Report: Vast Majority Still Prefers Physical Game Media

Highlander
Monday, August 09, 2010 @ 9:55:07 PM
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Hmm....Devil's advocate time.

Interesting. So digital distribution accounted for 10-20$ of all video game purchases? WOW!

$18 billion in revenue being over 9 times the revenue generated by digital....that means that it was less than 9 and a half times or they'd have simply said 10 times. So digital distribution accounted for $2 billion, or there about?

And this was in 2009 when the push for more digital delivery of games on PSP and PS3 was just beginning to get going.

Interesting. I'm surprised by how significant digital distribution is, especially considering the average unit price. I mean PSN games average less than $20 (taking into account the full price PSP titles). To even get to a fraction of 1/9th of the revenue when the average value of each sale is so much lower indicates that digital distribution is plenty strong.

Of course the analysis was done by the Entertainment Merchants Association - in other words, physical retail.

Interesting though.

4 up, 0 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Monday, August 09, 2010 @ 10:11:57 PM

Thing is, people aren't that smart. They are tempted to buy those cheaper PSN and Live digital games because they are cheap, but they also tend to buy more of them not noticing they are spending a lot. (Especially in the case of Live where the aim of MS points is to confuse people into not paying attention to how much they are spending) I don't think the numbers would keep stacking up for the $60 titles.

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Dancemachine55
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 4:08:06 AM

Ben

A friend of mine is on an unlimited braodband plan, and only buys off Steam. It is only when it is not on Steam that he buys physical media.

I have no idea how he can be proud of a collection which consists of a list of names of games on a screen. I take pride of what resides on my shelf.

His argument - if he loses it or his PC carks it, he can just redownload it. All 900 GB of it.

Thing is, it's hard to gift a PC download, and you can't trade or sell a digital copy of games you buy. You buy it, you're stuck with it, even if you don't like it.

I'll stick with my disc-based games thank you.

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Highlander
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 9:08:31 AM

@DanceMachine,

You're right about the PC, but of course with PSN you can buy gift cards...

;)

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WorldEndsWithMe
Monday, August 09, 2010 @ 10:07:52 PM
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Well good, cuz I'm tired of hearing from analysts that my awesome collection is doomed very soon. So what does this mean for MS? I know they will refuse blu ray for their next system. Sony is already working on something better than blu ray, and digital distribution is a great ways off. Will they have to make their own media?

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tes37
Monday, August 09, 2010 @ 11:30:10 PM

I saw an article as well, saying the new disc could possibly be 6 terabytes. That's some insane storage capacity.

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B-RadGfromOV
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 1:22:27 AM

That's an unnecessary amount lol

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kraygen
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 1:57:24 AM

Yes it's unnecessary right now for sure, but any time a new tech comes out it is very expensive, but over time becomes cheaper and cheaper.

So if they are working on it now, I think it's great, because by the time we need it, it can be inexpensive and accessible to us all.

2 up, 1 down

Fane1024
Friday, August 13, 2010 @ 6:12:47 PM

"That's an unnecessary amount lol"

...so was 50 GB...and 9.4 GB...and 600 MB.

Last edited by Fane1024 on 8/13/2010 6:13:22 PM

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Hezzron
Monday, August 09, 2010 @ 10:11:13 PM
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DLC is OK for inexpensive purchases, such as the case is now with smaller games and add-ons.

I'd be hard pressed to fork over $60 for a code to a game that will be buried somewhere in a console that will eventually be obsolete. I could never sell the game or give it away either.

A DLC norm would be a lot more beneficial to game publishers than consumers. I would be very hesitant to trust them with that kind of control over my games.

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Lawless SXE
Monday, August 09, 2010 @ 10:11:54 PM
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It seems kind of skewed to me.

After all, most of what is available on disc is not available online, so for most content it is required for us to buy physical media. Also, as Highlander wrote just above, the prices for digital media is far lower than it is for physical. It simply isn't accurate to compare the amount of profit generated by the two seperate purchase streams. It is better to compare the number of purchases made.

Also, I don't think anyone is saying that digital distribution is going to become the norm overnight. To assume that is folly. But, the market share, in terms of profit, will very likely swing to 50/50 within the next five years as people become more comfortable with the idea of not having anything for their money and as more products become available alongside a retail release.

