Buying a physical copy of a game when you have it digitally.

[agent817]

This is something that I have wanted to talk about. Ever since the PS3/360 generation, we started getting digital games where you could just download it to your console. It had become more common in the past decade after the PS4 and Xbox One came out. However, there are some people (like yours truly) who still prefer getting the physical copy. Now I have plenty of digital games myself, some of which I'd have preferred getting them physically (and I wouldn't be opposed to it, either, but I'll get to that). So my collection isn't just physical copies.

This is what I wondered. I found out recently that TMNT: Shredder's Revenge will have a retail release. I mainly downloaded it because at the time, the only physical release was through Limited Run Games and though I have ordered games through them before, I know how things operate with them. I did not want to have to wait months before it would ship. Also, because Shredder's Revenge is a licensed title, I wonder how long it would be before it would be pulled for licensing. That happened with Scott Pilgrim in the PS3/360 generation, which was one reason I went physically with it. Plus, I like having physical copies of games. Also, if I was to get the TMNT game physically, would I have to start my progress from scratch again?

I want to know your thoughts on this.

[Captain Stud Muffin (BLM)]

I haven’t cared about physical games since PS3. I went mostly 80% digital during the PS4 era and I have a digital PS5. Off the top of my head the only physical and digital copy of a game I own is FFX and FFX-2 PS2 copies.

There used to be something magical about getting a game and we say christening it by being the first to open it from the wrapper and looking at the CD but that sensation died for me a long time ago. Just a lot easier for me to not have to switch disc or having to pick up the game from the store

[Malcolm]

I'm a huge proponent of buying physical if you can simply because of ease of ownership and still having a change to buy a game that no longer has a license.

But I admit I do buy most of my games digitally, now. For Xbox, it's out of necessity since I only have an Xbox Series S(and that sucks because I want to play Transformers Devastation on it but the license with Activision was pulled! ARRGH!) and on Nintendo Switch because it seems physical Switch games cost more for some reason and I don't want to carry a bunch of game cases/cards everywhere(only have a Switch Lite btw).

[Lizuka #BLM]

I've certainly double-dipped on games before, but I almost never buy things physically.

[Kalmia]

I buy both physical and digital but I've never bought both of a single game. I like buying physical games still if only for being able to resell them later. I'm not one to replay games unless they're in my top games ever so at least I can get some money back with physical games. You can pick up some real bargains with digital games though and most of my digital purchases have been in sales.

[Mighty Attack Tribble]

I've double dipped accidentally – I bought Far Cry 4 on sale, forgetting I already had a physical copy I hadn't yet played – but I'll generally buy physical-only, if only for the fact that I can still play it if it becomes unavailable at some point and I lose my digital copy for one reason or another.

[hashtagdaley/JudasDay]

I always go physical when possible. I love the collection aspect. So if I like a digital only launch, I’ll definitely keep an eye out for a later physical release… but only on the cheap.

Like I’m not going to buy The Binding of Issac; Repentance Right when it drops, but down the line on sale or from Ebay? Absolutely getting a spot on the shelf.

[Zombie Mod]

I'm someone who likes to buy physical release over digital, I've had it where I've bought physical then got it digitally later (mainly ps+ or games for gold.) it's happened a few times where I've picked up a game and it's been given away not long after.

it's a combination of not trusting digital store fronts to not have the licence for a game removed (yes it's rare but not unheard of.), and wanting something to have after spending money on it.

[Totorob101]

i love my physical copies so them,i have a few digital games but they take up a ton of space on my consoles which i hate,and once you finish the game you have no choice but to delete the game until you want to play it again.

[tirtefaa]

I don't really play new games, so for me it's always been about having a physical copy of the game.

I grew up in the days where I would have to rent or borrow games from friends, so even if I beat a game, I didn't have that satisfaction of going back to it to play again if the game provided saving. So when I had a little extra money, this was around that time shortly before the retro game boom, so I was very fortunate to pick up a ton of games I grew up with, but never owned.

A bit of a side tangent, and I know it isn't exactly the same thing, but Wii was the last console of gaming I bothered with. Despite my initial reservations when PS1 introduced me to memory cards versus saving the game on the game cartridge, I ended up very much liking using memory cards. But for Wii, it automatically saved it to the console. Unfortunately, after about 2 years, my Wii completely went out and I lost all my progress for all those games. I know that it isn't a direct comparison to digital games, but it's something that always very much annoyed me. I know the same thing can happen to physical cartridges and such, but I haven't had much of a problem other than Pokemon Gold and Silver. Heck, my SNES from when I was 10 has been dropped down a flight of concrete stairs and it still boots up like it was nothing.

[mcmahonfan85]

past two years i started doing the opposite and buying digital copies of games i already had on disc, simply because i was sick of having to get up and change discs every time i wanted to play a new game

[Derk!]

While on the subject of digital purchases, it would be nice if they were at least 10-15 bucks cheaper, considering you know, there's no physical product.

Digital downloads of music are cheaper than physical music, why not video games?

[Captain Stud Muffin (BLM)]

Aug 24, 2022 21:58:53 GMT -5 Derk! said:

While on the subject of digital purchases, it would be nice if they were at least 10-15 bucks cheaper, considering you know, there's no physical product.

Digital downloads of music are cheaper than physical music, why not video games?

I mean unless the game is really popular they typically become cheap within 6 months 

Besides that, there is always a sale for digital games 

[Derk!]

Aug 24, 2022 22:02:49 GMT -5 Captain Stud Muffin (BLM) said:

Aug 24, 2022 21:58:53 GMT -5 Derk! said:

While on the subject of digital purchases, it would be nice if they were at least 10-15 bucks cheaper, considering you know, there's no physical product.

Digital downloads of music are cheaper than physical music, why not video games?

I mean unless the game is really popular they typically become cheap within 6 months 

Besides that, there is always a sale for digital games 

I know there's always sales on digital games, I bought some good games for great prices.

But a brand new digital game should not cost the same as its physical counterpart...


But it's really a moot point, I haven't had time to play games for a long time.

[Ultimo Gallos]

Home console and handheld games I am physical only. But also part of that is until 2012 where I live there was no high speed internet. But another part is I by the time digital games were a thing I already had decades of buying physical copies.

Only times I have bought digital copies of games is a handful of older computer games I got cheap off GOG. I got 3 Metal Slug games,the first 4 King's Quest games and Maniac Mansion.

All of them are games I owneed physical copies of years ago.

[The Summer of Muskrat XVII]

Aug 24, 2022 20:58:33 GMT -5 mcmahonfan85 said:

past two years i started doing the opposite and buying digital copies of games i already had on disc, simply because i was sick of having to get up and change discs every time i wanted to play a new game

Yup, other then retro games I can’t think of any game I bought a physical copy of after having the digital copy but there’s tonnes of games I owned for PS3 that I repurchased cheap on XBox One for sake of convenience.

[darbus alan]

COVID and the massive PS4 installs making the difference between physical and digital in terms of HDD space practically nonexistent made me convert to primary digital. WBD going scorched earth makes me want to re-invest in more physical games so they don't become lost media if Sony does something similar in the future.