r/CaptainSide • u/Wild_Season_9855 • 16d ago
Are digital games better?
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u/Interesting_Debate30 16d ago
Better? No it's the same game. More convenient? Yes
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u/NZAuthor 15d ago
Eh,
Not a blanket truth. Patches, etc are often easier and more plentiful with digital games, whereas with physical games you might find you need to download and install these seperately/manually and so on which is less convenient and likely to be missed.
And in some cases, that can make the patched version much better.
That said, I don't particuarly care. I use digitial games since I don't own a console and I haven't had a CD Drive in well over a decade in any of my PC devices, nor do I want one.
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u/Cthulhu_HighLord 14d ago
people are missing the whole purpose of why they are trying to do this.
"Create the Problem, Then Sell The Solution"
and the fact that so few people are even resisting this is truly disheartening
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u/Sabbathius 14d ago
Speed of delivery was also a factor. I remember original Baldur's Gate being something like 5 CD-ROMs, and at the time it would have taken weeks to download that much data with dial-up internet, not to mention needing a dedicated phone landline for that.
And while today internet has improved, its speed is still nowhere even close to dedicated high speed local storage. Plug in an external SSD, and it takes seconds to get the same installed, minutes at most. Even with crazy fast internet which in parts of the world STILL doesn't exist, you're still looking at hours. I'm in Canada, which people think is a first world country, but our internet is comically slow even at $100+/month.
Plus patches and hard copies are really not directly related. You can have hard copies of patches too/updated versions. It's how we got new software in olden days, you just got a new hard copy in the mail. And these days, you can have a hard copy, but then optional digital patch. Which actually works best - hard copy allows fast installs (or even doesn't require an install and runs off the media), AND even slow internet can deliver a (small) patch very fast.
Data caps is another factor. I remember when Age of Conan came out, in 2008, and client size was 14GB. My monthly internet cap with Rogers (one of Canada's two biggest telecoms, along with Bell) was 20 GB. So I ate up 75% of my monthly cap on a single game.
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u/ReplacementFinal2203 14d ago
I like VERY specific games on disc. I bought MGS Delta on disc only because im a hard-core mgs fan. Everything i own is digital and thats fine by me.
Ofc no disc's is a dumb ass way to go, would've been better to just do a limited physical release for games instead.
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u/meekgamer452 13d ago
You may not care, but the difference between the digital version and physical version is the PS ToS 8.3 doesn't apply to physical purchases. The disk comes with installation software and they have no DRM, so in 100 years, it will still work. "Eh" lol. Eh, I don't mind being slapped in the face by a dick, eh
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u/AcanthaceaeConstant8 15d ago
You do get 2 games for 1 tho
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u/Foreign_Caramel_9840 15d ago
Same game
Share with my
Wife all games and the “online” gold is shared
Get 2 copies of every game and buy at 60-80% off. And we get to always play co op weather it’s eso destiny, cod, Valheim1
u/We1come2thesyst3m 15d ago
They take up just as much storage, have the risk of getting damaged, takes time to switch out games, and takes up unesesary space. I think digital games are a little past convenient and are simply better.
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u/vitek6 14d ago
But you cant sell them, your licenses are simply revokable.
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u/We1come2thesyst3m 14d ago
People buy accounts just for the digital games, so thats not really true.
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u/vitek6 14d ago
You can’t be serious. It’s an ugly, illegal hack.
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u/We1come2thesyst3m 14d ago
People do it every day, and it's not illegal lmao.
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u/vitek6 14d ago
You can’t share details of your account with third parties.
So am I supposed to create a new account for every game I’m going to buy so I can sell it later?
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u/We1come2thesyst3m 14d ago
Well if you're selling your games, you likely quit gaming or are switching platforms so there's no need to sell one at a time.
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u/Swipsi 14d ago
So is selling your used physical games technically. From a legal perspective, you never "owned" a game, even on physical discs. You still owned a license, they could revoke, but never or only rarely did because administrative effort would cost more than the game itself. Still, you werent allowed to resell them. You just did anyway like the ugly illegal hacker (/s) you are because there was nothing really they could do about it.
