[UPDATED] Dilemmas between Physical and Digital games

(Edited because I was wrong about the statement of digital version being the only way to get a certain theme.)

Sometimes I'm still confused when deciding to buy games for my 3DS, but this time, it's not about which games should I'm buying (I've decided to get Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon several days later), but because lately I'm wondering which type of game distribution should I get to.

I still remember the time I'm buying Pokémon X in one of the local stores, it has physical form with a pretty nice box art, a physical cartridge for me to look at, and when seeing that, it really gives me a sense of having the game, not to mention it was my first 3DS game in overall.

However, when I decided to get Kirby Triple Deluxe in the local stores, I was facing a problem because I'm unable to get it in cartridge form, that I have no choice but to go digital ever since, that I'm putting almost all of my games to digital, except for Pokémon X. The thing that I like about being digital is that I'm able to pick my games on the go, which means I don't have to bring my entire physical cartridge to play the game, even my Pokémon Alpha Sapphire is on digital as well.

However, lately I wanted to have a pretty nice box art that comes when buying physical games, even printing the box art of digital games won't give me same feeling as in physical one. And I thought only Digital games have special theme codes, until I find out recently that physical one also have the elusive theme as well! This brings the dilemma that I'm having today, because both physical and digital have their own benefits. I have no idea which one should I pick today, so... if you don't mind to, I'm wondering what's your suggestion on that?

I honestly don't see the benefit of digital games at all, and I get very aggravated when games are digital-only releases. Digital titles always retail at full RRP, for one, which in these days is ludicrously expensive, and outside of occasional sale the price never drops. You can get a game 3 years old or more and it'll still be full price. For two digital games at full RRP, you could get three or more physical games. Looking at it another way, those themes you can get for digital purchases aren't free at all, because the extra you're paying almost certainly costs more than a theme would by itself. They might be exclusive, but are they really worth the cost?

If you don't like the game, you can't sell it either; you're stuck with it, and there is no way to make even a fraction back on your investment. The fact that a digital game is locked to a single account - at least on handhelds - means that you can't play it across systems unless you purchase it for a second time, either.

Memory cards are also outrageously expensive. This is more of a Vita issue than a 3DS one, but the fact that you have to pay at all for a memory card is further adding to the cost. The space required for 3DS games is significantly more than Vita titles as well most of the time, so it balances out: you'll pay more for a Vita memory card, but you'll have to buy more 3DS ones if you keep going digital.

Your point about cartridges is valid, but I would say it's a very, very small advantage - cartridges aren't that big, and there are plenty of carry cases that fit in your pocket and can fit two or three cartridges alongside the console. Hell, you could fit a cartridge in your pocket even without one of those. Swapping them out isn't much of a hassle at all, really.

My advice is to go physical, every time, and to protest like hell every time a title is digital-only. Pricing isn't competitive, bonus incentives aren't really an incentive as a result, and the stupid policies surrounding digital titles negate any advantages they might have. Plus, you're not buying a game, you're renting a license. You're paying an excessive price for something you don't really own.

Hmm, good point, Meloetta, because the prices of digital games are expensive compared to physical one in the long run, which sometimes disappoints me. Speaking of memory card, actually I've prepared a pretty good memory storage several months ago to anticipate the lack of memory that I was having (I think I was having either 8/16 GB of SD card before switching to 32 GB Micro SD in preparation of New 3DS switch), and I have no idea that VITA's memcard was so expensive, because I don't have one as of yet.

And well, I've been considering going to physical once again, but sadly, the availability of the physical game is the main problem in the city that I'm living in, since there are only a few of local game stores that I know of, and this could be a problem if the game that I'm looking for is sold out due to waiting (especially when waiting for my cash to be ready) because I'm not sure if the stores will restock the game, unlike in most bigger cities, so I have to cross my fingers and hope that it's available once I'm set to getting it.

If there is no other options in my city, I might resort to ordering from the net, which takes days to deliver, but if I want it ASAP, I might be taking the route to eShop again.

I guess memory cards have always been a thing, but on Nintendo handhelds it really bothers me to have to need to use them...I mean, cartridges have always had save files. It's a huge part of their appeal. If you ever do get a Vita though, I'd advise biting the bullet early and picking up a 64GB memory card. It'll cost a lot, but you won't need another memory card for at least three years, and proportionately it's cheaper.

Well, buying a game in a store is just as bad as buying it digitally on your wallet, really - stores need to make a profit, after all. Which actually makes digital prices even more unfair, when you consider that there isn't a third-party retailer to cater for, so you're paying full price to line a greedy publisher's pockets. I know what you mean about finding the damn things in stores, though...I have never seen a JRPG I've been really interested in at my local store. It's pretty much so-called AAA titles only in high street retailers, as those are the only ones that will sell enough to justify the stock.

I think the wait is worth the savings, but I guess it depends on your preferences...you probably don't buy as many games or have as big of a backlog as I do. I'm rarely in a position to play games I buy straight away, so I don't mind waiting usually. I have no idea what the postal service in your country is like, but in my experience if you pay more you'll get it much faster, and you'll still save a little money. But yeah, I can see your point. Guess you just need to balance how much you need it and how long you're prepared to wait~