Do you prefer physical copies of games?

orbit18

orbit18

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The steam sales have always had me thinking about having the real thing versus a digital copy. I am not a stickler about games, though I prefer to have a physical copy of a game. I know this opinion has been brought up hundreds of times, but I have about 32 games on steam. I really wonder how long Steam will last, lets say in 20 years will we still have our games? I just recently bought the max payne bundle from steam (which is awesome btw!! i've always loved the games), however I always thought that the boxes of the games were pretty cool too. Do you think Steam will last for 30+ years and we will still have our games, and if it doesn't what do you think will happen? How do you think they would handle it? Same goes for XBLA, PSN, and Virtual Console.
 
Considering where Steam was when it first came out, yes I believe it will be around 30 years from now, maybe not as we know it now but some form of digital medial delivery will be around. I remember playing Counter-Strike before Steam then waiting and waiting for Steam to be debuted and get my low Steam-ID, it is interesting to think back on how video/computer games have changed over the years from graphics to even now, delivery. Online gaming communities I think will be around but will change as the fads change and peoples tastes change, this goes for XBLA, PSN, Virtual Console, etc. Content delivery saves a lot of money when you think about it and gets people for impulse buys, no packaging issues, the list goes on. I do personally though like having the package to a game, but I will buy Steam games and have downloaded games before Steam as well.

- Jason
 
I don't play PC games, but for console games physical copies are a must.

If I can't trade/sell a game after beating it, there's maybe 1-2 games a year I'd buy. Most games have no replay value for me, and I'm not into gaming enough to spend $20-60 on a game to beat it once and never touch it again.

The past couple of years I've bought 1 or 2 games, and everything else has been from Goozex.
 
I prefer to have physical copies,

But as the cost of publishing rises, physical isn't always an option. Especially considering I like some smaller fanbase genres like SRPG, shmups

SO if it takes digital only for them to survive it's fine with me. I don't really play old games anymore anyways.
 
I prefer physical copies of older games vs. emulated, it's just so much more authentic.

Most of the time, though, I prefer digital copies with PC games. So much more convenient... And usually cheaper, too.
 
Only for games that are important to me. And even then, anything physical to hang around the room would suffice -- doesn't need to be a cd
 
I used to be in the physical copy camp until I started running out of shelf space for all the PC games I had. Since Steam has so many great sales, I can buy on the cheap and wait out newer games until they get cheaper because the large backlog thanks to said cheap games keeps me busy.

I will still occasionally buy physical copies in lots from Ebay because the prices are usually pretty good and not every game is on Steam.
 
Depends on the pricing and size of the game compared to the storage space for whatever system it is.

I'll never touch Xbox Live Games on Demand because of the insane prices and that they're too big for my 20 GB hard drive, but I own a number of PSN versions of PSP games that were on sale and weren't too big for my 8 GB memory stick. Considering I don't care enough about PC games to go buy them in a store, I buy any interesting games that I see on sale on Steam without regrets.

Steam will last as long as Valve stays in business, which will probably be for a long, long time with the way Steam has been going for them.
 
I have no problem buying Popcap and Indie games through Steam as they don't really go to B&M (Some do, yes). I still want physical regardless, but occasionally I may bite on purchasing a digital version as a temporary purchase to play the game and then down the road purchase the game as a physical copy when I can find it super cheap. Then there's also a possibility of buying something I already own physically on Steam, just for ease of transportability if it's dirt cheap too.
 
i dont play on pc (cant run the games on my pc) but on consoles yes, i prefer physical media. like episodes from liberty city for example. that way i can play it, then trade/sell it if i so choose. but for games i love, (fallout 3) i have no problem buying the dlc not on disc since i plan on keeping them anyway.
 
It's all about the price for me, if the digital version is considerably cheaper then I'll get that one. Steam has really done that for me with PC games for the most part.
 
Console - Physical. Just like having the thought that it comes in a box and I can display it on a shelf.

Portable - For the PSP, yes. Since load times are much more faster and you dont hear the annoying umd drive spinning when its loading something.

