Do you prefer disc or digital?

Digital all the way! I like being able to resell but its not that important to me. You get shit value out of most old games anyway. Digital is better for me because I have two Xbox One's. My wife occasionally plays games with me so I only need to buy one copy. When we bought Halo 4 I had to immediately buy two copies. Now I'm stuck with two Halo 4 titles that are worth nearly nothing. I know it sounds lazy but its so nice to switch games in an instant without getting up or going down stairs from my game room to grab another disc. Putting a disc in my Xbox One feels weird now and honestly I've never tried the disc drive on one of them lol. If Microsoft could have gone ahead with the idea of buying the physical disc and getting digital perks. The only time I've been burned by the digital version is COD Ghosts. It was so bad I wanted to get rid of it but couldn't. Lets just say I'm far more cautious about buying games now. I'll rent COD from Redbox tomorrow for 360 and decide if I'll buy it.

Edit: I miss out on deals which is another downfall but I just pay attention to deals on Xbox money. I recently bought $100 in Xbox cards for $80, thats about the best you can get for now. Retailers need to start selling digital copies.

Definitely disc... especially after all the troubles I've had pre-downloading Halo MCC.

One thing I hate is discs getting scratched up, Xbox discs were scratch magnets ( and I swear I take the outmost care when handling them ) so I ended up purchasing digital for Xbox and physical for PS3 ( blue rays don´t scratch as DVD/CD ).

Ever since my kids scratched up my madden 14 WiiU game everything is digital. Those plastic discs are antiquated anyway. Hopefully next gen won't even have disc drives.

I WANT TO PREFACE BY STATING I HAVE INCREDIBLY FAST INTERNET. My speed has nothing to do with my principles on this matter though as I'll explain below:

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It seems like I answer this every week. Physical retail Disc BY A LANDSLIDE.

You get better deals in stores (Target is having a B2G1F sale for instance on brand new games) and you avoid horrible issues like what happened with MasterChief Collection pre-loaders.

The biggest issue though is I like to be able to Lend my games, borrow games, gift my games when I'm done, or even sell my games in the future. Plus, I'm a collector. Why would I want a DD copy as a collector? Digital is worthless as a collection piece. I don't want digital comics or digital baseball cards for the same reasons.

Digital sucks save for one thing, convenience. That's all DD offers, but the trade offs are clearly not worth it. You spend more, you get less, and if you don't want it anymore, you are stuck with it since you can't give it away. You can delete it...what a waste.

You like Gamefly or renting games? If DD takes over, you can kiss that goodbye and the winner again is corporations.

Nah, I don't buy online games if there are physical copies. I like to be able to sell my games if I need to, or give them to friends and family. Or trade them. Can't do that with digital.

If consoles go the way of DD-DRM-ONLY in 20 years, I will become a 100% PC gamer. No point in consoles at that point imo as the one saving grace to me is the lack of DRM. PC gaming offers far more value per game, but you have to deal with pesky DD games and DRM. If they bring that to consoles, I'm going full PC.

What happens when Xbone's Xbox Live Service goes down to support Xbox 4 or Xbox 5? That's going to happen. What about the games you deleted to make room for other DD games? If you bought the physical games, there is no worries. As a gamer thinking in the LONGTERM, it's actually more convenient to be able to install your older Xbone games whenever YOU want to and not have to be concerned about having to RE-download them on a service, especially if that service is going defunct in the future.

I'm going to find one of my old posts and save me some time! :)

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As a collector and consumer who likes the ability to LEND/BORROW/TRADE/SELL/COLLECT/GIFT my games, the answer is a physical, hardcopy of the game...for ANY CONSOLE game that offers physical.

For any games that are released in RETAIL PHYSICAL form on consoles, I'll always buy the console versions. Digital Copies should be cheaper. The greedy companies have us store their game's on our HDDs (Last gen consoles especially), these companies save money not paying the retail middlemen royalties, they save money not shipping the game, they save money having us transport and download the game with our bandwidth (using our data caps!), they save money not printing on a Blu-Ray disc, they save money on not having to print a manual, and they save money not having to create a case with artwork, and they save money not having a potential used game making it's way to the market. THE COMPANIES WIN with every Digital Copy they sell, and consumers lose. Someone might proclaim, but Digital is the future! Well, guess what? That future isn't today and right now we have a better offering with non-DRM copies of physical console games to choose from.

