Last week, on our Discord server, we proposed the following question:
Physical format vs digital format, which one do you prefer?
The issue is not newOf course, but the digital branch has been joined for quite some time in a very serious way all the part that has to do with playing in the cloud via streaming, both on PlayStation Now and on xCloud, in addition to Stadia and proposals such as GeForce Now. So, we decided to ask you to see how the panorama is at the gates of the year 2022 and today we bring you the best answers we have received.
Our reader cctron it told us the following:
“The physical format has that aura of real belonging, that this game is really yours. That is lost with the digital format, no matter how much you have it in the library of the platform on duty. The market tends slowly towards digital, although it is true that many times the prices of digital games send you directly to get their physical copy, when the “normal” thing would be for digital to be cheaper since there are no intermediaries.
Personally, I like the physical format much more. That feeling when removing the security plastic and putting it in your console is not achieved with the digital one, but on the other hand the space is finite and a 2Tb HDD is worth much less than a new house ”.
Sandman He left us a short and direct message: “I am more of a physical format. I like to have the games organized ”, while Sparta Another told us this: “I prefer digital, since in Argentina, or at least in my province, there are no physical game stores and it is also usually more expensive. On the other hand, in digital there are even offers ”.
On the latter, JAER-27 He also makes his point:
“I agree that here in Argentina the games are expensive, but in the case of Playstation I prefer the physical one because once finished it can be exchanged. For example, I bought the RDR2 and from there I played The Last of Us 2, Ghost of Tsushima, Dragon Ball Z Kakarot, Watch Dogs Legion and Spider-Man Miles Morales, a tremendous savings. Now on Xbox it is the opposite. The store is pesified (regional prices), so the best are the digital ones. Conclusion: I am motivated by savings ”.
We continue with the message that he left us RaGe22, with an interesting final reflection on cloud gaming:
“From the outset I prefer the physical one. As others have already commented, the sensation of opening the packaging, the smell of new, the space it occupies on the shelf there well ordered, putting the cartridge / disk / card in the console … They are all beautiful aspects of the format physical (and what the instruction books are missing).
But it is also true that the digital format is extremely practical. I have been putting it ahead of the physical for online or multiplayer games for some time, since it saves me from carrying it with me or having to remove the game I am playing daily from the console, plus there is no possible deterioration for obvious reasons.
In short: I still prefer the physical format, but digital is becoming more and more convincing because it is simply more practical.
PS: I understand the widespread hate regarding the game in the cloud, but I think that it will not take too long to work well for a large majority of consumers and when that happens there will be no excuse, it will be the new standard and the best option, for accessibility, ease of use, less investment, among other factors ”.
On the other hand, this is what he told us Sergetsu:
“When the digital game can be rendered as easily as a physical one, we will be serious. Until then, physical whenever possible unless there is an unmissable mega offer ”.
PinkValkyrie, for his part, he left us a very extensive message on the subject:
“Well, since everything has its advantages and disadvantages, let me explain. This is a very controversial issue since nowadays even to buy a next-generation console you must take into account that same premise: how do you want it? Digital only or you have the option to pay more for the physical edition. Now, the advantages of having the game in a material way are the following:
1. You can resell, lend, or even trade your games in a very tedious way compared to the process it takes to be able to play your digital games on a console other than your primary console. It is not impossible, but it is somewhat uncomfortable.
2. As they have already mentioned, there is also the emotional factor, that is, that unique “feeling” that you feel when you open the case of that game that you have been waiting for so much.
Among some of the advantages of digital games:
1. Obviously there is the ability to play all your games without having to change discs.
4. And with one of the latest updates from Sony, remote play is now more accessible than ever. Being able to play your PS4 games on your mobile even when you are not at home is a delight.
5. Many offers.
6. You will never receive any kind of damage unlike the physical ones that are easy to scratch or damage.
In conclusion, I personally like both, and although I have always had a certain affinity for physical games (since I grew up with them), I am not usually one of the people who fight against change. This being said, I believe that both formats coexist in perfect harmony, and poor of the generations to come since the physical format will probably be lost over time until it becomes all computerized ”.
DavidoX insist on the experience of having something tangible:
“Digital is very good, and frankly it is much more comfortable than physical, but many of you will agree that this is a bit like it happens with books. The Kindle format is great, a whole library in the palm of your hand, but the smell of the pages of a physical book is simply unbeatable. The same thing happens with the physical format, so for me there is nothing like old school ”.
bit it also throws a bit the same way:
“I am a fan of those games that I had on my shelf, that I played them, I opened that box with the smell of new even though the years passed … and I position myself in the group of people who think that the digital format is a milking to the user’s wallet but very large. Thanks to him, infinite DLCs began to come out, games that you have to buy 4 times (on each platform) to enjoy them and, in addition, you always depend on an internet connection or even sometimes on premium services.
I only add an iota of value to the digital format: I am incredibly amazed at the step that Microsoft has taken (and I hate Windows to death) with the Xbox Game Pass and its Premium with Cloud Streaming running on Android devices with the controller that me I please at all times. Google with Stadia did not finish starting, nor has it put the batteries in front of its competition by getting into a sector that is not its own.
Steam lovers will destroy me (and they are the most by far), but the hundreds of games that they store in their account are money that they have thrown into a hole for the convenience of giving them two clicks to download. The other day I wanted to install GTA Vice City on the Raspberry Pi and I opened my original box to get the game files… I know, I’m a boomer and that is no longer popular, but I was able to do it ”.
We will end the message that you have sent us Amadeus_dark:
“Both. You tend to throw a lot of shit into digital without taking into account that many indies could never have prospered if it weren’t for this format.
What I think is that the current market is badly planned. That is to say, they release the game indistinctly as it is in physical and digital and on many occasions almost without difference, since the physical is little less than an offline installer.
I think that the digital ones should be worth a little less than the physical ones always and that the physical ones should come with a series of extras, either in the game (some paid dlc) or in the box itself (manuals and other materials). . Or both, in such a way that it leaves us the feeling of having bought a premium version of the game for which it has been worth paying a little more ”.
Of course, the comments on this article are waiting for you to join the topic and share your opinion. Do you still prefer the physical format or do you only buy / play games in digital?
