Raptor-chan
07-29-2009, 11:42 PM
The days of going to the store to buy a video game are numbered. Between services like Xbox Live Arcade, Playstation Network and the App Store -- not to mention the upcoming PSP Go, which will forgo a disc-drive altogether -- digital downloading is becoming an increasing popular way for consumers to stock up on games without leaving the house. And by most accounts, it's awesome.
Or is it? While we're all big fans of the ability to buy new games from the comfort of the couch, it isn't without its pitfalls. Here are five reasons why digital downloading might not always be the best game in town.
1. Questionable resale value
Thanks to the weakened economy, cash-strapped gamers have a new mantra -- buy it, play it, beat it, trade it. And in turn, the used games industry is booming (http://fidgit.com/archives/2009/07/nielsen_report_suggests_gamers.php).
Trading digital downloads, however, isn't. No matter how you purchase it, there's just no easy, secure way to re-sell a digital download as a 'used' game to another player.
Part of the problem is that unlike physical hardware, video game code doesn't degrade over time. Manhandled game discs and instruction manuals suffer inevitable wear and tear, while ones and zeroes look just as good a year or two down the line. What, exactly, makes a used digital copy less valuable than a brand new one? Additionally, downloadable titles typically cost a fraction of a full retail game, making a secondary used market less practical.
But as the size of downloadable games increases, so too will their prices. Microsoft is rolling out the ability to download full retail games (http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/01/xbox-360-getting-full-retail-games-delivered-on-demand/) over Xbox Live, and we're betting that Sony will eventually follow suit. Such titles will likely cost more than the roughly $9 average (http://kotaku.com/5320178/the-rising-price-of-xbla-games) of most downloadable games, making the lack of a trade system even more frustrating.
2. Have Wii, will not travel
Xbox 360 (http://videogames.yahoo.com/xbox360/) and Playstation 3 (http://videogames.yahoo.com/ps3/) owners who like to take their games on the road, you're in luck: since digital downloads are tied to a user's profile, both consoles offer the ability to re-download and play those games on other systems (provided you're signed into your account, that is).
Wii (http://videogames.yahoo.com/wii/) people, however, don't have it so easy. Digital titles purchased via the system's popular Virtual Console and WiiWare services are tied to the specific consoles on which they were bought, meaning you cannot bring these kinds of games over to your friend's house. Given the Wii itself is small enough to transport without too much of a fuss, there are workarounds. But we're not exactly thrilled tossing the relatively fragile system in a backpack just to play World of Goo at a buddy's place.
3. You can't collect it.
Call us old-school, old-fashioned, or just plain old, but there's something to be said for owning physical merchandise. Sure, the excessive packaging is a serious environmental nuisance, but we still get excited tearing into a new game, thumbing through the instruction manual, and ogling the box art.
When it comes to such kinetic thrills, digital downloads don’t cut the mustard. Not sure what you're doing? You'll have to flip back and forth between the game itself and the instructions, often a wonky solution. And then there's the overlooked joy of lining a shelf with colorful game boxes, not to mention the possibility that the product itself could become a collectible. Obviously, some gamers go a bit too far (http://videogames.yahoo.com/%20http://10e.org/mt/archives/200603/142154.php) when it comes to showing off their treasure trove of geekly goods, but we totally understand the sentiment.
4. No Internet? No fun.
Since you're reading this article online, you already know that if you want to download games, you're going to need an internet connection. But did you know that some downloaded games require you to maintain that connection just to play offline?
More specifically, we're talking about Steam, Valve's popular game download service. Unlike other digital distribution methods, Steam is incredibly persnickety about keeping you connected to the service simply to play games you've already purchased and downloaded. In other words, if you lose your connection, you temporarily lose your games.
To be fair, the service provides a workaround in "Offline Mode," although it's not very user-friendly (https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?p_faqid=213).
5. The Space Erase.
Digital downloads take up space. Lots of it. And the more you download, the more space you'll need.
It's not that big of a concern to PC gamers, who can scoop up plug-and-play external drives at affordable prices. But for console fans, the solution to dwindling hard drive space doesn't always come cheap. The mark-up on Xbox hard drives is significant; the current 120 GB model clocks in at $150. For the same price, you can score a brand new Western Digital USB 2.0 500 GB external hard drive, and for only twenty bucks more, you can take home Amazon's top-rated external hard drive (http://www.amazon.com/External-Hard-Drives-Storage-Add-Ons/b/ref=amb_link_6488902_16?ie=UTF8&node=595048&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=left-1&pf_rd_r=1EWYZE9PTZZ2W7ERKG2A&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=483893131&pf_rd_i=193870011), Iomega's Prestige 1TB monster (yeah, a terabyte, or 1000 GB). Ouch.
Upgrading the hard drive on your PS3 is easier -- Sony even explains how to do so (http://playstation.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/playstation.cfg/php/enduser/popup_adp.php?p_faqid=362&p_created=1193251723&p_sid=*Z_E4VDj) in the system's instruction manual -- and Nintendo eased their Wii storage problems by announcing support for high-capacity SD cards. And of course, games run faster when loading off a hard drive than streaming off a disc, a big bonus for core gamers sick of lengthy load times.
