I think we can all agree that gaming isn’t quite ready to go all digital. There are still some benefits to having the option to purchase games at retail or digitally, but that seems to be disappearing very quickly. At least, that’s the case for Master Race gaming.
According to research from DFC Intelligence, who handed some findings over to PC Retail, around 92% of all PC games purchased last year were bought digitally. The findings take into account all PC games sold worldwide in 2013, which means that we’re far closer to a digital-only future than you might expect. Or, at the very least, we’re closer to never needing retail again.
As expected, Steam is the primary reason for this, with a robust digital store and sales that give wallet everywhere nightmares. Steam – and many other portals for digital downloads – really make getting into a car and driving to a store for a game seem prehistoric, although there are still some cases where that is the better choice.
Earlier this year I bought Wolfenstein: The New Order at retail on PC, purely because the exchange rate conversion for new titles on Steam is ridiculous at the moment. That wasn’t the case a few years ago, but having the option to still go retail saved me quite a bit of money.
That’s why, despite the inconvenience, there should always be a second option. Still, it seems people aren’t as against a digital-only future as the internet would like you to believe.
Last Updated: August 25, 2014
Admiral Chief Assassin
August 25, 2014 at 10:32
My library and backlog agrees with you
Kromas of City17
August 25, 2014 at 10:57
I just bought the new humble bundle and I bet you I will never even get to install those games. 😛
DrKiller
August 25, 2014 at 15:38
How come? Not even one of those games with Trading Cards? 😀
Kromas of City17
August 25, 2014 at 15:40
DayZ + MMO + Kerbal = no time for other games. 😛
FoxOneZA
August 25, 2014 at 10:35
A certain retail store that runs a digital store has ridiculous prices in the digital store.
Mossel
August 25, 2014 at 10:39
I only buy physical copies if I am a real fan of the game or franchise. Or, like you mentioned, if you buy the game at release it makes more sense to buy from retail. On steam new games are $59.99. Retail you can probably get it for about R450.
Alien Emperor Trevor
August 25, 2014 at 10:40
I like digital because it’s very convenient for me, and seeing as I don’t buy day one anymore I can usually get it a lot cheaper that way too. When I used to I always shopped around & it was around 50/50 whether the physical or digital version was cheaper at pre-order time. I got Borderlands 2 & Dark Souls at the same time, B2 was cheaper digitally & DS physically.
Ross Woofels Mason
August 25, 2014 at 10:51
Yeah agreed.
I have picked up games cheaper digitally after a few months than they are second hand at retail.
Sith JJ
August 25, 2014 at 10:51
Funny enough, did you see how strange EA’s pricing is on Origin? It’s in Rands, which seems nice at first, but some of those games are R800. Then the physical copy is R500.
Skyblue
August 25, 2014 at 10:52
Same on the console front but vice versa. BT Games retailing The Last of Us Remastered at R800 and it’s R540 on PSN, ridiculous.
Sith JJ
August 25, 2014 at 10:54
And Steam and Origin is also out of sync. Shift 2 is R100 on Origin, $19.99 on Steam. But then other games are cheaper on Steam than it is on Origin.
Either way. I’m still buying on Steam. Origin can suck it.
Skyblue
August 25, 2014 at 10:57
Preach it.
Kromas of City17
August 25, 2014 at 11:09
After what I went through with UPlay I have been giving Origin a hell of a lot of leeway lately. Still prefer Steam though.
Sith JJ
August 25, 2014 at 11:09
Me too actually. But all my buying happens on Steam.
Ross Woofels Mason
August 25, 2014 at 13:07
I thought EA and Steam stopped playing nice, so that EA titles wont be coming to steam anymore? Could be the reason for the out of whack pricing.
Alien Emperor Trevor
August 25, 2014 at 10:53
I’ve never looked at their pricing 😉 I have however looked at ME3 DLC & it’s still priced in stupid Bioware points.
UltimateNinjaPandaDudeGuy
August 25, 2014 at 10:42
I wait for sales on Steam anyway. I am ready for full digital, but I do like a nice collector’s edition.
If they add awesome stuff into a Collector one then I am up for that too!
Also I imagine full digital being better for the environment.
