Is console going digital?

[cmdrdredd]

This still exists for PC users and it hasn't slowed them down. The fact exists that if a game only exists on digital and people want it, they will buy it digital. They may not like the idea, but it will happen eventually.

On the flip side of that though, I rarely hook my consoles up to the internet...but it's getting to the point where you are forced to do that to get updates before it will even let you do anything...so....there we go.

Much of the US doesn't have strict data caps though and that's a big population of purchasers. Canada and elsewhere aren't that lucky so they do have to watch their usage much like a smartphone with a data cap.

 

[smackababy]

Have you interacted with the average video game buyer? I have, both in retail and outside of it. Most people who play games are absolutely clueless about the games they like. They don't follow when there's a beta, don't see a game until the store advertises, haven't watched any videos, don't know about E3, & barely know what games are coming this Fall/Winter. Ask the average person what they think of Fallout 4 (and I'm not talking about people who are on internet forums all the time) and they probably won't know much about it if they knew it was coming at all.

The types of gamers who browse the news sites and check in at forums are the minority of people buying games. Most gamers get their info from their GameInformer subscription or what they see or hear about in the store.

Yes. They all say "what do my friends have" and buy that. There is one friend that knows how to use the internet and knows what is cool and when something good is coming out. The rest see CoD commercials and buy that. Easy. Going to GameStop has nothing to do with that. I worked at a GS and the amount of people who come in and actually browse the library to find something good is so few, and those people could easily do that same thing on the internet.

 

[Anon_lawyer]

Steam refund suck. You only get a 2 hours window unless they change it? Having to deal with origin or steam and learn about their refund policy is a hassle.

Sure, it's a hassle. So is taking something back to the store to refund or exchange it. Still, it wasn't that long ago that you couldn't get a refund from Steam at all, so it's getting better.

 

[Lil Frier]

Yes. They all say "what do my friends have" and buy that. There is one friend that knows how to use the internet and knows what is cool and when something good is coming out. The rest see CoD commercials and buy that. Easy. Going to GameStop has nothing to do with that. I worked at a GS and the amount of people who come in and actually browse the library to find something good is so few, and those people could easily do that same thing on the internet.

Indeed, if it were just about what display you tripped over while at GameStop, there wouldn't be consistently big-selling franchises. Maybe some of it's just the redundant inundation of a title that turns people on to CoD or GTA or AC or whatever, but it's not like those games started from a position of accidental purchases. I think that part of why Destiny and Titanfall sold well is because people actually DO realize that they came from the Halo and CoD MW developers, so they had higher expectations in those games than, say, Wolfenstein or Hardline.

 

[Anon_lawyer]

A smart phone doesn't have disks you can buy though. Plus the apps and games are usually less than $5, not $60. Again it's a different market entirely.

Then we have rentals. Places like Blockbuster are gone but I know a few people who play maybe 30 games a year but only buy 2 because of gamefly. I know the publishers would like to remove that but I think it could hurt the industry overall because if he couldn't rent a game, they wouldn't own a console.

I think it's a transition problem. Moving to all-digital purchases has been a huge boon to PC gaming. It is better financially both for gamers and publishers. There's no reason all digital consoles wouldn't be similarly better for everyone.

The big complaint about it right now is pricing, but it's pretty clear that the real reason digital games on XBL or PSN are so expensive is because they don't want to compete on price with their retailers. This article basically quotes a Sony exec saying so. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-11-28-sony-explains-ps4-digital-game-pricing

It certainly has nothing to do with competition. They compete with physical copies - the only way to understand the current pricing is to realize that they do not want to compete on price. So, why would they? Well, why did Steam? When the Steam sale started to be a thing Steam was much closer to being a monopoly. The big and frequent sales for Steam exist because the revenue maximizing strategy for selling games involves regular sales, some with deep discounts.

That's the same reason that used game sales exist. Except, with steam instead of one person reselling a game (and not having it anymore) and someone else buying it (without the publisher getting any revenue) the buyer just buys a heavily discounted version.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Indeed, if it were just about what display you tripped over while at GameStop, there wouldn't be consistently big-selling franchises. Maybe some of it's just the redundant inundation of a title that turns people on to CoD or GTA or AC or whatever, but it's not like those games started from a position of accidental purchases. I think that part of why Destiny and Titanfall sold well is because people actually DO realize that they came from the Halo and CoD MW developers, so they had higher expectations in those games than, say, Wolfenstein or Hardline.

Sure there would. The big publishers can pay for more advertising and it works. I've seen it too many times. "Hey what's this game it looks cool" then they get interested when it's talked up.

I've seen three types of gamers. The ones who are informed and know what they want, the ones who buy what is popular or what their friends play, and those who buy a game based on some form of advertising. There just aren't as many well informed buyers.