Just be prepared to pay for the privilege.
Courtesy: Yahoo
Or is it? While we're all big fans of the ability to buy new games from the comfort of the couch, it isn't without its pitfalls. Here are five reasons why digital downloading might not always be the best game in town.
1. Questionable resale value
Thanks to the weakened economy, cash-strapped gamers have a new mantra -- buy it, play it, beat it, trade it. And in turn, the used games industry is booming (http://fidgit.com/archives/2009/07/nielsen_report_suggests_gamers.php).
Trading digital downloads, however, isn't. No matter how you purchase it, there's just no easy, secure way to re-sell a digital download as a 'used' game to another player.
Part of the problem is that unlike physical hardware, video game code doesn't degrade over time. Manhandled game discs and instruction manuals suffer inevitable wear and tear, while ones and zeroes look just as good a year or two down the line. What, exactly, makes a used digital copy less valuable than a brand new one? Additionally, downloadable titles typically cost a fraction of a full retail game, making a secondary used market less practical.
But as the size of downloadable games increases, so too will their prices. Microsoft is rolling out the ability to download full retail games (http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/01/xbox-360-getting-full-retail-games-delivered-on-demand/) over Xbox Live, and we're betting that Sony will eventually follow suit. Such titles will likely cost more than the roughly $9 average (http://kotaku.com/5320178/the-rising-price-of-xbla-games) of most downloadable games, making the lack of a trade system even more frustrating.
2. Have Wii, will not travel
Xbox 360 (http://videogames.yahoo.com/xbox360/) and Playstation 3 (http://videogames.yahoo.com/ps3/) owners who like to take their games on the road, you're in luck: since digital downloads are tied to a user's profile, both consoles offer the ability to re-download and play those games on other systems (provided you're signed into your account, that is).
Wii (http://videogames.yahoo.com/wii/) people, however, don't have it so easy. Digital titles purchased via the system's popular Virtual Console and WiiWare services are tied to the specific consoles on which they were bought, meaning you cannot bring these kinds of games over to your friend's house. Given the Wii itself is small enough to transport without too much of a fuss, there are workarounds. But we're not exactly thrilled tossing the relatively fragile system in a backpack just to play World of Goo at a buddy's place.
3. You can't collect it.
Call us old-school, old-fashioned, or just plain old, but there's something to be said for owning physical merchandise. Sure, the excessive packaging is a serious environmental nuisance, but we still get excited tearing into a new game, thumbing through the instruction manual, and ogling the box art.
When it comes to such kinetic thrills, digital downloads don’t cut the mustard. Not sure what you're doing? You'll have to flip back and forth between the game itself and the instructions, often a wonky solution. And then there's the overlooked joy of lining a shelf with colorful game boxes, not to mention the possibility that the product itself could become a collectible. Obviously, some gamers go a bit too far (http://videogames.yahoo.com/%20http://10e.org/mt/archives/200603/142154.php) when it comes to showing off their treasure trove of geekly goods, but we totally understand the sentiment.
4. No Internet? No fun.
Since you're reading this article online, you already know that if you want to download games, you're going to need an internet connection. But did you know that some downloaded games require you to maintain that connection just to play offline?
More specifically, we're talking about Steam, Valve's popular game download service. Unlike other digital distribution methods, Steam is incredibly persnickety about keeping you connected to the service simply to play games you've already purchased and downloaded. In other words, if you lose your connection, you temporarily lose your games.
To be fair, the service provides a workaround in "Offline Mode," although it's not very user-friendly (https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?p_faqid=213).
5. The Space Erase.
Digital downloads take up space. Lots of it. And the more you download, the more space you'll need.
It's not that big of a concern to PC gamers, who can scoop up plug-and-play external drives at affordable prices. But for console fans, the solution to dwindling hard drive space doesn't always come cheap. The mark-up on Xbox hard drives is significant; the current 120 GB model clocks in at $150. For the same price, you can score a brand new Western Digital USB 2.0 500 GB external hard drive, and for only twenty bucks more, you can take home Amazon's top-rated external hard drive (http://www.amazon.com/External-Hard-Drives-Storage-Add-Ons/b/ref=amb_link_6488902_16?ie=UTF8&node=595048&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=left-1&pf_rd_r=1EWYZE9PTZZ2W7ERKG2A&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=483893131&pf_rd_i=193870011), Iomega's Prestige 1TB monster (yeah, a terabyte, or 1000 GB). Ouch.
Upgrading the hard drive on your PS3 is easier -- Sony even explains how to do so (http://playstation.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/playstation.cfg/php/enduser/popup_adp.php?p_faqid=362&p_created=1193251723&p_sid=*Z_E4VDj) in the system's instruction manual -- and Nintendo eased their Wii storage problems by announcing support for high-capacity SD cards. And of course, games run faster when loading off a hard drive than streaming off a disc, a big bonus for core gamers sick of lengthy load times.
Just be prepared to pay for the privilege.
Courtesy: Yahoo