Sith JJ
August 25, 2014 at 10:49
The last hard copy game I bought was FarCry 3. On release.
Ross Woofels Mason
August 25, 2014 at 10:50
I have pretty much gone digital on everything. The last time I bought a retail copy of a game across any system was in March.
My main reason for this is I just cannot handle the clutter anymore. I am not a collector by any means, get no joy out of having all my cases lined up nicely and displayed. I generally forget about it. Never mind all the useless crap I collected over the years buying “Collectors Editions” because I had more money than sense at that time.
I find it far easier to just sit down click on an Icon and play, All I want to do is play games I don’t want any of the other stuff.
Download times also don’t phase me at all these days, like Wolfenstien took me two days to download but really did not bother me all that much.
Steam is hands down the best service for this but the console stores are catching up slowly.
theseasonswither
August 25, 2014 at 10:53
My only issue with all digital is the download speed we have here.
It hurts… so much…
Sith JJ
August 25, 2014 at 10:55
True. But luckily I’m never in that much of a rush to play.
Just put it on overnight and all is good.
theseasonswither
August 25, 2014 at 10:57
Overnight?
I’m lucky if I can get an 8GB game downloaded non stop over 48 hours 🙁
Pity I can’t use my work connection… 20GB in 8 hours… 🙁
Sith JJ
August 25, 2014 at 10:58
Eish. Okay. Then it’s quite a problem. I don’t know where you live, but in Cape Town, or at least the northern subs, I’ve never had a single problem. Always smooth sailing.
theseasonswither
August 25, 2014 at 11:09
I’m out in Blouberg.
Let’s put it this way: Telkom sent out contractors to install my line because we were “too far out” for them to do it… 😐
Sith JJ
August 25, 2014 at 11:09
Wow. That’s quite bad
theseasonswither
August 25, 2014 at 11:10
But at least I have DSL. Gotta look on the bright side.
Kromas of City17
August 25, 2014 at 11:11
Have you tried wireless internet? I would rather not ever use adsl again. Well not in SA at least.
theseasonswither
August 25, 2014 at 11:14
I did. I had a Telkom 3G Dongle and could only ever get Edge.
Forget about even loading a webpage when the weather was bad.
Kromas of City17
August 25, 2014 at 11:17
Wireless not CDMA. Aka same tech as wifi (IEEE802 standard). It basically uses a directional wifi signal to reach a wifi AP on the other side of the ISP or Wisp. Works like a dream and no cable theft ever!
theseasonswither
August 25, 2014 at 11:19
Sounds like CTWUG, which is still something I’m looking into.
Kromas of City17
August 25, 2014 at 11:20
WUG’s use the exact same tech but a Wisp is an ISP that pretty much give you internet using that tech. It is great just the initial install costs a bit (R300 I think). then again I bought and installed the equipment myself with loads of complaints from my Wisp. 😛
theseasonswither
August 25, 2014 at 15:52
What’s your ping like?
Does the signal degrade in bad weather?
Relative speeds vs DSL?
Kromas of City17
August 25, 2014 at 16:01
4Mb uncapped unshaped mweb gaming servers ping of between 4 and 7. No signal loss due to rain as rain does not really effect microwave signals that much but lightning does however cause the signal to go wonky every now and then ( like a 5 ms spike depending on how far the lightning is … generally if it is very close I unplug so I never check.)
This is a test I just ran from work so teamviever is messing with the actual speeds. Still quite inpressive ping though.
Kromas of City17
August 25, 2014 at 16:01
oops here is the test.
theseasonswither
August 25, 2014 at 17:48
What would you be paying for said service?
Kromas of City17
August 25, 2014 at 18:36
Uncapped it is R900 a month with a current ISP..Add about 5 extra ms ping though. Uncapped unshaped is R2500 and well worth it. I never have lag issues unless there is interference but I just call them and they switch me to a cleaner frequency in 5 mins flat and that happens only once in a while.
Sith JJ
August 25, 2014 at 11:15
I’m on ADSL, never had a second’s worth of problems. Yet.
Kromas of City17
August 25, 2014 at 16:03
Some people are just lucky I guess. I have had many issues plus cable theft so I gave up on telkom ages ago.
