The continuing decline in availability of physical media

[BongoHunter]

Half-Life 2 was the last game I got on physical media, so what's that nearly 20 years? I remember I had to take my PC to a mates house to activate it as my uni Internet didn't allow steam connections....

I do still pickup the odd bluray at the right price though as I don't like having to trawl all the streaming services to find who currently has the rights to Stargate, or Battlestar, Lost, House, etc etc.

 

[Werewolf]

Per unit of disk must be creeping up too.

I'm not sure how much, the price breaks from what I understand tended to be relatively low in terms of number for the physical production, IIRC back in around 2005 it was enough that it was worth smaller companies in the US to go for 1000 units rather than 500 even if they risked dumping a lot of them (or similar numbers), and the physical replication cost for a lot of smaller runs is relatively low compared to the other costs (actually authoring, QC'ing, and licencing).

 

[Raymond Lin]

I lent my friend Mario Kart and gave the gf a few PS4 games I’m not playing. Sharing is caring!

 

[dlockers]

I lent my friend Mario Kart and gave the gf a few PS4 games I’m not playing. Sharing is caring!

Peek 4chan/SA was the lad who gave video games to apologies for putting molten butter on his disabled mates sisters coochie.

 

[GGizmo]

I think there needs to be some regulation for the preservation of old media.

Unlike today when you can go play a game from your childhood the kids today might not be able to do that in 20 years time, especially if it's an indie game.

I think companies shouldn't just be able to abandon the functionality of games ie the games that do an online check before they will run. They should deactivate the online check of a game if they are closing down the server.

The only preservation chance at the moment is groups cracking games, and I don't think it should be left to software pirates.

 

[mattyfez]

I think there needs to be some regulation for the preservation of old media.

Unlike today when you can go play a game from your childhood the kids today might not be able to do that in 20 years time, especially if it's an indie game.

I think companies shouldn't just be able to abandon the functionality of games ie the games that do an online check before they will run. They should deactivate the online check of a game if they are closing down the server.

The only preservation chance at the moment is groups cracking games, and I don't think it should be left to software pirates.

Emulators?

SSD/M.2drives are physical media, are they not?

 

[dlockers]

I think there needs to be some regulation for the preservation of old media.

Unlike today when you can go play a game from your childhood the kids today might not be able to do that in 20 years time, especially if it's an indie game.

I think companies shouldn't just be able to abandon the functionality of games ie the games that do an online check before they will run. They should deactivate the online check of a game if they are closing down the server.

The only preservation chance at the moment is groups cracking games, and I don't think it should be left to software pirates.

Ironic tho given all that crap from 20 years ago is now on emulators/mame

 

[GGizmo]

Emulators?

SSD/M.2drives are physical media, are they not?

I'm not sure if Limbo had a physical release, for this example let us say it didn't.

In 20 years time the chances of people being able to play it solely rests on the games services.

If you have lost the drives you saved it on you won't be able to play it.

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

I am kind of half in half out in regards physical
I still buy CDs if I want something, will rip it myself to multiple formats FLAC and MP3 mainly for different players
PC I am 100% download and have been for some time. Meh if a few games dont work at some point in the future. Often there are issues with compatibility so just let them die peacefully.
Movies etc, I am mainly streaming and digital purchases on Amazon. I recently bought Prey on Bluray and even though it wasn't too bad with rubbish at the start I was reminded how bloody painful waiting for discs could be to allow you to start watching what you want to watch!

 

[slinxy]

i’ve binned a load of vhs tapes as I had most of them on DVDs. For the DVDs, I have binned all the cases and placed them in a ring binders and the inlay cards are in a box in case I want to put them back in cases. The only ones that are still in cases are box sets and limited editions etc. I have two massive boxes full. I was quite good with DVDs and had yearly clear out where I was sell the movies that where meh..

I only buy blu rays for films that I think are great, the last one was tenet. I brought three blu ray players, all the same make and model, two to be used and one as a back up just in case… so I can continue to watch movies on disc. thou I have been lazy at times and just pirchase the digital version as I cba to look in all the ring binders for a movie,

I‘ve done the same for my CDs.. everything in ring binder with the expected of special edition, sets etc.. I seem to have the same 16 CDs in my car.. 6 in the multi changer and 10 in a wallet that I swap between but new music is stored on a sd card or streamed from my phone. A lot of the music I listen to ain’t available easily on streaming services.. and I some how have one purple tape (hip hop heads will know the reference) that I didn’t bin, that sells for a fortune on eBay.

i’ve stopped actively collecting games now a days as publishers are always releasing them on digital format, remastering them etc. it’s painful when you shell out £80 for a ps1 game and then it gets released on PSN for 7.99 lol
but if I spot a game that I want from a defunct developer or publisher, old habits kick in and I buy it so I looks good in the bookcase. Lol

QQ: is it even possible to get the original Star Wars trilogy on blu ray the original non Lucus gimp’d version? as even the DVDs version i have are the ones that’s has been messed around.