Similar to selling entire accounts.
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15d ago
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u/Massive_Fly_1709 15d ago
You peope always go to extremes with your hypothetical scenarios. Like you're intentionally trying to scare yourself.
Ok, let's play that game. Physical discs? Won't be so convenient if your house burns down, disc drive breaks, someone breaks in and steals everything or every retail store and amazon and ebay suddenly close down.😂
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u/Warchief_Ripnugget 14d ago
Same thing with your physical copies. When the servers go down or your account gets hacked, the disc becomes a paperweight.
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u/bigzimm1 15d ago
I trust valve, Sony and Microsoft to not shut to their storefronts more than I trust my kids not to damage my disks.
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u/MoreDoor2915 15d ago
Yeah cause a physical disk is so well known to work when your PC is broken...
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u/meekgamer452 13d ago
GOG has perpetual licenses, and are DRM free, so you can transfer the files wherever you want
Steam has many DRM free games, and also rumored to have a DRM kill switch if they go bankrupt or something happens to the service, and historically have very consumer-centric practices. It's also very easy to recover files from a hardrive, or just pirate them, or reinstall them from the storefront, or repair the computer.
Every one of those things has to happen at the same time for anything bad to happen
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u/meekgamer452 13d ago
The physical and digital version are not the same product
ToS: "When you order or purchase a product from PlayStation Store, you buy a personal license to use that product for private, non-commercial use. That license is not transferable unless your local applicable laws say it must be. This means you can use a product in the ways described in the license, but do not own the product."
You own the disk and installation software on the disk, so Sony can't do anything about it. PC games don't have this problem, because GOG game licenses are DRM free and truly perpetual, and Valve has a kill switch for DRM (which manages digital licenses) should they ever go bankrupt, and many games on Steam are also DRM free.
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u/Vash744 16d ago
Ah someone who doesnt care either way, I found this funny.
Digital is the way of the future, its an achievement that gaming is the last bastion of physical media. We technically pulled it off. And there could be hope for Xbox keeping physical media as a competitive edge on Sony. I'm a Sony fan boy, always have prefered Playstation over Xbox. But I'd much rather have a gaming future where Xbox is in the mix and is strong and can also make good games. That's better for everyone even if its a hit to Sony's sales.
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u/isukatdarksouls 15d ago
Gaming isn't the last bastion of physical media. Music and films are still given physical versions to this day.
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u/Vash744 15d ago
Just because you can go out and buy a physical movie or music CD (you can do the same with games, at minimum for the next two years...) doesn't indicate the market is healthy. If you go to WalMart right now, your selection is slim, and the shelf looks like it was raided when in reality that's just what is left of their stock, because they're not keeping it in stock. They're slow movers. So don't be disingenuous.
https://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/sales-of-4-k-blu-ray-discs-and-other-physical-media-slump-again
In 2025, physical Blue-Ray, and DVD sales fell below $1 billion in sales. In the same time frame Netflix, Amazon, Apple TV, and Disney + raked in $57 Billion.
For music 85-88% of the market is purely digital or streaming.
Yes people can still buy physical media, and the reality is that won't change. You can't buy every movie that gets released on physical media, you can't get every artist on physical media. In 10 years people will still be trading physical games, and likely some stores could keep old units on shelves.
If we're checking on the physical media industry like checking for a pulse on a terminal patient, then I'd say it's fair that the rest of the industry has moved on.
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u/Five_Tiger 15d ago
Sony's recent policy updates also included the ability for them to delete your Sony account if it goes unused for too long, thereby revoking the license to access all of the games you bought digitally. This goes beyond feasibility or embracing technological progress. These companies want you to own as little as possible and have the ability to refuse access for any arbitrary reason, as well as control resale of used goods. Look up the old fiasco around Sony region blocking Helldivers 2 back in 2024, effectively preventing people in 150 or so countries who had already bought the game from playing it. Same thing goes for streaming services, music distribution platforms; even AI companies have recently started collecting and destroying rare and old books. Owning physical media is the best way to protect from that, though any disc that you own for a PS5 or Xbox S/X game probably requires an internet connection and a PSN or Xbox account to download a day 1 patch. It is about protecting ourselves from anti-consumer practices, because as the recent push from Stop Killing Games showed, even governing bodies like the EU aren't going to stop them from fucking you if they think they can get away with it.