Marc O Polo
August 25, 2014 at 21:23
telkom uses sub contractors cus the got rid off all the ppl that know what they doing and then realised they needed to get ppl to actually do the jobs, most of the subcontractors are ex telkom employees.
Kromas of City17
August 25, 2014 at 10:57
Bought wolf at the store for the sweet sweet lanyard.
Sith JJ
August 25, 2014 at 10:57
I’m a sucker for extras, I must admit. Then I’d buy physical without second guessing it.
Kromas of City17
August 25, 2014 at 10:58
Yeah I got 2 copies of the Witcher Extreme awesome edition also known as the Crying wallet Edition. 😛
Alien Emperor Trevor
August 25, 2014 at 11:04
My wallet just cringed at the memory.
There, there it’s okay. It won’t happen again, unless Cyberpunk 2077 looks really good.
Kromas of City17
August 25, 2014 at 11:05
Uhm … on a slightly earlier timetable …. DA:I. Plus I need to ship it in from America.
Travis
August 25, 2014 at 11:11
Loved my New Vegas T shirt.
Travis
August 25, 2014 at 10:57
Do you guys all have uncapped ADSL, because its not just the speed that is slow here, but the cost of data is more of a problem
Kromas of City17
August 25, 2014 at 10:59
Uncapped wireless. That being said I pay quite a bit more for 4ms pings to local game servers. (too bad it does not really increase my skills as much as I had hoped. 😛 )
Sith JJ
August 25, 2014 at 11:01
Well, I don’t have television. So for less than what most people spend on DSTV and that kak I have 4meg uncapped, which does well enough to service all my entertainment needs.
Travis
August 25, 2014 at 11:02
I agree, internet much higher priority than DSTV.
Kromas of City17
August 25, 2014 at 11:19
is DSTV even a priority at all? 😛
Kromas of City17
August 25, 2014 at 11:19
is DSTV even a priority at all? 😛
Travis
August 25, 2014 at 11:21
Only watch 3 channels, BusinessDayTV, CNBC Africa, Food Network.
Kromas of City17
August 25, 2014 at 11:22
Food Network … now I am hungry. Ill just quickly go watch an epsiode of Epic Meal Time on youtube. That fills me up quite well. 😛
FoxOneZA
August 25, 2014 at 11:12
You heard that 20mpbs VDSL will be dropping to R299pm?
Sith JJ
August 25, 2014 at 11:13
O_O
What’s the line rentail on that?
Sith JJ
August 25, 2014 at 11:14
Wait, misread the VDSL.
Sounds good though.
FoxOneZA
August 25, 2014 at 11:16
Same price as 4meg. Heard that 4meg will replace the 2meg lines.
Sith JJ
August 25, 2014 at 11:18
I thought they already had
I was automatically switched from 2 to 4.
FoxOneZA
August 25, 2014 at 11:19
Nope. 1mb users were switched to 2mb and 2mb to 4mb.
Sith JJ
August 25, 2014 at 11:23
Oh. I see. Well, that’s good news for all.
I’m sure Afrihost still has 1 meg options. I thought they were supposed to be gone.
Alien Emperor Trevor
August 25, 2014 at 11:02
I forked out for uncapped, paying per gig would end up costing me more. Plus the convenience is nice.
Skyblue
August 25, 2014 at 11:04
I burn through around 500 gigs of data p/m. I need a premium account for it and it’s not cheap.
Travis
August 25, 2014 at 11:06
Wow, thats a lot of data, I probably only use about 50gb p/m.
FoxOneZA
August 25, 2014 at 11:11
Option 1: R99pm 2mbps Uncapped and Unshaped between 5pm and 8am and all weekend on Incredible Connection ISP.
Option 2: R229pm for 10gb bandwith that becomes uncapped between 0:00 and 7am daily with Telkom and price includes ADSL Line Rental.
Sorted 😛
Travis
August 25, 2014 at 11:13
Good to know.
Ryanza
August 25, 2014 at 12:57
It’s not R99 anymore
Ryanza
August 25, 2014 at 11:01
Most PC games you need to activate it with the internet. Seeing as most people in the world doesn’t have internet, I can see why people are not buying PC games at retail anymore.
Saying 92% out of 100% of PC gamers with internet means nothing when compared to those with no internet what would have / wanted to buy the PC game but can’t.
