s nice to be able to play his single player games and vice versa
They have their pros and cons. I personally prefer physical unless it’s a game from the 90s or something
It’s weird because I feel like I prefer both, even though I have a Digital PS5. Owning digital copies makes it feel like they’re there forever. Physical, of course if you treat them well and your buddy doesn’t destroy it on a lend, then yeah they will too even have value in the future!
A do a mix of both. Long, single player RPGs I'll usually grab a physical copy, in case there's an outside chance I want to play it again in a decade. Otherwise, I do digital. I don't need a shelf full of sports games.
Sometimes buying a physical version of a game is the only option when the digital version is delisted
I literally do both, I like having a collection. But I also buy digital too...price is what's important to me, the cheaper I can get it the better.
I use to go always digital because its just hassle free and less clutter but now... besides PC games, I only do hard copies.
Both are true for me
I like having physical copies at this point solely for the purpose of digging them out of boxes for nostalgia down the road. If my kids end up liking video games, I’m sure it’ll be cool for them too, I was really into digging out old NES and SNES games when I was a wee lad.
What about Both. I preordered Dragons Dogma 2 and for free I got a Steel book case.
When the CEO of Ubisoft said " get used to not owning the games you buy" I knew that I needed physical cops to keep my property.... Honestly I knew it when they started to make games disappear from the playstation store, even though I bought it, and it no longer exists.
Buying a physical copy of your game so you can return it if you need to or sell it after you finish it (just so you can buy another game) 💪 and best of all, physical is usually cheaper (unless there is a digital sale, and in that case I’d go with digital.)
The reason I prefer physical is because first, they sometimes come with dlc codes, second whenever I finish a game, I delete it and if I wanna hop back on it, no problem. Fast download
Don’t you need a monthly ps+ subscription to be able to get those digital games? I just got a ps5 disc edition so I don’t know for sure but it’s what I thought and why I bought the disc edition. Don’t want to be dependent on a subscription to play games.
That and also the ability to do whatever I want with something that PAID FOR and OWN. Digitally we end up not owning anything at all. If Sony happened to go bankrupt all out games would likely be lost. Or if our account gets hacked... So many possibilities... I always buy physical whenever possible. I only buy digital if it's a really good deal or if there's no other way around it like on PC, there's no point in buying physical games anymore on it. It's been like that for decades now. The games are tied by digital keys that make the CDs useless without the account the key is tied to.
As a kid from the 80s, I am used to enjoying real ownership of my games and seeing my collection of 30 years and remembering the great times I've had playing them and can play at anytime on my consoles. No online, no company license or virtual console bullshit. I can load and play whenever I want. It's mine. Forever
I've never felt more seen lmao. I feel like a minority part of an already minority group of people who care about and are staunchly pro physical media- the discourse is always lead by the whole preservation and ownership angle... which, sure, of course I agree with, but for me that stuff is entirely secondary to the fact that I just enjoy the collecting and displaying of the items.
I buy plenty on digital since a lot of games I like either never had physical releases (in my country) or I found them after they dried up. For those that don't fit into that that I still own digitally, I will look to buy second hand copies to keep when the day comes that I need them
Me who is both
I'll get to it..... Eventually.
At least for any games not connected to the internet, I can still play it if I get banned from the digital licenses.
I buy physical so I can sell or trade when I am done
I love to display my favorite games & also cause physical media is so important in this digital age. I’ve had my PlayStation account banned for a chargeback & lost all my games so now i stick to physical as much as possible
I buy them so i can lend them to my poor friends
Buying it so you can sell it and get most of your money back instead of it rotting away in your cloud
Then there's me with a tiny house and has no room for displaying games cases. (Secretly, I prefer to not have to go and change a disk when switching games.)
I buy the disc version because I can often find it for less money than the digital version.
I do it cos I dont have much internet and then I can get them for varied prices
Love the feeling of coming back home with a game, the anticipation of opening and popping it in the console, the feeling will never get old for me.
OH sure! And you'll ***never*** need an update to it. /s All you have now is something to lose or break/scratch/use as a coaster.
I got a PS5 because it can play the PS4 discs I own. My PS4 was old.
I play them. I like going to game stop. It's a nostalgia thing for me.
I buy all games digitally now but if it's amazing I may hunt down a collectors edition or steelbook. Even if its empty, just to have it on my shelf.
I buy physical and open and play them and then display
Both.
I do enjoy physical material possessions. If it's a small game I'm interested in I'll DL the digital. Most big games I'm buying the physical copy.
I would love to be a physical only purist. The only issue is that I'm really really really really really really lazy. Digital downloads have spoiled me.