Why is it that people that write up these retail reports only factor in the things that are important to prove their argument, rather than offering the full details.
Peace.

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Mornelithe
Monday, August 09, 2010 @ 10:17:51 PM
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I 100% agree on any platform personally, but given the rise of Steam, and other digital networks that're popular....with other platforms, I can see how some might think this way...on other platforms.

But for me personally, no matter what I'm playing on, I definitely prefer physical media.

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Snaaaake
Monday, August 09, 2010 @ 10:21:10 PM
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I'll just stay with my physical copies thank you.

You lose your HDD, you lose everything.

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Highlander
Monday, August 09, 2010 @ 10:30:33 PM

Nope. Not true - at least on the PS3. You have generally got 5 activations and even if your HDD dies and you replace it, you won't lose the activation because the PS3 is the same unit and same activation. All you need do is re-download everything. Now, re-downloading can be a pain, but you don't lose the content.

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Snaaaake
Monday, August 09, 2010 @ 10:35:43 PM

Still, no for digital.

Madden 11 demo already took me 6 hours, I think it's gonna take days to be done with a whole game.

And I didn't know the PS3 sorta protect your content.

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fluffer nutter
Monday, August 09, 2010 @ 10:56:08 PM

Since you didn't know, this is why you need to be careful about what you say.

6 hours? Wow. Time to step up from dial-up. ;)

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Snaaaake
Monday, August 09, 2010 @ 11:14:04 PM

Yea, I guess so.

I can't, my downloading speed is approximately 50kb-100kb per second.

I usually download stuff at night and then leave my PS3 on for the whole night.

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Jawknee
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 12:18:20 AM

Who is your ISP and why are you playing them money for such terrible Internet? I slowest available in my area is 7mbps from Qwest.

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Jawknee
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 12:36:17 AM

Pardon the mistakes. Stupid iPhone predictive dictionary. >.<

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Snaaaake
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 2:18:07 AM

I'm not in the US.
Different country, different line.

I just have to bear with it.

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Jawknee
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 2:47:51 AM

Oh, bummer.

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Underdog15
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 9:20:59 AM

Actually, I bet your full game downloads will take near the same time. Demos usually contain nearly enough information for the entire game. In fact, some demos, Infamous on PSN for example, only require you to download a much smaller activation file that basically opens up the demo into the full game.

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Fane1024
Friday, August 13, 2010 @ 6:17:39 PM

@ TheHighander

You CAN lose your activations if you send your PS3 in for repairs, because the repaired PS3 gets reset and doesn't _think_ it's the same PS3 even when it is.

I tried to Restore my Backup on my repaired PS3 and it told me it wasn't the same one, despite the serial number, etc. being the same and despite reassurances from the service desk that it was the same unit.

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WorldEndsWithMe
Monday, August 09, 2010 @ 10:30:31 PM
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Well, we already can't play our savegames on other PS3s and when DD happens we won't even be able to bring the games to a friend's house for the multiplayer so when it does happen break out your old backpacks if you like to showoff your games to your friends boys and girls.

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Highlander
Monday, August 09, 2010 @ 10:32:12 PM

You could create an account on your friends PS3 but not save the password (don't want anyone else having your password after all). That way you can download anything you have bought with your PSN account and activate it on that console. Of course, don't forget to deactivate it if you want to keep the activation for yourself.

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fluffer nutter
Monday, August 09, 2010 @ 10:57:11 PM

Why would you take your save files to someone else's home?

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LegendaryWolfeh
Monday, August 09, 2010 @ 11:10:52 PM

Same reason as taking your ps2 memory card to a friends to play games at their house?

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fluffer nutter
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 12:07:50 AM

Why would you take your PS2 memory card to your friend's house?

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Jawknee
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 12:33:59 AM

I wanted to play Tatsunoko vs Capcom with a friend but since he didn't have the game I had to bring my whole Wii over because I couldn't bring a memory card with all my unlocked characters. Kinda lame.

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kraygen
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 2:03:18 AM

Yeah on a lot of games with split screen you would have to re-unlock everything to play the game with your friends, which sucks, because you just want to jump in and play MP, not take turns on SP to unlock everything.

Naruto Ulimate Ninja Storm is an awesome fighting game that does let you take your save data to a friends house. It's awesome, I beat the game 100% then took the save to my friends and we had every character available. That's why we don't want our data locked.

