NPD Analyst: 75% of gamers prefer a boxed product

58% of gamers have never downloaded a game. But out of those who have downloaded a game, 77% of those people said it was just as good as a retail box. Interestingly enough, however, 65% said they'd be more likely to purchase a digital product if it were 10% less than retail.

http://www.edge-online.com/news/npds-frazier-consumers-prefer-retail

Personally, although I'm fine with DD for some stuff like DLC, patches, expansions, etc., I will always prefer to own a case + disc.

Does the NPD mean "75% of U.S. gamers prefer a boxed product"? The NPD Group deals with the United States, not the worldwide market.

I do not understand the America-centricism among some users as if any information relevant to the U.S. must apply to everywhere else.

DLC is HORRIBLE for the future. In a decade when you want to play some DLC, you have to literally own the 360/HDD, you won't be able to buy it at a swap mart, like you can a SNES.

It's great for some things, but horrible as it's a temporary product.

Does the NPD mean "75% of U.S. gamers prefer a boxed product"? The NPD Group deals with the United States, not the worldwide market.

I do not understand the America-centricism among some users as if any information relevant to the U.S. must apply to everywhere else.

ezikiell

yeah, I assume its for the U.S. since it's NPD, but isn't Edge a UK magazine? So I don't know.

I prefer boxed, but how the hell do they come up with these stats, if I may ask?MightyMuna

I have no idea, but they're in the business of global market research according to wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NPD_Group

Also, although I prefer a physical copy of my games, I prefer to buy them online (free shipping ftw!). :)

iv really embraced the whole downloadable game thing, the only time i buy a boxed PC game now is when i cant find it on steam or direct2drive.

i like the ability of loading up a game without having to dig out the disc first.

I guess if I was more into PC gaming I would be more open to DD. But even during my WoW binge, I still preferred to buy the retail version of the game, especially the collector's edition of Wrath of the Lich King. Even though I quit WoW, I still wanted that CE for the artbook, the soundtrack, etc.

But if I were to play mostly Valve games on PC, then, yeah, I'd use Steam. But I've never been that much into Valve. The extent of my PC gaming is pretty much WoW, Warcraft III, and, way back in the day, Sierra games like King's Quest lol. I'm definitely a console gamer. I did have a 4 year period where I played almost nothing except WoW, but I like to call those my lost years. >.>

I guess if I was more into PC gaming I would be more open to DD. But even during my WoW binge, I still preferred to buy the retail version of the game, especially the collector's edition of Wrath of the Lich King. Even though I quit WoW, I still wanted that CE for the artbook, the soundtrack, etc.

But if I were to play mostly Valve games on PC, then, yeah, I'd use Steam. But I've never been that much into Valve. The extent of my PC gaming is pretty much WoW, Warcraft III, and, way back in the day, Sierra games like King's Quest lol. I'm definitely a console gamer. I did have a 4 year period where I played almost nothing except WoW, but I like to call those my lost years. >.>

lolfaqs

production cost of a box product and the risk is higher, obvious reasons for making DLC are obviousSonic_on_crack

That may be, but you can't force a square peg into a round hole. If the consumer demand isn't there for DD as much as developers would like, it won't matter.

Sounds to me like vacuous survey done to justify their lack of tracking digital distribution.Vandalvideo

They do track digital distribution. It's just that they have a hard time doing so aside from game subscriptions:

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=22415

I prefer owning boxed products simply because if my console breaks, I'll more than likely still have the game and I won't have to worry about having different accounts or transfering purchased items over to the new one.

However, downloadable games should be cheaper, because publishers don't need to spend money on shipping and packaging, so costs would be reduced allowing for a cheaper price (and more profits). Both sides win.

Sounds to me like vacuous survey done to justify their lack of tracking digital distribution.Vandalvideo

This. BTW, with services like Impulse, GOG, Steam D2D, and others increasing in revenue yearly, I would say that the NPD is simply

trying to ignore the fact people are buying more games via download than ever before it will continue to increase. Personally, give me a

digital download any day of the week. When it comes to PC, I will only buy via Steam now. Call me what you like but it is simply to easy

to have all of my games attached to an account that I can simply start up from any computer, 24/7, 365, and redownload unlimited times.

You may say "Well what happens when Valve goes out of business?" They have already promised a patch to release your games. I simply don't

enjoy having boxes and discs lying around. So NPD, do some more research because downloads are the future.