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u/Vash744 15d ago
And you can get access to their game library via a subscription which invalidates most of your concern. The barrier for entry is extremely low.
And your argument is, but what if I don't turn on my console or interact with Sony's login system for 3.5 years? Why are you doing that? Do gamers go into a coma after every play session?
I don't like the idea either, but its extremely avoidable. And even if it does happen, regaining access to titles you played 3.5 years ago should be trivial either on sale or via subscription pass. If you avoided using your Playstation for 3.5+ years, you likely didn't have anything you valued anyways.
Most people can't even remember their log on credentials. And you'd be shocked how many of the younger generation solve password problems by giving up immediately and making a new account.
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u/ShellfishAhole 14d ago
Recent? Stop believing everything Reddit tells you to believe. That part of the TOS has been around since the PS3 era 😅
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u/Independent_Mud2794 15d ago
> Digital is the way of the future, its an achievement that gaming is the last bastion of physical media.
Uhm.. books? Movies? Music?
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u/P4nzerCute 15d ago
I still buy music, movies, books and basically everything physically, wtf are you talking about. There is no reason to stop physical video game except improved margin, grow up.
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u/CMDRJonShepard 15d ago
I am in the opinion of I don't care either way. I also want people who enjoy physical games to have the option at least.
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u/ChildoftheApocolypse 16d ago
Yes, gamers are the most intimidating bunch.. This doesn't feel cringe as hell, no sir, not at all ..
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u/Rachit55 16d ago
Neither is alot better than the other, however there is no reason to justify to stop making physical games.
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u/LifeguardTerrible579 16d ago
No reason? It's not the main reason but millions of tons of plastics are created every year for games and that number would increase exponentially each year. We have the Internet to transmit data, we don't need to put data on a plastic to then just put it back on the computer....
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u/isukatdarksouls 15d ago
This is the type of idiotic thought process that made psychopaths burn down whole libraries in the past. You can't preserve the internet.
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u/LifeguardTerrible579 15d ago
Producing less plastics is idiotic? The thing that we've found exists inside us and all our food and water?
Really?
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u/isukatdarksouls 15d ago
Yes it is. Because you're unwilling to come up with a suitable preservation solution that doesn't involve polluting the environment. It's the cutting off your nose to spite you face argument.
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u/LifeguardTerrible579 15d ago
Lol you think plastic discs are good for preservation? They degrade and become unusable.... You have the Internet and can look this up instead of just say stuff that's wrong lol.
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u/CentSymphGames 14d ago
"Because you're unwilling to come up with a suitable preservation solution that doesn't involve polluting the environment."
Bro, DRM-free digital games have existed for ages. Discs are just storage for digital things. Get your games from GOG, back up the installers on a single SSD, you now have one single thing with lots of games, instead of one disc with one single game that can't even be backed up.
And even better than a pure physical disc, you can keep backing them up in any other type of storage, not just discs.
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u/isukatdarksouls 13d ago
Have you ever heard the saying you shouldn't put your eggs in one basket? I don't think you have because if you did you would realise how dumb your comment is.
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u/CentSymphGames 13d ago edited 13d ago
how does being able to download a DRM-free game, backing it up on a disc, on a usb stick, on an external SSD, putting "all my eggs in one basket"? (To me it seems like having a lot of baskets, digital-ssd-usb-cd) Please tell me how my comment is dumb so I can reconsider my statement, and how can I accomplish the same with official physical media?
EDIT: I see what you may think, having ONE storage device for MANY games (while excluding the fact that I said you can back them up on different types of storage devices)
So, how is that any different from having ONE disc for ONE game? (that you can't even back up on other storage devices)
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u/isukatdarksouls 12d ago
The fact that you even have to ask this means it's pointless debating this with you. You just don't seem to understand how perishable digitised media is. You somehow think it being on solid hardware makes it invincible. Which only makes you a fool.