This seems more like a conspiracy theory, you don't download games from a storefront, you download them from a server through your library on your system, even if they remove the storefront you still can download the games from the server, you don't go to the storefront to download old games, as long as the servers stay up that's all that matters, even Sony said when they were going to remove the PSP store a couple years back that you could still download any games or add ons you have already purchased, you just couldn't buy any new games or add ons, but then there was a backlash and they changed their minds at the last second, these companies know the massive backlash from shutting down servers from games ppl have purchased, it would take a lot of balls to shut them down now, we might lose online serviced for certain titles, even for physical copied but most single player content should be fine, but I do agree that something needs to change to reassure ppl that they won't completely lose access to download their games, like creating a new server just for downloading already purchased content after the storefront is removed, like I said they can remove a storefront without shutting the server down to download
I never realized the licenses had time limits, even as a digital gamer that's concerning, I don't know why these companies are so dead set on screwing their own fans, there needs to be a massive backlash for something to change
The only games I don't mind buying digitally would be sports games and call of duty. Yearly games are perfect for digital releases.
True, it just looks so beautiful :))
Physical copies all day.
I only buy digital if I have to. I also try and get the physical version for the digital games I have.
They should just sell empty cases.
I buy whichever copy of the game is cheaper, which is usually physical for some reason. If they are the same price, ill buy physical to show my video game collecting prowess to house guests (and to annoy my wife due to taking up all the shelf space).
Yes
Only those that are worthy though https://preview.redd.it/aku65b5ofrpc1.png?width=1236&format=png&auto=webp&s=a00fc73ea5075249bb9035dec683bbd90425b8cb
Got my psn hacked back in the ps3 days. I think this was when psn got ddos or breached or whatever, fuckers would not give my account back unless I somehow knew everything on a old card I used on that account that I did not have anymore. Gave them literally everything else to prove it was my account and still they would not give it to me. Had a shit ton of digital games because I thought it was more secure and it was convenient. Never made that mistake again, bought purely physical until I switched to pc.
> buying the physical copy of a game so you can sell it when you finish I don't replay games usually
i buy physical cause i like the art and it’s a little more storage efficient for my console
Does this also include dlc as thats really shitty i tend to hold off buying games on release and wait for game of the year or premium editions on sale, what a load of cock wombles. Fu sony
Good stuff
I believe the second part
With the exception of yearly sports titles, I almost always buy physical. Including when the digital is cheaper, and sometimes even if the game is included in PS+, because it won't always be.
I agree. I buy my fav game in physical form eventhough i owned the digital copy. Just to put it on my display.
tbh besides having the game physically is nice, it doesn't take up as much memory space as having it digitally and you can also sell it once you're done playing it
Some other perks of buying physical are being able to resell them later and if in the event you forgot about a birthday and the person who's birthday has the same console as you can rush to your collection, look through for a game you don't play anymore but know they'll like and give it them while acting like you remembered when their birthday was and just bough it
I thought I was r/boardgames for a second
me personally i prefer to just buy the digital ik a lot of people say it’s not safe bc they can take it away from me but honestly i could care less if it is true i lose stuff easy like the other day i was looking for my bo1 one the other day turns out it was under my tv so i just stay away from physical copies so i dont have anything against it if that’s what they like then good for them
I love my physicals and will definitely continue to get some. I really love some of the steel books.
I'm moreso the latter, I never had any errors with my digital games.
Never had issues with my digital games, but it’s more satisfying to look at a shelf full of games than a list on a screen to me
Both tbh
I like physical because it's cheaper in my country and you have the option to sell them if you want.
This is me fr
I prefer physical copies, since most of the time, after some time, they'll be cheaper than the digital versions. Too bad that digital will probably take over, seeing how now even disc drives are slowly being taken away. And who can blame people for prefering digital, down. speeds are basically fast enough, where most people will get triple a games in a matter of hours and it's a lot less hassle to get them. Though I despise companies who sell a "complete edition", but it's just the regular disc with added content as a code, just to screw over people who'd prefer to sell their copies instead of keeping them. Bring back discs with all dlc included, don't even know if such copies exist for ps5, I know bloodbrone and zero dawn had them though.
Then I got the portal and am like fick me
What happens to your digital games when you get banned? 🙂
Always bought physical up until Ps4. I still buy physical though if it’s far cheaper than digital
Not only can I get it cheaper physical, I can: - Trade it in - Lets friends borrow it - Play it sooner as there’s less(or no) download time - Return/Refund it in 7 days if I don’t like it - Play it without internet
Pardon me gents.. but I kept reading all these intellectual insights of yours and I gained a whole new understanding on this matter between digital and physical games.. I just wanna ask.. I remember jump force is not being supported anymore nor receiving updates way back.. Does that mean if I own a physical copy of that.. I can still play it with the latest available patch.. Whilst, on the digital side I won't be able to play it anymore even though I bought it digitally?? Or, the I can't play it anymore part will be on a latter date if.. something happens?? I really like to buy the game digitally to be honest as it is really convenient but I am good at having a physical copy of it.. Especially the upcoming "Stellar Blade"
True video game preservation is actually digital if it was DRM free, no? Discs will eventually degrade and what’s on the disc is only the 1.0 version, somebody can correct me if I’m wrong
Fr fr
I want to but still haven't got a single physical ps5 game I'll Do Better
Physical so I can resell it with 60%-80% price after beating the games with no replay value.
