Will Fallout 3 New Vegas be available for download the day of the release or do I need to buy a boxed copy?

I'm assuming you mean with Steam?

More than likely, you'll be able to pre-load the game on Steam. If not, then it will be released really early. Mafia II was released at around 9PM(PST) on Monday, so you could download it and leave your computer on over night if that's the case.

As I understood it, you can pre-download it the day before, then right at midnight (probably midnight for Steam's server time) it will download the final assets then you can play!

yeah I hope there will be a preload on steam so I dont have to wait a second longer than I would have to

When I went on there it said that it was four days after the nineteenth

its not Fallout 3 New Vegas, just Fallout New Vegas.

One good thing about ordering from Amazon with Release Day Delivery is avoiding the Server Ques on release day.

Yeah, I'm taking my chances with release-day retail. I'll pop out at lunchtime and grab the CE if they have it, and the regular version otherwise.

Then I won't be able to concentrate on my work for the rest of the day, and I won't be able to resist opening it up to look at the manual and graphic novel. Maybe I'll go home early. :ninja:

I was able to download Mafia 2 on steam exactly on midnight (EST).

I hope that we can Pre-load the game a couple of days (or a week ) before release like R.U.S.E.

it bugs me when people do that.

I think this is why I'm buying the boxed copy, usually whenever I pre-order I get the game the day before its scheduled for release.
Which is always good!
So I didnt want to have to wait that extra day...

However after saying this there will undoubtedly be some sort of postal strike and I will end up getting it for Christmas.

I'm hoping they do the pre-load thing because I pre-ordered my version right after they anounced their pre-order stuff (coincedence not reason lol) and I really really want to play it asap on release day. Usually the server slowdown from large number of people downloading the game isnt much of an issue due to the often decent length for pre-loading, so lets hope it stays that way and I don't trust the postal system here as the UK uses Royal Mail for most stuff and they're somewhat slow.

It's a Steamworks game and highly anticipated, you might even pre-load it on Steam.