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LegendaryWolfeh
Monday, August 09, 2010 @ 11:11:35 PM
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#1 thing keeping me from going digital, the prices are still wack, especially on PC, steam and blizzard both price games at the essential disk price so you're paying the same for less pretty much. it sux =(

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Jawknee
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 12:30:28 AM

I know. You can get physical copies of Steam games on Amazon for half the price. I like Steam but I never buy from there. Costs way to much for data. Good thing about Steam though is it saves your purchases and let's you redownload and install at your behest.

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Scarecrow
Monday, August 09, 2010 @ 11:12:58 PM
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blu-ray for ps4!

It's gonna be insane :O
Digital media is good, but only for small games

Games with better quality need all the space they can get. Besides you'll never to have fear your HDD corrupting itself or your console burning out or anything. Sure, you can re-download them again, but what if you have 20-30 games? You'll be downloading all of that again?

Good to know that most gamers agree in this subject

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Benzin
Monday, August 09, 2010 @ 11:45:18 PM
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Is that your living room Ben?

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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 1:00:34 AM

Ah, no.

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Jawknee
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 1:08:22 AM

Ben, since you like turn based are you going to give Dragon Quest IX a spin?

Sorry off topic. I'm playing it at the moment and I'm loving it.

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Kangasfwa
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 1:45:46 AM

That pic is probably from Biker Saint's house.

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Underdog15
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 9:24:34 AM

Ahhh, Jawk! I want to play that game so bad, but I don't want to buy a system just for the game...

The DS is making it tough for me not to get one. All the FF remakes, Kingdom Hearts, Dragon Quest IX.... AHHHH! Makes me mad! lol

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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 10:18:18 AM

Nah, not enough of a reason for me to get a DS.

I loved DQVIII, though.

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Jawknee
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 11:46:10 AM

Yea i wouldn't advise anyone to buy a DS just for DQIX but if you like Zelda(which i know you said you didn't like the 3D ones Ben so this is for Underdog ;) a DS is worth having.

Underdog, i say look for a handme down or a used DS. There are more then a few games on the DS that make the DS worth owning. If you ever decide to get one and want to know a few games worth getting, shoot me a PSN message. I'll be happy to give you some ideas.

Last edited by Jawknee on 8/10/2010 11:47:32 AM

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BikerSaint
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 2:48:46 PM

Hey, that pic iss about a 1/4 of my collections(minus all that crap anti-vision plastic-ware shown there).

And mine's not the floor, it's all up on shelving units scattered all along my living room & down the hallway.

But, if my collection gets any bigger, I'll probably have to start tossing out my couch & and any other non-gaming furniture, cause as a collector.......

"I just got's to have all my physical media"!!!!!!!

Last edited by BikerSaint on 8/10/2010 2:50:02 PM

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Charger7302
Monday, August 09, 2010 @ 11:47:53 PM
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The problem I have with digital downloads is not games, its movies and the DRM on them. With games, when u lose them on Playstation, Sony lets you re-download them at least 4 more times, but movies you only get to download them once. If your Ps3 gives out, then your out of luck and your forced to PURCHASE said movie all over again.

I lost so many tv shows and a couple of movies TWICE, after my first ps3 gave out, then after I got my 2nd ps3, I "RE"--PURCHASED EVERYTHING again that I had lost, only to lose THEM 6 months later after a 2nd ylod.

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Jawknee
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 12:22:53 AM

Get Netflix. Don't buy movies and TV shows off PSN. it's a rip off for obvious reasons. Sony treats their movie section like Apple treats iTunes. You lose it your SOFL.

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Highlander
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 1:41:01 AM

I believe that if you are stubborn with Sony's CS people on the phone and request that they deactivate your old system (they can look it up on your PSN ID) you should be able to get access to re-download your stuff. The key thing with the PS3 and any downloaded content is the activations. Video is really strict with only one activation. However if the PS3 you activate the content on is completely defunct, you should be able to get it deactivated.

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Orvisman
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 9:22:38 AM

You are off slightly.

You can redownload your PSN games as many times as you want on a maximum of five PS3s or five PSPs. This is the same for the 360 but only with one active 360 at a time. It's not that you can only redownload a game five times.

