The download only future.

PostThe download only future. by **Peter Crisp** » Sat Mar 31, 2018 8:28 pm

I thought it might be interesting to see how many here are ready for a download only console.
If it turns out the GRCade faithful aren't ready (I don't think I'm being unfair in saying we have a more than average interest in out connection speeds) I think it's pretty unlikely the mainstream console customer will be.

Personally I have a good enough connection but I like having the flexibility to rent via Boomerang.

Gemini73 · Last edited by Gemini73 on Sat Mar 31, 2018 8:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Given how each year physical sales are slowly being overshadowed by digital sales, combined with the preowned market now also having begun a decline, I think it's clear the majority of gamers are happy to accept a download only future even if they don't have the fastest connection.

The majority is all that the industries big players need to push for a full digital only games market, and that's most certainly where we're headed.

PostRe: The download only future. by **Trelliz** » Sat Mar 31, 2018 8:41 pm

I only buy physical console games because they are a) retro and therefore not available digitally or b) often more reliably cheaper second hand from a variety of sources. I needed an extra power connector for a new HDD in my computer so have disconnected the disc drive as I don't use it. If i want to play an old pc game i'll use an ISO.

PostRe: The download only future. by **Peter Crisp** » Sat Mar 31, 2018 8:47 pm

The main problem in the UK is rural areas are quite often left in the dust and suffer with slow connections.
Even some large towns and cities have areas without fibre connections and the UK is a relatively rich and tiny country so I can well imagine vast areas of the US having the same problem purely because it's so large.

PostRe: The download only future. by **Ste** » Sat Mar 31, 2018 8:49 pm

Have been download only since I bought my Xbone.

Also digital only with my 3DS.

Last physical game I bought was FIFA 15.

Gemini73 · PostRe: The download only future. by **Gemini73** » Sat Mar 31, 2018 8:52 pm

Maybe Peter, but the vast majority of games come with huge updates and patches from day one (and in some cases even way past launch) so with or without a fast connection unless you want to be stuck with that base, possibly broken, new release then you're going to have to suck it up. Not ideal, but unavoidable.

PostRe: The download only future. by **Robbo-92** » Sat Mar 31, 2018 8:52 pm

I'm not sure if my area even has fibre yet, patches on PS4 can take an age to download as well so currently it's a no. If they can roll fibre out quickly then I might switch although I do find there is something nice about actually having a physical copy of a game.

PostRe: The download only future. by **Pedz** » Sat Mar 31, 2018 8:53 pm

I buy most console games physical. PC is obviously digital, I buy the games begrudgingly though.

YouTube · PostRe: The download only future. by **Earfolds** » Sat Mar 31, 2018 9:00 pm

I haven't bought any physical games for my PC since Need For Speed 2 and Moto Racer in the late 90s, and my Nintendo Switch hasn't seen a single physical game in its game card slot since I bought it.

I understand why physical games are important, but I could probably live without them, personally. The retro gaming market wouldn't exist without second-hand sales, though, which is something I lament about the digital-only future.

On modern consoles, even physical games can still require a digital download before you can actually play them. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 is probably the most infamous example of a physical game that was unplayable without the day-one patch.

PostRe: The download only future. by **Hypes** » Sat Mar 31, 2018 9:32 pm

Terrible thread and question. Are you asking are we able to download all games, do we download all games, or do we want to keep physical games?

3/10 Peter, must try harder

For the record, I could download everything as speeds are fine, I like the convenience of downloaded games, particularly when on the go, but I like owning the physical games

PostRe: The download only future. by **OrangeRKN** » Sat Mar 31, 2018 9:45 pm

Am I capable of switching to download only? Yes

Am I going to? Noooope

Gemini73 · PostRe: The download only future. by **Gemini73** » Sat Mar 31, 2018 9:50 pm

OrangeRakoon wrote:Am I capable of switching to download only? Yes

Am I going to? Noooope

Does that mean you'll eventually stop buying games altogether then?

What I mean is the choice to buy either or will, far quicker than most anticipate I believe, no longer be an option so it figures that you'll just stop buying video games once physical games media is a thing of the past?

PostRe: The download only future. by **kerr9000** » Sat Mar 31, 2018 9:53 pm

I love physical games, but I will play downloadable if it's the only way to get a title or it is lots lots cheaper. I would hate things to go digital only.

