Poll: Do you prefer DD or hard copy?

Hard copy all the way, to many things can go wrong if something happens to the device your DD is on.

Hard copy all the way, to many things can go wrong if something happens to the device your DD is on.

Ballroompirate

There's no such thing as a "hard copy". The data on a physical disc is no more "owned" or "yours" than that of a digital download. Simply read the license agreement for any "physical" videogame, and you'll be surprised to find that point stated quite clearly. I believe digital content to be the future, starting with smaller transactions, then expansions, and finally, within a few generations, the games themselves. - It is one of the only effective tools for reducing piracy, reducing the drag of the used games market, and allowing independent developers a competitive distribution channel. As such, I imagine the opposition to DD will be vocal, but largely fruitless.subrosian

Hard copy all the way, to many things can go wrong if something happens to the device your DD is on.

[QUOTE="clyde46"]

hard copy all the time, Steam's current server issues with the free UT3 weekend is one of the reasons why I hate DD.

creeping-deth87

When your hard drive fail and you have no more Downloands left ( if any at all) good luck with DD!

CubanBlunt

Hard copy. Why?

I felt terribly uncomfortable if i can't see the proof of my purchase in physical form.

Hard copy

Pros:

• Box art
• Game manual
• LE goodies
• TEH DISC
• Backup copy (in less legal way)
• Sell back
• save harddisk space

Cons:

• Scratches
• Hassle must buy it at your game store
• Sold out

DD

Pros: you won't experience hard copy's cons

Cons:

• purchased game has download limit (ps3, not sure for 360)
• you don't have the items listed in hard copy's cons list
• harddisk space hogger

IMO of course

Cons:

• purchased game has download limit (ps3, not sure for 360)

Everiez

Digital Distribution 1) If my HDD crashes, I can just re-download it for free. If my disc breaks or gets scratched, I have to buy a new copy. 2) It cost less Every digitally purchased game that I own (PC or console) is locked to your ID, not your machine. I don't know where people are coming up with this, "If I buy a new system, I can't install it again" nonsense. The worst I've seen is Spore, which gives you like 3 installs at once. Not 3 total, just you can only have installed on machines at any one time. If you want more, you'd have to uninstall it from one. I don't know anybody with 3 gaming PCs so it really doesn't effect like 99.99999% of people who own the game. I never sell my games, so I don't care about reselling them. I don't buy used games, so it doesn't affect me there either.Senor_Kami

Hard copy. I like the idea of owning it, not a license to use it.

[QUOTE="TheGreatOutdoor"]

[QUOTE="Hexagon_777"]

Were you ever a gamer to begin with, though? All that would change is the medium through which you would get your games.

Hexagon_777

Table Tennis? Do you mean Pong? :?

[QUOTE="Hexagon_777"]

[QUOTE="TheGreatOutdoor"]My first game was Table Tennis. Does that answer your question? ;)

TheGreatOutdoor

Table Tennis? Do you mean Pong? :?

And Leejjohno, physical copies are supposedly only "licensed" as well.

Every now and again I'll purchase somethign digitally but that tends to only be for long out of print titles or something deeply discounted.

1. Why do digitally distributed games cost the same as a hard copy?

2. Until it is realistic and financially reasonable for me to have a multi terabyte system, I wouldn't be able to store all the games I own.

3. Ten years from now will my hard drive still function in order to play the games I bought? Will the site I bought them from still allow me to download them free of charge? Will the site even still exist?

The only thing I need to worry about with a physical copy is whether or not I accidentally scratch it, which has never been an issue for me.

Every now and again I'll purchase somethign digitally but that tends to only be for long out of print titles or something deeply discounted.

1. Why do digitally distributed games cost the same as a hard copy?

Velric

2. Until it is realistic and financially reasonable for me to have a multi terabyte system, I wouldn't be able to store all the games I own.

Velric

3. Ten years from now will my hard drive still function in order to play the games I bought? Will the site I bought them from still allow me to download them free of charge? Will the site even still exist?