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Ultimadream
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 2:23:06 PM

Maybe it's a region thing? Did'nt US televisions have lower resolution than the UK? either way there is no problem with DVD's and i doubt i will convert to Blu-ray for a long time, like i said by the time i question it and they're cheap enough there will be a new format.

ne thing i have noticed in the DVD/Blu-ray industry is that with some releases of films you can't buy either formats, the film only comes in a pack which contains a copy of the film on DVD and Blu-ray (and some in digital download), what is the point in that, if i wanted a Blu-ray i wuld have no need for a DVD at all. it just makes films more expensive.

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Jawknee
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 12:09:29 AM
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It's so stupid to proclaim physical media is dead. People said CD's were dead as soon as Mp3's hit the net. I still buy CD's and I'll still buy physical games. Some of the small CD shops I used to buy from are still around and are rather healthy even after the iPod and iTunes. PSN and LIVE won't kill Bluray.

Bluray killing DVD...we'll that's another story.

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fluffer nutter
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 12:18:34 AM

People are stupid for buying mp3s, wmas, and any other lossy format.

2 up, 2 down

Jawknee
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 12:27:03 AM

Seriously. Especially from iTunes as Apple forces you to buy them all again if your HDD crashes. I find it better to buy the CD and rip it into iTunes for iPod use. CD's are so cheap nowadays too. Lost like 7 of my Bad Religion CD's(among others)when moving from Cali back to Denver. Replaced them all off Amazon for $60. Less ten $10 a CD.

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tes37
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 1:11:31 AM

My mac's hdd crashed and while I'm sure I could take the laptop apart, I'm not so sure I could put it back together. So I bought a netbook and emailed Apple asking them to grant me access to the mp3's again. They agreed and were extremely polite about it.

Mp3's sound amazing on my Sony 7.1 surround system. The clarity is awesome and I'm hearing certain sounds in the music that I've never heard before.

1 up, 1 down

Jawknee
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 1:19:42 AM

Hmmm, maybe they changed their policies. A year or so ago they tried to tell my buddy he had to buy all 2k worth of iTunes music he lost. He argued with them until they gave in of course but they told him if it happened again he was SOFL.

Mp3's sound kind of weak in my car. When I rip them off the CD I make the files bigger and higher quality.

Last edited by Jawknee on 8/10/2010 1:21:23 AM

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tes37
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 1:34:46 AM

Their policy remains unchanged. I was just real courteous and only asked one time. It took 2 days to get a response and they apologized for that and then politely gave me access. They did say that it wasn't their policy to do so.

Mp3's sound like crap on my truck stereo too, but you wouldn't believe how well Sony's new receivers make them sound.

Aiff files are compressed as well. A few artists are releasing their music in lossless format on blu ray. I'll replace my truck stereo when they release blu ray players at a reasonable price.

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Highlander
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 1:36:51 AM

@Fluffer Nutter.

Agreed. Folks should be buying CDs and ripping them to high quality portable sound files on their own. Better quality and it's not such a rip off.

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Jawknee
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 2:49:02 AM

mmMmMmmm...Bluray music.

4 up, 1 down

Ultimadream
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 9:40:48 AM

I beg to differ about you reffering to DVD's being exstinct, i have 650+ DVD's and it's still growing. While i have not bought a CD for over 4 years. DVD's quality can be upscaled to 1080p by the magic of the PS3 (other DVD players attempt it, but the PS3 perfects it.) I have 5 Blu-ray Films and i have to say there is not a colossal difference. While VHS to DVD was huge, we actually got a perfectly clear picture for the first time. I know the resoultion difference from DVD to Blu-ray is bigger, but when the PS3 upscales DVD's so well, it makes that point irelevant.

I just don't have a use for a music CD. I don't have a car, i preffer to have my MP3 player while walking. I have my music saved on my PS3 and PC so i just don't have a need for a CD player.

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Jawknee
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 10:56:04 AM

There is a big difference between bluray and upscaled DVD's. Even though the DVD is upscaled it's still just stretching a lower then HD image. Still looks dirty compared to bluray movies. How can you not see the big difference?

I'm the opposite. I haven't bought a DVD since bluray won the formatt war. I can't see myself ever buying a DVD again. No reason too.

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Highlander
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 11:16:15 AM

Yeah, I think that the ship has long sailed on claiming that upscaled DVD looks as good as Blu-Ray. I just plain doesn't. Even BluRay at 720p knocks upscaled DVD aside with ease. 1080p just steamrolls it.

