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As Downloads Take Over, a Turning Point for the Video Game Industry

nytimes.com

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Re: As Downloads Take Over, a Turning Point for the Video Game Industry

#21

Post by minimaxir »

SapphireSun wrote: post #19
moskie wrote: post #13

I think a harbinger of this was the fact that the latest console generation did not come with an upgrade in (physical) game medium. Previously, each console generation came with newer cartridges, then with newer disc formats (CD, then DVD, then HD-DVD / Blu Ray). But this generation just stuck with Blu Ray. That signaled to me that this may very well be the last generation to even support physical media. If this cons…

I think the limiting factor is how much hard drive space you want to take up with coresident games. If you use a blue ray, you can load a significant amount of content from disk. Otherwise you're forcing your players to make tradeoffs based on how much space they have left which would cause first releases for a system to have a natural advantage over later releases (sales wise) as HDD space fills up. Edit: Fair enoug…

> If you use a blue ray, you can load a significant amount of content from disk.

It should be noted that most AAA games install themselves to disk anyways to help alleviate loading times (especially in the PS4's case, as Blu-Ray is sloooow)

Re: As Downloads Take Over, a Turning Point for the Video Game Industry

#22

Post by eropple »

swang wrote: post #16
eropple wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, but that's pretty fair. If you've played two hours of a game, you know if it sucks or not.

Until game companies decide to "game" their games by making the first two hours work perfectly, then have everything break apart after that.

There has to be a line somewhere. Otherwise you endorse rampant silliness like "oh, I didn't like the artistic decisions involved in the end of Mass Effect 3 after I played thirty hours of it, I want my money back."

Two hours of play is already a longer return period than most physical game retailers have offered.

Re: As Downloads Take Over, a Turning Point for the Video Game Industry

#23

Post by nlawalker »

SapphireSun wrote: post #19
moskie wrote: post #13

I think a harbinger of this was the fact that the latest console generation did not come with an upgrade in (physical) game medium. Previously, each console generation came with newer cartridges, then with newer disc formats (CD, then DVD, then HD-DVD / Blu Ray). But this generation just stuck with Blu Ray. That signaled to me that this may very well be the last generation to even support physical media. If this cons…

I think the limiting factor is how much hard drive space you want to take up with coresident games. If you use a blue ray, you can load a significant amount of content from disk. Otherwise you're forcing your players to make tradeoffs based on how much space they have left which would cause first releases for a system to have a natural advantage over later releases (sales wise) as HDD space fills up. Edit: Fair enoug…

The Xbox One (and the PS4 I think, although I don't own one so I'm not sure) doesn't let you play a game off its disc - you have to install it. The only functional differences between disc games and downloads is that you can sell/loan/trade/gift disc games via the physical media, and consequently the disc has to be inserted while playing as proof of continued ownership.

Re: As Downloads Take Over, a Turning Point for the Video Game Industry

#24

Post by shmerl »

I really hope digital downloads will take over. It will reduce the influence of retail distributors who like to set skewed regional pricing that in result affects even prices in digital stores. It is often simply a rip off (ask Australians what they think about it).

Surprisingly, that didn't quite happen yet. Some games like the Witcher 3 reported[1] a major percentage to be retail sales (almost 75%). I expected it to be way lower already.

[1]. http://www.dsogaming.com/news/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt-30-of-...

Re: As Downloads Take Over, a Turning Point for the Video Game Industry

#25

Post by wahnfrieden »

shmerl wrote: post #24

I really hope digital downloads will take over. It will reduce the influence of retail distributors who like to set skewed regional pricing that in result affects even prices in digital stores. It is often simply a rip off (ask Australians what they think about it). Surprisingly, that didn't quite happen yet. Some games like the Witcher 3 reported[1] a major percentage to be retail sales (almost 75%). I expected it t…

How do digital downloads solve regional pricing?

Re: As Downloads Take Over, a Turning Point for the Video Game Industry

#26

Post by shmerl »

wahnfrieden wrote: post #25
shmerl wrote: post #24

I really hope digital downloads will take over. It will reduce the influence of retail distributors who like to set skewed regional pricing that in result affects even prices in digital stores. It is often simply a rip off (ask Australians what they think about it). Surprisingly, that didn't quite happen yet. Some games like the Witcher 3 reported[1] a major percentage to be retail sales (almost 75%). I expected it t…

How do digital downloads solve regional pricing?