Hyperion wrote:Terrible thread and question. Are you asking are we able to download all games, do we download all games, or do we want to keep physical games?

3/10 Peter, must try harder

For the record, I could download everything as speeds are fine, I like the convenience of downloaded games, particularly when on the go, but I like owning the physical games

I did wonder about that myself but decided to just ask if people had the connection available rather than if they wanted to go download only or not as it's the most important part of the equation.
For work some people go as far as to move from areas with poor a connection and no expectation that it will change any time soon but for gaming it's not really an option.

PostRe: The download only future. by **OrangeRKN** » Sat Mar 31, 2018 10:52 pm

Gemini73 wrote:
OrangeRakoon wrote:Am I capable of switching to download only? Yes

Am I going to? Noooope

Does that mean you'll eventually stop buying games altogether then?

What I mean is the choice to buy either or will, far quicker than most anticipate I believe, no longer be an option so it figures that you'll just stop buying video games once physical games media is a thing of the past?

I still buy albums on CD and films on blu-ray, physical games aren't going anywhere

Gemini73 · PostRe: The download only future. by **Gemini73** » Sat Mar 31, 2018 11:00 pm

OrangeRakoon wrote:
Gemini73 wrote:
OrangeRakoon wrote:Am I capable of switching to download only? Yes

Am I going to? Noooope

Does that mean you'll eventually stop buying games altogether then?

What I mean is the choice to buy either or will, far quicker than most anticipate I believe, no longer be an option so it figures that you'll just stop buying video games once physical games media is a thing of the past?

I still buy albums on CD and films on blu-ray, physical games aren't going anywhere

Physical games buying has, comparatively, declined much, much quicker and digital buying rapidly increased in just a few years. You say physical games arent going anywhere? I don't agree. The physical PC market is all but dead. It'll be the same for consoles

PostRe: The download only future. by **Herdanos** » Sat Mar 31, 2018 11:11 pm

Gemini73 wrote: The physical PC market is all but dead. It'll be the same for consoles

What's the physical/digital split like for the biggest-selling console games - FIFA, GTA, etc?

Bluesky · PostRe: The download only future. by **Kriken** » Sat Mar 31, 2018 11:34 pm

I moved homes so much as a kid that a large physical collection of games and media felt really burdensome. Now I just have a case for pretty much every kind of disc I own and I barely even go through it now. I quite like just being able to access anything I'd need via my PC instead, and in other ways digital copies are better than disc ones.

Regardless, I would have always been okay with download-only, connection permitting (much less of an issue these days). I entertained the idea of growing my collection once, but I can always collect other things.

Gemini73 · Last edited by Gemini73 on Sun Apr 01, 2018 9:08 am, edited 1 time in total.

After Christmas Name Change wrote:
Gemini73 wrote: The physical PC market is all but dead. It'll be the same for consoles

What's the physical/digital split like for the biggest-selling console games - FIFA, GTA, etc?

I know that over 75% of GTA 5 sales on PC were digital, but I don't know about console as I couldn't find exact figures. That said reports claim that digital sales on console played a huge part in the titles ridiculous numbers sold - and it's still selling which is pretty amazing in itself.

However, Fifa 18 saw a significant 25% drop in physical sales, but sales of Fifa remain high which clearly suggests more copies were bought digitally than on previous years. EA haven't released an exact split, but I don't think it's naive to assume the gulf between the two mediums is as significant as it once was.

Destiny 2, another big hitter, saw more than half of total sales on console sold digitally.

In less than a year total console digital game sales across the board rose to as much as 45%. That's a 30% increase than on the previous year. EA themselves said digital sales will have hit 40% by the end of 2017 and they were bang on the money.

If I'm wrong and physical is here to stay indefinitely then fair enough, but I don't believe I am. Whether forced or by natural progression, physical console games will eventually become redundant.

PostRe: The download only future. by **Errkal** » Sun Apr 01, 2018 5:09 am

Been able to do this for years, pretty much all entertainment is everything based now at home, streaming for music TV and films and dont have an aerial or sat dish connected at all anymore it is all streamed.

The download only future.

Is your connection good enough for a download only console?

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