So adding a major requirement like internet activation to retail games and wondering why sales have dried up. Imagine buying a CD and having to connect to the internet before it will play. Imagine buying a movie and having it connect to the internet before it plays. Imagine buying a car and it has to connect to the internet before it will start.
As it stands, PC games are not meant for the masses and that is why PC games won’t sell well at retail.
Don’t support DRM.
Travis
August 25, 2014 at 11:08
Hmmm, not sure about that, in this day and age surely most people with a PC have internet, or on their phone at least.
Anon A Mouse
August 25, 2014 at 11:13
I hope you’re not suggesting that I use the internet service on my phone to download a game. Or even the day one patch.
I don’t have internet at home, therefor retail will always makes sense to me. I also want to actually own the game I play, rather than renting it until they shut down the servers. Then again I’m a peasant so what do I know.
Travis
August 25, 2014 at 11:14
I meant just to activate it, forgot about the patches though.
Kromas of City17
August 25, 2014 at 11:14
That does not really matter. I have a group of people who rely on me downloading and backing up my steam games so they can just quickly use their phones to activate it and then install from my backups. As they say “‘n Boer maak ‘n plan”
Ryanza
August 25, 2014 at 11:24
Seeing as a PC doesn’t require internet to work, there are much more PC owners without internet.
Mobile internet costs a lot of money and seeing as every game now a days comes with a day one patch or an update that’s close to 1gig or more than 1 gig, that is not a option for a lot of people.
It is just easier and cheaper to buy a console game. Why do you think there was such a big outcry when Microsoft wanted to DRM their console. Why do you think the Xbox One is not selling so well, because it needs the internet before it can work offline.
If the masses can’t get access, then it won’t sell well at retail. But we all knew this was going to happen.
Publishers don’t care about retail. They want 100% digital.
Sk3tz0
August 25, 2014 at 11:25
Windows requires an internet Connect to Activate ? s that DRM ??
Ryanza
August 25, 2014 at 11:30
Yes but the internet is not the only option. You can give Microsoft a call.
Sk3tz0
August 25, 2014 at 11:47
For now…. Microsoft will soon require bone marrow sample from you to activate Windows 9
Ryanza
August 25, 2014 at 11:48
and that Windows will not sell well.
Sk3tz0
August 25, 2014 at 11:52
actually history begs to differ.. Win 8 was kak so there for windows 9 will be better..
Ryanza
August 25, 2014 at 12:03
Now you talking about something else.
Most games on PC are better than the console version but the console version sells more copy’s.
Rags
August 25, 2014 at 11:33
What the fark does one do on a PC without internet?
Cheaper and easier to buy a console game? I open steam/origin. Click buy. Click next, next, done. Boom its downloading. Done in a few hours while I play something else.
Ryanza
August 25, 2014 at 11:35
Yes people without internet can just click buy on Steam and wait a few hours.
Rags
August 25, 2014 at 11:37
I can probably buy a MONTH worth of uncapped adsl + a steam game for the cost of one console game.
Ryanza
August 25, 2014 at 11:42
cheapest adsl line plus telephone rental with uncapped internet add the price of a new game, you looking at over R1000.
console game = forever offline
Steam = 2 weeks maybe offline mode
Sk3tz0
August 25, 2014 at 11:49
Thats the issue.. DONE IN A FEW HOURS.. fuck that noise. I buy a new game i wanna fucking play it the moment i rip that plastic packet of the box, None of this 3hrs to downlaod and then another 2 to update. Fuck it.. FUCK IT ALL TO HELL. keep the retail or i’ll go full South african and protest by burning down BTGAME shops. .
Rags
August 25, 2014 at 11:53
That’s true. Granted most games I buy is at 2am slightly intoxicated and having convinced myself I need to buy this shit. It’s usually done when I wake up or return from work later the day. 😛
Sk3tz0
August 25, 2014 at 11:54
Then u dont need Digital Games u need a 12 step program LOL
Matthew Holliday
August 25, 2014 at 12:29
“much more pc owners without internet” is a massive generalisation, with little basis in fact.
Ryanza
August 25, 2014 at 12:40
Give the facts then. And while you at it give the facts on why retail is dieing. Give the facts on why console games sell more than the PC version. Give the facts on PC in the world compared to consoles in the world. Give the facts about DRM.