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Jawknee
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 11:40:26 AM

Crazy talk i tell you! I noticed the difference immediately after popping in my first bluray movie after getting my Samsung LCD tv.

I tried to watched That 70's Show the other night on DVD, it was a pixelated mess even with the PS3 upscaling it. All i thought about was if they rereleased That 70's Show on bluray, i'd buy.

Last edited by Jawknee on 8/10/2010 11:41:53 AM

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Ultimadream
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 1:18:33 PM

Well i'm not saying DVD's are better, that would be just daft. But i don't think the difference is as strong as they make out. I have a 50 inch tv and i can still barely tell the difference. I watched There Will Be Blood last night and it looked sensational, but even older films like The Graduate or Alien, they all look great. So i am content with my DVD's and certainly wont be re-buying 650 movies in Blu-ray, 5 years time we'll have another format anyway so i don't see the point.

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Highlander
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 1:40:07 PM

LOL on a 50inch screen, you think that an upscaled DVD looks nearly as good as BluRay? Even at 720p the difference should be crystal clear to you. Have you considered visiting an optician? Seriously, if you really can't see a difference, I have to wonder about your vision.

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Jawknee
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 8:52:23 PM

Yea the difference is stunning. There Will Be Blood looks loads better on Bluray. I've watched both versions a number of times and Bluray takes the cake by a wide margin.

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kellett007
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 10:15:32 PM

I still buy cds as well. There is a huge difference between low quality mp3's and flac file or actual cds. The difference is not as noticeable on cheap speaker or headphones but is huge when listening to some nice speakers. I can't stand low grade audio file in my truck but I do have a set of MB Quart QSD components.

As far as the difference between bluray and dvd, it as major. A show like Nip Tuck has tons of pixilation in the background when upscaled on a PS3 but the blu ray version looks great,

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Fane1024
Friday, August 13, 2010 @ 6:27:16 PM

I'm with you guys.

I have never once bought a song download. I have gotten a number for free (legally, not pirated), but I won't pay for them.

I'm even looking to buy a CD (Bridges) that I downloaded for free, to get money to the artist (Jets Overhead), but I can't find it in stores anywhere.

Last edited by Fane1024 on 8/13/2010 6:30:27 PM

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Kangasfwa
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 1:45:01 AM
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I remember Sony announced they wouldn't abandon physical media for the PS4. If anything, they'll launch a physical and digital copy together.

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kraygen
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 2:10:34 AM

That sounds very sony, I love what they have been doing with their blu ray movies.

Most sony blu ray movie releases now come with a copy for your psp, no extra work, just stick the blu ray in and download it to your ps3. Last movie I bought had a psp copy and it came with 2 exclusive themes for my ps3.

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kraygen
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 2:15:42 AM
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I don't mind digital media for add-on's and little things, but I want my physical media.

I know if you HDD goes out sony lets you download 5 times, but what if you have just a terrible run of luck or let a friend download something and you run outta downloads. Too bad, gotta repurchase it.

If I buy the disc, I can use it as much as I want, no limitations. I can loan it to a friend, I can borrow their games.

I don't sell my games ever, but that doesn't make me any more eager for an all digital world. I like my pretty cover art and booklets. Digital books just aren't the same.

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Jawknee
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 2:57:26 AM
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High or Ben, Sony's policy for game downloads is as many times as you want for any item up to 5 ps3s correct? So we could download any item from PSN more then 5 times, just not on more then 5 systems?

2 up, 1 down

Highlander
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 9:18:33 AM

As far as I know, and in my personal experience, it's 5 activations. You can deactivate a system to get an activation back. I have downloaded several games more than 5 times with HDD swaps and HDD reformating taken into account. You have to carefully manage your system activations. You can have up to 5 simultaneous activations, but if you remember to always deactivate when you are done with a system, you should have no limit on the number of times you re-download the game, after all once a system is deactivated for games the games won't play.

Last edited by Highlander on 8/10/2010 9:19:06 AM

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___________
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 6:05:47 AM
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does not surprise me.
allot of people A have a attachment to their disks i sure do!
B dont have enough bandwidth to waste downloading games and C like the portability of disks.
not to mention here next month is the federal election, depending on who wins the national broadband scheme might be scrapped.
if that happened, it will be 2956 by the time i can download full games!