PC - Digital. Dont need the disc when you play so you can take it anywhere if you're playing on a laptop. Only bad thing is that it will take several gigs to download an entire game so it will take awhile if you're on a slow connection.
 
I detest digital games and aside from the rare occasion I buy a digital game its some cheap classic game or whatnot.

If I am going to buy a game I want a real copy of it in my hand I can play anytime I want. I dont want to pay for a game that I probablly wont be able to play in 10 years because the authentication servers are offline, if I want to take it to a friends I want to be able to, if I want to play the game I want to just put it in and play, I dont want DRM telling me I cant play, if I am going to pay say 60 bucks for a game I dont think its fair the digital version is the same amount as the retail one (because digital doesnt have cost increases like packaging, instore marketing, paying a shipping company to send out all the games, they dont have a retailer taking a cut, they save on alot of materials and manpower).

If I buy a game I want it to be mine, I dont want to pay to let someone else to let me use it. Its bad enough I pay for my house and car among other things that technically arent mine but Ill be damned if I am going to shell out for a game and not have it be mine either.

Not to mention I collect games and play them. I like seeing them organized on my shelf nicely and who knows, when I get old I may pass them on to someone else who would take care of them and enjoy them, cant do that with digital.
 
Yes. There's no resale value to a digital download. Even if I don't resell most of my games, I like having the option of doing so, or lending it to a friend, or being able to take it to a friend's house. A digital download can't do that.
 
Of course I prefer physical copies of my games. It's owning vs. renting.

I don't mind Steam though. It's pretty much the only example of DLC done right.
 
I'll opt for a digital copy if it allows me to seamlessly and easily play it on more than one device. That includes Steam games and Sony psOne Classics (PS3 and PSP).

Otherwise, I opt for physical copies. I don't buy Xbox Games on Demand or digital PSP titles, for example, if there's a physical option.
 
I Don't ever care to resell my collection anytime soon, but I just feel almost better sense of security with having a physical copy since I know I actually own. So to me always the preferred way to own a game unless no other choice (good portion of XBLA titles).
 
I like to actually own the games I buy, so it's physical copies or nothing for me. Obviously XBLA is a little different since there is no other option.

Only exception is if Steam has a ridiculous deal...like, Bioshock for 5 bucks or something. It's got to be pretty extreme for me to support this "digital distrubution" bullshit.
 
Definitely prefer physical copies to digital. Digital copies require an internet connection to either download, install, and/or start up/play. While Physical, usually, doesn't. So what happens if my internet goes down, or, as is becomming more and more common, my isp imposes a download limit on my previously unlimited service? I can no longer play my game, not so with physical media.
Hell, they can even include the digital version on the disc, that way I always have a back up.
 
I prefer physical copies so that I can sell them, even for PC games. The only time I'd rather have a digital copy is if the game uses a serial number to connect online (Battlefield)... since I can't in good conscience sell it after using the online code.
 
I prefer physical copies of games that I plan to purchase.

Steam buys are almost impulse purchases for me, when they are on sale or whatnot. The "cheap ass" factor cancels out the "no hard copy" factor for me when buying games on Steam. They are either games I didn't plan to buy in the first place, or older games, that I am replaying or playing for the first time.

I've never used another DD service other than Steam, and I don't think I will, even with outrageous sales. Steam seems to "get it" more than the others.

I should clarify, I have used Xbox Live and Virtual Console on Wii, because there isn't really another option for those, but I use them pretty sparingly.
 
I find you can't really resell PC games anymore nowadays. Most of them require an account which they are linked too ala steam games, and many others like EA stuff. Most of the older games you can but you hardly make anything at all.
 
On consoles I still like having physical copies for the most part. For the PC I am strictly using Steam now for my game purchases since I know I can install the games on any computer easily without any strict DRM issues unlike PlayStation Network which only limits me to 5 consoles.

In the future though I would not mind having digital downloads as long as games still go on sale and do not have strict DRM.
 
Physical.