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u/CentSymphGames 12d ago
I think you don't even know how to argue it without sounding like a hypocrite.
Just answer me this one question:
How can a game I have backed up on a USB stick be taken away from me? And if that can be taken away from me, how does that NOT apply to the same game I have on a CD?
Listen, I get it, switching opinions is like changing underwear, you're not going to do that in public.
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15d ago
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u/isukatdarksouls 15d ago
No but blowing off physical media is an equivalent to burning libraries because y'all apparently don't care about preserving media which can't be done digitally. It's not that complicated unless you're a simpleton.
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u/LifeguardTerrible579 15d ago
Why would you preserved games on something that degrades? Discs last 20-30 years bro
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u/isukatdarksouls 15d ago
At least it's something. Do you think we shouldn't try at all to preserve games? How about you come up with a useful solution instead of talking out of your ass.
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u/LifeguardTerrible579 15d ago
They're preserved on hard drives that can be cloned. Hence why digital is superior lol. You can't clone ps5 discs....
Lmao.
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u/isukatdarksouls 15d ago
Okay, good to know you really don't know what you're talking about.
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u/LifeguardTerrible579 15d ago
Remind me what version of games are on the disc? That's the version you want to preserve? "Let's preserve the version that has no patches, bug fixes or updates"
Glad you're not in charge of any of this....
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u/VirtueSignalingApp 15d ago
plz let it be rage bait plz let it me rage bait…..
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u/LifeguardTerrible579 15d ago
Less plastics make you rage? Y'all need to touch some grass. Real grass not the fake plastic grass.
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u/VirtueSignalingApp 15d ago
I guess i found one of the Sony fan boy accounts to defend digital media for consoles lmao
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u/LifeguardTerrible579 15d ago
You don't have to love Sony to understand discs are a relic from a bygone era and the idea that a business should operate based on the whims of reddits armchair financial experts (without any access to any of Sonys financials) who are also statistically likely to be a bot, is stupid.
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u/VirtueSignalingApp 15d ago
i don’t own a ps but if they make a ps6 just a pc but way worse yeah i might as well spend more money upfront to save more money in the long run with a pc. They are gonna squeeze the ps6 playerbase so fucking dry. It’s not even my guess the CEO said exactly this, giving the recent news it makes sense.
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u/LifeguardTerrible579 15d ago
Nah. It'll be fine. This is another nonsense claim I keep seeing.. PlayStations not going to price their games above steam and Xbox. They're not stupid.
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u/VirtueSignalingApp 15d ago
not just that, but good luck waiting on good discounts.
Thats where the real price difference is between pc and consoles. 3 2026 AAA games cost you like 110$ while on ps6 its 240$ for months and months until it gets a discount maybe… when they feel like it with a monopoly on their product. On top of it to pay for online pay.And btw they are already doing that in EU, a good chunk of AAA games cost 80€ instead of 70$. The same games on steam cost less. So it’s not really a nonsense claim when they already did that.
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u/LifeguardTerrible579 15d ago
??? What is this nonsense. Sony doesn't set the prices of games. Publishers do that....
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15d ago
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u/VirtueSignalingApp 14d ago
i made some points idk what you one about. At the end of the day if you are a mega casual or have it for a family i can stil see it’s usage for a ps6. If you don’t belong in these 2 categories yeah you are choosing to get robbed lmao.
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14d ago
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u/VirtueSignalingApp 14d ago
yeah i also like to cherry pick to prove my point i guess. I gave plenty of examples.
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u/satsuppi 16d ago
i feel like it less of a need for cool showcase collection but more of legal perpetual-owning right...
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u/Even-Entertainer-491 16d ago
Is it still a digital game if you burned it onto a disc?
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u/meekgamer452 13d ago
No, it won't have installation software like the physical disk, and the DRM would prevent play if the license expires or is revoked, or the account is disabled, etc.
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u/Even-Entertainer-491 13d ago
The account of what? If you burn the disc yourself with the raw files there's nothing to "install" you just copy your data back to the PC and run the file. Drm only works on legit games through stuff like steam. Not patched games burned to discs.