[QUOTE="Vandalvideo"]Sounds to me like vacuous survey done to justify their lack of tracking digital distribution.lolfaqs

They do track digital distribution. It's just that they have a hard time doing so aside from game subscriptions:

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=22415

[QUOTE="Vandalvideo"]Sounds to me like vacuous survey done to justify their lack of tracking digital distribution.scoobiesnackarf

This. BTW, with services like Impulse, GOG, Steam D2D, and others increasing in revenue yearly, I would say that the NPD is simply

trying to ignore the fact people are buying more games via download than ever before it will continue to increase. Personally, give me a

digital download any day of the week. When it comes to PC, I will only buy via Steam now. Call me what you like but it is simply to easy

to have all of my games attached to an account that I can simply start up from any computer, 24/7, 365, and redownload unlimited times.

You may say "Well what happens when Valve goes out of business?" They have already promised a patch to release your games. I simply don't

enjoy having boxes and discs lying around. So NPD, do some more research because downloads are the future.

Those services are only relevant if you're a PC gamer. Casuals rule gaming now, like it or not. That's why the top selling PC game is World of Warcraft. That's why the top console is the Wii. That's why the top selling games are games like Wii Fit, Wii Sports, Wii Play, etc.

For pc services like steam are pretty sweet once you've registered that cd key you can just toss the box in the trash. I doubt steam will ever go away if valve goes under I'm sure someone else will buy the back ending and rights and just continue where valve left off.

The main problem is, the broadband in america eats crap. Like 30 miles from where I used to live now I'm stuck with dsl and its through verizon and I have 5mpbs/768 which isn't too bad (about 600kb/sec) and craps all over what most people have. Before this I lived in chino hills,cali and had fios which was 15mpbs/2mbps I could download roughtly 2MB/sec, a gig only took about 40-50min from a good server.

In other good places in the world they have broadband which craps all over what the us has. Verizon is trying to roll out fios, but in some areas of europe hell the adsl2+ like I have is offered in speeds like 20mpbs and has further distance because the copper is better. Adsl is crap compared to fios or cable with docsis 3.0 yet elsewhere they have adsl lines that crap on our pure fiber lines or fiber up to a certain point(cable).

So people don't want to dl crap in this country cause it takes too long.

Someone is gonna say well usa is bigger than most countries, then why don't our big cities have the same services that paris or hong kong would so right back at ya buddy.

[QUOTE="lolfaqs"]

[QUOTE="Vandalvideo"]Sounds to me like vacuous survey done to justify their lack of tracking digital distribution.Vandalvideo

They do track digital distribution. It's just that they have a hard time doing so aside from game subscriptions:

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=22415

That may be, but PC gamers are still a tiny percentage of today's game market, which now includes casuals.

That may be, but PC gamers are still a tiny percentage of today's game market, which now includes casuals.lolfaqs

[QUOTE="Vandalvideo"]Sounds to me like vacuous survey done to justify their lack of tracking digital distribution.scoobiesnackarf

This. BTW, with services like Impulse, GOG, Steam D2D, and others increasing in revenue yearly, I would say that the NPD is simply

trying to ignore the fact people are buying more games via download than ever before it will continue to increase. Personally, give me a

digital download any day of the week. When it comes to PC, I will only buy via Steam now. Call me what you like but it is simply to easy

to have all of my games attached to an account that I can simply start up from any computer, 24/7, 365, and redownload unlimited times.

You may say "Well what happens when Valve goes out of business?" They have already promised a patch to release your games. I simply don't

enjoy having boxes and discs lying around. So NPD, do some more research because downloads are the future.

Considering who makes up the PCGA, I'm not surprised at all that they'd say that:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PCGA

But that still doesn't change the fact that the top selling PC game is WoW. It's not Crytek, Half-life 2, Team Fortress 2, Portal, or any other of the traditionally "hardcore" PC games.

Considering who makes up the PCGA, I'm not surprised at all that they'd say that:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PCGA

But that still doesn't change the fact that the top selling PC game is WoW. It's not Crytek, Half-life 2, Team Fortress 2, Portal, or any other of the traditionally "hardcore" PC games.

lolfaqs

For pc services like steam are pretty sweet once you've registered that cd key you can just toss the box in the trash. I doubt steam will ever go away if valve goes under I'm sure someone else will buy the back ending and rights and just continue where valve left off.

The main problem is, the broadband in america eats crap. Like 30 miles from where I used to live now I'm stuck with dsl and its through verizon and I have 5mpbs/768 which isn't too bad (about 600kb/sec) and craps all over what most people have. Before this I lived in chino hills,cali and had fios which was 15mpbs/2mbps I could download roughtly 2MB/sec, a gig only took about 40-50min from a good server.

In other good places in the world they have broadband which craps all over what the us has. Verizon is trying to roll out fios, but in some areas of europe hell the adsl2+ like I have is offered in speeds like 20mpbs and has further distance because the copper is better. Adsl is crap compared to fios or cable with docsis 3.0 yet elsewhere they have adsl lines that crap on our pure fiber lines or fiber up to a certain point(cable).

