the only people who have a bad situation in their hands are the high-street retail shops who will slowly start to disappear due to redundancy. i'm a bit conflicted here because i do like the idea everybody gets by, but i think as with the music industry before this, cutting out the middleman is the best thing for gamers and developers. shop owners and clerks will eventually have to find something else to do which is more needed.
why do i think it benefits developers? well first of all they sell their games directly, they don't have to fight for shop space. also they can be their own publishers, they don't have to cut deals with big sharks just to have their games boxed and marketed. this cuts down their costs immensely and gives them a lot more creative freedom ...
which is in turn what benefits gamers. they get the opportunity to play a lot of games which wouldn't otherwise be getting made. and prices are generally much friendlier than those of equivalent (new) boxed products.
it's not all perfect yet by any means. many things need to happen. firstly gamers need some guarantee, that their purchase is going to be as good to them as a physical product would, ie it would be for life. the Nintendo model is the most flawed one right now. buying games for an individual machne is not good enough. so many things can go wrong. it could stop working, get stolen, maybe one will want to sell it but keep the possibility of buying another one again and thus keep some of their games. nintendo needs to do something soon about selling games to one's account, which is the other model currently used by steam, psn, xbl etc which even though not perfect, is much preferable to nintendo's.
the other issue gg presented of some old games being hindered from becoming digital downloads i believe is a made up one. rare's games, and all other ones should really becoming available on the virtual console even if nintendo had to lose some face and strike a deal. this is not a problem with games getting downloadable. having a bunch of old cartridges change hands on the internet between a few collectors (often at premium prices) is not really a much better option nor does it count as availability. so potentially every old game of every system (starting from last gen and going as far back as gamers have interest to go) should be available as a digital download. copyright holders just need to be sensible.
sorry if this is getting too long. bottom line, if the future is digital downloads, then the future is very good if some issues like ownership, and availability are sorted out in a way that gamers are guaranteed not to get screwed. one can lament the loss of the retailer market and the second hand market but really i think that is just evolution
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Listen to Wu-Tang and watch Kung-Fu
bugsonglass said:i'm a bit conflicted here because i do like the idea everybody gets by, but i think as with the music industry before this, cutting out the middleman is the best thing for gamers and developers.
I only very recentely downloaded my first album in mp3 form from Amazon. The difference for me is that I get to burn a physical copy. If it was like a game download, linked to a machine instead of being able to have backups and physical media then what happens if for instance its just a digital licence?
If amazon go bust in 10 years, what happens to my licence? Well I guess my music is gone. What if the machine I am using gets destroyed or nicked. Why can't I just have the licence to the game for life. What happens when Wii 2 comes out do I get to keep all my VC games and play them on that or will they require you to pay for them again? What about the next DS, will the VC purchases transfer to that.
I can still play many hard format games that will never release in digital download form, I can still play Goldeneye for instance. Super Star wars took 2 and a half years to come out.
You're left at the whim of service providers as to when these titles release. Also because of copyright law and some companies who own the copyright going bust, there are legal grey areas and titles never become availible, that's an unfortunate reality. Or some versions are altered from the original form just to get them out.
I guess at the moment I have a 360 disc based game and in 20 years I will still have it. If I have an XBLA arcade game, in 20 years will I still have it? What if the hard drive busts? What if my XBL account is hacked or disconnected? What if MS lose my records? etc etc.
And what happens to the second hand market or prices for surplus games. At the moment they put out a title and if it doesn't sell as expected the price dramatically drops, supply and demand at work. If a company has a stranglehold on distribution and there are no physical costs then what incentive is there for price competition?
I see occasional XBLA price deals on selected weeks but for the majority of digital downloads price isn't a fluid thing.
Anyhow like I said I wasn't trying to make a digital distribution thread, its only one aspect of the future of gaming. Like I said, where do you guys see things going in all areas?
I think we'll see game development split into two factions:
+ The Indy Ghetto for iPhone, PSP Mini's, Browser games, etc...
+ 10 or less major Studios developing major blockbusters, licensed games and episodic content.
The high development costs will force consolidation (as we've been seeing) and less and less games being made. I'd think that out of their "console" business we'll see companies like Activision and EA start to bring out less than 10-15 games a year each out of neccessity. With every game having the graphical detail, surround sound and soon 3-D studios will have to invest in safe properties.
