What's with the Game Box's containing only the cartridge? (no manuals)

Since when was this announced? I just saw a few unboxing videos, and it's quite a big disappointment to open Uncharted, a game you've just spent £40 on to find no instruction manual or anything else in the box. Feels pretty cheap.. Am i the only one who feels this is a bad direction to take?

It's called being cheap.

Sad face. But as much as I like manuals, I guess I don't really touch them after the first day of owning the game anyway

I probably would not have noticed if not for this thread.

Although majority will not care for manuals it just doesn't feel complete to me. I think sooner or later we'll have to get use to it. The worst thing that can happen is having in game manuals under the options menu.gokuofheaven

This ^

I haven't read an instruction manual in decades but it's something that you just kinda expect to be included. Companies will claim it's to reduce their impact on the environment when in reality they're doing it to increase their profit-margin, even if it is ever so slightly.

It's been announced since the beginning. Only certain games contain manuals for Japanese Vita games and they're niche JRPG's of all things (Disgaea 3, Ragnarok Odyssey etc...). Standard games don't and have digital manuals. Most gaming manuals today are like black and white and 5 pages long anyway so, it's the way things are headed.FlamesOfGrey

I think they are trying to promote you buying the games digitally by taking away some of the incentive to buy a physical copy. Now, the only incentive is the physical cartridge and the box-art. Pretty soon Gamestop will be handing out PSVita games in little plastic baggies and the cartriges will be blank with the name of the game scribbled on the front with magic marker.

There are in the games now.

No need for them now.

Although majority will not care for manuals it just doesn't feel complete to me. I think sooner or later we'll have to get use to it. The worst thing that can happen is having in game manuals under the options menu.gokuofheaven

I really don't care for manuals, i also never read them. But it doesn't feel complete without them. But it's better for the environnement (less use of paper) so that's alright with me. And every game has an introduction telling you how to play the game nowadays, so you won't ever need a manual anyway.

I look back on my classic collection whenever i see these type of topics. All those manuals are thick, colorful, informative, and has hand-drawn artwork. I still pull them out and look through them weekly just to see what real production value looked like. Good ol' days.gokuofheaven

[QUOTE="gokuofheaven"]I look back on my classic collection whenever i see these type of topics. All those manuals are thick, colorful, informative, and has hand-drawn artwork. I still pull them out and look through them weekly just to see what real production value looked like. Good ol' days.TheLordHimself

It's sad, really. They're charging more, giving less, and trying to position themselves to control what we own, and how we use it. I love gaming, and I spend a lot on it. It's getting to the point though, where I can see it being more trouble than it's worth.

In-game tutorials should suffice.

It is also more environmentally-friendly.