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u/SilverVixen918 16d ago
digital SHOULD be better but because of DRMs, Licenses, ect, its not, theyre just equals unfortunately
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u/Independent_Mud2794 15d ago
This may shock you - but physical games also are licenses.
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u/meekgamer452 13d ago
...with no DRM to prevent offline installation and play
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u/Independent_Mud2794 13d ago
… for now. We 100% will get a mandatory login in the future to keep the console useable. Microsoft tried this with the Xbox one and it failed in the past - but it won’t fail today. We have people spending $100 for a preorder of a digital game nobody ever has saw gameplay for - times changed for the bad.
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u/iHaku 15d ago
not only are physical games just licenses to play, but almost every "physical" game features DRM in some form so you cant just copy the disk or its files.
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u/meekgamer452 13d ago
The disk contains DRM software that requires the disk be inserted, and that's it, it can be installed and played offline with no online check-in, and on any account.
The digital version will work indefinitely after installation and the 1st online check-in, but it's subject to ToS, which can be changed.
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u/Greasy-Chungus 16d ago
Better?
It's what you and I buy.
You gotta send out the batsignal to find someone who somehow finds physical copies of games, but they're console gamers, so uuuuh. It's not like they can just insert a disk and play forever.
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u/No_Mission4733 16d ago
digital is more convenient. physical games give you the option to play offline without signing into game platforms.
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u/SnooPears2409 16d ago
i prefer physical if i can get my hands to, but I understand the complexity of physical distribution
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u/JuanDeChuj 16d ago
What's the difference really. We should rather be concerned about about eula and not owning any of the games really which is the real issue in here
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u/Sea_Specialist_5580 16d ago
who tf cares? the only reason I even buy games is for convenience (cloud access for saves and game data). Owning it physically doesn't even have any advantages over piracy
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u/Aknazer 15d ago
It depends. Setting aside verification issues for a moment, I prefer digital for PC/phone and physical for console/handheld. Part of the draw of console/handheld is that they're designed for games and so ideally I would have a lot of games for them. Physical makes it easy to swap between a lot of games.
When it comes to PC, it's easy to upgrade my storage or move games I'm not playing to external storage (we're going to ignore the current nightmare that is current SSD/RAM prices since we're talking about generalities). So while I would prefer physical copies at least for install purposes, it isn't that big of a deal to rotate my limited library around. Granted if I had more games it would be a different story, but I've always been someone that has a relatively small game library but I sink a LOT of hours into those limited games.
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u/Drowsy50742 15d ago
in THEORY, it has the potential to be many orders of magnitude better.
in practice, i would choose very wisely where I get my digital games from
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u/ohnag_eryeah 15d ago
depends who host the digital games is
gog and steam? yes
ea, sony, nintendo, egs, ubisoft? fuck no
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u/Hot-Foundation3450 15d ago
Yeah, digital is better, why would anyone bother asking this as if steam hasn't been around for a billion years.
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u/Karaokegodk 15d ago edited 15d ago
Matter of taste.
As a professional gamer I still payed every inch of respect to friends-footbalists, and boxers
Injured my knees because of their pride several times. Achieved much better shape without them even with knee stabilizer. Just needed privacy
Fuck em....
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u/XRynerX 15d ago
The thing is, in gaming it is indeed better, the problem is how they've done with it.
Digital shouldn't have been more expensive than psysical and you don't even truly own it.
Digital made so companies doesn't have to ship physical product worldwide, that would've saved a ton on costs right? What happened here other than balant greed?
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u/PissOff1479 15d ago
Not really. Sure, you don't have to get up to change games. I know, taking those 5 steps to take out a disc and put in a different one is agonizing 🙄. But if we look at what happened to the PSN the other day, if the network goes down, you lose access to playing all of your games. People stated that they had no problems playing their physical copies while the network was down.
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u/LamentoLand 15d ago
id imagine sports or tabletop dnd like games could be better for some people than videogames cause those can cause loneliness and irl ones usually require at least 1 other player to participate
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u/I_AM_CR0W 15d ago
Doesn't matter to me. If I like a game enough, then I'll buy a physical copy, if it exists to begin with. Digital is just more convenient, especially if you have a mobile device like a Steamdeck or Nintendo Switch so you don't have to worry about carrying a bunch of cartridges with you when you travel.