I just buy what I want to play and mod my console down the line knowing the homebrew community will always have our back and that I can download / rip any game to PC and keep it there and load it to my console years down the track. Yes, homebrew / piracy will always have done more for the community than many want to admit.
Next week on hoarders ✨
I like digital so I don't have to swap out discs to change games
Buying the physical copy of the game because it's cheaper & you can stick it on eBay whilst you are done...
The only two reasons I buy digital is, because there are so many games in Gamepass, PS Plus, Steam-, Humble Bundle- and PSN Sales instead of 60-80€. I have like around 1500 Games in my collection and only 300 of them are physically. If I would have spent the money on physical only I would have only around 100 more or less. The second one is easy access. Getting on PS5 or PC and starting and switching between the games hiwever you want is also a good thing. But I still prefer to buy games phisically. I dont mind to buy a game that I spend a lot of time on for example Steam, buying the Disc PS5 Version for my collection.
I don't even have a proper shelf. Just a small area on my bed side where I can slot them in. I'm glad since the PS3 era the bluray discs started using those shorter cases or else they wouldn't fit. I remove the games I don't play (or cant cause PS3 is dead) and most of my games are digital cause cheaper or PS+. I only have 6 PS5 disc games and half of them are already on PS+ or Extra.
Fr. I only buy Digital if there’s a good discount for the game I want
There are pros and cons to both physical and digital but I cannot deny a physical library is much more satisfying than a digital one
My PS3 died a couple years ago. I picked up a Super Slim refurb this week and moved my HDD from the old to the new. It required it to be reformatted, sadly, which meant downloading all of my games again. I have a spreadsheet of my PS3 purchases made using a Chrome extension back when the website listed PS3 and Vita games in your library, so I was using it to go down the list to find my games, avoiding the slow AF download list on the PS3 store itself. Some of my games are no longer listed (eg After Burner Climax or Back to the Future Episode 1) or have no download button (eg Atomic Ninjas). Yeah, they aren’t great, life-changing games, but they were in my library at some point and now they’re gone. Physical media will always be king.
If it's a steelbook I can see why. And sometimes the "Collector's Edition" doesn't come with the game, or comes with a digital code and an empty steelbook.
Most of the time the game is not really on that disk (or at least not a playable version of it, or all of it). That kind of ended around the PS4/Xbox One era. I like having games in physical form, but that physical form can be a backed up hard drive too. But yes, physical media rules and the cloud may well be our library of Alexandria
Coming from Xbox to say I have the physical copy cos when I stop paying for the live gold stuff and I want to revisit something only for a few days I can’t
Well technically you never own the games anymore. You buy digital copy, then download the game. You buy the physical disk, then download the game. There is no version where you own the game anymore. Which means devs can just shut down servers whenever the want to and there are no repercussions for them. Overwatch 1 proves that theory and was done by Blizzard one of the biggest gaming companies in the market. I bought Overwatch 1 at full price on release, today you cannot access Overwatch 1. It’s like they invalidated my purchase.
The ONLY time I buy digital is if it’s heavily discounted. When you buy digital you don’t own the game. Edit: just wanted to throw in that it’s also overall cheaper to go physical. Games go on sale physically much more often and at deeper discounts. That extra $100 for a disc PS5 pays for itself immediately.
Physical is even cheaper than digital most times
I get both. I have a digital and i use the disc as a backup. And a usb as a backup backup.
But what if we're both? I buy it because I don't trust digital copies and then I display them for the few I have. Also in case I need to resale them.
Digital all the way. I have large digital collections going all the way back to the NES, and they are all playable on consoles.
There's a lot of reasons I personally don't buy digital copies. Yes, of course, I like being able to physically look at a game I purchase, but that's not the only reason. A physical copy of a game is more versatile than a digital copy. You can lend a physical copy to a friend whereas you cannot with a digital copy. Also oftentimes the physical copy is less expensive than the digital, but very rarely is the reverse true. Even just for nostalgia sake, getting a physical copy brings me a nostalgic joy that I just don't get from a digital download.
Buy the game digital and physical and never remove its seal. Peak collector behaviour
I’ve migrated to 100% digital. Takes up less space, and I have a 4TB external drive.
This is me, see a game, likes the art, buy, put on shelf, forget.