0 up, 1 down

Snaaaake
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 7:24:13 AM

Whoa, so it's that bad in NZ too eh?
What's your speed?

My speed here in Malaysia is 50-100kbps.

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___________
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 9:03:43 AM

around 100 depends on which site im using, some sites use much faster servers than others.
speed is not the problem though its the download usage thats the issue.
if a game takes forever to download who cares just leave it on overnight.
but i dont have enough download usage, if i was to download a game id go over my monthly usage and would be limited to dial up speeds!
not to mention i get charged for every MB i go over!

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JackC8
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 7:33:53 AM
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It's just not practical at this time. My 80GB drive was nearly full with zero games on it. So I upgraded to a 500GB drive - how long would it have taken me to download all 20 of my games? And I'm sure I've saved several hundred dollars by buying games from the sellers on Amazon who are anxious to clear out excess inventory and therefore give a person a good price.

Oh, and I've got GT5 pre-ordered. Can you imagine trying to download that entire Blu ray full of data on release day, at the exact same time that a million other people are trying to do the same thing?

Unless they're going to offer big savings on digital copies of games over the physical media - and they clearly have NO interest in doing that - they can stuff it.

Last edited by JackC8 on 8/10/2010 7:35:55 AM

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Highlander
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 9:14:45 AM

LOL! No thanks, my DSL is utter crap and I'd estimate that it'd take me something like two days of non-stop downloading to download a full 50GB (a little over 1GB per hour). That simply isn't going to happen. even at double that speed it's still nearly 24 hours to download one full 50GB BluRay game or movie. Granted my DSL is utter BS and needs replacing with something better. But a lot of people have this standard of broadband, or less, or none. Until that problem is rectified, digital delivery will be impractical for anything larger than about 4GB - IMHO...

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Amazingskillz
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 10:05:39 AM
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Of course physical media is preferred. After that PS3 inner timeclock problem they had awhile back. I couldn't get to my digitally downloaded Wipeout HD. It said I had to buy it again. I was enraged at first. Then I waited for them to fix it the next day and they did. But that showed that there is always potential inaccessability with digital versus physical. That is also why I am not in favor of Cloud Computing and storage. If I buy something I want to control it forever period.

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Highlander
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 11:19:09 AM

Yep, that's precisely the problem with all of these digitally delivered services and subscriptions. You have a single pint of failure.

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Fane1024
Friday, August 13, 2010 @ 6:32:54 PM

If you prefer a pint of success, buy some Guinness.

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whooka
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 10:46:39 AM
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The only people interested in making consumers think physical media is dead is the entertainment industry as DLC is a total windfall of profit for them since there's little to no manufacturing costs involved and you never really completely 'own' what you're paying for if it's DLC plus it's got absolutely no 'asset value' in it's DLC form. At least until all these publishers start to lower the price of DLC vs. real media, DLC is a total ripoff. Let me present to you the case of Dragon Age Awakenings expansion pack:

- Retail DVD $40, DLC $40
- I bought the retail DVD. Once I finished it I took it to Gamestop for cash and got $16 for it. How much would I get back for the DLC once I finish it? (rhetorical question)
- Dragon Age DLC at PSN requires at least one retail version/disc of Dragon Age to install/play. I had sole my Dragon Age Origins disc once I completed it and had installed Dragon Age Awakenings from the disc. I was then able to download the Illeana add-on, etc, as long as the Awakenings disc was in the console, I no longer needed my Dragon Age Origins disc and was able to get money for it. Had I gotten Awakenings via DLC I would have had to keep the Dragon Age Origins disc around just to play it.

Oh yeah, and Infamous is $30 at PSN and you can find that used in physical media form for less.

This goes for music, comic books, etc. Like others have said at the moment it's a much better deal to purchase the physical media then (music) rip to wav or whatever and then you can convert it to whatever down the road and use it on whatever device/etc you want vs paying top dollar for a DRM copy of an album at 192kbs/mp3 format. Comic books are easily scanned and then you still have the actual comic book which may have value down the road. DLC has no value to the consumer other then it's actual use but there's no 'equity' in it and the publishers get the same amount of money they would for having to spend a few bucks and press a bluray disc.

No brainer.