I like facts.
Matthew Holliday
August 25, 2014 at 13:38
if you like facts, then stop posting your oppinions like they are facts.
in 2010, digital downloads had surpassed retail sales in the US, which means that over 50% of American gamers had access to reliable internet 4 years ago.
in 2012, digital downloads had increased to 60% worldwide.
PC specific stats are a little skewed because of piracy, with a rough stat of 25% of all PC games played, being pirated.
even with that, digital download for PC far exceeds consoles, with DRM making access to gaming so easy.
the exchange rate is saving retail locally. buying retail here gives you a 25% saving, R450 compared to 60$.
in places where the exchange rate is more reliable, retail isnt doing as well.
actual stores are a dying breed, with digital distrubution places like takealot, raru and khalahari, that ship physical retail copies, pulling far more game orders than places like BT games or incredible connection.
since 2012, PC gaming has been catching up to consoles in terms of sales, with the launch of the ps4 and xbone, consoles and console game sales spiked, but its now at a point where PC and console game sales are pretty close now.
looking at the EA sales stats, 2 years ago EA PC gaming sales was worth 150 million dollars, while console game sales were worth 350 million. now PC game sales from EA are worth 250 million, while consoles are still around 350 million. while not completely caught up yet, with the longevity of the new gen consoles being questioned, within the next 2 years, we can expect to see PC game sales overtake console game sales.
DRM has both drawbacks and advantages.
i do not agree or enjoy always online, like diablo 3 or forced multiplayer from games like dungeon defenders eternity or neverwinter nights.
i even get annoyed at having to be online to play an offline game, sometimes a bro just doesnt want to be interuppted and asked to play a dota when people see you online in a game.
I do however appreciate the need for it to secure profits for future games.
while i may buy new AAA games from retailers, DRM platforms with specials like steams summer sales, provide me with affordable access to games i would otherwise ignore or be forced to pirate in order to play.
and deals like humble bundle which provides DRM free downloads as often as possible, do credit to the digital download scene.
with the availability of internet being so widespread, we can expect to see DRM becoming less intrusive and affecting our gameplay less.
in short, I buy retail for new and use DRM & digital downloads for not so new/games i wouldnt have access to.
you’re right about publishers caring less and less about retail though, the profits from cutting any physical manufacturing entirely, would be pretty substantial.
Ryanza
August 25, 2014 at 14:49
I am waiting for the total number of PC sold to date and the total number of PC internet users. And while you at it, total number of consoles sold vs total number of Gold, PSN users. Total number of consoles vs digital sales.
When dealing with digital stats on the PC gaming front, retail sales and digital sales falls under the internet stat. If a person has no internet then that person will not be buying the retail PC game nor the digital version.
And just to add. Having a lot of Steam sales where games are like $5, you will find more games per person sold digitally compared to retail.
A person with no internet will not be pirating a game.
So pre Steam stats compared to now and don’t forget to account the number of new gamers that keep on entering the market.
Consoles are better to compare the number of consoles sold to the number of online users and then the number of online users to the number of digital sales. Never forget about the offline users. Total number of Xbox 360 sales compared to Xbox Gold users. Then you will see the amount of offline users.
With new consoles it’s still to early to get a full picture.
You will always find that PC game sales are up a bit before new consoles are released and back down mid way through.
I like stats but I’m not the one for typing stats. I like my shitty opinion comments.
Sir Rants A Lot: On Pandora
August 25, 2014 at 12:20
Unfortunately Consoles will eventually move down that path too.
With them having easier connectivity etc now it’s only a matter of time before publishers require the game to be linked to a profile somewhere and rendering a disc useless since it’s linked to a specific account.
It’s going to happen
Ryanza
August 25, 2014 at 12:35
What Steam and online activation of PC games has done is move a lot of people away from PC gaming onto consoles.
Once consoles become like Steam there is going to be a massive outcry and backlash. I can see the gaming industry crash after a move like that. So we will see what happens.
Sith JJ
August 25, 2014 at 11:08
I just went onto the Google Play store in search for an Origin app. Clicked search. They suggested the Steam app. I like the way Google thinks.
