Next Next-Gen Won't Start Until 2012?

[BD2003]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: randay
I hate digital distribution. im not going to support virtual ownership. I want the 1s and 0s on physical media and I want the ability to migrate software I have paid for without having to jump through hoops.

:thumbsup: You can pry my physical media out of my cold, dead hands. I buy most of my games used. If I have to pay full price, I'll buy fewer games.

Oh, most definitely. I've bought only two new games this year - GTA IV and Soul Calibur IV. I've bought a bunch of used games, but I'd have just played more COD4 instead of buying something new if they were all $60. I've also downloaded a bunch of XBLA games, but theyre $10 a pop. There is absolutely no way in the world I'll be ever be convinced to spend $50-60 on a download, especially with any sort of DRM - thats absolute insanity. Before I'd even consider it there would have to be an absolute guarantee that I could back it up and play it when they take their authentication servers offline.

I dont think I'm in the minority here, and in the end, money talks. If people wont buy $50-60 downloads as I expect they wont, theyll either lower the price or keep the media.

 

[randomlinh]

i actually really like digital distribution, but yeah, sucks on giving games to friends, or selling them. But even so, our infrastructure sucks. We can barely get HD streams out the door, games will take forever. Launch days will be huge headaches. I don't see it happening anytime soon (at least for whatever is top end at the time)

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: randomlinh
i actually really like digital distribution, but yeah, sucks on giving games to friends, or selling them. But even so, our infrastructure sucks. We can barely get HD streams out the door, games will take forever. Launch days will be huge headaches. I don't see it happening anytime soon (at least for whatever is top end at the time)

Imagine 25 GB games when you have 40 GB capped Internet. :Q

Also, contrary to popular belief at Anandtech, many people can't get broadband or don't want it. About 55% of the country has it now, but 1 megabit DSL isn't ideal for downloading 25 GB video games. So digital distribution of large games and movies will always be just an alternative until a lot more people have a lot faster Internet.

 

[jrphoenix]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: randomlinh
i actually really like digital distribution, but yeah, sucks on giving games to friends, or selling them. But even so, our infrastructure sucks. We can barely get HD streams out the door, games will take forever. Launch days will be huge headaches. I don't see it happening anytime soon (at least for whatever is top end at the time)

Imagine 25 GB games when you have 40 GB capped Internet. :Q

Also, contrary to popular belief at Anandtech, many people can't get broadband or don't want it. About 55% of the country has it now, but 1 megabit DSL isn't ideal for downloading 25 GB video games. So digital distribution of large games and movies will always be just an alternative until a lot more people have a lot faster Internet.

I don't think it would be that bad. I imagine it like my netflix cue... Choose 3 games you want to play and your Xbox downloads those over night. Delete a game from your cue and the next one auto downloads. If you want more at the same time your fee goes from $20 per month to $25.

The broadband issue is getting ready to be a non issue. Some big telecoms just bid on the spectrum that standard def TV used to use... That bandwidth will provide about 20mbit downsteam with no wires. The last mile issue is getting ready to be a thing of the past. I was just reading about this in my Maximum PC magazine last night 😛

Most games now are less than 9Gb of space (compressed). So overnight with a bit torrent type protocol.. Your system should be able to download 3 games easy. Of course this is all theoretical now... but, I honestly think we will get there.

Music is small media (easy to download) and Itunes became the biggest distributor of music recently.

Next is video / video games. With some good compression and the last mile issue solved with the opening of the spectrum... I think we'll see all digital distribution within 10 years.