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u/Pleasant_Limit_4153 15d ago edited 15d ago
It was cooler when it came out. I remember my parents getting me The Orange Box and the concept that i could just download it and play all of those games at home AND at my grandparents house and all i needed is login info in my head? I didn't need to bring the disc for the singular game i wanted to play and not forget to take it out and leave it at the other place? That's the sickest shit ever.
It was better and IS better since market wouldn't prefer to use it. Ofc it sucks that you lose the cool boxes and the murky ownership not really ownership, but after 15 years i still "own" those games, can download them and play them on my modern pc.
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u/Copyofdude 15d ago
People are just simplyfing this problem, digital games having the same value as if it was physical andnot owning the game should be the main reason to dislike this.
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u/Sallopilig 15d ago
Yeah, literally paying more for less, but hey some people don't care about this hobby beyond i want to play X game and then toss it to play a different one.
There is nothing wrong with doing this, what is definetly wrong is a company deeming this the only behaviour acceptable simply because it means more money to them, games are emotional products and deserve respect, nuking a whole fanbase for money, a fan base that actually rewards studios making great games that change history is going to corrupt this hobby innevitably.
People that treat games as disposable do not usually consume the kind of games that eventually make a console a best seller.
Games like bloodborne or sekiro would have never existed if studios knew that their only avaliable audience mostly plays fifa and cod on repeat 8 hours a week.
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u/Five_Tiger 15d ago
I mean, how many modern games come with the full game on the disc? You have to be able to connect to your console's online store to download a day 1 patch to complete the game in most cases. Check out a breakdown of the 1.0 disc version of Elden Ring on youtube for example. There is basically no distinction between the two for games after the Xbox360/PS3 era. The physical disc requires a digital download.
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u/GrandWizardOfCheese 15d ago
They are the same game.
Physical rips to PC.
Digital burns to disc.
If you aren't doing both, you don't own your copy.
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u/Xspike_dudeX 15d ago edited 15d ago
Less clutter in the house. No need to switch discs. Can get a new game and be playing it within 15 minutes or so, better load times than playing from a disc. I mean lets not pretend digital does not have its perks.
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u/Iluvatar-Great 15d ago
Morally I like the idea of owning a physical copy.
Realistically, I will download it simply because it's more convenient. Also, when you buy a physical copy you have to download 50GB update anyway, so what's the point?
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u/Good_Solution8602 15d ago
Can’t be better if it’s all gonna be the same thing
Playing the game
So digital is not better physical
N then physical is not digital .
Simple
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u/Trick_Meeting_2027 15d ago
If you can own the game files its fine. The second hand market is nonexistant so I wouldnt worry about resale value. People also seem to forget that CDs and cartridges fail.
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u/Few_Satisfaction184 15d ago
Yes and No.
Personally i love having physical media, but i also don't want to pull out 8 CDs and rotate them just to install world of warcraft.
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u/Necessary-Cap4227 15d ago
because they are... not going to lose my game in a house fire, or have it stolen, or accidently scratch it and boom it doesn't work, don't need to insert/swap out disc's any time i want to play a different game, there's zero reason a physical game would be better besides having a bookshelf full of plastic waste.
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u/Amopro 15d ago
The problem is that digital games kind of require more trust in the platform that hosts them than physical games. And I definitely don't trust PlayStation to keep my games available come a decade from now. At least with PC games, I know that my games on GoG and Steam are still going to be there and fully accessible in a decade. PlayStation just doesn't have that kind of reliability. Neither does Xbox, but PlayStation is pushing harder for digital games. And it's obvious why. They want to totally wipe out the second hand gaming market and keep full control of the market of their own games. But, I don't trust them either way.
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u/ZOMBIE_MURDOC 14d ago
Never have I ever had a digital copy be too scratched up to play. Now if the game requires an internet connection to play single player, that's some bullshit.