One major reason I buy consoles and games is the lack of DRM. I own four gaming PCs and I use them mostly for exclusives and super cheap, on sale DD games. If I see a multiplat, I buy it on console the console version has no DRM and I am free to collect the game for later. Pass to my kids. Lend my games to friends and families with ease. Gift my games to my friends/family if I don't like the game or I'm done with it. Trade my games with friends/family for other games. Trade my games with companies or internet. Sell my games to friends/family/internet/companies. I am a PC gamer. I am a console gamer. If consoles go the way of DD-DRM-ONLY in 20 years, I will become a 100% PC gamer.

Right now, consoles big advantage is non-DRM physical copies of games, and I'm not about to throw that away for convenience or being lazy. If I really want to be lazy, I can buy a console physical copy off Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, Target, Gamestop, etc from the comfort of my home.

YET these companies charge us the same price as RETAIL PHYSICAL COPIES?...and we LOSE consumer rights like LENDING/BORROWING/TRADING/SELLING/COLLECTING/GIFTING the game? There is no incentive at all to justify a digital copy other than it's merely convenient. You give up too much and you pay too much and the companies laugh all the way to the bank. No thank you. Not to mention one day in the future Xbox Live for Xbone will be shut off and when those Xbone servers go down, so does support for Xbone digital games. They will release an Xbone 2 or Xbox 4 or whatever. They can't keep supporting ancient platforms forever. Why would I subject myself to corporate overlords when I don't have to? Why would I give up my rights to sell my games? Why would I pay more money for less? None of those problems are an issue with physical console games...which by the way many of these physical games I bought gain value over time, which won't happen with Digital copies. Case in point my Starcraft copy on PC vs. my physical starcraft copy on N64 (My N64 copy is a collector's item now worth $$$!). Same for my copy of Diablo 1 on PC vs. my physical copy of Diablo 1 on Playstation. My physical copies I've been offered over a $100 or more for these old console physical games. Those are two examples and I have many games worth a pretty penny. Thank god for physical copies.

None of this was meant to be offensive. Just a breakdown on why DD on consoles is bad for the industry and consumers.

It's too early for me to give you a definitive answer because this is the first gen I go 100% digital. Overall, I am finding it a lot more practical than buying physical dics, but I am not here to try to convince anybody of anything, I think it's great that we always have the option of going either Physical or Digital, because clearly there is strong support from each camp....it depends on your habits, for me it's working out great so far:

My reasons for liking digital are as follows:

-No physical space taken by digital games, games tied to your profile, much easier to move.

-No need to go to stores, wait in long lineups on launch days = tons of time gained....easier to participate in Midnight launches...I was playing COD AW at 12:05 yesterday, In Canada that's simply not possible if you buy disc. So because of digital, I have been able to participate in midnight launches finally.

-Digital cannot get damaged like a physical disc.

-Pre-loading-pre-installs only possible with Digital.

-Instant switching on Xbox One from One game to another is only possible with Digital(with disc, you have to swap disc), I love having all these games and being able to go seamlessly from one to another, without having to change discs. Disc drive gets no usage except for blue ray movies, so hopefully that would extend its lifecycle.

I never trade or lend my games, and I get most of what I want on day 1, so for me, digital has been pretty much nothing but positives.... there is nothing basically that I feel that I lost that I used to do in my 360 days, quite the opposite. Again, I'm not saying that one is better than the other, it's up to you to see which you think is better for you based on your gaming habits :)

I have to go with physical disk but I am not against digital copies. I like having the physical disk in my hand and I can trade it in when I am done with it.

I don't like a lot of clutter or searching for a disk to play a game. It reminds me of the pre-DVR era when we had to search for shows on video cassettes. I can pretty much guarantee this will be the last generation of consoles with optical drives.

Disk... Because its "Disky"....

Physical console games are better for consumers....especially in the long run.

Digital console games are better for companies...especially in the long run.

One day physical may be gone, but that day is not here today. People mention what they believe to be the future, but it doesn't matter right now.

Until that day, I'm here to tell you physical is the best option for a consumers, at least until DRM measures are loosened up and digital pricing goes down. I say this as someone that has been online sine the 1990's and I HAVE INCREDIBLY FAST INTERNET. Hell, great sales happen all the time with physical games and people are missing out. I won't listen to a corporation telling me to buy digital if I don't have too. These greedy companies of course want everyone buying digital (bye bye used games, rentals, etc), but these greedy companies are doing a poor job of enticing the majority of consumers other than offering convenience.