So people don't want to dl crap in this country cause it takes too long.

Someone is gonna say well usa is bigger than most countries, then why don't our big cities have the same services that paris or hong kong would so right back at ya buddy.

sh0vet

They are made up of some of the most noteworthy PC gaming companies

And that doesn't raise any alarms for you? That's like Ford saying their cars are the most reliable, or Microsoft saying that RROD and disc scratching didn't exist (before they finally extended the warranty). Of course they're going to say such things. They have a financial motive for doing so.

And that doesn't raise any alarms for you? That's like Ford saying their cars are the most reliable, or Microsoft saying that RROD and disc scratching didn't exist (before they finally extended the warranty). Of course they're going to say such things. They have a financial motive for doing sololfaqs

[QUOTE="lolfaqs"]And that doesn't raise any alarms for you? That's like Ford saying their cars are the most reliable, or Microsoft saying that RROD and disc scratching didn't exist (before they finally extended the warranty). Of course they're going to say such things. They have a financial motive for doing soVandalvideo

I just call them as I see them. NPD may not be perfect, but at least they don't have a financial interest in who sells more between console games and PC games. But PCGA?

Acer

Activision (part of Vivendi and Blizzard now)

AMD

Antec

Dell/Alienware

Intel

Logitech

Microsoft

NVIDIA

Razer

Wild Tangent

What do you think they're going to say? That PC gaming is dying, so please stop buying our products?

I just call them as I see them. NPD may not be perfect, but at least they don't have a financial interest in who sells more between console games and PC games. But PCGA?What do you think they're going to say? That PC gaming is dying, so please stop buying our products?lolfaqs

[QUOTE="lolfaqs"]That may be, but PC gamers are still a tiny percentage of today's game market, which now includes casuals.Vandalvideo

The problem with this data is that they include people like my 70 year old mom as a "PC gamer" because she plays solitare and minesweep on her computer.

Of course there is going to be more pc gamers if they include crap like that.

[QUOTE="Vandalvideo"][QUOTE="lolfaqs"]That may be, but PC gamers are still a tiny percentage of today's game market, which now includes casuals.grimhope

The problem with this data is that they include people like my 70 year old mom as a "PC gamer" because she plays solitare and minesweep on her computer.

Of course there is going to be more pc gamers if they include crap like that.

PCGA is a non-profit organization made up of for-profit corporations. Do you know the purpose of a corporation? To maximize shareholder value (aka profits).

PCGA's mission statement:

Our Mission

PC Gaming Alliance will also provide guidelines to simplify hardware specifications and speed the introduction of new technologies, as well as improve Consumer PC Gaming Experience by working with developers and publishers and PCGA members to maximize the PC gaming experience in all ways possible.

So even if everything you said is true, I won't believe it if the only source is the PCGA.

[QUOTE="sh0vet"]

For pc services like steam are pretty sweet once you've registered that cd key you can just toss the box in the trash. I doubt steam will ever go away if valve goes under I'm sure someone else will buy the back ending and rights and just continue where valve left off.

The main problem is, the broadband in america eats crap. Like 30 miles from where I used to live now I'm stuck with dsl and its through verizon and I have 5mpbs/768 which isn't too bad (about 600kb/sec) and craps all over what most people have. Before this I lived in chino hills,cali and had fios which was 15mpbs/2mbps I could download roughtly 2MB/sec, a gig only took about 40-50min from a good server.

In other good places in the world they have broadband which craps all over what the us has. Verizon is trying to roll out fios, but in some areas of europe hell the adsl2+ like I have is offered in speeds like 20mpbs and has further distance because the copper is better. Adsl is crap compared to fios or cable with docsis 3.0 yet elsewhere they have adsl lines that crap on our pure fiber lines or fiber up to a certain point(cable).

So people don't want to dl crap in this country cause it takes too long.

Someone is gonna say well usa is bigger than most countries, then why don't our big cities have the same services that paris or hong kong would so right back at ya buddy.

heretrix

So even if everything you said is true, I won't believe it if the only source is the PCGA.lolfaqs

[QUOTE="lolfaqs"]So even if everything you said is true, I won't believe it if the only source is the PCGA.Vandalvideo

No, it's much more than supposition. It's basic understanding of corporate law. I'm an attorney, by the way. Corporations exist for one purpose and one purpose only: to increase shareholder value. Corporate officers owe a fiduciary duty to the corporation. They must act with the best interests of the corporation in mind. It's not discretionary. It's mandatory, and to breach that duty is to open yourself up as a corporate officer to legal liability.