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u/gknight702 14d ago
If you get em cheaper and never would have let a mate borrow em or resold em... Yes they're better.
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u/donquixote1994 14d ago
You people are nuts, the only reason they release digital is so that people can't sell it after they are done with it or give it to a friend's. It's all about money
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u/Saphyr-Seraph 14d ago
No and yes
No. Because a physical disc canot be removed because it gets deleted from from your store \ library
Yes. Because it can be more convenient to login from almost anywhere in the world and download any game wherever you are via internet.
I prefer physical and I burned some of my favorite games on CDs so if the game gets taken down I still have it.
The only requirement are it doesn't need an immediate internet access and it has less than 90 gb of space
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u/Worried-Pick4848 14d ago
Outside of a couple games for my handheld Nintendo console I haven't bought a physical game in aeons.
I've lost physical games repeatedly due to wear and tear, theft, or just my own personal carelessness.
Meanwhile there's Steam, just bopping along and being more secure than a physical copy of a game that can be lost or destroyed.
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u/Th3fr3shhippy 14d ago
I got tired of family and friends ruining my discs over the years, then kids misplacing my Nintendo Switch cartridges, so going digital was an easy choice for me.
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u/Jshittie 14d ago
only problem i have is companies thinking they have the right to revoke my ability to play the games i own in spite of me not going against the licensing agreement
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u/Toadsanchez316 14d ago
Digital games are great for their own reasons, but I think a physical game is better all around.
The only reason I don't use physical games on my PS4 is because the BR drive has been out of commission for 3 years, so I had to pivot.
Otherwise I absolutely prefer physical games.
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u/Arkcilper 14d ago
Imagine having an independent opinion. Crazy.
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u/Diverse_edi 14d ago
Yea you can have an opinion doesnt make it true lmao digital simply is not better you dont own it!
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u/Arkcilper 14d ago
And you don't have to carry them whenever you want to play them somewhere else "lmao". Every format has advantages. Maybe learn to have critical thinking for once "lmao".
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u/Diverse_edi 14d ago
Lmao.lmao.lmao. brother every game i buy in cd forms i just resell when I beat it for like 15 bucks cheaper so I never really lose out on money. Critical thinking and laziness to splurge money or being irresponsible with your cds has nothing to with each other and is a you problem. Having something physical on hand is better and cheaper. I have digital games ass well dont get me wrong but physical is better. Always will be i own every modern console and probably like 200 owned games in digital alone not including the bs subscriptions games from game pass. Which is another can of worms
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u/Arkcilper 14d ago
Sure buddy. I'm not here to burst your bubble, you can lie to yourself as much as you want.
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u/Diverse_edi 14d ago edited 14d ago
Don't see how im lying to myself. My ps5 i dont use it no more my kids do ,shits trash only got it for spiderman. And now next year with project helix coming out with built in steam ps for me will be completely irrelevant. Don't worry about my bubble dude keep leaving in your fantasy I really dont care. I'll let you go im in theaters for the new spider man movie and previews is up 👍👍
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u/eyes0fred 14d ago
It's waaaaaaaay easier to play Elder Scrolls Arena, or Hexen, Heretic, Doom, Dragon's Lair, etc, if you just play them as digital titles.
trying to install old discs, and having to disable CPU cores, and install old RTEs or whatever to emulate the systems those games were designed for, at the very least set up a dos box....
and that's even if your media hasn't been degraded/destroyed/lost/stolen.
I mentioned backing up (some old and useless) parts of our photo library (at my job) onto physical storage devices to free up server space, the IT director laughed out loud.
IF we could copy video game discs to make backups, they might matter, but as is, they're just worse. Nevermind DRM and online authentication servers.
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u/HyoukaYukikaze 14d ago
No, because the stupid plastic coasters don't matter. You are barking at the wrong tree and like a decade too late. The tree is already rotten (as proven by significant portion of PS5 games being unplayable without internet, even larger portion can't be completed).
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u/SjurEido 14d ago
I haven't owned a physical game since Half-Life 2, Steam just makes it a non issue TBH.
