If Cartridges And Disc Based Games Make a Comeback Would You Buy?

[oldgamerz]

If all of a sudden modern video games could run and operate like retro video games did would you still buy them? if they were both physical possible more money than and digital? Would you mind if video games took a step back and looked played and ran like the 6th generation consoles did? or maybe any generation before? or perhaps current or 7th/last generation?


(taken from one of my other posts)

video games will be eventually all sold out in physical form. and I believe that only the rich, will have them in psychical form or be selling them all for extreme prices, not too mention some games will be too old and too far damaged especially disc based games to work again.

I know I may receive back some back lash for this but my heart says if things don't change that is how it is gonna be

But I did hear that United States President Trump has made an effort to give copyright owners more money. For at least on people that own rights to used music CD's possibly preserving the music CD manufacturing department at least in the US.

If that happens to video games as well. it's possible that the market would be wide open for any new gaming console company to have a console with physical  as well as digital video games instead of only digital video games
I didn't come on here to talk about politics personally I am not into politics at all. But the above is one thing I heard happened but I don't have proof.

[kamikazekeeg]

Going backwards in quality is not a good idea, not to sound like I'm being rude, it's just that setting aside non-graphics/gameplay related aspects of 6th gen and earlier, stuff like performance, quality, and gameplay have never been better.  You can return to stuff like sprite based games, because those are sorta timeless in a way, you can make them as intricate or as simple as you want, but that PS1/PS2 era of 3D gaming? Yeah much of that does not hold up as well.  Some do, mostly the real big games from big companies, but in general, I'd never want to go back to clunky models, muddy textures, and sub-30 frame rates.

I've seen some indie devs in the past year or two make like retro PS1/early PC games and while the nostalgia of them makes them an interesting oddity, I do not want to play those games.  I'm very happy we are past that era of gaming.

I'm always up for a return to cartridge gaming though, at least something abit bigger than the Switch's games (I had always kinda wanted USB-like game cartridges, just whatever would move us away from discs.  It's not likely possible, just seemed like a cool way to do them).

[BinaryMessiah]

Problem with discs are the read speeds. There's a reason you have to install games to HDDs these days before playing.  There's so much data that has to be read at once that discs are actually holding games back. I would still like physical copies such as collector's editions or something, but cards are a good way to go. Their read speeds are much faster and can hold large amounts of data, but they're costly.

[hoshichiri]

As a collector, I would obviously be 100% ok with physical media making a comeback, but it just doesn't seem likely.

While I'm bothered by the idea of losing control over what I own, there's a whole generation now that hasn't had to deal much with caring for & storing media, becuase it's all on their devices. Furthermore, they're more accustomed to the idea of losing media alongside losing devices- you just have to buy the updated version that runs on your new equipment. Unless companies get too greedy & do something to make people lose access to their media before they feel 'done with it', I don't think there'll be a backlash against digital anytime soon.

I do think it will take longer for physical to go away than companies want, however- if for no other reason than no one wants to make sure everyone (including low-income) in every location (including rural) has high speed internet access. Until everyone can download, there will be people seeking physical media. And as long as it exists, I intend to buy it.

[wrk40]

good point hoshichiri im most like physical copy of games because im don't have greatest internet 150mb file downladed in 3h (yes i know i can buy better internet) but sadly newest physical games have lack in included stuff (manuals in nintendo switch and 1page manuals in xbox one and ps4 games)

[indenton]

See, with consoles like the Switch, I've come to realise that having a bunch of digital games on the system is just so much more convenient.
 That pretty much personifies the system's existence, utter versatility, it's a system that can meld around your own lifestyle.  I used to be in that physical media club, I have physical carts of all the first party Nintendo Switch games I own, so that saves up a lot of space from those bigger games. 

[infamousredyoshi]

I continue to buy cartridges and discs from older generations. I like to have physical copies of games. Technically, those two forms of games haven't died down enough to the point where they need to make a "comeback" either. There might be enough of us collectors in the world to not let it die down too much. On another side of the spectrum, even records are making a comeback in the music world because of their vintage implications.

[bikingjahuty]

I suppose I would, but it'll never happen outside of "cartridges" being flash memory platforms like SD. Cartridge based games were very expensive to produce and the technology in them is extremely outdated. At the time is was one of the best ways to get a game on a console, but now it's a relic of the past.

[badATchaos]

I wasn't aware discs and cartridges went away

[shadowzero]

While scanning through all your replies I instantly started thinking about Red Dead Redemption II and its 100gb file size. I felt the same way about Final Fantasy 7 coming on three disks.  Heck I remember seeing Street Fighter 2 for SNES advertised as 32MB before I knew what MB was!  I bring all this up b/c I too have satellite internet with a 100gb monthly cap that I pay out the yin yang for so this next generation of consoles that are online only could be a wash for me.  Of course I like physical mediums and would buy.  Still do.  I think that's a prerequisite for being a a member here.

There are many things I "own" digital only but it feels like a lease to me.  For example, I've been on Steam so long I have used three out of the five computer authenticates, which means once I used the fifth I could loose access to my 100+ game on Steam.  That is why Ive made the personal choice not to include my Steam library in my collections here.  I couldn't sell one of my steam games to a local bookstore like the physical copy.

I'm excited to see what future storage mediums will become mainstream in the future.

[oldgamerz]

I wasn't aware discs and cartridges went away

There are some but you won't find vary many video games in physical form. Because I don't even think they manufacture video games anymore but with music CD's yea they do still manufacture them

And best of all you don't need to download CD's if you own the disc

[dashv]

Physical in the current gen (and presumably beyond) is becoming increasingly pointless as games are no longer finished until many months of patches & DLC after release.

I want back the days of finished games being what’s sold to customers.

But it’s unlikely to happen for reasons others have already articulated.

[masamune]

I generally don't like digital; I've always like the fact of being able to hold my video games and put them on display and eventually sell them. It's sad the way gaming is heading; towards all digital. I really miss those game manuals. 

[kypherion]

Totally, I'm definitely more of a fan of holding a physical game than having a game on steam or PSN etc.

[astralorange64]

The industry would never go backwards to being more focused on physical media. We are slowly headed more and more to an all-digital future in media. I don't know when it will happen, but at some point physical media as we know it will likely cease to exist. But who knows? It could take forever to happen seeing as vinyl records and CDs still exist, granted in limited quantities, but collectors still want the physical media. I know I for one am a physical media gamer. I still buy CDs for my favorite bands' new albums, and I still buy physical DVDs for my favorite movies, and as far as games go if a physical version exists for a game I will buy it that way, no matter what. Even if it's limited or hard to find or if the price is more than digital. I only buy digital if the game is only available that way. I enjoy collecting.

So to answer your question, yes absolutely I'd buy consoles if they went back to cartridges or discs only. But like I said, we are moving further and further away from that. It sucks, but it is what it is. I really do miss the days where I could just get a game from a store, plug the cartridge into the system, turn it on and instantly start playing - no extra downloads, no updates, no DLC, no worrying about bug patches, etc. I still play my old consoles all the time. Nothing will ever beat SNES, N64, GameCube, PS1 and PS2.