Downloadable vs Disc
- Thread starter drbx19
- Start date
Most games have to de 'activated' now so no point in having the media, it's just clutter.
In the 'good old days' once you'd completed a game you could sell it on for ~50-70% of what you paid for it making gaming rather inexpensive.
In the 'good old days' once you'd completed a game you could sell it on for ~50-70% of what you paid for it making gaming rather inexpensive.
Man of Honour
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Either, which ever is the cheapest.
Downloadable.
1)Convenient, no need to que up
2)Usually cut+paste cd key
3)Often buy from steam as it saves the cd key so no chance of losing it in the clutter here
4)Constant patches often make CDs redundnt as you end up downloading the same amount as the game, especially as games move on and end up with overhauls not to mention expansion packs
5)Usually cheaper
6)Better graphics
7)Often modifiable to improve things the devs cba to do (like fallout3)
The only reasons I can think of getting the retail copy is for putting it on your shelf as maybe a collectors item or for sometimes the extra maps, manuals and shinys that come with it.. but for me that'd only be for resale. Not like the old cartridge games these days.
1)Convenient, no need to que up
2)Usually cut+paste cd key
3)Often buy from steam as it saves the cd key so no chance of losing it in the clutter here
4)Constant patches often make CDs redundnt as you end up downloading the same amount as the game, especially as games move on and end up with overhauls not to mention expansion packs
5)Usually cheaper
6)Better graphics
7)Often modifiable to improve things the devs cba to do (like fallout3)
The only reasons I can think of getting the retail copy is for putting it on your shelf as maybe a collectors item or for sometimes the extra maps, manuals and shinys that come with it.. but for me that'd only be for resale. Not like the old cartridge games these days.
Soldato
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Disc, if possible.
Don't get me wrong, my Steam has a good 60 games on it. But for new releases I just prefer getting it on disc, it just feels like I actually own the product more, rather than some file on someone's server somewhere...
kd
Don't get me wrong, my Steam has a good 60 games on it. But for new releases I just prefer getting it on disc, it just feels like I actually own the product more, rather than some file on someone's server somewhere...
kd
Soldato
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disc because its normally cheaper plus i dont have to sit at the pc for 20 hours waiting for 100gbs to download.
steam is far to expensive.
steam is far to expensive.
Soldato
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Download, unless the retail copy is cheaper and can be activated.
The advantages of digital distribution out weigh the disadvantage by a long way for me.
The advantages of digital distribution out weigh the disadvantage by a long way for me.
Both preferably. I've been downloading quite a few games lately, but only because it's nice/easier to have them there in one or two game clients, downloadable at any time, and all sorted nice. I still like having the boxes to display and that knowledge that I have all I need in physical form in case the internet blows up or something, but I'd prefer it if all games could be 'activated' and therefore downloaded in the future on something like Steam.
Download every time. See no point in having a disc that I'll have to find space to keep, and then having to have said disc in the DVD drive in order to play.
The higher cost (usually) of digital distribution is a non issue for me given the very limited number of games I buy, and that when it comes to 'popular' games if I do end up buying them it's normally long after release when they're on sale.
The higher cost (usually) of digital distribution is a non issue for me given the very limited number of games I buy, and that when it comes to 'popular' games if I do end up buying them it's normally long after release when they're on sale.
There's a poll here somewhere...
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18326064
Found it. Download seems to be the way forward. If games still came in those large boxes with a manual you could club a seal to death with, I'd go for retail copies. Alas, all you get are those piddly DVD-style cases - I'd rather keep books on my bookshelf.
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18326064
Found it. Download seems to be the way forward. If games still came in those large boxes with a manual you could club a seal to death with, I'd go for retail copies. Alas, all you get are those piddly DVD-style cases - I'd rather keep books on my bookshelf.
Disc, but with a key that activates in steam/origin, so if the disc is lost or damaged, i still have a way of getting hold of the game.
The majority of UK ISP's aren't capable of giving speeds required to make downloading every game realistic, 22gb for rage, 16gb+ for witcher 2, 32gb for GT4 + EFLC etc...I can't sit for 10 hours to download a game when I could just pop a disc in and have it installed in 20mins.
Until we shed this horrible 'upto' attitude from ISP's, and they start making an effort to put the technology in place to improve connection speeds (I'm looking at your sky, your supposed LLU line that gives 5mb of a 20mb connection), I'm still going to be for the most part buying discs.
If your lucky enough to live in say, a cable area, or infinity area, then (as I would in that situation) I'd download everything.
The majority of UK ISP's aren't capable of giving speeds required to make downloading every game realistic, 22gb for rage, 16gb+ for witcher 2, 32gb for GT4 + EFLC etc...I can't sit for 10 hours to download a game when I could just pop a disc in and have it installed in 20mins.
Until we shed this horrible 'upto' attitude from ISP's, and they start making an effort to put the technology in place to improve connection speeds (I'm looking at your sky, your supposed LLU line that gives 5mb of a 20mb connection), I'm still going to be for the most part buying discs.
If your lucky enough to live in say, a cable area, or infinity area, then (as I would in that situation) I'd download everything.
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I totally agree with pgi947, I like steam and all that digital copy stuff but the downloads are such a pain. Not everyone is on an unlimited package and modern size games really chew through my allowance.
Soldato
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Downloadable (although I will opt for retail if it can be activated and is cheaper).
I honestly cannot remember the last time I bought a retail game. For me the advantages of having everything at the touch of a findertip without the need for mucking about with disks (or mounting images in the case of my old laptop) greatly outweigh the disadvantage of not having the physical media.
Pre-loading is pretty awesome as well and it's the one thing I wish everyone would do.
I honestly cannot remember the last time I bought a retail game. For me the advantages of having everything at the touch of a findertip without the need for mucking about with disks (or mounting images in the case of my old laptop) greatly outweigh the disadvantage of not having the physical media.
Pre-loading is pretty awesome as well and it's the one thing I wish everyone would do.
Er, Yeah, like when I bought RAGE for £10-£15 less than the high street stores wanted and then preloaded it while I was at work so it was ready to play on launch. I wasn't using the PC in that time plus it would have been a ***** to sit there and load CD's/DVD's in while it installed 20+GB.
Steam is great value, its always cheaper than physical shops and around the same price as on-line shops plus during a sale it destroys both. Seriously if your going to try and make a point don't use ridiculous exaggerations.
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