The future of video gaming (The extinction of discs)

[Charizard632]

In 1985, the NES was released. It had cartriges. Despite the fact that cartriges hold data, this could happen. If you lose the cartriges, your data is gone. That means if you lose a game cartridge of Pokemon Ruby for the GBA, all your pokemon are gone.

Later in 2001, Nintendo invented the Game Cube, which used Mini Discs. This brought an end to cartriges, even though the Game Boy Advance and the NintendoDS still use them. Discs do have a problem. They could easily get scratched, forgotton, and lost. Fortunately, the data is saved to the memory card, so your game data is safe.

When the Wii was released in 2006, it came with the Wii Shop channel, enabling gamers to purchase games without any manual delivering. First, the users have to purchase Wii Points from a store, then enter the code. First, it only allowed gamers to only download nostalgic titles from the 80s and 90s, like Super Mario Bros., Sonic the Hedgehog, and Super Mario 64.

In 2008, the App Store was released for the iPod Touch and the iPhone. Also in this year, WiiWare was introduced to the Wii. Both featured games you can download for some money. They are usually not that big. The WiiWare games are usually smaller and less interactive than the regular Wii games that required the disc.

With the fact and success of Wii Ware and the App Store, this idea may be applying to the next generation video game consoles and make discs and cartriges nostalgic. Introducing... Downloadable Games!!

In the future, all games will be available to download. The prices of the games range from $0.99, up to approximately $100. Some games and widgets are also available to download for free, just like the app store from Apple!

With this idea, what will happen to all the game stores like GameStop? Easy! Most of the stuff they will stock are cards! Just like Wii points, they all have a special code you have to enter They can range from $5 to approximately up to $250 in retail stores, and in rare cases, such as a contest, up to $5,000!

To avoid foreign price confusion, they use points. Each United States penny is worth 1 point. Which means the $5,000 card would be worth 500,000 points. This is similar to the Wii Points system.

But what about games that needs accessories like Guitar Hero? This is how it goes. First, the game is not available at the online store; you have to buy it at GameStop or some similar store. Second, when you buy the game with the accessories included, it comes with a card with a special code, just like the cards you use to get points. Enter the special code, and the game is downloaded. That way, you can enjoy Guitar Hero in the next generation.

But the question is: Can you enjoy your video games from the past? Sure. If you have a next gen Nintendo Console, you can buy an optional data transfer device. It transfers your data from any past generation console or handheld console to the next generation. With that idea, Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo might have the ability to play any game from many old consoles.

Now, with that said, you can get any nostalgic game for a reasonable price. But if you already have that game (For Example: You already have some data of Mario Kart: Double Dash in your Game Cube Memory card), you get that game for free with no charge! This is also convinent, because if you already lost a copy of a game (For Example: You already lost a copy of Super Monkey Ball 2), and still have the data for that game, you still get the game with no charge. Even games that aren't widely known and have bad reviews (For Example: Shrek Swamp Kart Rally https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svK8Zqrjghg) can still be played on that console.

The next-gen Nintendo gaming console would play games designed for it, the Nintendo Wii, NintendoDS, Nintendo3DS (Possibly), Game Cube, XBox, PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance and any other past consoles, including Arcade. Just like the Wii, the NGNGC(Next-gen Nintendo Gaming Console) has not only the default controller, it also has a universal controller, which makes all games from previous generations playable. Not only that, you can customize what each button does.

Maybe the NGNGC might use the Nintendo3DS as a controller.

Whew! That's a lot! I'll be talking about more later. If you got any questions, please ask me and I'll be glad to answer for you.

 

[Bloo]

This is a very well proposed plan, as it definitely could happen. There coud be problems like sudden disconnection is a download, but the download would already have been bought and ready for re-download. There would be an ability to gift games, but the problem is: piracy. You could just copy software to an SD and give it to a friend. It would be that easy. But now that jailbreaking an iPod touch is legal, it could very well be legal for other devices later, so that you could get any software you wanted. So, I thik that those are the flaws. I can;t think of anything else right now but I'll post later.

 

[Charizard632]

Oooooh. Good one.

Piracy is easy to do with my plan. If the console is SD card compatiable and you have a chock-full of SD cards, piracy is very easy to do. And with this, people are cheating to get a $50 game for $3. But if they don't have something similar to the Homebrew Channel, they can't play them.

