In 10 years there will be no such things as "discs."

I believe that in 10 years we will see all digital distribution for video games. The internet is becoming more and more available and I think that in 10 years all developed countries will have full access to high-speed internet. It only makes sense that video games will go digital. Why? Well, we can already see right now that this will catch on. This generation introduced us to download-only games for $15 or less. Sony has just announced that the NGP will have simultaneous digital releases of their games. This is a huge sign that digital release will start to take over. I think the next generation home consoles will also have digital release along with the physical box. Also we all know of the success of Steam so I don't even think I have to go into detail about that. What do you guys think? Do you agree? Disagree? Do you like your boxed games? What about collector's editions? Post your thoughts!

[Edit]

I found a news story that is pretty relevant to this topic. EA has revealed that it has officially cut physical manuals from its sports games. They're are going digital with their instruction manuals. The last sports game to have one was NBA Jam.

Source

This is yet another sign that we are going to go digital. To me, this is actually unprecedented. Physical manuals have been included in video games for so long now and EA starting to take them out is huge. However, I never read them anyways. What do you guys think about this? Do you guys read your manuals? Do you think that other publishers are going to follow suit? (I do)

I'd love to see it happen. My only concern being dastardly ISPs that would perhaps introduce more restrictive bandwidth caps if digital distribution really took off. Outside of that, I love just having games on a hard drive ready to boot up any time. I was impressed with EA when they released Mass Effect 2 on PSN the same day as it came to retail. I hope they do more of that going forward.rragnaar

someone probably said this 10 years ago but with game cartridges

Yea even DJing is changing.

If discs die out it'll be because something better has come up so I'm ok with that.

This is an awful scenario: imagine a market where you can only buy games from microsoft itself, games that never drop in price (look at games on demand for an example). No more hunting around the web to find the best deal on a game, no more game auctions on ebay, no more game trading among buddies and, ugliest of all, no more collectors: it's great to look at your shelf and see your game collection, but with DD there's just no value

I say: make recyclable game cases and stick to physical copies

Either disks or cartridges stay, no way it will be all digital distribution. No way. LustForSoul

I do not see anything that would make me say that Digital distribution is the future. Then the distributer can close the contract and force you to rebuy everything. Has it happen? maybe not but that does not stop some others. I do not like dealing with a middle man to play my game.

Think it all comes down to the age old issue of the number one factor. A guy once named Tucker made a car, way beyond its day, other company's forced it out threatening their Money.

With consoles taking such a hold why has there not been long lasting, get your moneys worth games out? Computer basically gave you the online experience with others with communication through keyboards.Also gave all the gold spammers, hacks, game altering fixes etc etc.

Now there is a console that could come with a live chat for that original experience of playing with others, but where is something like this long lasting, with out corruption of outside sources. Its not where the money is, that is where it is. (quality)

So the answer is only one thing, where is the money at and people willing to pay. People have been willing to pay for the couple day lasting games making company's money.

If more money can be made by not producing hard copies, when people settle for short little entertainment costs, its pretty much a given. Short of a depression like the 30's, when people learned about quality versus the throw away society today, the trend is pay more for less because someone can make money from it.

So, if I produced a couple day play game 3 times a year, or a good quality game that might last years, what would I do. Get the same pay like 6 times, or one, hmm. Even more if not producing hard copies. Let alone what would all the Gold spammers do, or the video card company's, well ya get the point.

This is why I am beyond the target range for gaming now I think, lol.

I lost DD games. Games you download and do not need to internet. I bet a middle man will stop the leases of the game force the users to rebuy them.

It is funny they some said that cash would be gone by now but it is still around.

Chances are there will still be video game stores, however instead of having a bunch of games in boxes you just go to some terminal and download your game onto some form of media the have then.

10 years? Devs are already trying to get rid of it as it is. Soon internet will be like a water bill or something and everything will be downloadable. But thats only me being hopefull.

With all the crap ISP's want to do to the internet latly I dunno.

the PSP Go didn't break ground in digital sales, I don't expect the NGP to, if it did replace gaming retail then stores like GameStop would just stop supporting it like they did with the PSPlamprey263

As I said, aside from small arcade games, you won't have all your purchased 5GB+ games installed on your hard drive at the same time: you'll likely uninstall them and redownload them when you want to play them. Imagine the service gets discontinued: you wouldn't be able to download those games anymore, thus losing your purchaseBlack_Knight_00

Ah now I see what you mean. I agree with you, but not eeveryone will uninstall games. If and when we do go all digital, it's safe to say that they will increase the hard drive space and you won't need to uninstall. For example, on my gaming rig, I have 1.8 TB of space so I haven't really uninstalled anything really.