The only thing I need to worry about with a physical copy is whether or not I accidentally scratch it, which has never been an issue for me.

Velric

Here's the bugaboo about physical copies. Once that copy is damaged, how are you going to recover the disc? Most game sales are an "all sales final" proposition because of the piracy problem. Speaking of which, those discs (which are usually copy-protected) are gonna be pretty tricky to back up.

Hard Copy because I like holding the cases, reading the Manual, and ripping ope the wrapping that is on the cases. I can't get that with Digital Distribution.

DD

Having all your games in only one little box just completely owns :D. Especially when you want to play those games at a friend's house; dont take your discs, just snap off the HDD from your console and you're good to go!

Hard Copy.

I've had too many incidents of me losing all my games from DD

[QUOTE="TheGreatOutdoor"]

[QUOTE="Hexagon_777"]

Table Tennis? Do you mean Pong? :?

HuusAsking

And Leejjohno, physical copies are supposedly only "licensed" as well.

Thanks

I think we all better get used to digital distribution. When you look at games like Warhawk, SOCOM Confrontation and GT 5 Prologue on PS3 and the Lost and DamnedDLC for GTA 4 on 360 which by the way is no mere addon, it is for all practical purposes a full game plusXBOX Classics like Fable, Halo CE and Jade Empire which are downloadable from XBL pluswhat is available through Steam on PC, I think DD is going to replace hard copy games for sure by next gen.NemeSyS-1

[QUOTE="NemeSyS-1"]

I think we all better get used to digital distribution. When you look at games like Warhawk, SOCOM Confrontation and GT 5 Prologue on PS3 and the Lost and DamnedDLC for GTA 4 on 360 which by the way is no mere addon, it is for all practical purposes a full game plusXBOX Classics like Fable, Halo CE and Jade Empire which are downloadable from XBL pluswhat is available through Steam on PC, I think DD is going to replace hard copy games for sure by next gen.BuryMe

Digital distribution has already begun to manifest itself on consoles this generation. Next generation, it shall have an even greater presence and the generation after...

[QUOTE="BuryMe"]

[QUOTE="NemeSyS-1"]

I think we all better get used to digital distribution. When you look at games like Warhawk, SOCOM Confrontation and GT 5 Prologue on PS3 and the Lost and DamnedDLC for GTA 4 on 360 which by the way is no mere addon, it is for all practical purposes a full game plusXBOX Classics like Fable, Halo CE and Jade Empire which are downloadable from XBL pluswhat is available through Steam on PC, I think DD is going to replace hard copy games for sure by next gen.Hexagon_777

I simply said digital distribution will not be the primary method for buying games last gen. DD will not replace hard copies as early as next gen

[QUOTE="Hexagon_777"]

[QUOTE="BuryMe"]There's no way in hell DD is going to take over next gen. There are too many people without a good internet connection to download the games. Games wouldn't sell nearly as much as they would with hard copies.

BuryMe

I simply said digital distribution will not be the primary method for buying games last gen. DD will not replace hard copies as early as next gen

I wasn't arguing against that...

System Warriors have become paranoid. :P

Retail Copy, no need to eat up my limited bandwidth, or worry about steam's servers ever shutting down and I not being able to know if I'll be able to play the game I bought, looking at the way consumer rights are going. I also get the advantage of having my own physical copy and that can't be beat, plus prices are lower and I get a box for bragging rights. It's Win/Win.

I don't even have to drive to a major retailer to get my retail hard copy, I just buy from newegg and most of time they have free shipping. Sorry no contest.

Retail Copy, no need to eat up my limited bandwidth, or worry about steam's servers ever shutting down looking at the way consumer rights are going not knowing if I'll be able to play the game i bought. I also get the advantage of having my own physical copy and that can't be beat, plus prices are lower and I get a box for bragging rights. It's Win/Win.

(Pictures of Ownage)

I don't even have to drive to a major retailer to get my retail hard copy, I just buy from newegg and most of time they have free shipping. Sorry no contest.

nintendog66

Seems like Steam not only rips off Europeans, but Americans too!

Like... Seriesly?