If I'm REALLY lazy, I'll just order the game online and have it shipped to me. I waited 2+ years for games, I can wait another day. No rush. If there is a rush, I'll get priority shipping. There is no award getting it first, and if there is, I've been to dozens of midnight launches and the best part was being surrounded by fellow gamers and chatting...all gone with digital as well. Same high prices, none of the physical benefits, you get less and you pay more.

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EDIT, I found my post from last week which breaks it down:

As a collector and consumer who likes the ability to LEND/BORROW/TRADE/SELL/COLLECT/GIFT my games, the answer is a physical, hardcopy of the game...for ANY CONSOLE game that offers physical.

For any games that are released in RETAIL PHYSICAL form on consoles, I'll always buy the console versions. Digital Copies should be cheaper. The greedy companies have us store their game's on our HDDs (Last gen consoles especially), these companies save money not paying the retail middlemen royalties, they save money not shipping the game, they save money having us transport and download the game with our bandwidth (using our data caps!), they save money not printing on a Blu-Ray disc, they save money on not having to print a manual, and they save money not having to create a case with artwork, and they save money not having a potential used game making it's way to the market. THE COMPANIES WIN with every Digital Copy they sell, and consumers lose. Someone might proclaim, but Digital is the future! Well, guess what? That future isn't today and right now we have a better offering with non-DRM copies of physical console games to choose from.

One major reason I buy consoles and games is the lack of DRM. I own four gaming PCs and I use them mostly for exclusives and super cheap, on sale DD games. If I see a multiplat, I buy it on console the console version has no DRM and I am free to collect the game for later. Pass to my kids. Lend my games to friends and families with ease. Gift my games to my friends/family if I don't like the game or I'm done with it. Trade my games with friends/family for other games. Trade my games with companies or internet. Sell my games to friends/family/internet/companies. I am a PC gamer. I am a console gamer. If consoles go the way of DD-DRM-ONLY in 20 years, I will become a 100% PC gamer.

Right now, consoles big advantage is non-DRM physical copies of games, and I'm not about to throw that away for convenience or being lazy. If I really want to be lazy, I can buy a console physical copy off Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, Target, Gamestop, etc from the comfort of my home.

YET these companies charge us the same price as RETAIL PHYSICAL COPIES?...and we LOSE consumer rights like LENDING/BORROWING/TRADING/SELLING/COLLECTING/GIFTING the game? There is no incentive at all to justify a digital copy other than it's merely convenient. You give up too much and you pay too much and the companies laugh all the way to the bank. No thank you. Not to mention one day in the future Xbox Live for Xbone will be shut off and when those Xbone servers go down, so does support for Xbone digital games. They will release an Xbone 2 or Xbox 4 or whatever. They can't keep supporting ancient platforms forever. Why would I subject myself to corporate overlords when I don't have to? Why would I give up my rights to sell my games? Why would I pay more money for less? None of those problems are an issue with physical console games...which by the way many of these physical games I bought gain value over time, which won't happen with Digital copies. Case in point my Starcraft copy on PC vs. my physical starcraft copy on N64 (My N64 copy is a collector's item now worth $$$!). Same for my copy of Diablo 1 on PC vs. my physical copy of Diablo 1 on Playstation. My physical copies I've been offered over a $100 or more for these old console physical games. Those are two examples and I have many games worth a pretty penny. Thank god for physical copies.

None of this was meant to be offensive. Just a breakdown on why DD on consoles is bad for the industry and consumers.

EDIT 2, I already commented in this thread. I must be tired as I thought this was a new thread and there have been A LOT of Digital vs. Physical threads lately.

I favor discs, but I also like having the option of DD. A DD only console is anti-consumer, because there's no way around the company's prices and policies. With both disc and DD, the consumer gets the freedom of both worth worlds. He can own the game he went to a store and paid for, or he can give up his rights for the convenience of downloading straight to his machine.

disk by far

same here

Digital.

Reason I don't like digital my internet is fast but on my Xbox One Assassin's Creed: Black Flag has been downloading for 9 hours and at 46%

Okay that's it I hate downloads I'm not downloading anything, it's going to take a damn week. I'll just stick with the discs.

