More people download (legally) than going to the store

[Chibibar]

BBC News - Gamers shun stores for downloads

I can totally see this happening. There are deals with online store especially with Steam. I do enjoy the sales and probably spend a ton more than at a store at this time the exception is console games.

 

[Math242]

yeah except for the very occasional xbox 360 game, i only buy games through steam these days.

 

[AshburnerX]

Topic title is misleading, but I agree. It honestly seems like the niches have been set. Why would you go to the store unless you HAD to? If it's a console game your ether stuck going to the store or having it shipped, but with PC it's easier. With Steam you can preorder the game and usually even pre-load it so you can start playing the second it's released. It's even cheaper after awhile.

 

[ScytheRexx]

I love Steam, I actually wish it was the standard for all game downloads just because I want all games to be a part of it. I would even give up Battle.net if Blizzard just went with Steam.

 

[HCGLNS]

I went to the store to pick up a copy of CIV V, and was literally shocked to learn that it had next to nothing on the CD other than access to Steam.

So even with a physical copy I still had to wait for the Steam release time stamp, and still had to download the game off Steam.

 

[Chazwozel]

Gamers are lazy, lazy people.

 

[Frank]

I went to the store to pick up a copy of CIV V, and was literally shocked to learn that it had next to nothing on the CD other than access to Steam.

So even with a physical copy I still had to wait for the Steam release time stamp, and still had to download the game off Steam.

That's actually pretty fucking bullshit.

 

[Chibibar]

I went to the store to pick up a copy of CIV V, and was literally shocked to learn that it had next to nothing on the CD other than access to Steam.

So even with a physical copy I still had to wait for the Steam release time stamp, and still had to download the game off Steam.

That's actually pretty fucking bullshit.[/QUOTE]
whua?/ I don't own a copy of Civ V but seriously??? I think that is mess up.

 

[HCGLNS]

It was a bit of karmic vengeance for all the gleeful thoughts I was having about getting to play the game before anyone else by buying it at 9:30 ATL a full 2.5 hrs before the downloaders could access it, then smack. Congratulations you just drove 40km for a box.

 

[ThatNickGuy]

I've been saying for awhile now that games are slowly moving more and more towards an almost exclusively digital product, much like music. Sure, you can still buy CD's, but the majority of people today use mp3's to load up their iPods and what have you.

Steam is a great example of it working. The sales that they hold on older games proves this. Hell, just last week, I bought Knights of the Old Republic for $2.50. It's about the same price that I wouldn't have passed up had I seen it in a bargin bin. I've yet to even install it, but the fact that I can now go back and install it any time I want, without the hassle of a disc that will eventaully get scratched is comforting. The nicer thing is that the games are selling cheaper digitally than in-store. In that sense, it almost makes up for the inability to trade it back in. This is especially the case when you buy it ridiculously cheap. Last Christmas, when they had those massive holiday sales, I bought about a dozen games for about $20-25, altogether. That's just ineane. I picked up things like Braid, World of Goo, Machinarium, along with their LucasArts collection and others. I bought Max Payne 1 & 2 to for less than $5. When they sell the games that cheap, it's almost impossible to pass up on the deals. It's like flea market prices.

Now, PC games are certainly almost entirely digital these days. The shelf at my local Gamestop for PC games is pathetic compared to consoles. There is a growing number of people that are getting their PC games digitally.

Consoles? That's another matter. On the one hand, most games are still in disc form. But you know what? The majority of my purchases for PS3 have actually been through the PSN. Joe Danger, Turtles in Time, Scott Pilgrim, some PS1 games. While the big-name, big-money games are still on disc, I think right now, digitally-provided games are giving smaller studios something of a new Renessaince. The two-man studio who made Joe Danger, for example, turned a profit on the very first day the game debuted on PSN. I don't know if or when console games will move to all-digital, but it's slowly making its way there, now. You can now buy Infamous, for example, on PSN. Whatever the next consoles are, whether they're the Wii 2, the PS4 or the Xbox 720, I think you'll see a growing focus on downloadable product.

And I'll be right there to support it.

 

[ScytheRexx]

Okay that is not cool, that is not cool at all.

I love Steam, but seriously if I am going to the store to buy a box I better get the game inside that box.

 

[Dei]

The reason I prefer Steam to a physical copy these days is that I have a really bad habit of losing CDs/keys, and having 2 kids who like to get into my shit doesn't help any.

 

[@Li3n]

Meh, having a physical copy is safer imo, but i totally see how convenience and better prices trumps that. Me, i'll still stick to buying CDs/DVDs.

I went to the store to pick up a copy of CIV V, and was literally shocked to learn that it had next to nothing on the CD other than access to Steam.

So even with a physical copy I still had to wait for the Steam release time stamp, and still had to download the game off Steam.

