Fair enough I edited the poll to show that was talking about discs.
Nope, because I was interested in digital downloads vs. discs, hence my thread title.
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Digital download vs. Physical Disc vs Physical Cartridge
- Thread starter maflynn
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Not everyone can have Silicon Valley levels of internet speed and bandwidth so disks still have a purpose... as well as allowing for more games to fit on a storage volume as some of the info is still on the disk. For the purposes of PS4 gaming, I still prefer having/ using a disk personally. But then my internet isn't particularly great - it's ok for low level broadband but maxes out at about 6meg at the best of times, which is probably borderline for game downloads, and 4K/ next gen will probably be beyond it.
My internet to my PS4 is wicked slow, its on wireless and its slow but I still think the download has its advantages.
What's your preferred way of owning a game?
There is logic in all 3 options.
There is logic in all 3 options.
- Discs are often cheaper to manufacture and have a lower end price. This is true as a few Switch games cost a touch more then their PS4 counterparts. You can re-sell the disc at a later date.
- Cartridges don't have the drawbacks that discs do but the cost is a factor. There's no issue of disc scratching. You can also sell a cartridge.
- Digital does not have the drawback of requiring apace in your premesis to put the physical media and if you have SSD, in your console, the games can load really quickly. The downside is the larger games take up a lot of space and if you want lots of large games on your console you need to go HDD, like the PS4 is and suffer the slower than SSD speeds that HDD has.
I PREFER Solid State devices like flash drives and carts - discs (optical and magnetic) seem so last-century. Also, solid state is starting to match the capacity of discs and prices will soon drop.
With that said, I think downloading is by far the easiest as you don't have to carry anything around and everything is there on the console without looking for the physical media...
With that said, I think downloading is by far the easiest as you don't have to carry anything around and everything is there on the console without looking for the physical media...
Nice video. Thanks for sharing it. However your video does not go into the differences of cart vs disc in enough depth.
Carts and discs each have totally different advantages and disadvantages. Really it's a 3 horse race (Digital vs cart vs disc). Just saying physical does not say which physical horse wins, cart or disc.
I do want to ask you?
Do you prefer carts or discs? As you don't say in the video.
Great point, I actually didn't think about that until now.
Personally, I'm loving the Switch cartridges. They're so small that I can carry around 12 games in my Switch case. I've also been able to sell a few games that didn't resonate with me. Cartridges can be carried around inside the system without damaging it (like a disc), and they have faster load times.
The con you mentioned; they can be more expensive. It is true, but I buy my games at a discount through Best Buy Gamers Club Unlocked so I really don't mind. And if a game has to cost a little more to be portable, that's fine with me.
I don't mind giving up the ability to resell a game going digital, provided that I can install it and run it on more than one machine. I have more than 40 titles in my Steam library, which I have installed on 3 computers.
I also don't mind going digital on Xbox, since Microsoft allows their own titles to be played on the PC with a single purchase.
Nintendo. I love Nintendo, but I absolutely hate their practice of forcing you to buy a title again if you have a second console. Worst offender is their Pokemon titles, even on a physical cartridge you cannot share it since there's only a single save slot for obvious reason. I will never purchase digital on Nintendo.
So, for me, PC and Xbox digital. Nintendo, cartridge only. Oh also have a PS4P, physical only since I have no other console to share with.
I also don't mind going digital on Xbox, since Microsoft allows their own titles to be played on the PC with a single purchase.
Nintendo. I love Nintendo, but I absolutely hate their practice of forcing you to buy a title again if you have a second console. Worst offender is their Pokemon titles, even on a physical cartridge you cannot share it since there's only a single save slot for obvious reason. I will never purchase digital on Nintendo.
So, for me, PC and Xbox digital. Nintendo, cartridge only. Oh also have a PS4P, physical only since I have no other console to share with.
Digital for my ps4, solely because of convenience. No having to swap out discs or have to hunt around for the game I'm looking to play.
Burke I do worry that in years to come I'll wish I had boxes that I could look back on.
But I am also hoping that all digital ps4 purchase will be playable on the ps5. Whereas, there is a much smaller chance physical discs for the ps4 will be readable on the ps5.
Burke I do worry that in years to come I'll wish I had boxes that I could look back on.
But I am also hoping that all digital ps4 purchase will be playable on the ps5. Whereas, there is a much smaller chance physical discs for the ps4 will be readable on the ps5.
My main driver is price. I've been willing to put up with a format's weaknesses if it meant deep discounts. Can't use iOS nor Android since those are digital only, but otherwise, they get their fair share of sales.
For PC, I've gotten many Steam games through their sales, and I got enough games via Humble Bundle that the price per game is easily $1. It's higher if you cut out the "bad ones" or ones won't have time to get to, but that's still a stellar proposition.
For consoles and handhelds... I end up preferring physical for that reason b/c that's how it's been here. I wait 5 years later, and Super Mario Galaxy 2 is now only $20 vs. $60. I picked up a bunch of games on SD card for Tapwave Zodiac (Palm OS handheld that focused on gaming) for $5 a pop. I hear 3DS games also go on sale. For the latter 2, buying digital versions of games remain at full price. AFAIK, it's because they need to move physical inventory, whereas digital games don't have that same issue to be that costly (that's right... a while back, but long after the Tapwave Zodiac got discontinued, their games were STILL full price via digital purchase).