I like discs. Why didn't they make all Xbox one consoles with a 1 TB HD if digital is the way things are going? How many games can you fit? Seems like the two AC games I got with my console will take up a good chunk of my 500 GB HD.

Disc. I bought it, I own it, it's mine. I love the feeling of unwrapping a new game. Maybe there's a manual I'll look at while it's installing, sometimes there isn't but I can see the game, put it on my shelf and then go play it.

Digital: there's something on a hard drive somewhere. It's there now, but when it's gone, it's gone.

Nope to that now and forever.

I don't really have too much of a preference but for the sake of poll I say disc strictly because I do trade games in from time to time if I know I will never play them again and I use that value to help purchase the next game(s) I buy.

Disc by far.

Buying & downloading digital versions of games definitely seems more practical. But in the end having a grand, physical collection of games is way more satisfying in my opinion.

I prefer digital, but I have very fast internet. Plus discs can be lost, stolen, or damaged; and I still regret a lot of the trade-ins I've made.

I do like collecting though. I get my fix with ps1 and snes RPGs. Collecting modern games just isn't exciting since digital distribution is just way more practical.

What is your internet speed? Mine is 2.87 Mpbs but it seems like it takes all of eternity to download and waiting days for 20+ GBs game to finish downloading is just not practical, I'd much rather wait for it to come on a disc in the mail and I can just pop it in and play.

Digital because I am lazy and I impulse buy. My hard drives are getting full up though.

Disc for console. I can trade in, no or less download time and I can always delete a game and install it later.

Digital for PC games however.

Disc

Well I just finished downloading and Installing Warframe, I let the download run all night and it took 10 hours to download and another 5 hours to update *facepalms*, nearly 7 GB for the main download that's not so bad but if I had of know that the update was so large I wouldn't have even bothered downloading Warframe, it was free and I live to tell about it haha. Xbox updates don't bother me because they only take like 15 minutes or less on my internet. But I still really hate download waits they take forever.

I prefer a physical copy of a game over a digital one.

Physical disc, so many more options you can do with a physical copy when you're done with a game plus it's cool having a collection you can display. If I had super fast internet I wouldn't mind trying out digital.

with how slow downloads are on xbox one im gonna go with disc

and the games are also taking up a ton of space as well which is scary

plus the games online are more expensive sometimes than if u just order a disc from somewhere

That's something that I really don't understand, why mandatory installs? What's the point? Back when I used to have my PS2, Xbox 360 the only data it installed on the system was save and update data which made sense, I had PS3 too but I don't remember if installs were mandatory on it.

I prefer disc but I can see the plus points for digital.

Disc.. that I could stack up on my shelves :)

I love the convenience of digital downloads/distribution. I was skeptical with the possibility (and/or inevitability) of a digital-only future however, Steam made me a believer and slowly but surely it seems as if PSN and XBL are following suite (albeit very slowly) with the integration of PS Plus and Games/Deals with Gold, along with their regular sales and specials.

I used to love physical discs, but as a gamer who's constantly on the move - it isn't practical carrying 350+ discs with me wherever I go. So yeah, I have made the switch to digital and I don't think I'll be looking back.

I understand internet speed and data allowances can be a factor for a lot of people and granted my internet connection here in AustraliaLand isn't exactly world-class record-breaking but it's decent enough and it does the job so yeah, again, I'm very happy to have switched to digital. LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!

Plus, NO DISC SWITCHING YO!!