I like to be able to play the game whenever I want as long as I have the console. Or let a friend borrow the game, or sell it if it becomes valuable later on.(doubt it)
 
Physical. I don't like the idea of having all my games tied to an account, especially with Valve in charge of that account. I had my account suspended because it was somehow tied in connection with a stolen account for a person I've never met. The fact that I had to prove to them that I was the owner for their obvious mistake makes me extremely wary of ever giving them business. I'm becoming increasingly annoyed with physical copies that force you to authenticate via Steamworks, too. Metro 2033 really pissed me off when I found that out.

The day everything goes digital is the day I quit gaming.
 
For PC, I absolutely don't care. Digital copies of my PC games are fine considering computers are coming out with HUGE hard drives now and I don't have to decide anymore which 2 games I am playing at the moment can stay on my HD. Steam is definitely doing it right. I hated in the past when I was looking to re-install a game on to my computer to play through again only finding that I need the CD-Key to re-install...and of course...it's been lost somewhere in my room.

For consoles however, I do prefer to have the choice of getting a physical or a digital...but I will 90% of the time choose physical. XBLA games i'm fine with the digital form, but the bigger titles, I do prefer physical so I could trade on Goozex or here or swap games with friends to try it out before I buy.
 
I always thought I'd say physical but I think my mindset is starting to change. Probably the only thing that makes me want physical copies is like what everyone else said...the ability to resell.

I like digital because:

Less Clutter and Convience...I kind of like having all my games in one place or box where I can thumb through and play what I want without the need to swap discs.

Improvements...VC cleaned up some N64 games which would probably look less desirable on an HDTV in their original form.

Consoles - I like the idea that a digital game would outlast the hardware but as of right now this is mainly only Steam or similar Digital platforms...I guess it could be the VC, PSN, and Live Arcade if those titles carry forward into the next gen.

Composite - Will this go the way of the RF adapter eventually? I kind of don't want to have to keep around an old tube TV just to play some old games.

I like the pros of digital but still cling to physical mainly for the same reasons as everyone else. Will always be able to play it because I have it and own it locally and if I don't want it I can resell it.
 
Much like my DVD and Blu-ray collection, I prefer actually having physical copies to display.

Maybe I like to show off my movie and video game credibility whenever I have friends and/or guests over. Maybe I actually like having something tangible in my hands. I dunno. lol
 
Console games: YES. I NEED a physical copy of a game, unless it's some $5 PSN store classic game(MK II) or DLC that's uber cheap for a game I have($1.99 pack for Just Cause 2 that adds rockets to your parasail).

PC games: I haven't tried playing a game on my PC since GTA III and I just couldn't get the hang of using the keyboard and mouse for controls.
 
People talk about DD games becoming unplayable once a company goes out of business or an authentication server goes down. Have their been any cases where this has actually happened yet?

For the record I prefer physical media (hell, I still buy music CDs), but I'm just curious.
 
I can appreciate the convenience of digital copies, but I prefer physical copies because it makes me feel like I actually own something.
 
I prefer physical, but I buy off STEAM, D2D, Impulse, Gamersgate and GOG during crazy sales. With steam tied games, I buy the physical copy and enter the key. Other than that, physical for me. My room is now just too small to hold all my games. :(
 
[quote name='BustaUppa']People talk about DD games becoming unplayable once a company goes out of business or an authentication server goes down. Have their been any cases where this has actually happened yet?

For the record I prefer physical media (hell, I still buy music CDs), but I'm just curious.[/QUOTE]


Well downloading digital services only really started in the past few years. So none have really gone out of business as theres only a few to begin with in the first place. But 10 years down the road or so you never know.
 
[quote name='orbit18']Well downloading digital services only really started in the past few years. So none have really gone out of business as theres only a few to begin with in the first place. But 10 years down the road or so you never know.[/QUOTE]

Just look at music dl services. They've been around longer than game services. MS and Yahoo have both closed up, so it is a real possiblity that a game dl service will go belly up within a few years.
 
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