[QUOTE="Black_Knight_00"]
As I said, aside from small arcade games, you won't have all your purchased 5GB+ games installed on your hard drive at the same time: you'll likely uninstall them and redownload them when you want to play them. Imagine the service gets discontinued: you wouldn't be able to download those games anymore, thus losing your purchaseRealKilla_789

Ah now I see what you mean. I agree with you, but not eeveryone will uninstall games. If and when we do go all digital, it's safe to say that they will increase the hard drive space and you won't need to uninstall. For example, on my gaming rig, I have 1.8 TB of space so I haven't really uninstalled anything really.

True, although the average game size will also increase proportionally in the future. Also, console HDDs are considerably smaller in size than PC ones. Today, a standard 120GB xbox 360 hard drive can store up to 18 games, assuming you don't have any large DLC, demos, videos or music installed. I think most of us own more than 18 games

Black_Knight_00

What you said is also very true. And I know that console HDDs are smaller but I guess I'm saying that I think they will become more like the PC sized HDDs. And yea it's interesting at the 120GB is the average and still can't hold all the games for a lot of us. Of course you can remember that when the 360 first came out, it came with a 20GB HDD. Then it slowly went up to 60GB to 120GB and now the newest model comes with a 250GB HDD. All signs pointing that slowly, but surly, we are downloading a lot more than we used to.

No way would I ever pay full price for non-physical media. Should the day ever come where we have 100% DD, is the day I treat the entire gaming market like Steam, only purchasing games when they're on a $10 or less sale.

the PSP Go didn't break ground in digital sales, I don't expect the NGP to, if it did replace gaming retail then stores like GameStop would just stop supporting it like they did with the PSPlamprey263

PSPgo isn't the best example of why DD doesn't work. It was a heavily flawed device (wireless-b card for a system that relies on DD, really Sony?), it was just poorly conceived, overpriced junk.

No way would I ever pay full price for non-physical media. Should the day ever come where we have 100% DD, is the day I treat the entire gaming market like Steam, only purchasing games when they're on a $10 or less sale.

QuistisTrepe_

wait....you guys dont use floppy disks anymore?? O.OAllicrombie

Now you're talking! Ah...now those were the days.....

[QUOTE="Black_Knight_00"]

True, although the average game size will also increase proportionally in the future. Also, console HDDs are considerably smaller in size than PC ones. Today, a standard 120GB xbox 360 hard drive can store up to 18 games, assuming you don't have any large DLC, demos, videos or music installed. I think most of us own more than 18 games

RealKilla_789

What you said is also very true. And I know that console HDDs are smaller but I guess I'm saying that I think they will become more like the PC sized HDDs. And yea it's interesting at the 120GB is the average and still can't hold all the games for a lot of us. Of course you can remember that when the 360 first came out, it came with a 20GB HDD. Then it slowly went up to 60GB to 120GB and now the newest model comes with a 250GB HDD. All signs pointing that slowly, but surly, we are downloading a lot more than we used to.

they shouldn't be $60 since part of that money is the manufacturing of the discs. That is one problem I have with some games today. A lot of games are full priced at $60, but they're digital.RealKilla_789

To further prove your point: consider the $60 you pay at Gamestop include manufacturing, shipment and the retailer profit margin. Now think that a valve game sold via Steam goes directly from the producer to the consumer without any intermediate steps (see: costs), so games on Steam should cost about half the shelf price. Of course if the did that they would pretty much kill the 'physical' PC market, but they should lower prices nonetheless

[QUOTE="RealKilla_789"]

[QUOTE="Black_Knight_00"]

True, although the average game size will also increase proportionally in the future. Also, console HDDs are considerably smaller in size than PC ones. Today, a standard 120GB xbox 360 hard drive can store up to 18 games, assuming you don't have any large DLC, demos, videos or music installed. I think most of us own more than 18 games

Black_Knight_00

What you said is also very true. And I know that console HDDs are smaller but I guess I'm saying that I think they will become more like the PC sized HDDs. And yea it's interesting at the 120GB is the average and still can't hold all the games for a lot of us. Of course you can remember that when the 360 first came out, it came with a 20GB HDD. Then it slowly went up to 60GB to 120GB and now the newest model comes with a 250GB HDD. All signs pointing that slowly, but surly, we are downloading a lot more than we used to.

