"Digital" vs "Physical" in console gaming

[Hyo Razuki]

So I've been using the search function, trying to find a fitting topic, but I couldn't find anything, so here it is.

A question that's been bothering me for a while is the way publishers handle digital distribution on consoles. My personal experience is mostly limited to the PS4, because I don't own an X Bone or a Switch but nevertheless I find it kind of startling or at least irritating how digital distribution is treated.

Personally, I like the idea of digital game distribution on consoles and I do buy digitial copies of games sometimes. However, more often than I want to, I end up buying physical copies. I'm actually not much of a physical copies person, but still, around 80% of my library is physical. Why? Because in most cases publishers give me zero incentive to buy digital.

A lot of times the digital copy goes for the exact same amount of money as the regular retail, often a physical copy on Amazon is even cheaper than a digital copy. Plus, you don't get any extra content for buying digital, most of the time. You get the regular game, minus the physical disc and jewel case at the same price.

Most of the times there is no reason to buy digital, other than saving storage space in your apartment. Plus, you can lend physical discs to friends or sell them off after you finished the game, making some of your money back. Digital distribution saves publishers the whole production of physical media and the jewel cases and covers plus storage, shipping, basically the whole supply chain attached to it. Yet, they give none of what they save back to the consumer. Granted, they will have to pay some kind of fee to the console manufacturers for using their online stores. Do those fees really eat up the complete margin they make there?

If digital copies were only 5 bucks cheaper than retail copies, I'd buy a lot more digital games and limit my physical purchases to the games I am a fan of like the Yakuza series for instance.

Why do they make digital games so unattractive for us as customers? Is there any data on how many percent of let's say the PS4's or the X Bone's game sales are physical as opposed to digital?

[Thief]

Yeah, I agree with you. I only ever buy digital if there is no alternative. A digital game has no value, only utility. While a physical game has both value and utility. I see no reason to ever buy a digital game unless someone doesn't want to wait two days for it to come in the mail (or drive to a store). I don't buy the space issue, because I can't take it too seriously that someone cannot find a drawer or closet (or anything) to put their games into.

[sand4fish]

The average age of gamers of today is 35 years old, meaning most of us have been around since the NES era with its cartridge based games only. And it was only during the PS3/360 period that digital started to pick up steam. So it's kinda hard to tell people that a basically intangible good has the same or better value as a good old physical copy when the latter has the whole selling, lending and collecting aspect to it like the OP pointed out.

When considering both versions are sold at basically the same price point, and the physical coming with at minimum some artwork and usually some sort of trinket pre order promotional item, is there really any advantage having digital games at all? I mean, even when living space is a concern, all that is needed is to sell those physical copies back to make room for more (a definitely plus). Or is having a digital library of games considered really collecting? Because for all I know they will always be there in the online store for all eternity (at least in perception) and never suffer from scarcity like physical copies do, and if so definitely digitals have even less value as the latter still has the potential to raise its monetary value to more than it was initially worth (via the likes of eBay).

Edit: Though saying all that, it seems digital is really the way to go according to sales reports:
http://www.playstationlifestyle.net/201 ... e-digital/
Convenience is a powerful element and I guess I'm too old school.

[Coromasta]

I'm more of a physical kind of guy mainly because I can sell the game if I'm done with it, wich of course you can't do that with digital.
Secondly I like having games on display keeping the games that have nostalgic value or great memories or simply because I can replay them whenever I want.
Thirdly the reason already stated theres no incentive to buy digital because it's the same price and in my case the games are 10 eur more expensive than in retail.

[Sonikku]

I go physical because it nearly pays for the hobby. Physical is almost always cheaper, especially with Nintendo. GCU saves me 20% right off the bat at Best Buy in addition to their regular sales. Buy a game at Best Buy, play it, then trade it to Gamestop with Power Rewards + membership for trade in value to put towards hardware and accessories. You can't do that with digital.

[south carmain]

Always physical. I lost a PSN account and probably 20 games with it (not counting PS+ games) not to mention all of the superficial limitations they put on users for commercial reasons. I'll only buy a digital game if it's on sale for less than 5€, or I'm left with no other option for a series I love like Yakuza.

[Raithos]

Digital on PC and physical on console for me. PC has ridiculous discounts on digital titles leading up to release. Most of the time on console digital isn't worth it unless the game has been out forever. From day one the physical copies are 20% less than their digital counterparts.

[MiTT3NZ]

Hate clutter, buy digital.

Then again I refuse to pay over a tenner for a game unless I really want it. Then that figure gets increased to twenty quid.

[Jesse]

As others have stated I always go physical unless no other option is available. The only digital games I've ever bought is Life Is Strange and Yakuza 5. Well worth the purchase but physical all the way til digital convinces me otherwise.

[DL30]

The problem with digital only games,is not being able to rent them first and see if they're worth buying.
That and I have pretty limited internet connection.

This makes me hope that the industry doesn't go all digital for many years.

[Bluecast]

Always physical if I can. I do have digital games of course. Those I either got "free" or free and the ones I did buy are mostly heavily in sale games. Maybe 1 dollar or 2 dollars. Games like Astebreed,Wild Guns Reloaded,Shovel Knight,Soldner X-2,Darius Burst CS,Strider 2014 and quite a few others I just waited til they got physical. I am crazy enough I rather pay 45 bucks for Astebreed with a OST CD than 15 bucks on PSN. I rather pay more for physical than less for digital. I even try to get all my gaming soundtracks on CD when I can. I just need something tangible. We have seen X-men Arcade,TMNT Turtles in Time HD,Alan Wake and others get pulled from digital services. Physical there is always a copy out there long after the game was discontinued. Digital is cool to give smaller developers a chance to get known or niche games possible. I do get that and it;s great for that. I also see more indie games and niche games getting physical again. Raiden V,Earth's Dawn,Assault Suit Leynos,Wild Guns Reloaded and such just a few years ago would have been digital only.

[Hyo Razuki]

Yes, it was quite surprising Wild Guns actually got a physical release. Something like that would have been digital only a few years ago.