TL;DR - I go by price, but after that factor, I'd go with cartridge as my top pick. But they have to be small. Doesn't have to be as small as the Switch, but definitely not NES or SNES. Not much reason they needed to be that big (beyond marketing)
For PC, I've gotten many Steam games through their sales, and I got enough games via Humble Bundle that the price per game is easily $1. It's higher if you cut out the "bad ones" or ones won't have time to get to, but that's still a stellar proposition.
For consoles and handhelds... I end up preferring physical for that reason b/c that's how it's been here. I wait 5 years later, and Super Mario Galaxy 2 is now only $20 vs. $60. I picked up a bunch of games on SD card for Tapwave Zodiac (Palm OS handheld that focused on gaming) for $5 a pop. I hear 3DS games also go on sale. For the latter 2, buying digital versions of games remain at full price. AFAIK, it's because they need to move physical inventory, whereas digital games don't have that same issue to be that costly (that's right... a while back, but long after the Tapwave Zodiac got discontinued, their games were STILL full price via digital purchase).
TL;DR - I go by price, but after that factor, I'd go with cartridge as my top pick. But they have to be small. Doesn't have to be as small as the Switch, but definitely not NES or SNES. Not much reason they needed to be that big (beyond marketing)
I posted such a response here...
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...-vs-physical-cartridge.2066792/#post-25208450
The gist of it is, price is my main driver. I'm lazy, but will still get up to swap out physical media. I've never sold games, so that restriction in digital media doesn't bother me.
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...-vs-physical-cartridge.2066792/#post-25208450
The gist of it is, price is my main driver. I'm lazy, but will still get up to swap out physical media. I've never sold games, so that restriction in digital media doesn't bother me.
In general, I'll prefer a disc/cartridge over a digital download. If the game is digital only or it has a good enough sale, I'll go digital.
Amazon Prime with 20% off preorders helps make this decision even easier. (though Amazon nerfed this promotion badly. It used to be 20% off the game if you bought it within two weeks. Now its just 20% off preorders.) Most CE's no longer get 20% either.
Amazon Prime with 20% off preorders helps make this decision even easier. (though Amazon nerfed this promotion badly. It used to be 20% off the game if you bought it within two weeks. Now its just 20% off preorders.) Most CE's no longer get 20% either.
My PS4 slim and PS Vita slim games are all digital. Hate clutter and I'm renting a small room that can't fit any of that. Most of my movies, TV shows, music, and books are digital. If I ever get a Nintendo Switch, I will get a cheap 128 GB microSD card and have my games all digital.
I'm not like Metal Jesus Rocks that enjoys collecting physical media but it's cool to check their collections and to see if they have any rare games that could be worth alot. The only advantages I see with physical games is if you plan to profit from it, you can bring it at your friend's house or let them borrow it, or you don't mind buying used games to save money.
I'm not like Metal Jesus Rocks that enjoys collecting physical media but it's cool to check their collections and to see if they have any rare games that could be worth alot. The only advantages I see with physical games is if you plan to profit from it, you can bring it at your friend's house or let them borrow it, or you don't mind buying used games to save money.
While it's super convenient to have the digital downloads (for both carrying and loss-prevention), For my Nintendo Switch and it's quite advantageous to have the physical carts (due to their keeping a high resale value).
For my XB1S, I've been full digital download. Those games go dirt-cheap before you know it, and I'm not so much interested in resale.
For my XB1S, I've been full digital download. Those games go dirt-cheap before you know it, and I'm not so much interested in resale.
Only Nintendo produced games keep their value (and, if that, $20. Most official titles eventually go 'greatest hits'). Not all cartridges keep their value as plenty of DS and 3DS games are $5 or less.
Ultimately, you are probably right for many of them. It is easy to recall that Super Mario Galaxy 1 & 2 both went $20 greatest hits. But it takes a few years, doesn't it?
It takes that long just to stray from its original list price. I got Super Mario Galaxy at a Game Stop for only $20, but that was 6 years after its initial release.
Honestly, a bit of both.
Games I know I'm going to keep forever, I get digitally. Stuff that I don't think I'll go back to once I beat it, I'll get physically.
That said. I am a huge Collector's Edition addict. When something I'm excited for is announced, I wait patiently until a CE is announced, then I preorder it. Some of the best CEs have come from Bioware, Atlus, and Ubisoft. My current favorite is the Horizon Zero Dawn CE, the Aloy statue is wonderful.
Games I know I'm going to keep forever, I get digitally. Stuff that I don't think I'll go back to once I beat it, I'll get physically.
That said. I am a huge Collector's Edition addict. When something I'm excited for is announced, I wait patiently until a CE is announced, then I preorder it. Some of the best CEs have come from Bioware, Atlus, and Ubisoft. My current favorite is the Horizon Zero Dawn CE, the Aloy statue is wonderful.
I will only buy digital games is they are reduced and considerably cheaper than physical counter parts. I will be happy to buy big titles brand new as physical titles. However, games I'm unsure I will love will be picked up on eBay.
After two weeks with the PS4 I might be tempted to start buying digital games. Being used you streaming it now feels a step backwards to have to swap discs anytime I want to play a different game.