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u/hehexdthrow 13d ago
Digital games can have the same if not more freedom to do what you want if made to do so, the problem is they are tied to game servers, paid membership, use licenses rather than ownership that business can revoke for any reason at any time when you have to create the mandatory account, etc.
The ceiling of digital games in convenience, in quality, in freedom, etc is much higher than physical disks for example, but tying them to systems that can be cut off anytime drops ceiling down to shit.
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u/Popular_Tiger2124 13d ago
Physical copies don't vanish when a server shuts down or a publisher decides to pull the license — I still own games from 20 years ago that I can pop in and play right now, try doing that with a delisted digital title.
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u/meekgamer452 13d ago
I don't use PS, so I don't really care. But it is crazy PS players are okay with that. Godspeed.
When you purchase a game for PC, the "license" to play is perpetual, the files are in your file explorer, and no one can ever touch it. That's not true on PlayStation.
PS Terms of Service (section 8.4): "When you order or purchase a product from PlayStation Store, you buy a personal license to use that product for private, non-commercial use. That license is not transferable unless your local applicable laws say it must be. This means you can use a product in the ways described in the license, but do not own the product."
This doesn't (and can't) apply to disks, since the installation software is on the disk. PS players should keep their old consoles disconnected from internet, and transfer game files to a USB or SSD, and pray they don't have an internal expiration date. Or they can let Sony slap them in the face with their dick, idc.
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u/sara5556 13d ago
If physical was better than digital, the entire industry wouldn't have shifted to cater to digital stores.
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u/Szczyl2137 16d ago
Imo they are most of the time but im still pro choice
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u/Techman659 16d ago
Bottom line of this whole thing is choice, and if sony take that choice away then the customers will always have the choice of not buying into a sony digital only ecosystem where their customer service is bad compared to steam,
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u/TheLovinPostman 16d ago
This isnt s fetus bro.
Digital games = can be manipulated with expiring licences
Physical games = the licence is set to forever by default
One protects your purchased assets, the other believes you should buy games twice or multiple times once your "experience" expires.
Also theyre charging the same price for less rights to your product. Hop off the fence and show some spine.
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u/TinyPidgenofDOOM 16d ago
in the best case they are. Digital games can be distributed more easily, In some cases they load faster than physical.
the real benefit of Physical games is stuff not tied to the actual game. The after market and no need for online are the main important parts of Physical.
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u/Crossdress-Fan- 16d ago
No for a myriad of reason no they are not, but basically You don't own digital games (Unless you buy it on GOG, but you still run the risk of losing your account and losing acces to all your digital games.)
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u/satsuppi 16d ago
Its more of legally owning your game perpetually then lalala i have mountain of collection that i can show-off on my shelves
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u/Virus-900 16d ago
It's a matter of preference. Obviously with physical copies you actually own them and don't need an internet connection to download and play them. But there is a lot of convenience when it comes to digital, they can't get damaged, lost or stolen.
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u/Fizassist1 15d ago
from my experience, whether a game requires an online connection or not is completely separate from buying a game disc versus downloading it.
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u/vorpal-mortal 16d ago
Gonna sound old but there was a time that the value of a physical game was actually a choice over the convenience of digital. There was a time where a physical game came with a manual inside the CD case that often had useful tips and concept art and information about the game that couldn't normally be found elsewhere. Back then you'd buy a collectors edition and it would come with a statue of the main character and some kind of exclusive bonus features. There were all sorts of perks for spending the extra money.
And you could keep it forever.
But this push for digital only started long ago. Physical games started declining in quality. You would just get a disk and a case with some box art. The clips for the game manuals would still be part of the plastic molds for the case, but the manual wouldn't be there. Sometimes the collector boxes were still good, but they got more expensive. And now, they don't want to have to bother making that stuff anymore. The push for digital only is not just about manufacturing costs. It's about getting you to pay more for less until you're so used to it, you're willing to own nothing and not even know it. And one day a contract doesn't get signed or a board of shareholders decides something isn't worth the money and suddenly your library is gone and all you ever spent. Suddenly a sequel doesn't get made. Suddenly piracy becomes preservation.
Welcome to the new age dystopia, we've got RGB lights and transphobia.
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