Sadly, digital distribution is a given, but the cost savings in cutting out retail, packaging and fulfillment will not be enough to offset the higher costs of production.
travo said:When the next gen comes, what happens to your VC games? Will Nintendo allow them to transfer over?
Only Nintendo knows. To be honest, it really shouldn't be hard to transfer games from Wii to their next console. I'm sure Nintendo will have something in place for when that time comes. Microsoft already does this with XBLA content (you can transfer all of your XBLA games to a different 360, but only once per year).
Yeah I seriously doubt any one of the big three won't let users transfer all of their stuff onto their next system. In fact I believe Microsoft have already said they would do this. The way things have developed this gen with having all these things digitally tied together to create your gaming identity ie. gamercard, gamerscore, achievements, games, etc. leads me to believe that backwards compatability and transferance from one system to the next will be more important then ever.
Also, it'll put those evil guys at Gamestop out of business!
J/K about the Gamestop remark.
And I've been thinking about this, but it seems like Nintendo and Sony is already experimenting with downloads. I really think the DSi was for this purpose. Maybe Nintendo is seeing how this will play out. We already know the PSP Go is for this purpose. I think that's why both companies are keeping their old systems on the market and giving the consumers a choice.
But I also think that a downloadable future is still awhile away. Blu-Ray is the next step I think. And then it'll be downloads. That's how I see it going.
As for handhelds, I really believe the DS2 and the PSP2 may be fully downloads only. The DSi and the PSPGo is paving the way for this.
So to sum it up, I think consoles are still awhile away, but for handhelds I think it's sooner than we think.
I wouldn't mind if the next DS or PSP is fully downloads. I actually like it. I'm doing it right now with the PSP and it's great having some of my favorites all on one memory stick. No more changing UMDs. And for the DSi, I still need to pick up a modem to download stuff. But I'm sure it'll be also great.
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Now Playing: Golden Sun Dark Dawn, God of War Ghost of Sparta, and DKC Returns
Foolz said:This thread is very depressing!
Only if you read it. ^__^
Foolz said:This thread is very depressing!
Yeah, I agree. I note that all the people who are in favor of digital downloads come from the US and Canada. There are still countries like Australia that, while advanced in some ways, has a very primitive and resrictive broadband platform. As I have pointed out many times before I pay for the very best wireless access available in this country a $120 a month and I am still capped at 10 gig a month (DSL is not available where I live).
aspro73 said:Foolz said:This thread is very depressing!Yeah, I agree. I note that all the people who are in favor of digital downloads come from the US and Canada. There are still countries like Australia that, while advanced in some ways, has a very primitive and resrictive broadband platform. As I have pointed out many times before I pay for the very best wireless access available in this country a $120 a month and I am still capped at 10 gig a month (DSL is not available where I live).
i like digital downloads and i'm in a country where i can't even buy games off the PSN
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Listen to Wu-Tang and watch Kung-Fu
Archangel3371 said:
Yeah I seriously doubt any one of the big three won't let users transfer all of their stuff onto their next system. In fact I believe Microsoft have already said they would do this. The way things have developed this gen with having all these things digitally tied together to create your gaming identity ie. gamercard, gamerscore, achievements, games, etc. leads me to believe that backwards compatability and transferance from one system to the next will be more important then ever.
I dont know how the recession has affect Canada or the US but here in the UK large well known brands have gone into administration and disappeared. I hear that huge companies like General Motors were in the shit and large banks too.
So I guess what I'm saying is that, well remember when SEGA looked like they were going the way of the Dodo? What if that should happen to one of these companies and since we have no hard copies, once they're gone, they're gone?
What about cloud gaming where you dont even have a download saved? That will be the f-ing worst thing ever. Imagine if some idiot at the service loses your account details.
ASK_Story said:
I wouldn't mind if the next DS or PSP is fully downloads. I actually like it. I'm doing it right now with the PSP and it's great having some of my favorites all on one memory stick. No more changing UMDs. And for the DSi, I still need to pick up a modem to download stuff. But I'm sure it'll be also great.
I sort of like it too, having instant access, not having to wait for it in the mail or trudge out to the shops and being able to store all your games with you on the go. I'm not saying its a bad thing, just that as a collector I like the idea of having a solid product that only fire and theft can rip from my clutches.
Anyhow, new question for you.
ONCE GAMES ACHEIVE PHOTOREALISM, WHAT THEN?
I'm wondering. I think maybe that once games do acheive that there will be a move away from it and developers will go the other way and start making more fantastical games with unique art styles.
