All publishers are trying to sell their game in digital format on some site or the other. Some are even exclusively available as downloads. How much royalty do they get if you buy a disk copy of their game from let's say Bestbuy vs downloading it off of a digital distributor like Steam? I mean even Steam isn't free, companies like EA don't own Steam and still have to pay Valve to host their games.

If I understand correctly, Steam gets around 30% of each sale.

setting aside all of the general marketing expenses which result in both digital and retail sales, In the case of retail, there are some extra costs:

• manufacturing/shipping ($1-2 per unit excluding special editions)
  
• retailer margin $10-15 per unit (wholesale price is cheaper than retail price)
  
• retailer co-op advertising costs (varies according to retailer)
  
• massive returns possible with key retailers such as Wal-Mart, resulting in additional inventory management costs

I personally prefer retail as I like actually holding the game and I always feel like it's safer for some reason...besides Digital CEs aren't nearly as good as actual CEs. You couldn't get a Septim through a download :celebration:

There was one article I read quite some time ago, and unfortunately can no longer find, that was an indie developer talking about the pros and cons of retail and digital distribution. The biggest point it made was that while he was in a meeting with, I believe, gamestop, where they told him that there wasn't enough demand, he made over 40 sales on steam. The other major point was actual profit. I can't remember the exact figures, but it was as extreme as steam taking 20%, and at retail the developer would *get* 20%.

I prefer download. Less junk laying around. With my xbox it's convenient to not have to change discs as well.

Console games, retail. PC games, download. It's easier for me and deals/packages happen more often and better than if I were to buy it at a retailer.

I haven't bought any Collectors Editions, so that doesn't bother/sway me in my decision.

I completely agree. Since buying a few games on Steam, I've decided I will never purchase another boxed version of any game (or any retail music CDs, for that matter). When I had problems with my old laptop and went through few loaners and new laptops over a period of a few months last year, it was tremendously convenient to have Steam and Dropbox installed. (Don't own any game consoles, only a laptop.)

I have Netflix streaming/mail service and have kept my blu-ray purchases down to just a handful of favorite films that I actually watch regularly.

The quantity of physical discs, junk and similar stuff that I own is much lower than it was during the 1990's.

I like to have a physical product. Also I think the digital versions take the piss with the prices. Assassin's Creed Brotherhood for example is ￡29.99 on Steam yet the PS3 version is ￡27 on Amazon and the PC DVD version is ￡23.99. Fallout New Vegas on Steam: ￡29.99. PC and console versions on Amazon: ￡13.99. Digital versions should be significantly cheaper.

Not interested in downloading.. limited bandwidth..

I agree. It's what you have just said you can't have the Septim coin in a download, so I prefer retail and I will continue to purchase retailed games as long they're available. :yes:

http://www.gamestop.com/pc/games/the-witcher-2-assassins-of-kings-collectors-edition/88308 :celebration:

Plus I love the smell of a new box and manual.

For those of you who buy retail, are you able to throw away your retail product after installation?

(In other words, do the publishers usually provide some sort of key so you can download again if you get rid of the physical disc?)

My friend dislikes Gamestop now, or at least the one in his area. He went in to get a specialty controller and the guy diddnt know if it was wireless or wired. So my friend was hassling him to open the box to find out. The guy diddnt want to. So my friend stoped talking and walked towards the guy, the employee there called at him and said to wait, and the guy finally opened up the box.



Most to all games nowadays come with some type of key/key registration.

Never registered a product, not sure if that works as proof of purchase.

No idea. But why would you want to do that?

Part of the reason I like retail (besides the whole "I like having it physically in my hands) is the whole avoidance of having to download crazy huge amounts of stuff on crappy internet lines.

Maybe if we had an actual modern broadband system, run like a public utility (instead of this patchwork of semi-monopolies who have no reason to provide uniformly good service everywhere) it might be reasonable, but as it is, I don't like downloading even a 1GB thing. Certainly won't be frequently downloading 5-10+GB games.

Blasphemy! :stare:

If it's a Steam game, it will have a Steam key that you can enter into Steam and add it to your games library.

I prefer retail, but I won't rule out digital distribution if the prices are good. That said, I like having that option and would never support a gaming system that's 100% digital distribution.

I like my physical media. There's a greater sense of ownership when it's something that I can hold in my hands, not tied to any sort of online platform/account that may, however unlikely, pull that content out from under me. Plus there's a part of me that just enjoys collecting games. I've bought physical copies of games that I already had digitally, some of which will probably never be played. Hoarding is mostly pointless, but it's fun.

Around 10 years ago, I ripped all my CDs into .mp3s and threw them away.

I imagine I would do the same today if I had any retail games in boxed versions, as long as I could be assured of being able to get a digital copy in the future if necessary.

That depends.

Some games I buy retail, like Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim.
But most games in the last year were download games from Steam.
They are just so cheap when they have midweek or weekend deal or similar.
I'm so happy that I got 'Kings Bounty: The Legend' AND 'Kings Bounty: Armored Princess' for 15€ or so via Steam last year (I think that was a midweek deal or so).

Retail all the way. If I don't like it, I can trade it or sell it. Likewise, I can buy/trade a used game from someone who doesn't want it anymore.

The huge push for digital: It's all about crushing the third-party market, make no bones about it.

With PC games, I'm finding digital to be very nice, not to mention cheaper. Steam has been quite nice to me also.

I have seventeen full games on my xbox hdd, gotta say it is pretty convenient.

Depends on the game for me, I guess. If it's a really big-name game I've been waiting for forever, I like a physical copy. If it's just some cool game I found while browsing, I'll snag the usually much cheaper digital.

Moot question for me right now, since I'm on 26.4k dial-up connection, which negates any possibility of downloading games. However, I can safely say that even if I had a good internet connection, that I will ALWAYS prefer retail physical copies over digital. I like to hold the game in my hands, and actually read the manual(It's just not the same downloading and printing a manual, or staring at my computer screen reading it. Can't take my computer to bed with me and read it while lying down and getting sleepy). The only exception would be is if a game is strictly digital but looks to be really good, if I had an internet connection that was viable I'd probably download it, but I wouldn't be happy, not to mention there is always a good chance it would eventually get released on a cd/dvd anyways(like Amnesia, I just saw that game in Gamestop a few days ago, sitting on a shelf!)

To add to that, another major piece of appeal for digital is no competition for shelf space, especially for PC games, whose sections seem to be shrinking in many stores. A game available for download is not going to be bumped off the shelf by newer games and promptly vanish from the company's income, but instead can be bought just as easily for years to come. This is especially useful for indie games or games that are simply non-blockbusters, and allows them to make sales when in retail they may not have been stocked at all.

For PC games I like Steam. It's convenient, it's cheap, and I honestly prefer never having to use a disc. The last part is what does it for me. None of my games on Steam need a bloody disc in the drive to play, which saves me the trouble of rooting around shady places looking for No-CD cracks, or making backup copies of my games because I'm afraid the disc will scratch. I mean hell, I've gone through about four copies of Morrowind this decade from sheer overuse of the discs.

When it comes to handhelds though I like physical games. I know the PSPGo tried to do the digital distribution thing, but I can't see it ever working. I like the tactile feel and robust nature of the plastic cartridges, and having a little case filled with them is almost like having a bookshelf filled with books. It appeals to something.

Now if PC games started coming on solid state media like flash drives or cartridges I'd be all over it. Come on, imagine a sweet Skyrim USB stick that looks like a daedric dagger or has the dragon language runes all over it.

Maybe I just don't like CDs and DVDs anymore. They're too shiny and impersonal.