Judging from the popularity of Xbox Live Marketplace & Steam, it's clear that Digital Distribution is here to stay. I'm very much a fan of it. Financially, it's a great idea, as a small-time developer can take the budget they were saving for distribution & improve their game further before posting it online for 10 bucks a pop, instantly reaching over 30 million gamers if I remember the numbers correctly. Also, developers can add to the experience of their game months after the initial release without having to print new discs (or, unfortunately, they can make you pay to unlock things you already have). Amazingly enough, cutting costs provided the industry with a great selling point as well. "What's that? You want to play Geometry Wars? Your hard drive broke & the replacement doesn't have it? Here's a replacement copy for the low low price of free!" "What's that? Wanna play Portal on your new computer but can't find the install discs? Just download the game from Steam!" You get the idea. It's clear that the gaming industry is adopting this policy, as spending less on making discs means more spent for development time or less time till the game starts making a profit, but it's rare that what's good for the business is good for the consumer as well.

Just a Thought