Or, how about instead of SD cards, they use a backup server, just like online backup. All you have to do to back up your files is easy as registering at PC. In case your console gets stolen or something like that, all your data and games are backed up. Now, the console will remind you to back up your data. It can be frequent as once per main menu visit, or occasional as once per month. Backing up your files and games are essential, even though you take really good care of your console. But what if there was a case where your console is destroyed? Buy a new one, and if your used the backup, enter your username and password, and all the games and data will return to your console.

But do you know what it's also good for? If you have 2 of the same consoles, and the 2 share the same data, you don't have to wait your turn to play.

And that idea of a sudden disconnection? That's OK.

 

[Kura]

Dunno if they'll actually do this.. there are tons of people in the world with very limited internet connection. When I went to Europe for 3 and a half months.. the wifi range was absolute turd. New Zealand hardly has ANY way of getting signal unless you're in very populated areas. Even places in the US like WV have very limited bandwidth when you consider your internet options- or connection WILL cut off a LOT during the wintertime or extreme weather conditions.

They'll keep making their hard-copies. It's a good way to market stuff to the public. "BUY OUR GAME" for someone's birthday. Not "BUY SOME CONSOLE-POINTS." Plus the whole.. used-games market is way too big for it to just stop.. even if the developers don't see any of the money being bought by the used games.. those stores certainly do.

That's my 3 and a half cents :3

And... borrowing games would be a pain in the arse ._. Not to mention.. you gotta know what version you'll be downloading. Imagine paying good money for a game.. only to realize it's PAL and doesn't even work on your TV. Harsh luck.

 

[PlatinumDude]

I wouldn't be too sure about video games being only available via download. Like Kura said, not everyone has a stable connection, resulting in downloads being cut off all of a sudden. Also, not everyone has the money to afford a huge amount of downloadable games, though some may be free. Overall, I'm not sure if all video games will be available via download.

 

[Åzurε]

Hm. It would be interesting, but imho, it just... feels wrong. I'm not one to hang on to the past, but it's a weird idea to me.

Though, if you had a system-dedicated memory unit and download stations set up at your local Wal-Mart or what have you, it would solve the Wi-Fi issue.

The only big problem I can put a finger on with this is that it would raise system prices. If you plan to hold entire libraries of games on board the actual hardware, your talking gigs upon gigs of memory. And with games getting more complex and detailed as more capable systems are released, the issue would get worse. I understand that higher-grade storage gets cheaper as time passes, but I doubt that pro outweighs the capacity con. Extra system memory drives...? But then internet ROMage ensues. Is such confuse!

Taking the above two paragraphs together, it may be reasonable to assume that using downloads as the most common form of distribution will change the way they price games. Lower-memory iPhone-type titles would run you less, big, flashy titles would cost more, make a little room for Square-Enix to charge you extra for no good reason and ta-da!

 

[Sydian]

I don't like this idea. I like being able to have the cartridge/disc and the box physically with me. I like to read the instruction manuals. I like to sort out my boxes and games that I have displayed on my case holder. Take all that from me, and I'll cry.

 

[CptnSmonge]

I'm with the above post. Maybe if I could own digital copies of games alongside with the purchase of a tangible game, that might make it more interesting. Besides, data can get corrupted. Viruses can break in. And no matter what measure you try to make to stop piracy, they're always going to find a workaround.

I'll admit, though, that your proposal is very marketable and could be a realistic option in the future and guys like me will just have to suck it up and be men about it. Afterall, DLC isn't a new concept and it's really pretty much the whole implementation of Wii's virtual console. I guess it can be the same thing, except with new games.

And I guess wi-fi can be a problem. I mean, more and more people are switching to high-speed internet, but people with fixed incomes who want to buy little Jimmy that new console and game for Christmas would have to start downloading on Thanksgiving for it to be completed by Christmas Eve on a dial-up connection (which my family switched over from only this year!).

 

[Jolene]

The only reason game companies want to do this is to stop you from reselling your games after you have played through them. It does not benefit the actual game player at all. I do not want it to happen because I sell a lot of games!

 

[Cherrim]

While I do like having a hard copy, and in almost every case will prefer it, I know the industry is shifting to soft copy games. And overall, I think I'll be okay with it so long as they stop charging full retail price for the games.

I understand that companies want to make sure they reap all the profits from their games, and with stores like Gamestop (and all the big names that are following them) that sell used games, that's a big hit to profits! Because someone who might've bought the game at full price (and thus the developer sees the money) will simply get it used for $10 less (to them) and the developer sees none of it. So when you aren't seeing the money for the game you worked so hard on, I can see how it'd be frustrating.

