Digital Vs. Physical «1234...Next Go

balthasaur28000

ok, I know digital downloads are getting bigger and bigger and lots of other companies are doing digital only sales. But what about the problems with Digital downloads? the company goes under oops their goes any chance of re-downloading the game from their servers. or if EA says, you have 30 days to get all the content and then we go poof! What happens then? we don't have a physical copy to re-install the software. and copying the directories may not be enough due to registry entries/errors or file corruption, files elsewhere on a computer. Digital downloading has a big flaw in it that could erupt whenever a digital content provider goes down.

Physical copies yes break down, the CD/DVD/blu-ray cracks and breaks. but it's the most reliable source for content. if the game provider goes out of business you can still play and reinstall the game years down the road (provided you still have the disks) it would take work finding all the patches if any now adays, but you'd still have the base game and any expansions.

Now I prefer physical copies, and go for the digital content if there is no other option. But how about an option to download the entire game as an an image file we can burn to dvd/blue-ray/cd or mount on our computers as a back up resource. Storage today is cheap. there is a company out there that I won't name that has a 5TB external drive (Terra Byte = 1024GB for the uninformed) for only $150 right now. So I could keep the gigs upon gigs of game data on that. and when I need to, I can reinstall a game or content from that.

This ends my rant but feel free to debate, discuss this digital issue.

plopppo

EA can't go poof - neither can Steam.

If any of them were in financial trouble then they would be bought out - they are multi-billion corps. Basically, they are too big to fail.

EDIT:
Origin would float off, in the same way that Steam would float off from Valve corp.

IgnitedTobi1

I prefer digital download of physical copies because I always end up losing a crucial piece to the physical copy making it impossible for me to re-download my game in case something happens to my computer. I always download my games even on my console devices as it is much easier to keep track of them. Besides, no one can steal my games if they are all downloaded onto my machines.

jcp011c2

plopppo wrote: »

EA can't go poof - neither can Steam.

If any of them were in financial trouble then they would be bought out - they are multi-billion corps. Basically, they are too big to fail.

EDIT:
Origin would float off, in the same way that Steam would float off from Valve corp.

Yeah, I don't see either of these just disappearing within my life time.....I think smaller game company servers yes, it's a possible issue but these are giants in the digital gaming industry. It's like saying that MacDonalds will go under.

JPG619

I like Physical disks since I have limited bandwidth for my internet and downloading something huge. There been games that interested me that I pasted on because the download is 30+ GB to download. Which is also 30 percent of my month bandwidth for the month.

burntcheese223

I would usually go digital but now I want to go physical. I am moving out into the country and I wont have a lot of gbs. I also don't want overage charges. Plus, I don't knoe how fast the internet will be.

balthasaur28000

I was just using them as an example. if a major (or minor) digital service provider did go under, no one bought them and they poofed. that game you love gets corrupt you wouldn't have a way of getting it again. that's the risk of digital content. What I'm saying is that these digital companies should allow some one to download their game as an ISO. so you have a back up to your game.

jcp011c2

balthasaur28000 wrote: »

I was just using them as an example. if a major (or minor) digital service provider did go under, no one bought them and they poofed. that game you love gets corrupt you wouldn't have a way of getting it again. that's the risk of digital content. What I'm saying is that these digital companies should allow some one to download their game as an ISO. so you have a back up to your game.

Wave that flag in front of Amazon and I'm sure they'd be glad to do it. Goodness knows Amazon isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Simfan923

I used to just buy physical copies because of the same reasons you mentioned. Now, when TS2 was still coming out with EPs and SPs I wasn't exactly merciful with my disks so they would scratch and I couldn't play them anymore. Then TS3 came and I made sure I was more careful with my disks but I've had situations where the disk or the manual would disappear all together. Like right now, my ITF disk is in my old computer which my mom gave to my cousin. But I have digital copies of my TS3 games on Origin now so I can play them wherever I am. But yeah after TS4 BG I didn't want to have wait for them to release in stores and for them not to have it at all as promised so I would have to wait till later to get it. Now I see the appeal of getting them digitally because it's right there ready to play and my internet is fast at home so I can download, install and play within 15 minutes. And I'm hoping this EP will have the pre-load feature so I can download a good portion prior to release.

plopppo

Steam has a fail-safe to unlock installed content from it's service - but you would still have to physically copy content from drive to drive - ie copy the completed installations. I don't think anyone has seen how this would work - but there appears to be a fail-safe.

Not sure about Origin, but I think it would work the same.

momboqueen

My household has gone all digital. I can remember when I thought the idea of it was evil but I love it now,lol.

lady8jane

balthasaur28000 wrote: »

I was just using them as an example. if a major (or minor) digital service provider did go under, no one bought them and they poofed. that game you love gets corrupt you wouldn't have a way of getting it again. that's the risk of digital content. What I'm saying is that these digital companies should allow some one to download their game as an ISO. so you have a back up to your game.