WHAT ABOUT DISPLAYS?
3-D tvs are being introduced next year and PS3s will work with them, some require you to wear shades. Will this be okay for glasses wearers? Is this the future? What about head sets? Does 3-D TV work at all angles for all people in a room?
Well if one of these companies were to go down you still have your digital copy of the game so nothing would really be different then having a hard copy of the game. Now this cloud idea like Onlive is something that I really don't like and I'm hoping it fails because I definitely don't like the idea of not owning a game digitally or hard copy and the thought of my gaming sessions totally relying on the state of my internet connection doesn't sit well with me.
3D TV's sounds interesting, but I honestly don't care much about it. It seems too gimmicky right now. Movies have been coming out in 3D for a few years now, and I haven't bothered to go see even one of them yet.
As a person who wears glasses, making me wear another pair of special 3D glasses over them would NOT make me happy, which is another reason why I haven't gone to see a 3D movie.
Ravenprose said:
As a person who wears glasses, making me wear another pair of special 3D glasses over them would NOT make me happy, which is another reason why I haven't gone to see a 3D movie.
I can relate to this statement.
SteelAttack said:Ravenprose said:
As a person who wears glasses, making me wear another pair of special 3D glasses over them would NOT make me happy, which is another reason why I haven't gone to see a 3D movie.I can relate to this statement.
is there anybody on this board who can't relate to that statement? ... GTFO NAO non-bespectacled freak
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Listen to Wu-Tang and watch Kung-Fu
bugsonglass said:SteelAttack said:Ravenprose said:
As a person who wears glasses, making me wear another pair of special 3D glasses over them would NOT make me happy, which is another reason why I haven't gone to see a 3D movie.I can relate to this statement.
is there anybody on this board who can't relate to that statement? ... GTFO NAO non-bespectacled freak
Yes, I cannot relate to this. I wear neither glasses nor contacts. My eyesight is excellent which is surprising given my many, many gaming years spent in front of a screen or monitor plus I am getting up there in age. Yup, a non-bespecaled freak and proud of it.
SteelAttack said:Ravenprose said:
As a person who wears glasses, making me wear another pair of special 3D glasses over them would NOT make me happy, which is another reason why I haven't gone to see a 3D movie.I can relate to this statement.
Me three. Not only that but extra glasses or headsets or visors can give you major headaches. It's like playing a game in the dark for too long, or listening to headphones for too long. Eventually you have to turn a light on.
Archangel3371 said:Yes, I cannot relate to this. I wear neither glasses nor contacts. My eyesight is excellent which is surprising given my many, many gaming years spent in front of a screen or monitor plus I am getting up there in age. Yup, a non-bespecaled freak and proud of it.bugsonglass said:SteelAttack said:Ravenprose said:
As a person who wears glasses, making me wear another pair of special 3D glasses over them would NOT make me happy, which is another reason why I haven't gone to see a 3D movie.I can relate to this statement.
is there anybody on this board who can't relate to that statement? ... GTFO NAO non-bespectacled freak
That's because you only play HD games whose definition has sharply defined your rods and cones to a razors edge.
Archangel3371 said:
Well if one of these companies were to go down you still have your digital copy of the game so nothing would really be different then having a hard copy of the game.
But it exists digitally? I've had numerous computers or laptops go down with non-recoverable hard drives. So if there was a way to have it physically, like burning a CD I wouldn't mind. Maybe consoles should have built in dvd writers? But you can only burn one copy. You hook up online when you first use it, its checked on the other end and then you lose the licence as you have your one copy burned on disc?
The recent story of independent retailers refusing to sell PSP Go's in Europe gave me a brief glimpse of the future today.
If we were to go the whole hog and have all games fully downloadable or cloud gaming, certain companies may have a stranglehold over the sale of these games. There would be no second hand market, no price wars, no bargains.
The VC currently worries me as its linked to a single wii. What happens if your system is stolen, or lost? What happens if the memory fails or if Nintendo goes bust and you can't re-download them?
The VC shows me why physical media is important, without it Rare games for instance cant appear on the VC, Goldeneye might not ever be seen again. Various games from companies now defunct are forever lost in time. As a collector of classic dvds its becoming painful to track down releases from old cartoons that might never be issued on dvd.
Aside from that. Where do you see the future of gaming in terms of graphics, control, distribution, narrative, all sorts?