But with downloads and digital copies, no longer do you have to worry about people reselling your games or losing the profit from a sale. You don't have to funnel money into packaging and shipping out to vendors, and it's just a much nicer process on your side. What irks me, though, is how everything is still full price. :( Glancing at the front page of Steam, Civ 5 is gonna be $50. Over at Gamestop? $50 for the retail version which nets you a box and everything that comes with it. Not a huuuge deal but... if they're saving costs in getting the product to me, I should be saving costs in buying it too. That and it's harder to find sales for digital products because it's more easily controlled by the developer rather than stores.

Steam is digital distribution in the right direction. Everything in one place and easy to use. It's tied to your account so if you get a new computer or something, you can still play your games. Then you have the other side of the spectrum with the Wii and Virtual Console and WiiWare where it's tied to your system. It's a pain because I have access to a Wii right now--but it's not my own, so if I want to play any of the games I bought with my own money over the Wii Shop, I have to use my own Wii. It's inconvenient and annoying.

I'm not even gonna get into DRM. :(

But long story short, we are definitely moving in this direction. Internet is easier and easier to come by and, as far as I know, in the biggest markets, bandwidth and low speeds are becoming less and less of an issue. I'm fine with it if it goes in the "ideal" direction (reduced costs for all :D) but it probably won't so I'm miffed about the whole thing. I'm glad it's still many years off.

And... borrowing games would be a pain in the arse ._. Not to mention.. you gotta know what version you'll be downloading. Imagine paying good money for a game.. only to realize it's PAL and doesn't even work on your TV. Harsh luck.

Well, part of the thing is you wouldn't borrow games. The developer sees absolutely no money when you borrow a friend's game instead of buying your own copy so I can't really see why they'd particularly care if that's become harder for you. D:

As for region-locking, it's really a non-issue with digital content. Most platforms right now (XBLA, PSN, Steam, etc.) have region-specific storefronts. Take for example, Left 4 Dead. I'm pretty sure it's censored in Australia so if someone there wants to buy and download it on Steam, if they go into their Steam store, they'll only have access to the censored version. It's really no different from dealing with retail--if you walked into a brick and mortar store in AU to buy the game, they wouldn't have NTSC copies on the shelf. And even if you do download a game outside your region... I'm pretty sure since it's not tied to the disc (which is typically what PAL/NTSC/etc. is for), it wouldn't matter where you are and you can play it regardless.

 

[Banjora Marxvile]

Oooooh. Good one.

Piracy is easy to do with my plan. If the console is SD card compatiable and you have a chock-full of SD cards, piracy is very easy to do. And with this, people are cheating to get a $50 game for $3. But if they don't have something similar to the Homebrew Channel, they can't play them.

Actually, just throwing my 2 cents here, but didn't Nintendo prevent the copying of WiiWare games from one console to another? I remember my friend trying, at it refused to do it. That is a step in that direction. True you could probably rip it in a more complex way, but I'm sure eventually there will come a time that it would be near impossible to do so (like a special virus in a game that destroys other consoles or whatever, or as it would be on the internet, special Internet Codes where the game would freeze when played). They would find a way to stop the piracy (take what they did with B/W. Most pirates wouldn't find a way for that, yet us hackers did. If they made it more complex, it would stump everyone)

 

[Rich Boy Rob]

This will definitely happen eventually (the solely downloadable games, not being able to play previous gen games from another company, because said company would never allow it). In the near-future, when everywhere (or near enough) has a fast enough broadband connection.
Although, saying that, an idea has just come to me. What if, aswell as being able to have a direct download to your console hard drive, you could buy a memory card (for lack of a better term), take it down to a game shop, plug it into some download-hub and buy your game and download it there? You would just have to replace the games (and probably music and film eventually) aisle in shops with multiple "kiosks" where you can download your game and take the card home, plug it into your console and it install it that way. To avoid simply passing a memory card around, you would simply have to have an online account to which the game you downloaded is tied. Now you would still need some internet connectivity, but, only to log into your account, meaning you wouldn't need a particularly fast connection.

 

[Ninja Caterpie]

Internautical shopping for video games is happening already, and it's very likely more companies will begin to shift to accompany the internet market. However, I don't think video game stores and disks or cartridges will ever die.