 

[KentState]

Much of the US doesn't have strict data caps though and that's a big population of purchasers. Canada and elsewhere aren't that lucky so they do have to watch their usage much like a smartphone with a data cap.

Comcast has 22.239MM and TW has 7MM subscribers which will all be under a cap. That represents a huge base when you are talking 85MM households in the US have internet of some type. I'm sure they are not the only two ISP's that are going to be enforcing some type of cap in the near future.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Comcast has 22.239MM and TW has 7MM subscribers which will all be under a cap. That represents a huge base when you are talking 85MM households in the US have internet of some type. I'm sure they are not the only two ISP's that are going to be enforcing some type of cap in the near future.

I'm on Comcast with no cap and they keep increasing the speeds. I'm not sure every market will really get a cap in the end but who knows.

 

[KentState]

I'm on Comcast with no cap and they keep increasing the speeds. I'm not sure every market will really get a cap in the end but who knows.

They keep raising our speed (>90Mbps for Blast) but the hard cap went into effect for Atlanta earlier this year. My only other option where I live is 6Mbps ATT. Luckily, I'm still on unlimited with VZW and get 100/50 at the house if I really need it.

 

[cbrunny]

I watched my 7 year old nephew try for 30 minutes today to get a Wii U disc that had one scratch in it to load. It didn't. Tell me that digital downloads doesn't fix this.

 

[JeffMD]

I watched my 7 year old nephew try for 30 minutes today to get a Wii U disc that had one scratch in it to load. It didn't. Tell me that digital downloads doesn't fix this.

Nope, unfortunately physical media is physical, if you damage it, it is damaged. On the other hand, every try downloading a 50gig game? it takes a while. Are you on a standard 20-25mbps connection? Gonna take even longer. Then lets consider 8-10 years from now, do you think the online store will be offering the games for download for ever? At least on PC we can always back data up. Can't do that on consoles.

 

[ImpulsE69]

I watched my 7 year old nephew try for 30 minutes today to get a Wii U disc that had one scratch in it to load. It didn't. Tell me that digital downloads doesn't fix this.

Toothpaste and a soft cloth fixes most of them. As long as the scratch isn't on the sticker side.

 

[TeknoBug]

Comcast has 22.239MM and TW has 7MM subscribers which will all be under a cap. That represents a huge base when you are talking 85MM households in the US have internet of some type. I'm sure they are not the only two ISP's that are going to be enforcing some type of cap in the near future.

Canada has +35M people, pretty much all the ISP's has a damn cap, there's one independent ISP that offers unlimited but isn't very widely available. My ISP offers unlimited but I'd have to cough up an extra $60/mo for that, already paying $300+ for TV/internet/phone, sheesh.

 

[Lil Frier]

I think it's a transition problem. Moving to all-digital purchases has been a huge boon to PC gaming. It is better financially both for gamers and publishers. There's no reason all digital consoles wouldn't be similarly better for everyone.

100% disagree. It's MUCH cheaper for me to get new games on console than PC. Between trade-ins and Best Buy's GCU, I'm getting games for $48, getting a $10 rewards cert, then trading the game in for $44 when I'm done. That greatly beats having to go digital, not trade in games, and maybe not have the box copy to get the discount on.

Oh, and then there are B2G1 free deals on used games.

 

[ImpulsE69]

100% disagree. It's MUCH cheaper for me to get new games on console than PC. Between trade-ins and Best Buy's GCU, I'm getting games for $48, getting a $10 rewards cert, then trading the game in for $44 when I'm done. That greatly beats having to go digital, not trade in games, and maybe not have the box copy to get the discount on.

Oh, and then there are B2G1 free deals on used games.

I would venture a guess that most people do not do any of this. At most they may buy used, or MAYBE resell on GS or Ebay.

 

[thehotsung8701A]

Sure, it's a hassle. So is taking something back to the store to refund or exchange it. Still, it wasn't that long ago that you couldn't get a refund from Steam at all, so it's getting better.

I would say it more of a hassle. What if I forgot my username and password or I don't have internet, or something else happen. What if I get hack?

With store, you just drive there and return it, no hassle. Obviously it doesn't work with new game with physical disc, but there is not much of an argument on my behalf. But with digital you should get like a week, because regardless it new the moment you return it.

 

[thehotsung8701A]

I'm on Comcast with no cap and they keep increasing the speeds. I'm not sure every market will really get a cap in the end but who knows.

How fast is your? I'm getting close to 11mbs down and 6 mbs up.