Don't want to burst your bubble there, but if EA goes under then your disc won't help you much either as you need an Origin account to play.

RacerX780

The "Agree to install" agreements say you are only licencing the software and that you don't own it.

I'm not thrilled with digital only either.... but it's just the way things are going.

ceejay402

back when ebooks were new i started buying books from a small epublisher bought tons of books at really low prices and they even had a point systems so i got even many for free and then the small publisher was bought by barnes and nobles and though my acct was transferred over i lost access to many of my titles and then barnes and nobles sold the division to amazon and i was locked out of the acct completely.

so i could still read the books i had loaded on my device but i no longer had an acct to DL the books i bought, in short my license to the books were considered over- this happened i think as well with earlier music DLs. they are just temp licenses.

from that experience i learned if i want to keep something forever i need to create a back up but ill be honest i read all the books before i lost my license and its rare for me to want to reread something and im not the type of gamer that will want to play years from now old series of sims.

if the unthinkable happens and somehow EA collapses which in my book would probably mean another serious world economy problem and then i think we all would have bigger issues to consider but just for the sake of argument EA out of the air vanishes, i dont think their assets will.

and i just love digital its far greener no boxes no plastic no shipping. love the no storage issue in my home but im also a person that prefers paying for music streaming services then buying music. i have such evolving taste i rather keep getting new then holding on to old.

choline

I prefer digital simply because I'm just so clumsy and always end up breaking/scratching disks.

lucosims

Digital should have a discount.

thesimsfairy47

I want to be able to by the serial code in the store, then I will register the game and download it onto my computer,because I don't like buying products on the internet.

MasonGamer

I'd prefer buying a physical from Target. I have gift cards, and 5% off purchases.

Sailorgreenyliz

I have all the Mac Sims 2 EPS and Sps on DVD or CD, but I lost Uni at one point after letting my younger sister use it. I needed to reinstall my game for a reason I can't remember and I didn't want to go without Uni because I liked sending my Sim teens off to college. My sister ended up buying me a new copy to replace the one she lost. When I got my new laptop and decided to give the Sims 3 a try I got the digital version from Amazon (Origin had not yet released the Mac version of the client) and another place I found that only sold digital copies of Mac games since I couldn't get them from Origin. So far I have been very happy with my Digital versions as I don't have to switch out the disc when I want to reinstall the Sims 3. I have all the EPs and most SPs, so that is a lot.

Reiterei

I prefer to buy physical, because the Target near me always has better deals. But when it comes to playing the games, I add the code to my origin, and download it from there. So best of both worlds, I guess.

TOLKIEN

I usually buy physical because its easier to find a discount on release day vs full price from the origin store, plus the added bonus is once its registered online it also BECOMES a digital copy - meaning I have both versions.

Plus it also means I don't have to download massive games aka waiting like 24hrs just to play it AFTER I already bought it.

As for the whole concern that the company will go bankrupt, thats not going happen with major publishers like EA and with their massive cash cow sport game libraries. What sucks is when a game thats single player is made into an online only game like Diablo 3 and your internet connection is down. That makes no sense.

balthasaur28000

I agree digital is great, but having access to digital content thru your life is a risk. which is why I'd like a copy of said download in an installable/mountable format if there is no physical product. but I still have Floppy disks of programs still from 20+ years ago. *showing my age here* and they still work.

This debate came up after I purchased a copy of Arcanum off of Gog.com I downloaded a 1.1GB file which was the installer. no internet needed to donwload and install like some have. that means I can store that 1.1 Gig file and keep it and if Gog.com services go down, I will not have lost access to it. this is what I would like to see the digital services do.

and as for losing the physical disk, it does happen, especially if you move alot. I lost most of my sims 2 and all of sims 1 (twice over) during a move. and this was before the digital download age. so I was totally out of luck.

MoonCrossWarrior22

I prefer to buy the physical copy.

Romire

If it saves me space, im happy

Allspice1232

I prefer physical. It doesn't make much of a different in this case though, you just register the game in Origin and you can download the game straight from there whenever you want.

GalacticGal

I used to feel exactly as the OP feels. However, things change and so do a person's opinion. Currently, in my situation, it will be far more convenient for me to simply download the new EP. Getting out to the brick and morter can only happen in the evenings (and I no longer am able to drive at night) or on the weekends. I, for one, will not be able to stand waiting for the weekend, once the game is released on a Tuesday, just to get my physical copy of it. Unless things change dramatically around here in the next couple of months, for the first time ever, I won't be getting a physical copy.