Just look at the music industry. You can buy anything you can buy in a store (and only one song at a time!) on iTunes, yet you can still find music stores everywhere. The same goes for electronic books and all that; they will always have hard-copies available.

Plus, what're video game stores going to do? "Video game console shops"? ._. You're still going to need to buy the hard-copy of a console (lol soft copy console), so I don't see why the shop can't do extra stuff.

 

[TRIFORCE89]

The gaming industry may jump on this regardless if it is convenient for most of the world, just as they have with HD and now 3D (sorta).

But, I don't think things will be download-only for a while at least. I think things have to be faster first for things to really take off. And when everyone should have a lot of storage. I don't want to keep just two or three games installed at a time. Right now I have access to my entire disc library in seconds, I'd want it to be the same way with digital.

And I still like having something tangible when I purchase something. Right now, if I have the choice between digital and retail, I'm going retail, even if the digital version is cheaper. I've bought some DLC and some digital games and I don't feel like I own them at all (and then I keep forgetting to play them because I forgot I bought them D:).

Digital is convenient though when it isn't hardware dependent. I think Steam has it such that if you bought the disc, you get the digital version free too. Which is great. The home consoles should be like that too.

 

[Cherrim]

It's also worth mentioning that it's definitely farther off than a lot of people like to imply. Everyone is testing the waters right now, and I have no doubt that eventually everything will be digital, but just take a look at the PSP Go. The world isn't quite ready to abandon hard copies yet. It pretty much flopped, considering they more heavily support the PSP-3000 with the disc drive than the download-only games for PSP-Go. I think a big part of it is that people who already had PSPs had no incentive to buy the new one because not only could they not play any of their UMDs on it, but they'd have to completely re-buy all of their games for it--and that's assuming said games were even available on PSN. :( That is totally the wrong way to do it. And it makes me worried for a future when all home consoles are "backwards compatible" but won't have a disc drive or anything so if you want to play old games, you'll have to buy them over again. *sigh*

Digital is convenient though when it isn't hardware dependent. I think Steam has it such that if you bought the disc, you get the digital version free too. Which is great. The home consoles should be like that too.

I'm pretty sure the gaming industry on PC has been that way for years anyway... once you install the game, you don't need the disc anymore. (I know back in like the 90s you always had to have the disc in the tray to play computer games but now it's not a requirement no matter what platform your games are linked to.)[/font]

 

[TRIFORCE89]

I'm pretty sure the gaming industry on PC has been that way for years anyway... once you install the game, you don't need the disc anymore. (I know back in like the 90s you always had to have the disc in the tray to play computer games but now it's not a requirement no matter what platform your games are linked to.)

I meant more like being able to download it at later date.

I bought Portal on disc. Played it. It got all synced up with my Steam account. Had since uninstalled it. A year or more later I wanted to play it again. Instead of taking my disc out, I was able to download it.

If I was on vacation or away at school or something. And I didn't think about bring my disc up with me. That's great to have that option without having to buy it again.[/FONT]

 

[SIN1488]

Then what's the point in having consoles at that point? If all you do is download games, and it has a browser, and it can do this and that, then it's basically a computer with a controller instead of a keyboard. >_<

 

[Shanghai Alice]

Ehh... reading over the first post, all I can say is... Emm...


It's not that I hate new ideas, but I don't like all the "X is going to be the death of Y!" people.

Especially when it's "The Digital Age will be the death of print media, hard storage, and all other feelies!"

I like my discs. I love the cases, the manuals...

If discs and cartridges die out, the world will lose something very important. The printed word, the art on the case and games...

All of that is part of the game. In fact, I honestly felt really cheated when I picked up a copy of The World Ends With You for $20.

Not because it was a used copy, or that it was fairly old...

No. I was ticked because I had just paid $20 for a (Slightly hard to find 'round here) cartridge. No manual, no case. Nothing.

So... yeah.

 

[Combusting Studios]

I always use steam, I don't like having disks too much work IMO. Buying games online & downloading them is an easy route. Just for people like me, but as I said that's just my opinion ^^

 

[Esmas]

I don't like this idea. I like being able to have the cartridge/disc and the box physically with me. I like to read the instruction manuals. I like to sort out my boxes and games that I have displayed on my case holder. Take all that from me, and I'll cry.

Totally agree with you. I'd hate to have to read an instruction manual on a TV screen >___> Same with music; pirating music is good and free, but having the disc is so much better.