Physical Copies and Digital Copies

[turf]

I was looking to get the Telltale Games Walking Dead disk because im kind of anti-digital only. Well as it looks, the disk version has so many problems that Telltale is giving folks codes for digital downloads If you can't play your physical copy.

Why do we not get a digital copy of  a game when  when we buy the physical copy?  We bought the game, didn't we?  It's not like it costs the developer any more if I download something.

[denniedarko]

My only guess is because the developer would rather have 2 sales than 1.

And I had issues with the disc version of TWD. The game lagged through a decision point long enough that I wasn't able to make a choice. Rather annoying.

[foxhack]

Why do we not get a digital copy of  a game when  when we buy the physical copy?  We bought the game, didn't we?  It's not like it costs the developer any more if I download something.

Yes it does.

Well, not on Steam. But on consoles, I think Microsoft charges them bandwidth fees and a fee for the actual code.

Why not just make the game install to the hard drive as an optional feature? That'd fix things, I think.

[disgaeniac]

Don't even get me started on this shit 

I hate buying non-physical copies -but- I've made exceptions if I really wanted to try a game...like Journey -

...then...

...A few months later...

...not only is Journey released physicaly -BUT- it's released w/ more games & extra content = *Lesson Learned* = Fuck-off DLC-only games!

(All of this is, of course, IMHO *ONLY*); lest & B4 there's any twisting/bunching of any panties going on here

[turf]

Why not just make the game install to the hard drive as an optional feature? That'd fix things, I think.

I'm onboard with this.  Where do we start?

[blipcs76]

I'm on chapter 4 of The Walking Dead, and only encountered 1 serious bug so far.  It prevented me from seeing the summary of my choices in chapter 2.  Other than that, it's ran great for me.

But I agree, that I avoid DLC-only games unless I'm extremely interested in it.  I've maybe bought about 7-8 downloadable games on Wii and Xbox, but I even bought the disc version of the Fallout3 expansions so I've got them in a physical format.

If a console ever goes download only, locks out used games or requires online to play, I will flat-out not support that console. 

[kimimi]

I'm quite curious about Sony's "cross play" games (where you buy a PS3 version and get a free digital Vita copy); I don't have a Vita so I've never taken advantage of it, but that seems quite "fair" to me.

[insektmute]

I'm a Vita owner (hooray!), but cross play usually just means compatible save games and DLC. There are rare exceptions where they've done cross buy deals, but I think that's almost exclusively been for Sony properties like PlayStation All-Stars.

[disgaeniac]

Why not just make the game install to the hard drive as an optional feature? That'd fix things, I think.

I'm onboard with this.  Where do we start?

[foxhack]

Why not just make the game install to the hard drive as an optional feature? That'd fix things, I think.

I'm onboard with this.  Where do we start?

Remember when the PS2 let you do that and it was awesome.

Yes, really. This started on the PS2. Very few games actually did it, but why don't developers do this more often? Especially now that consoles have 100+ GB hard drives built in. Of course this isn't feasible on something like the 4GB Xbox 360, but for everyone else? If they have the space, why not?

[insektmute]

I must be confused about the angle some of you are taking on installs. There are some exceptions, but for the most part, I've been able to install the majority of my PS3 and 360 games I've picked up. If a disc is faulty though, wouldn't any attempt to install fail anyway, since that process generally involves CRC and file integrity checks?

[jcalder8]

I will always rather buy a physical copy than a digital one but if that's all that is available then I will just buy the digital copy. I have bought games on XBLA that I have then rebought in a compilation disc and I have not had any regrets. If it's a game that I really want to play then I won't wait in the hopes of it coming out on disc at a later date but if it does then I just buy that too.