I remember hearing that the machine-pressed discs that you buy last longer than the discs you burn yourself. Perhaps it was just misinformation designed to encourage people to buy more music CDs instead of making their own, but if it is true, I would rather buy the machine-pressed disc.
If I ever have a choice between a download only game and a hard copy, I always go for the hard copy. I'm not totally against digital distribution, it's just I want my case and disc.
On buying a physical copy
Pros for me: Buying a physical copy lets me resell it, put it on my shelf, return it, lend it, give it away, change machines, buy it second hand, wait till it's cheaper. And saves gigs of my bandwith.
Cons for them: It lets me resell it, put it on my shelf, return it, lend it, give it away, change machines, buy it second hand, wait till it's cheaper.
Cons for the planet: Shipping, manufacturing.
To be honest. I License temporarly the non transferable right to play a VC game on my Wii" because it's convient. But unless they let me buy it - as in own it - it's never going to be my major way of playing games.
Well until downloading ad filled games that I can't return if shitty is all thats left.
But then I will probably leave current gaming.
It's not that I think it can't be done right. It's just that the cynic in me thinks it won't be done right.
If I ever have a choice between a download only game and a hard copy, I always go for the hard copy. I'm not totally against digital distribution, it's just I want my case and disc.
I also know that it's a little silly.
It appears to be a common reaction to the idea of digital distribution, based on what I've seen in this thread.
However, being the smart people we are, we came up of ways to have the best of both worlds while discussing this interesting topic.
If I ever have a choice between a download only game and a hard copy, I always go for the hard copy. I'm not totally against digital distribution, it's just I want my case and disc.
I also know that it's a little silly.
It appears to be a common reaction to the idea of digital distribution, based on what I've seen in this thread.
However, being the smart people we are, we came up of ways to have the best of both worlds while discussing this interesting topic.
That's because people want to feel like they're getting something for their money. Bits on a hard drive don't feel the same as a disc in a DVD case.
Xbox Live Arcade and Wii Virtual Console are turning this around a little bit though. Seeing those titles there every time I start up the Wii or flip to arcade tab in Live go a long way toward making me feel like I've actually bought something.
And as much as I'd love to get a disc pressed with my purchases on it, I'll buy them without. I can't find a decent used copy of Symphony of the Night so I'll pick it up on Live. I don't like the PC controls for Heavy Weapon so I'll pick it up on Live. I never played Super Metroid and can't find a cartridge so I'll pick it up on VC. Right now DD is getting my money because it's the only reasonably priced and/or reasonably convenient option for some games.
Right now DD is getting my money because it's the only reasonably priced and/or reasonably convenient option for some games.
Right, so I think it's important to not see DD as this straight up "everything's going to be running like XBLA in five years", but more "developers and consumers will have greater flexibility and value for money if they use this vector to purchase/sell games."
Obviously in the state it is in, it will only ever be an additional revenue stream that is still, at the end of the day, controlled by publishers.
I like how I bought DEFCON. $15 bucks for a DD, and they sent the disk with a case and manual out to me later. I get to play it now, and I can reinstall it at any time with ease.
I remember hearing that the machine-pressed discs that you buy last longer than the discs you burn yourself. Perhaps it was just misinformation designed to encourage people to buy more music CDs instead of making their own, but if it is true, I would rather buy the machine-pressed disc.
This is definitely the case. A pressed disc will last much longer than one that is burned, since it has the pits actually pressed into it, rather than being formed by a chemical process.
Good brands, like Taiyo Yuden, should last at least 10 years. But I really wouldn't trust any brand for more than that.
Most of my Verbatim discs from ten years ago have started to degrade (i.e. lots of files with CRC errors). In contrast, I've got pressed game CDs from the early 1990s that are still fine.
I remember hearing that the machine-pressed discs that you buy last longer than the discs you burn yourself. Perhaps it was just misinformation designed to encourage people to buy more music CDs instead of making their own, but if it is true, I would rather buy the machine-pressed disc.
This is definitely the case. A pressed disc will last much longer than one that is burned, since it has the pits actually pressed into it, rather than being formed by a chemical process.
Good brands, like Taiyo Yuden, should last at least 10 years. But I really wouldn't trust any brand for more than that.
Most of my Verbatim discs from ten years ago have started to degrade (i.e. lots of files with CRC errors). In contrast, I've got pressed game CDs from the early 1990s that are still fine.
You know you can make a copy of the burned DVD, right?
I remember hearing that the machine-pressed discs that you buy last longer than the discs you burn yourself. Perhaps it was just misinformation designed to encourage people to buy more music CDs instead of making their own, but if it is true, I would rather buy the machine-pressed disc.
This is definitely the case. A pressed disc will last much longer than one that is burned, since it has the pits actually pressed into it, rather than being formed by a chemical process.