That's actually pretty fucking bullshit.[/QUOTE]
whua?/ I don't own a copy of Civ V but seriously??? I think that is mess up.[/QUOTE]

For Dawn of War 2 i clearly remember that you could install the game from CD and it worked faster then d/l it from Steam... but it wouldn't install without registering to Steam... you sure you just didn't miss the option to install from disk?!

 

[Seraphyn]

I've only recently got steam, for Alien Swarm. Now I already have 8 games besides the freebie. The weekend deals really sweeten the already stable and matured platform. I don't think I'll ever buy a physical copy again, unless the collectors edition really has some cool stuff.

 

[Chibibar]

For Dawn of War 2 i clearly remember that you could install the game from CD and it worked faster then d/l it from Steam... but it wouldn't install without registering to Steam... you sure you just didn't miss the option to install from disk?!

Yea. I still buy physical copy (like FF14 since it came with neat stuff).

I have purchased many physical version of the game but most of the disc and keys are MIA after several moves.

 

[ThatNickGuy]

I don't think I'll ever buy a physical copy again, unless the collectors edition really has some cool stuff.

It seems that more and more even the Collector's Editions are only adding digital "cool stuff" these days. (In game pets, fancy titles, extra powers).[/QUOTE]

I've been really, really tempted to get the Zombrex special edition of Dead Rising 2. Mostly for the artbook, to be honest.

 

[figmentPez]

I buy games online because going to the store is a pain, literally, for someone whose chronic illness keeps them mostly housebound. I can't drive and even riding in a car can be exhausting most days. With digital distribution, I can keep an eye on sales without having to pop into stores periodically to check the bargain bins.

That said, I'm not looking forward to consoles dropping physical media. Console makers are way too greedy. Nintendo has already put an end to Player's Choice titles, and as far as I know Virtual Console, WiiWare and DSiWare titles never go on sale and never drop in price. Microsoft and Sony at least have sales and price-drops, but I don't think they're as frequent as any of the PC outlets. Also, all the worries about DRM and who "owns" a game are multiplied by a thousand for consoles. Nintendo still doesn't have a way to transfer DSiWare purchases from one machine to another (in case of theft, destruction or upgrade).

As bothered as I am by Valve having complete, and unregulated, control over access to all my games on Steam, I'm nauseated by the idea of Nintendo, Sony or Microsoft being the ones who solely decide if I can have access to my library of games, with the ability to turn that off any time they decide they don't want me as a customer.

If any future consoles are digital-only, and there aren't any consumer protection laws in place, you can count me out from a console purchase that generation.

 

[@Li3n]

Wow, Civ 5 doesn't let you choose where to install from unless you do it manually?! How stupid... installing from disk should be way faster unless you have like a 1gb connection.

@fPez

No free delivery from Amazon?! In the UK they have it, i bought l4d2 and DoW CR from there and delivered to someone my aunt knows in england because the delivery to here was almost as much as the game (while it was 1pound when my aut friend send it).

I've only recently got steam, for Alien Swarm. Now I already have 8 games besides the freebie. The weekend deals really sweeten the already stable and matured platform. I don't think I'll ever buy a physical copy again, unless the collectors edition really has some cool stuff.

I admit, i do buy stuff under 10€ directly from Steam, but i do prefer a physical copy... that's why i bought Trine again when the local gaming mag had it for like under 5€.

 

[figmentPez]

@fPez

No free delivery from Amazon?! In the UK they have it, i bought l4d2 and DoW CR from there and delivered to someone my aunt knows in england because the delivery to here was almost as much as the game (while it was 1pound when my aut friend send it).

Amazon.com has free delivery in the US for orders over $25 (on select items). I do buy physical copies when it's a better deal than a download (like I did for L4D2, Dell.com had it for $30 like 2 weeks after it came out) but waiting for a package to arrive can take awhile, especially if your item gets back-ordered. I live pretty close to a shipping hub, so even 4 - 7 day standard delivery often comes in 2 - 3 days, but downloads are still faster.

Another reason I like digital is that it made Telltale Games possible. I don't think the adventure game genre would have seen such big revival if it had to do so on physical media. I love the episodic format. And I still get the game on disc as well (I like the creative team's commentary tracks).

 

[@Li3n]

@fPez

No free delivery from Amazon?! In the UK they have it, i bought l4d2 and DoW CR from there and delivered to someone my aunt knows in england because the delivery to here was almost as much as the game (while it was 1pound when my aut friend send it).

Amazon.com has free delivery in the US for orders over $25 (on select items).[/QUOTE]

Go UK then.

 

[Frank]

The only thing .com doesn't do free shipping on as far as I've seen is huge, heavy items.

 

[figmentPez]

The only thing .com doesn't do free shipping on as far as I've seen is huge, heavy items.

I've seen quite a few items, while I was shopping for SD cards, CD/DVD-Rs, microphones, etc., that weren't eligible for free shipping. Most, if not all, games are, but a fair number of other items are not.