Digital is convenient, such as on steam, where i don't have to keep putting disks in and swapping them out. Especially on games i play a lot, such as Shogun 2 and Skyrim Legendary edition. However, i prefer discs. Example both Shogun 2 and Skyrim i bought that came with the disc and booklet and case etc. Both games though run off steam which doesn't require or even need the disc to install or play. I prefer this method. Besides, Steam is godlike. And most PC games use it nowadays, unless its an EA product which then i refuse to install Origin. But like my original point, i think having the disc and the case etc but require steam, if a happy medium for both the consumer and the developer or publisher. Digital has major flaws though for the consumer, if you buy a game for 60$ you can't sell it. You're stuck with the game, and the game company gets to keep most of the profits. Any consumer should be allowed to sell the product they have bought. If i buy a TV i should be allowed to sell it. If i buy a book i should be allowed to sell it. For me 100% digital is just a way of companies farming and milking the paying customers and ensuring the have all control over you and your purchase. Granted if you buy a pre owned game. The video game company doesn't see any of that profit, they only get the profit from when that game is bought new once. But developers shouldn't make crappy games, slap a 60$ price tag and expect people to buy it new, and never trade it in. Some games i would never buy new for example. Others i would, Skyrim for example or another other Elder Scrolls games, are for me at least, 60$ games that are well worth the money you spend on them. Games that have a six hour story mode, and online that no one plays after three months. Aren't worth it. I'd would never pay 60$ for a God of War Game, the replay value just isn't there. It's not like Mario Kart, or Smash bros, where the replay value is very high. A game like Left 4 dead, which has loads of replay value are worth the money. Would i buy it digital? if i was to buy it on PC, and considering past installments are awesome yeah. But if you expect me to buy a digital only game for 60$ for something i have no idea if i will like or not, then no. Not unless we get the option to play digital games for free for an hour or so. What happened to Demos? A lot of my past purchases were based on Demos. But the conception from developers is that demos cut sales in half. Well no duh, they do it the game is bad. Sure Demos don't reflect the actual product. But don't release Demos that reflect the game, especially when the full version of the game still plays like the demo or some rough beta or alpha.

I'll always prefer an actual hard disc to a digital game. Even if the game is played on steam. I still like the satisfaction of having the game on my shelf. Yet at the same time developers shouldn't make crappy games and then complain when no one buys them. Better yet, people should be wiser when they spend there money on a game. I would never sell or trade any of my games. Even the ones i don't play any more. That's why my money is money well spent, i buy actual good games.

Whichever I prefer, I'm gonna need a larger HDD, thankfully I could get like a external 2TB HDD for like $80 or so. Just have to remember that it use USB 3.0 for game storage. Installing games is such a painstakingly slow process I'm gonna want that extra space so I don't have to do it again and again when switching between games.

Both have their advantages, physical retail discs often beat digital in pricing, you can lend them to friends, they look great on the shelf with the collection. You can trade it. It'll help speed up installation by needing to download less.

Digital though has the great advantage of not needing to swap out discs, your game is always retained digitally online. Microsoft has really good rights retention as well, like if your console dies, is stolen, if you want to trade in in, tying rights to your new console is so easy.

As for me, I don't trade my games so that's not so much an issue. But I get discs mainly due to pricing, they generally get much cheaper than digital. It should be the opposite, as there's less productiong and distribution costs, no retailer cut, no MSRP price adjustments, no used games, etc, digital should always undercut physical retail. If that were the case I'd probably buy digital more, hell personally I'd prefer it if it weren't for the price issue.

Disc.....

Disc. I don't trust that I will have access to the digital games forever; some day the servers that are hosting those games will be taken down.

Discs

Digital for me, by a long shot. Being able to jump between games without switching discs, not having to drive to GameStop or wait for one to come in the mail when purchasing, and having it stored in a digital locker where it can't be lost or damaged are huge advantages for me. I know you lose to ability to resell, but I've never really been big into trading in games; I prefer to build libraries and revisit my favorites from time to time. Physical discs also have some other price advantages, but digital sales are getting better (Microsoft had some good deals on the Xbox Store this past weekend; my brother picked up some decent titles for about $5 apiece).

I prefer discs but have nothing against digital downloads. If I had better internet I would probably go digital but since I don't I will stick to buying my games from Best Buy, Gamestop or Kijiji.

I prefer digital for the ease and convenience, but like to have a hard copy with for resale if I want and just piece of mind.

Huh...my old post was deleted. That's a shame, it was a thorough and comprehensive breakdown on the two.

With games now running of HDDs it hardly makes a difference which you go with in terms of end operation. But at least with a disc I can sell the game on some day. I prefer digital for imported games as it saves me having to wait a few days for a package to arrive from the other side of the planet.

Disc. I do my research on all games and I don't usually buy games I think will disappoint me but once in a while it happens. With a disc, it can at least be traded in if that happens.

I'm still 50/50 on this question.

I'll make a quick table to show the Pros and Cons based upon my experience.

Thanks,

Justin

I prefer discs, and usually buy games on disc if it is an option on the One. But I also buy a lot of download-only games, and it's nice to have some games on my system so I don't have to constantly switch discs to play something else. I decided to buy Minecraft as a download instead of a disc, but it really depends on the game. If Microsoft were to release their own console MMO and I were to play it, I might just buy the downloadable version.

Disc because you have a physical collection