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Does anyone else still prefer to buy console games physically?

ZoukGalaxy

Member
It all depends on the game. If you are into AAA games it's certainly not 99.9% like you claim.
This rules is still true with AAA.
99,9 % AAA games can be played offline without day one patch, this is a fact. The situation is very far from what digital people are trying to spread.
Games like RD2 came with 2 discs by example.
There is however, a few exception, like COD WW2 which requires internet and it's wrote on the box. Some (bad) GOTY edition did that too. Beside Control Ultimate Edition has everything on disc on PS4.
There is also the Switch "case" which is a pure joke and another story, editor are too greedy and using small cartridge and ask you to download the game, this is the worst of 2 worlds.
 

StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
Nope.

It's not even about convenience or being able to sell back games for $20.

I don't buy games at launch anymore as I wait it out for bargain pricing. I also do home sharing with a friend, so all games we buy among us are split in costs. All sub plans are sharable too. Of course we dont actually talk to each other and demand 50/50 payment. We just buy what we feel like and whatever is shared is shared. Probably be a wash at the end of the day.

Only way I'd be a physical disc gamer is if I put on an investment hat and treat discs like a long term investment where 20 years from now a game thought to be worhless ends up being worth $200. I had my share of cartridges and PS1 CDs that ended up being worth bank.

But back then, who knew old shit like Truxton, MUSHA and Castlevania SotN would be worth big money? I even had the original SoTN case. Not the greatest hits cover.

I typically sold all of my games to flea market dudes for $15-30. A couple were at $40 though and I thought that was insane.

Looking back, I could had easily made back $1000s. I also kept all my game boxes and manuals in perfect condition. Not 10/10 mint condition, but even cardboard NES boxes were in good shape.
 
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Rockondevil

Member
Always physical for me. It's cheaper, actually get decent sales, I can return average games within 10 days and the big one is that I can trade in old games I no longer want and if you do it at the right time when they have 50% trade credit you can get quite a bit back.
Can't do anything with an old digital game I know I'll never play again.

I have purchased cheap indie games digitally before as it's the only way to get them and some are very good that shouldn't be missed.
 
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KungFucius

King Snowflake
I haven't read any threads similar to this recently several times.
Nor have I. I certainly haven't replied to them saying yes. I like to buy and sell used games to reduce the cost of the PlayStation tax. If games were on PC I'd be forced to pay full Sony prices for digital copies instead of paying 500 for a console I don't really want.
 

poodaddy

Member
Nah. I'm lazy and I like my conveniences. I've been all digital since about 2010-ish, and I just couldn't possibly go back.

I do sometimes incidentally end up with physical versions of a game if it comes with a collector's edition of a game that I buy for a statue or the like, but I then immediately sell the physical game and buy it digitally lol.
 
This is simply not true my friend
Brady Bunch K GIF
 
I'll shoot the feds if they come for my boxes.

If a digital only game is very good I may purchase it but there's only a handful of those, at least for now.
 

Kao The Kangaroo

Neo Member
I'm buying 3xA games on Switch only physically because for most of the time, they tend to stick to their price during the resell process.
 

PhantomFox94

Neo Member
I typically prefer physical games but these days I just find myself downloading them digitally. If I buy a physical game it’s usually because I can buy it cheaper on eBay than on the PS Store.
 

Sorcerer

Member
I only understand the physicals argument in so far as selling back (for a loss). But nowadays the games are never finished, always need patching, content has to be loaded to your hard drive anyway. So you end up with an ugly box on your shelf and the same amount of hard drive space. When I'm done with a digital game I delete it, and then I just install it if I ever want to play it again.
 

Fbh

Member
On consoles absolutely.
The small inconvenience of occasionally having to swap a disc doesn't compare to the big advantage of being able to resell, trade and lend/borrow games.

I bought TLOU 2 for $60. Beat it, didn't like it enough to replay it and sold it for $45. Had I bought it digitally the experience would have been the same except I wouldn't have gotten $45 back at the end.

Digital console games to me only start being worth it at $30 or less.

On PC it's different since the disc is pretty much worthless these days and you don't get any of the benefits (resell, trade, etc). Also, regional pricing and key resellers mean games are usually MUCH cheaper than on consoles to begin with. And there's places like GOG where digital games feel more like actual owning and less like long term renting.
 
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Kumomeme

Member
there tremendous amount of people who still does all around the world.

the physical number might increased back again when the pandemic over
 
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V4skunk

Banned
I know I do, especially if the game is hot trash. I can go ahead and sell it, get some of my money back, and by putting a used copy of the game into circulation, if somebody buys it, that's money that the developers and publishers never see. Very cathartic.
I buy Switch physical for the second hand value! No point in going digital on Nintendo for the bigger games.
 
I'll probably continue with physical for a while. Once console digital games aren't costing the same, or more usually as you can't look around for a deal when there's only one vendor to buy from, then I won't be switching over.
 