Retail games will never disappear for a few reasons. 1. If it did pretty much all games shops would shut down and millions of people would be out of work. 2. Company's have been busy trying to build up the casual games market, if they removed retail games, they would lose a lot of them again. (a lot of the casual gamers I know are too scared there details will be stolen to even consider putting them onto there console, or there PC's) 3. Impulse buy's will be gone. I know that I myself would never have bought Dragon Age: Origin's if I hadn't had looked at it in a shop, and it ended up be my favorite game of this generation...possibly ever. 4. Internet connection's in most countries are terrible, if everyone was forced to download games online, people with bad connections would just end up not bothering when it takes them days to download one game. 5. Kinda goes with 4, there are some people who don't have internet at all, and yet still enjoy playing games, remove retail and you completely cut them out of the market. Now I have no problem with digital distribution, but I personally prefer to get the retail copy of a game in my hands instead of a digital version, but by far the best way is to have both options and allow the customer to choose which they want to use, forcing one or the other either way will ultimately be bad for business.spike6958

Yep and the people running the factories that produce cds & dvds and stuff like that? They'd also shut down..

I know that change is going to happen whether anyone wants it or not, if they do decide to have no more discs then i guess i won't be buying any new consoles, i will just continue to play the the games and consoles that i have now, i just will refuse to jump on the downloaded game band wagon it is not going to happen

I know that change is going to happen whether anyone wants it or not, if they do decide to have no more discs then i guess i won't be buying any new consoles, i will just continue to play the the games and consoles that i have now, i just will refuse to jump on the downloaded game band wagon it is not going to happen

fablesway

I think it will eventually be the primary way of selling games but not the only way. It will be just like the music industry. The majority of music is downloaded from itunes or what have you, but if you want you can still buy CD's (hell you can even still buy vinyl). I think you will be encouraged by the manufacturers to download the games but if you really want a hard copy, i still think those will be available too at a lesser extent.

As for price, a new game has no business being anymore than 20 dollars, cause although you pay 60 for a new game now, at any point you can flip it and sell it on ebay and get half (or more) of your money back. I just sold a used, but mint copy, of Uncharted 2 on ebay for 40 dollars a year and a half after it came out. So in a way i feel as if i got my money back for that purchase. But if you download a game, there is no resale. You can't get any money back for that game after you've played through it a few times. That's why the price has to be cut dramatically for it to work.

Man i rambled on with this one. To answer your question, yes it's inevitable it's going that way. When and to what extent, who knows? but it will happen

Man I hope that doesn't happen. There are so many negatives I see with 100% DD and few positives.

I know for a fact that prices will not go down so everyone can just forget about that pipe dream. Secondly, you would really want all of your games in one place? what if your console gets bricked? Not only do you have to replace the system, but dl all your games again, or worse yet, what if the license goes by system ID and you need to purchase everything again?What if you have to be connected to the internet at all timesto play your games, and your internet is out?

What if the company that has all your stuff goes out of business? Would you really not mind paying $60 for something and not ever actually owning it? When you buy a disc that disc is yours, you can do whatever you want with it. Sell it, throw it away, flush it down the toilet, play frisbee with it, rub it all over yourself. Digital stuff can be denied to you at any time.

And all of that is right off the top of my head, I could come up with like 100 more if I thought about it.

Plus everyone should stop thinking that DD would make everything better for the consumer, because they WILL find a way to screw you over and exploit you for all you are worth.

Check out the edit guys.

10 years...humm... - who knows!

Can imagine that manuals will be include digital to the game...Or just when you play, you will have hints that shows you how to play...

Actually, nobody can tell you what will happen in 10 years...

It will happen. The question is just is 10 years too long or too short? I could see this happening in 5-7 years. Maybe the switchover won't happen entirely by then, but DD will be the norm.

PSP already beat us to it.

Can't see it happening, gamers will always want to buy games on a disc to have a physical copy of the game, if steam or another dd service goes down, how will you be able to access your games? It's easier when you have a physical copy of the game in front of you.wizdom

I also don't want DD only.

DRM: They need to find a better, less intrusive way of doing it. Being connected to the internet is not good. For many reasons, there will be times when you may not be able to be online.

"Leasing" games: I know that I cannot copy my games or anything like that, but otherwise, I feel ownership over my discs. I do not feel that way about DD.

Portability: lending, borrowing, renting, swapping and trading are all aspects of video game culture. I wouldn't want to see that go away.

I would still prefer to have discs. Digital buying isn't my thing, I prefer to have the game physically in my hands.