Just look at the board members of PCGA:

http://www.pcgamingalliance.org/ABOUT/BoardandOfficers/tabid/374/Default.aspx

These guys have a self-interested motive in everything they do related to PCs, because to act otherwise would make them legally liable for breaching their fiduciary duty, duty of loyalty, and duty of care to their respective corporations and shareholders.

[QUOTE="Vandalvideo"][QUOTE="lolfaqs"]So even if everything you said is true, I won't believe it if the only source is the PCGA.lolfaqs

No, it's much more than supposition. It's basic understanding of corporate law. I'm an attorney, by the way. Corporations exist for one purpose and one purpose only: to increase shareholder value. Corporate officers owe a fiduciary duty to the corporation. They must act with the best interests of the corporation in mind. It's not discretionary. It's mandatory, and to breach that duty is to open yourself up as a corporate officer to legal liability.

Just look at the board members of PCGA:

http://www.pcgamingalliance.org/ABOUT/BoardandOfficers/tabid/374/Default.aspx

These guys have a self-interested motive in everything they do related to PCs, because to act otherwise would make them legally liable for breaching their fiduciary duty, duty of loyalty, and duty of care to their respective corporations and shareholders.

[QUOTE="heretrix"][QUOTE="sh0vet"]

For pc services like steam are pretty sweet once you've registered that cd key you can just toss the box in the trash. I doubt steam will ever go away if valve goes under I'm sure someone else will buy the back ending and rights and just continue where valve left off.

The main problem is, the broadband in america eats crap. Like 30 miles from where I used to live now I'm stuck with dsl and its through verizon and I have 5mpbs/768 which isn't too bad (about 600kb/sec) and craps all over what most people have. Before this I lived in chino hills,cali and had fios which was 15mpbs/2mbps I could download roughtly 2MB/sec, a gig only took about 40-50min from a good server.

In other good places in the world they have broadband which craps all over what the us has. Verizon is trying to roll out fios, but in some areas of europe hell the adsl2+ like I have is offered in speeds like 20mpbs and has further distance because the copper is better. Adsl is crap compared to fios or cable with docsis 3.0 yet elsewhere they have adsl lines that crap on our pure fiber lines or fiber up to a certain point(cable).

So people don't want to dl crap in this country cause it takes too long.

Someone is gonna say well usa is bigger than most countries, then why don't our big cities have the same services that paris or hong kong would so right back at ya buddy.

sh0vet

Dude I used to have fios of course I'm aware. Though you do realize you're in the like 1-2% of all of united states that has speeds over 5mbps. That was the point of my post.

Edit: 20MB is a bit exciessive that would be 160mbps and no one offers that so if you're being a ********. I have vibe you don't know the difference between bits and bytes.

[QUOTE="lolfaqs"]

[QUOTE="Vandalvideo"] Again, nothing more than supposition. Prove to me that the PCGA's studies have been directly affected by their business procedures. You haven't proved jack. You can't discredit a viable source with a bunch of reputable companies based on a half-baked conspiracy theory.Vandalvideo

No, it's much more than supposition. It's basic understanding of corporate law. I'm an attorney, by the way. Corporations exist for one purpose and one purpose only: to increase shareholder value. Corporate officers owe a fiduciary duty to the corporation. They must act with the best interests of the corporation in mind. It's not discretionary. It's mandatory, and to breach that duty is to open yourself up as a corporate officer to legal liability.

Just look at the board members of PCGA:

http://www.pcgamingalliance.org/ABOUT/BoardandOfficers/tabid/374/Default.aspx

These guys have a self-interested motive in everything they do related to PCs, because to act otherwise would make them legally liable for breaching their fiduciary duty, duty of loyalty, and duty of care to their respective corporations and shareholders.

You still don't get it. Conspiracy has nothing to do with it. They are legally obligated to act within the best interests of the corporation. Let's say tomorrow one of them comes out and says something that goes against the best interests of their corporation and that hurts their corporation (causes a drop in the stock's price). They've just breached their duties as a corporate officer and have opened themselves up to legal suit. The corporation can now choose to sue that officer directly, or shareholders can seek a shareholder derivative suit to force the corporation to sue that officer.

What this means is that they cannot say something that will damage the corporation. Their hands are tied.

You still don't get it. Conspiracy has nothing to do with it. They are legally obligated to act within the best interests of the corporation. Let's say tomorrow one of them comes out and says something that goes against the best interests of their corporation and that hurts their corporation (causes a drop in the stock's price). They've just breached their duties as a corporate officer and have opened themselves up to legal suit. The corporation can now choose to sue that officer directly, or shareholders can seek a shareholder derivative suit to force the corporation to sue that officer.=What this means is that they cannot say something that will damage the corporation. Their hands are tied.lolfaqs