CliftonBeachBum
August 25, 2014 at 11:14
The big problem with buying physical a copy is that the updates are so big nowadays that you may as well buy digitally.
Kromas of City17
August 25, 2014 at 11:15
Indeed and even console gamers can’t get away from that anymore.
Sk3tz0
August 25, 2014 at 11:24
yeah.. But there are people who fear to use their CC on the net. retail should still stay maybe not print as many disc as before.
Kromas of City17
August 25, 2014 at 11:28
Paypal used to have disposable credit cards. Not sure anymore but I used it quite a bit back in 2000 before FNB screwed me over.
Rags
August 25, 2014 at 11:24
“I think we can all agree that gaming isn’t quite ready to go all digital.” I disagree. 🙂
Viking Of Science
August 25, 2014 at 11:31
92% of all games digitally, I’d REALLY like to see a geographical breakdown of that, I can believe that figure for USA and Europe, But I’m fairly sure It’s a LOT lower in SA, what with our backwater Internet coverage….
Kromas of City17
August 25, 2014 at 11:35
Not really so sure. In SA those who can afford to game can most likely afford to internet. 😛
Viking Of Science
August 25, 2014 at 11:37
But what about Moms who clear out those hidden item game racks at BT? 😛
Kromas of City17
August 25, 2014 at 11:38
That my friend is as close to gaming as solitaire on win 98 is.
Viking Of Science
August 25, 2014 at 11:44
Hey, don’t knock Solitaire, it’s how our receptionist passes most of her time, i think…. 😛
Matthew Holliday
August 25, 2014 at 12:19
our internet isnt actually so bad in comparison to some other places lately.
we may not have fibre straight to our doorstep, like Finland, or 10mb built into our TV lines Like London, but we’re not too far behind the US when it comes to our lines. we have the lines, but lack the infrastructure to support it.
4mb is still the standard in most developed contries, with 10mb being a luxury.
I got friends in the US who dont know what a phone line is, everythings wireless for them, but the packet loss and ping issues with wireless is still terribad, so it performs worse than our 2mb lines.
and friends in Canada, who pay more for 10gb cap than we do for our entire packages.
Ryanza
August 25, 2014 at 12:31
The amount of people that has access to adsl internet and the high costs of adsl internet in this country and a lot of countries for that matter.
Matthew Holliday
August 25, 2014 at 12:38
i think you hit post befor you finished typing your comment.
Ryanza
August 25, 2014 at 12:55
He said internet coverage and you spoke about internet quality.
Matthew Holliday
August 25, 2014 at 13:43
my apologies then.
i mentioned quality, but it was more about availability.
with our unemployment rates etc, our coverage will never match those of other developed countries.
Ben Dover Kuntz
August 25, 2014 at 11:36
let the cry babies on the peecee keep their digital rentals and live in the dream world where they can believe their digital collection is of value. the fact is that the pc as a gaming system have been irrelevant since steam drm infested that system and ruin it in 2005. the future is the consoles where you can buy drm free games on disc, and have a real collection that take space in your house. owning what you pay for is what means something. digital is like throwing money down the toilet, digital you never own or can control. your at the mercy of the greedy companies and their servers with no customers right.
Sith JJ
August 25, 2014 at 11:37
You probably have never heard of GOG then.
Kromas of City17
August 25, 2014 at 11:37
You must be last gen. Cause Current gen consoles are stocked full of DRM. Hell the consoles themselves are built around it.
Ben Dover Kuntz
August 25, 2014 at 11:47
digital yes but not games on disc. i dont talk about online gaming here, since that is based on servers from the get go…
Ryanza
August 25, 2014 at 11:55
I agree with this guy.
Pc games have zero value once activated on Steam and other clients.
If I buy a console game and when I’ve finished playing the game, I can choose if I want to sell the game. That’s the product having value.
The value of PC games = Steam $5 sales. But retail PC games = zero value.