Good brands, like Taiyo Yuden, should last at least 10 years. But I really wouldn't trust any brand for more than that.
Most of my Verbatim discs from ten years ago have started to degrade (i.e. lots of files with CRC errors). In contrast, I've got pressed game CDs from the early 1990s that are still fine.
You know you can make a copy of the burned DVD, right?
I suppose that's even more reason for developers using DD to offer a physical box service.
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JimothyNot in front of the foxhe's with the owlRegistered Userregular
edited March 2007
I'm fairly certain that before long, all music, movies, and games will be digitally distributed; like it or not, that is where we're heading. I expect it to take at least two more hardware generations before consoles start being manufactured without disc drives (probably longer than that, actually, but within our lifetime).
At whatever point it is that games are mainly released online (once storage and download times are good and cheap enough), I expect the "major releases" (MGS, Zelda, whatever) to be slightly smaller than the generation before, just for good measure; but then things will pick back up to speed, and we'll officially be in the future of gaming.
As far as having some silly obsession with a hard copy... it's not going to stop the inevitable. These days, if I want an album for my birthday, I just ask my parents for an iTunes card. As long as you can redownload stuff, it's no problem, and actually a lot better than having a hard copy sitting on your shelf, that will age and scratch and stuff. Digital is probably safer in that regard.
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I also know that it's a little silly.
Pros for me: Buying a physical copy lets me resell it, put it on my shelf, return it, lend it, give it away, change machines, buy it second hand, wait till it's cheaper. And saves gigs of my bandwith.
Cons for them: It lets me resell it, put it on my shelf, return it, lend it, give it away, change machines, buy it second hand, wait till it's cheaper.
Cons for the planet: Shipping, manufacturing.
To be honest. I License temporarly the non transferable right to play a VC game on my Wii" because it's convient. But unless they let me buy it - as in own it - it's never going to be my major way of playing games.
Well until downloading ad filled games that I can't return if shitty is all thats left.
But then I will probably leave current gaming.
It's not that I think it can't be done right. It's just that the cynic in me thinks it won't be done right.
Scholar and a Gentleman? Critical of bad science and religion? Skeptobot - Is for you!!
It appears to be a common reaction to the idea of digital distribution, based on what I've seen in this thread.
However, being the smart people we are, we came up of ways to have the best of both worlds while discussing this interesting topic.
That's because people want to feel like they're getting something for their money. Bits on a hard drive don't feel the same as a disc in a DVD case.
Xbox Live Arcade and Wii Virtual Console are turning this around a little bit though. Seeing those titles there every time I start up the Wii or flip to arcade tab in Live go a long way toward making me feel like I've actually bought something.
And as much as I'd love to get a disc pressed with my purchases on it, I'll buy them without. I can't find a decent used copy of Symphony of the Night so I'll pick it up on Live. I don't like the PC controls for Heavy Weapon so I'll pick it up on Live. I never played Super Metroid and can't find a cartridge so I'll pick it up on VC. Right now DD is getting my money because it's the only reasonably priced and/or reasonably convenient option for some games.
Right, so I think it's important to not see DD as this straight up "everything's going to be running like XBLA in five years", but more "developers and consumers will have greater flexibility and value for money if they use this vector to purchase/sell games."
Obviously in the state it is in, it will only ever be an additional revenue stream that is still, at the end of the day, controlled by publishers.
This is definitely the case. A pressed disc will last much longer than one that is burned, since it has the pits actually pressed into it, rather than being formed by a chemical process.
Good brands, like Taiyo Yuden, should last at least 10 years. But I really wouldn't trust any brand for more than that.
Most of my Verbatim discs from ten years ago have started to degrade (i.e. lots of files with CRC errors). In contrast, I've got pressed game CDs from the early 1990s that are still fine.
You know you can make a copy of the burned DVD, right?
That's what I've done. I copied all of the data from my older burned CDs onto a few DVDs after I started getting CRC errors.
Still, the lifetime for burned discs is unpredictable. They might last 10+ years, or they might die within a few years.
So, I've also backed up my data onto a separate HDD as well.
But the fact remains that both HDDs and recordible CDs/DVDs are inherently unreliable.
For PC games, I'd rather avoid this hassle. So, I'd always choose a pressed CD (that will probably last for decades) if that option is available.
At whatever point it is that games are mainly released online (once storage and download times are good and cheap enough), I expect the "major releases" (MGS, Zelda, whatever) to be slightly smaller than the generation before, just for good measure; but then things will pick back up to speed, and we'll officially be in the future of gaming.
As far as having some silly obsession with a hard copy... it's not going to stop the inevitable. These days, if I want an album for my birthday, I just ask my parents for an iTunes card. As long as you can redownload stuff, it's no problem, and actually a lot better than having a hard copy sitting on your shelf, that will age and scratch and stuff. Digital is probably safer in that regard.