 

[TeknoBug]

100% disagree. It's MUCH cheaper for me to get new games on console than PC. Between trade-ins and Best Buy's GCU, I'm getting games for $48, getting a $10 rewards cert, then trading the game in for $44 when I'm done. That greatly beats having to go digital, not trade in games, and maybe not have the box copy to get the discount on.

Oh, and then there are B2G1 free deals on used games.

With PS4 games I haven't paid more than $30 for a brand new game since August 2014 thanks to trade-ins.

 

[mmntech]

On PC gaming, I do think it tends to attract a more tech savvy audience who will pay for more data, or who may not be using their connection for other things. Its a different story when you're in a house full of people who all want to watch Netflix.

Canada has +35M people, pretty much all the ISP's has a damn cap, there's one independent ISP that offers unlimited but isn't very widely available. My ISP offers unlimited but I'd have to cough up an extra $60/mo for that, already paying $300+ for TV/internet/phone, sheesh.

Cogeco and Rogers actually are offering unlimited data plans now. Big red has 100mbps unlimited for $85/month including modem rental. Which actually isn't a bad deal. Cogeco wants over $100 for half the speed. Guess which cable company we have in my area.

Bell just started offering unlimited but only with their new gigabit fibre package, which is an eye watering $150/month plus tax.

I pay $70/month to my indie ISP for 25mbps unlimited. That includes the dry loop fee. I own the modem.

 

[Lil Frier]

With PS4 games I haven't paid more than $30 for a brand new game since August 2014 thanks to trade-ins.

Yeah, I basically spent $8 on new games last year. I'd get a game at Best Buy for $48 with GCU, $52 after tax. I'd beat it, then trade it in for $44, and put that towards the next new game of $52. I did that when I got Madden, which I traded towards Mordor, which I traded towards The Evil Within, which I traded towards Sunset Overdrive, which I traded towards Advanced Warfare, which I traded towards The Master Chief Collection, which I traded towards Dying Light (used that credit on Warlords of Draenor, like a dummy). In the cases of Madden, SO, CoD, Halo, and DL, I also got a $10 rewards cert for a pre-order. So I spent an initial $52, then $8 for each game after, meaning $44 additional for the 6 games after Mordor, and I got Draenor with credit. Then I got $50 in rewards from Best Buy for 4 pre-orders.

Thanks to Best Buy and pre-orders, I played through 6 brand new Xbox One games and got a WoW expansion, and the out-of-pocket cost was $46 (actually less because of the Madden trade-in deal at Best Buy, which let me spend $15 on Madden 25 and get $30 in credit towards Madden 15).

 

[cmdrdredd]

How fast is your? I'm getting close to 11mbs down and 6 mbs up.

150/30 is my current speed through them. They offer a 2Gbit service but I don't have a 10Gbit network to make any use of it plus it is absurdly expensive for the install and equipment.

 

[cbrunny]

Canada has +35M people, pretty much all the ISP's has a damn cap, there's one independent ISP that offers unlimited but isn't very widely available. My ISP offers unlimited but I'd have to cough up an extra $60/mo for that, already paying $300+ for TV/internet/phone, sheesh.

http://canadianisp.ca/

There are MANY that offer unlimited at great speeds. Anyone with one of the big two is a sucker.

 

[cmdrdredd]

http://canadianisp.ca/

There are MANY that offer unlimited at great speeds. Anyone with one of the big two is a sucker.

Yeah here in the US you basically are stuck with only 1 or 2 choices depending on where you live. For me I can go with Comcast or AT&T. AT&T is slower and less reliable by a huge amount here so I refuse to go that route.

 

[Lil Frier]

Same, we only have AT&T and Comcast in the area, maybe some ghetto satellite offerings as well, like anyone wants that. We had AT&T for YEARS, against my wishes. The fastest service they offered here was 3 Mbps DSL, and the fastest U-Verse offering was 756 kbps. 2-3 years back, finally got to Comcast, where the STARTING speed it 6 Mbps down. Now, we're on 75 Mbps.

The other thing is that with AT&T, they'd call it 3 Mbps, but you were lucky to hit 2.75 Mbps. With Comcast, they say 75 Mbps, but it's typically around 90. When we briefly had the 105 down, it ran at 120, but they randomly changed us back to 50 down (running at 60). No notice of the change, to my knowledge, they just halved the Internet speed and took $20/month off of the bill.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Yeah the fastest speed UVerse offers here is 45Mbit down and 6Mbit up. My neighbor has them and never hits the max. For the same cost (once promotions expire) you get 75Mbit down from comcast. Technically I'm on the 105Mbit plan but they are going to be upgrading me to 150 sometime soon according to their reps. Either way I'm happy with the speeds and consistency of connection. I need it for all the devices I have hooked up.

Current Speeds