2 up, 0 down

NeoHumpty
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 10:54:38 AM
Reply

I don't hate downloaded games, however, Sony scares me in this department. I have always thought that it was a very stupid move to remove backwards compatibility for ps2 games on the ps3. I'm sure they did this for some plan to make more money off of the ps2 games later.

But, since they've done this to me before, I have to accept the fact when planning ahead that they very well may do it again when ps4 comes along. I easily have a few hundred dollars that I've spent into my PSN account that would just be.....gone.

Maybe they'll have some "master" plan to try to get me to buy all that crap again. Maybe not.

But, if they want me to be on board with the ps4 as early as I was with the ps3, BC is very important.....and my trophies. I really want to keep my trophies. Anything less would be a huge mistake.

1 up, 1 down

Highlander
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 11:17:33 AM

The PSN brings with it certain requirements for compatibility on the PS4. It will be interesting to see how that is handled.

How did the 360 handle that going from the original Xbox?

2 up, 0 down

ColTater
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 11:07:20 AM
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I worry about what will happen with all my digital games once the PS3 is old news. I'm hoping that with the PS4 and into the future, that the PSN remains the same. Meaning that when the PS4, PS5 and so on comes out, that I'll be able to access the PSN and be able to download all the games I've bought this gen onto the newer most recent console.

If they for some reason switch formats and the coding and such and expect me to buy the games again just to get them on the new system, then well my friends that would be the day I am done with gaming.

0 up, 0 down

Ultimadream
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 2:30:19 PM
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I don't like downloadable games becuase of the cheap quality, sorry but it's true. The only one i have ever enjoyed is Siren Blood Curse, which luckily was released on Blu-ray in the UK so i got that. i do aprove of PS1 Re-releases, and want the same thing to happen to PS2 games, instead of them being released on Blu-ray discs. If the 360 Market Plac can contain XBOX1 titles theres no reason why the PSN can't have PS2 titles.

Now the only other bonus to digital downloads are for updates and add ons. Why release another Guitar hero when you can just download the songs and play them all on the same disc. What i don't approve of is when game companies cheat the system, like Soul Calibur IV buying weapons! come on! you should be able to unlock them in the Quest Mode (or what ever it's called), Basically rewards should come to thoughs who excell at the game, not to those who have more cash.

But heres what really ticks me off about DLC. When companies release limited editions of games with extra single player content. Yes I'm pointing at you Ubisoft, your stunt with the Assassins Creed Seires is frowned upon.

2 up, 1 down

ChronowerX_GT
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 2:36:27 PM
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I prefer physical media. No contest. I like the idea of having a game in your hand, with the box and the manual. Feels like it's yours.

I've never downloaded a game from PSN. I'm not saying I wouldn't but if the physical media's there then I'd get that. Normally I can get the physical media cheaper than the download aswell when it's an older game.

0 up, 0 down

Nynja
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 3:09:05 PM
Reply

"unless you could find one who's just as happy with a file on their screen as they are with their physical library. ...and good luck finding such a person."

Bill Gates!

Seriously, though, I agree. Notice when people compare music collections it's all about how many gigs they use?

With games and movies are we going to brag about how many teras, petas, or exas bytes we use?

I think this is a generational thing. Here me out.

Most of us come from a generation where physical ownership was everything. No such thing as 'virtual'.

Now a days kids of the younger generation are used to owning virtual items. For instance, MMORPGs. These are virtual characters in a virtual world who own virtual items. Some people have no problem paying for ownership of something that cannot be physically held.

PS Home. Another virtual world with virtual items and no physical ownership, yet people continue to purchase this digital content.

There will be a time when everything is in digital format. Before you know it, we'll all be part of the Matrix bragging about how many yottabytes of houses and cars we own.

...wow, I'm rambling on again...

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Amazingskillz
Thursday, August 12, 2010 @ 9:53:33 AM
Reply

I really don't see the appeal of downloading a PS1 game to replay. I did one old game, Tombraider 2, and have since deleted it because I couldn't stomach the graphics. After I played a game through and beaten it couple of times I usually don't play them anymore unless it has multiplayer. There's some much good new stuff out there that I can't understand why people go back to old games. Then again, I think the whole trophy achievement thing is stupid too. I couldn't care less about earning a trophy. In fact, it annoys me when they pop up on the screen. I like to buy a game, crush it, then move on.

1 up, 0 down

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