Sejan

Member
I’ll buy games either way depending on the situation, but I find myself getting much better prices for AAA games physically (I do a lot of discount shopping). I just scored 2 new copies of AC: Valhalla for $3 each. One for me and one to sell. Who says gaming can’t pay for itself.
 

Topher

Gold Member
I’ll buy games either way depending on the situation, but I find myself getting much better prices for AAA games physically (I do a lot of discount shopping). I just scored 2 new copies of AC: Valhalla for $3 each. One for me and one to sell. Who says gaming can’t pay for itself.

Typo?
 

Jeeves

Member
If it's a singleplayer game that I'll do one entire playthrough of before putting away until another playthrough, I go physical. If it's a game I'll come back to here and there sporadically (mostly multiplayer games or something like Animal Crossing) I go digital to avoid having to swap out games as often.
 

Rubik8

Member
I prefer digital for convenience on PS4/5 but I will buy physical when I find a deal. On Switch I only buy physical if the option exists.
 
Honestly my only reasons to buy games physically would be "moral" or a worry that I will lose access to games I care for in the future, or resale (even buying used on the cheap).

The thing is, I'll get over it and with the kids and all I don't have room for a large collection/library anyway... plus digital is just more convenient, I have come to hate switching discs, be it music, movie or games.
 
You're talking to someone that has played many last generation games without the patches 😂
I don’t care? You and I obviously play different games. If it was too bold of me to say that *most* games are unplayable as is, that’s on me, but I won’t pretend that games lacking several gigabytes of a day-one patch is a good thing. It will only get worse with time.
 

Bryank75

Banned
Mostly for collectors editions or steelbooks. Otherwise I tend to go digital now but I do prefer physical media in principle.
 
D

Deleted member 471617

Unconfirmed Member
Currently, im more digital than physical.

For Xbox Series X/PlayStation 5, I have purchased 5 digital games (Cyberpunk 2077, Assassin's Creed Valhalla Gold Edition, Immortals Fenyx Rising Gold Edition, Outriders and BioMutant) and 2 physical games (Marvel's Spider Man: Miles Morales and Resident Evil VIII: Village).

I have one upcoming physical game in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and possibly a second with Necromunda: Hired Gun but this one is 50/50. Will wait for impressions once the digital version releases as it's it's 4 weeks before the physical version.

I also have 2 games via Game Pass - Gears Tactics and in late July, The Ascent.

Overall, it depends on the game and if there's going to be post launch content especially expansions which is why I prefer it when post launch content and expansions get announced and revealed before the base game releases. This impacts my decision in regards to going physical or digital.
 

Justin9mm

Member
I go where the cheaper is. In Australia there is generally night and day price difference between physical and digital, we get bent over hard. We are seeing digital new release games now gone up to $124.95 AUD.. To put that into perspective, with the current conversion rate, that's about $96 USD.

Yet in store the cheapest physical can be anywhere from $79-$109 AUD. It's all over the place now since the next gen consoles were released. Last gen it was just $69-$79 for a new release physical game.

We can't allow Microsoft and Sony to have a monopoly on digital only content until they bring in better pro consumer policies like the ability to gift or on sell, better return guidelines and in an all digital era, allowing other stores to sell digital codes with competitive pricing.

It's very nice to have all digital content and not swap discs etc. but supporting digital only or only buying a digital only console will see the end of competition and when next gen comes with digital only consoles, they will put those prices up and lock anyone out of any alternative and we will all be forced to pay exorbitant prices. This is their ultimate goal.
 
I do miss the allure and thrill of getting a import Japanese game with the amazing artwork and covers from the 16 bit & 32 Bit days, But that is in the past and much like with my music
I find it so much easier and so much more convenient to have games via online. No need to get up and swap and look for a game disc every time you want to play a different game.

For much the same reason its why I also love the use of SD cards on the classic consoles
 

sublimit

Banned
The real question should be:
"Does anyone else still prefer to buy console games digitally?"

There are a lot of people who have completely stopped buying digital games due to relying on subscription services like Gamepass,PS+ and PSNow but the people who were always buying physical continue to do so.
 

DenchDeckard

Moderated wildly
9 out of ten games for PlayStation consoles I buy on disk as they are usually a one and done game, then I sell the disk and make the majority of my money Back.

then, if I really enjoyed the game I will rebuy it in a digital sale. Same for a game like resident evil 8 on Xbox. If the game has an online component that I think I’ll stick with I’ll just go all digital.
 

RoadHazard

Gold Member
Yes, for a few reasons I still buy all big releases physically:
  • It's significantly cheaper (in Sweden)
  • I can lend/trade/resell
Digital purchases have a single advantage, and that's that I don't have to get up and change discs. To me that's not nearly enough to make the switch.

In particular, the price difference makes me refuse on principle. A digital copy inherently has less value and costs less to produce and distribute (basically nothing), so it should be cheaper. But it can be $10-20 more expensive than a brand new physical copy, which to me is simply unacceptable. Yes, I can afford it, but I won't support it.
 
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