Like... Seriesly?nintendog66

[QUOTE="nintendog66"]

Retail Copy, no need to eat up my limited bandwidth, or worry about steam's servers ever shutting down looking at the way consumer rights are going not knowing if I'll be able to play the game i bought. I also get the advantage of having my own physical copy and that can't be beat, plus prices are lower and I get a box for bragging rights. It's Win/Win.

(Pictures of Ownage)

I don't even have to drive to a major retailer to get my retail hard copy, I just buy from newegg and most of time they have free shipping. Sorry no contest.

Hexagon_777

Seems like Steam not only rips off Europeans, but Americans too!

[QUOTE="nintendog66"]

Like... Seriesly?Stevo_the_gamer

[QUOTE="Stevo_the_gamer"]

[QUOTE="nintendog66"]

Like... Seriesly?HuusAsking

Then there's the issue of what happens when physical discs get damaged. The discs themselves can't be backed up because they're frequently copy-protected, and most installations don't transport, making backups difficult. If the disc gets marred, how are you going to go about getting a new disc wihtout having to shell out full price for a new copy?

Then there's the issue of what happens when physical discs get damaged. The discs themselves can't be backed up because they're frequently copy-protected, and most installations don't transport, making backups difficult. If the disc gets marred, how are you going to go about getting a new disc wihtout having to shell out full price for a new copy?

HuusAsking

[QUOTE="TheGreatOutdoor"]

[QUOTE="Hexagon_777"]

Table Tennis? Do you mean Pong? :?

HuusAsking

And Leejjohno, physical copies are supposedly only "licensed" as well.

That may be if we get technical. But the way I see it there is no way they can stop me breaking the disc in half, lending it to a friend, or selling it on. No matter what legalities they put in the playing manual, the police will never enforce them anyway unless you all out copy and distribute hundreds of copies for profit.

Once it is in my possession, the physical disk is mine. If somebody steals it from me, I can say that it is mine when I report it stolen.

What is on the disk is licensed, however.

[QUOTE="HuusAsking"]

Then there's the issue of what happens when physical discs get damaged. The discs themselves can't be backed up because they're frequently copy-protected, and most installations don't transport, making backups difficult. If the disc gets marred, how are you going to go about getting a new disc wihtout having to shell out full price for a new copy?

Stevo_the_gamer

When your hard drive fail and you have no more Downloands left ( if any at all) good luck with DD!

CubanBlunt

-

Neither DRM nor so-called "hard" copies are ideal, but it's worth noting that there are a host of licensing and legal issues that have really stripped ownership rights from people buying CD, DVDs and video games. The pirates have made it so that someone who genuinely owns a gameno longer owns it if they lose the key-code, scratch the disc, etc...

I wont vote because it depends of which games you're talking about. With Warhawk and Socom it's better to buy disc so you can move it around to any system in your house because you can only DL the digital game to 1 PS3. With games that don't come on disc also it's better to buy from PSN because you can DL them to 5 PS3s and this way you can have the game on each system in the house for 1 price.

[QUOTE="CubanBlunt"]

When your hard drive fail and you have no more Downloands left ( if any at all) good luck with DD!

subrosian

-

Neither DRM nor so-called "hard" copies are ideal, but it's worth noting that there are a host of licensing and legal issues that have really stripped ownership rights from people buying CD, DVDs and video games. The pirates have made it so that someone who genuinely owns a gameno longer owns it if they lose the key-code, scratch the disc, etc...

Unless you buy games on disc with PS3 which uses unscratchable Bluray discs then you can't ruin your discs.

[QUOTE="CubanBlunt"]

When your hard drive fail and you have no more Downloands left ( if any at all) good luck with DD!

subrosian

-

Neither DRM nor so-called "hard" copies are ideal, but it's worth noting that there are a host of licensing and legal issues that have really stripped ownership rights from people buying CD, DVDs and video games. The pirates have made it so that someone who genuinely owns a gameno longer owns it if they lose the key-code, scratch the disc, etc...

i like hard copys better so if i have a back up