DL only or retail only... Does it matter?

[KriegStein]

I hope this topic hasnt been talked yet.

A little backstory:
So I was surfing capcoms forums for info about a certain game (guess which one) and I came across a hot depate. Many fans of the AA series were fighting over if they should by AA5 or not. This argument was heated by the fact that AA5 is announced to be nintendo eShop only title in US and Europe. While in Japan it has a retail version.

Many fans wanted also a retail version with the downloadable one. And I can understand that well. However there were some who stated that they will not buy the game unless it gets a retail version. Some went even as far as critisizing capcoms business models and also the nintendo eshop.

So I ask you all... Does it matter if the game is only in one of the two forms physical or downloadable? Would you consider NOT buying the game if its only one of these? And also do you prefer one over the other?

For me...It realy doesnt matter that much. I have bought most of my games as physical copies but I also have few digital ones.

 

[Xela]

I like having a downloadable version because in case you lose your retail version, the one you downloaded will always be there. Though, I only prefer retail because of being able to have a physical collection of games.

 

[Kotone]

it wouldn't matter to me, but it seems i like to have an actual copy so retail for me.

 

[Legobricks]

A game must have a retail release or I will not purchase it. I want a return on my investment, some insurance that I actually own it, so to speak. I have principle disagreements with services like Steam.

 

[Pave Low]

I don't really mind in all honesty. As a PC gamer, there are several games which you find that are DL only and that doesn't mean they're not good. Heck, some of the games are amazing! You just learn to live with it. Generally, I do care for retail copies when games are outside of Steam, however, a lot more preferable because Steam makes everything easy for you and it's easier to have a retail copy for PC games outside of Steam imo.

 

[thedestinedblade]

I mean, I always go for having the physical copy in my hands, but if it were downloadable only, I'd have no problem purchasing it either. I like collecting though, so for example, FE: Awakening was available at midnight for download, but pretty hard to find in just about any store, so I had to wait an extra week to get my hands on the game. Simply, if the choice is available I'll go for retail every time.

 

[Rosehip]

Downloads take way too long to download for me, even patches take forever..so, I'd go for retail copies.

In case you lose a disc, the game saved into the hard drive never goes away unless you delete it/wipe out the hard drive/break your console..they're basically both good.

 

[Sheep]

I only get physical copies. Having the actual box and game card is very satisfying for me, that and if my 3DS were to ever break or get lost I wouldn't lose all my data as there's no account to tie your purchases to. Boo to downloadables. :(

 

[LolPizzaLol]

I prefer a physical copy over a download, because I can sell it then. But if there is a good game with a discount on Steam I will definitely buy it.

 

[Perriechu]

I don't mind which one I get as long as I get the game, lol. However I do try and get the physical copy if I can because owning the game is nice, it makes your collection look bigger and there's always a chance of your console messing up and losing everything. Plus constantly having to find storage for DLC would be really annoying. I don't download much because of my internet speed and generally because I find physical copies cheaper.

 

[Kikaito plush]

It has to be physical copy for as I feel having a download is pirating the game.

 

[shadowdueler474]

I prefer to have a physical copy but in certain cases downloadable is fine for me.

 

[Mr. Magius]

Despite my huge physical collection of video games, I don't really care about having physical copies of any of them. If I could transfer them to my PC then I would. I know I'm not gonna play my GBA or GBC games again, but if I ever got that urge, I would resort to an emulator or my flashcart.

I really only care about having physical copies of music, because it comes with the liner notes, album art, the actual CD I can throw in the player, and all that good stuff.

Since Steam is such a big player in the video game retail community, a lot of people are getting accustomed to digitally purchasing them, and we've seen a lot of publicity for PSN games, WiiWare/Virtual Console, etc. Having to buy the physical copies at the store or getting them shipped to us would suck, imo.