Skewed regional pricing is caused by retail distributors having too much influence. Most often they print physical media and distribute it in their region. And if percentage of such sales is high, they can dictate pricing to game studios. And often they set those prices high, and also require to sign a contract, that same game distributed anywhere digitally should have same regional uneven pricing.

Pure digital distribution takes retailers out of the equation (or even if majority of sales are digital, retailers don't have strong influence anymore), and developers can easily set prices any way they want - for instance one flat price everywhere if they wish.

Re: As Downloads Take Over, a Turning Point for the Video Game Industry

#27

Post by tammer »

slimsag wrote: post #5

Gamestop is to Steam what Blockbuster is to Netflix, they failed to adapt and now they're obsolete. Not only that, they also have a horrible track record for customer service. The internet is littered with tales of horrible experiences from Gamestop, and the only people who might still shop there are grandparents shopping for their grandkids.

They really need to pivot, and I'm not seeing them do it. To me the answer is obvious:

Blockbuster :: Netflix :: actual movie theatre

Old Gamestop :: Steam :: new gamestop with all but the rarest used games hauled away, & using the space for pod enclosures that create individual and co-op immersive experiences, rentable by the hour while parents shop at surrounding stores, run errands, etc.

Studios get immersive demos, suburban gamers have a new social activity, and gamestop continues to have a reason to exist.

Re: As Downloads Take Over, a Turning Point for the Video Game Industry

#28

Post by _ea1k »

SapphireSun wrote: post #19
moskie wrote: post #13

I think a harbinger of this was the fact that the latest console generation did not come with an upgrade in (physical) game medium. Previously, each console generation came with newer cartridges, then with newer disc formats (CD, then DVD, then HD-DVD / Blu Ray). But this generation just stuck with Blu Ray. That signaled to me that this may very well be the last generation to even support physical media. If this cons…

I think the limiting factor is how much hard drive space you want to take up with coresident games. If you use a blue ray, you can load a significant amount of content from disk. Otherwise you're forcing your players to make tradeoffs based on how much space they have left which would cause first releases for a system to have a natural advantage over later releases (sales wise) as HDD space fills up. Edit: Fair enoug…

I agree that the limiting factor is hard drive space. It would not have made sense to significantly increase the capacity of the drive by replacing Blu-Ray with something else. That would have just made the hard drive bottleneck even more pronounced.

500 GB really isn't enough for a heavy gamer.

Re: As Downloads Take Over, a Turning Point for the Video Game Industry

#29

Post by vinkelhake »

habitue wrote: post #8

Now, if only we could get rid of the DRM infesting the games industry like they did with music. It's seriously ridiculous that you can't get a refund for or resell downloaded games. The plastic disk doesn't fundamentally change anything, and they know it, otherwise they'd charge less for digital versions.

If I can be the devil's advocate a for a bit...

I don't think it's entirely ridiculous that you can't resell an item that never degrades. If this was possible, it would be a huge blow to publishers. Imagine a new game being released on PS4 for $60. A good number of people buy the game at release, play it through and then put it up on a marketplace at a lower price. At this time, there is zero incentive for a buyer to get it from PlayStation store since he will get the exact same product in either case.

I say this as a gamer who exclusively buys digital downloads these days. Would I like to be able to resell downloaded games? Yes. I just don't think it's realistic.

Re: As Downloads Take Over, a Turning Point for the Video Game Industry

#30

Post by SapphireSun »

_ea1k wrote: post #28
SapphireSun wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the limiting factor is how much hard drive space you want to take up with coresident games. If you use a blue ray, you can load a significant amount of content from disk. Otherwise you're forcing your players to make tradeoffs based on how much space they have left which would cause first releases for a system to have a natural advantage over later releases (sales wise) as HDD space fills up. Edit: Fair enoug…

I agree that the limiting factor is hard drive space. It would not have made sense to significantly increase the capacity of the drive by replacing Blu-Ray with something else. That would have just made the hard drive bottleneck even more pronounced. 500 GB really isn't enough for a heavy gamer.

Luckily 4TB hard drives are on the market these days, however, their price alone would contribute significantly to the MSRP of the console.
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