 

[tom_nieto]

I’m clinging on to my CDs even though they’ve been in the loft for years. I’m waiting for the day that I can put them in a nice rack and set up a music room. Got a bunch of signed copies which I definitely don’t want to ditch. Who knows how they’ll all look when I eventually unbox them!

Even more frustrating is that CDs at second hand shops and charity shops are super cheap at the moment. It won’t be that long before they start creeping up in price.

I’m a massive Spotify fan, and it all but cured me of a pretty expensive CD buying habit, but there is something quite special about physically choosing what you want to play from a shelf.

 

[Phreaky]

I exclusively buy VHS now, convinced its going to be the vinyl of video entertainment.

 

[new boy]

I sold / binned the vast majority of my physical media. Kept a few things that I have particularly fond memories of.

I put them in the attic for a couple of years but then realised that I'm never going to use them again so just got rid of them.

I've been both chucking out more stuff and trying to buy less stuff. It feels good.

Of course any space we have created has been taken up with the kids crap, but that's a problem for future me.

 

[sx_turbo]

I miss physical media, I know it's not eco friendly etc now, but downloading things just seems uneventful I find it difficult to quantify in words tbh, but it's one reason I insisted my boy got a series X instead of an S so when he gets a new game he knows he's got something then where as when he downloads a game he doesn't realise there is a transactional cost attached, and this doesn't appreciate what he's got

 

[Kirby Wurm]

I haven't bought a CD in a couple of years yet desire my collection bring in the attic I'm loathe to get rid of them. Some are special Japanese editions with bonus tracks etc that I sought for years in the past, since probably being worth a decent amount. On the one hand it's nice to read through the booklets and enjoy the artwork, on the other digital media is just more convenient.

Buying a digital album as a gift for someone would never cross my mind, giving a physical copy just seems a lot more substantial.

 

[Gerard]

Remember when one of the pitches for games going digital was cheaper games as they no longer had to print copies of the game, make boxes, package and ship them out to retailers. That really played out, games are more expensive these days than ever before. Yes games are more expensive to make as time goes on but it seems that there's zero saving whatsoever from them being basically totally digital these days.

 

[malachi]

Remember when one of the pitches for games going digital was cheaper games as they no longer had to print copies of the game, make boxes, package and ship them out to retailers. That really played out, games are more expensive these days than ever before. Yes games are more expensive to make as time goes on but it seems that there's zero saving whatsoever from them being basically totally digital these days.

Thats where I think it should be regulated.

Cost of digital downloads are more expensive than physical and they have the ability to remove the game from your digital library whenever they want. You have zero control.

12 years ago we had the joys of midnight launches for a short period of time. Now it's no longer a thing.

 

[ci_newman]

Remember when one of the pitches for games going digital was cheaper games as they no longer had to print copies of the game, make boxes, package and ship them out to retailers. That really played out, games are more expensive these days than ever before. Yes games are more expensive to make as time goes on but it seems that there's zero saving whatsoever from them being basically totally digital these days.

I think you're overlooking the impact of inflation on gaming prices.

In the 00s, a AAA title would retail at £50 or so. 20 years later, an AAA title still retails at £50 or so.

We can even use some titles as a direct comparison. In 2004, Microsoft Flight Simulator retailed at $43. In 2024 in now retails for $59.99.

If prices had risen in line with inflation, we would be seeing Flight Sim retailing at closer to $74. Gaming has gotten cheaper in absolute terms.

 

[Quartz]

Regulate what?

A big problem is the place from which you purchase your digital media losing the license for that media and removing it from your library. Another one is the library going bust and switching the servers off. What would you do if Steam suddenly shut down?

Far Cry became unbeatable after one of its updates.

Oh yes: the last level, Volcano. I can handle every other level but that one is just silly on the highest difficulty setting.

 

[Rimsy]

Having a fallback for if/when the internet goes out is always nice as is not relying on a streaming companies licenseing agreements for availability of somthing you want to watch.
That being said I've not bougtht a bluray for quite a while though i do still buy the odd CD