Ben Dover Kuntz
August 25, 2014 at 16:33
also console game can raise in value when it becomes retro, like nes,snes, sega,ps1 etc… with digital you throw money outta the window ever time… i laugh when i hear people talk about steam sales. where they say they saved so much money and wonder how its possible to have the games so cheap… its because it has no value, that is why….
if there is a retail pc game, its drm infested and thats the one reason there is no value second hand. because no one else can use the game than the first person that bought it. steam is a the cancer…
R4ziel
August 25, 2014 at 12:13
So DRM ruined gaming completely since 2005? Strange, I havent bought a disc since that time probably and never will again. My steam library might not be of value to anyone who wants to have y games, but they are valuable to me. I used to lose discs quite often so digital actually saves my games… I might not have seen how my gaming is ruined by DRM, I play all my games completely fine without fail… maybe its the perception that is the problem, not the DRM.
Sir Rants A Lot: On Pandora
August 25, 2014 at 12:18
It’s only a matter of time before it happens on consoles where you will need to activate the game before play. Microsoft already attempted to force their console to be online. Now they may have reversed this decision but just wait as the years roll by in this gen. By the end of this new generation of consoles games will have to be activated the same as PC and will be linked to your online profile that you will have to create.
When that happens any game purchased for a console also will lose any value.
Consoles are pushing for a larger digital crowd as well with their respective online stores.
So yes, every PC game must be activated somewhere, be it origin, steam or uplay. But the same will start to happen on console. It’s just a matter of when. Not if
Ryanza
August 25, 2014 at 12:28
Only if we let it happen.
But instead we with internet talk about how we love Steam and DRM and the non internet user, well they don’t matter.
I actually want consoles to get DRM so that the anti DRM fight can come back to PC. But I fear people will be too complacent by then. Once we start looking at ourselves and judging the world from our own point of views then all is lost.
Who will speak for the non internet user on the internet. Or does their voice not matter. Get with the times but Telkom says no.
Sir Rants A Lot: On Pandora
August 25, 2014 at 12:39
The problem with this is majority.
Once majority start to purchase their games online with their current consoles everything is going to change. Even with a backlash nothing much will happen as the majority have already become used to digital purchases.
It’s how it happened with PC. It was a slow corrosion.
Ryanza
August 25, 2014 at 12:49
I don’t know. I wouldn’t say majority. Once they hit a certain number I can see them cutting out a large portion of gamers. Microsoft wanted to cut half of their Xbox 360 numbers for DRM. PC gaming sales is clearly not the majority.
It will become about maintaining a certain number but majority will just move onto the next best thing.
Ben Dover Kuntz
August 25, 2014 at 16:23
the majority on consoles will not accept digital as only solution… and that is the facts.
Ben Dover Kuntz
August 25, 2014 at 16:17
yeah why didnt you fight back this drm then master race pc guys???…. you have only yourself to blame because you was a bunch of pussies. you want to know what i did, after i got the half life2. and discovered i couldnt play it on the day i bought it, because i had to activate the game and install steam…. i quit pc gaming. because that shit was not acceptable.
i will tell you this, you dont fuck around with the console guys, we are not afraid to say what we think and vote with our wallets…..
the fact is the real peasants here are the pc master race. that become complacent and didnt raise a finger to protest, when drm was forced down their throats…
Ryanza
August 25, 2014 at 17:25
I’ve been a PC gamer since the DOS era but I’ve always wanted to try out consoles. So I got the Xbox and Xbox 360. When I left PC gaming there was no Steam bullshit. Then a few years back I returned to PC and find this DRM client hell.
And I will always be a constant reminder: Don’t support DRM.
Ben Dover Kuntz
August 25, 2014 at 17:44
i know the feeling…. i was gutted too… everything went down hill after half life2. you just gotta do whats needed to avoid drm. i did go console and never looked back, i never regret it.
Ben Dover Kuntz
August 25, 2014 at 15:58
only in your wet dreams is that gonna happen mister master race….
Sith JJ
August 25, 2014 at 11:36
My beef is still with the fact that digital costs the same as physical.
Ben Dover Kuntz
August 25, 2014 at 11:44
in some cases it is even higher than first day disc releases… and digital is actually more expensive than releasing it on the a disc. this is something they try to hide from the public.
Matthew Holliday
August 25, 2014 at 13:49
digital vs retail costs are affected by exchange rates.
it may be more expensive for us to buy new games digitally, but in the US, a 60$ digital game will cost 60$ at a retail store.
Kromas of City17
August 25, 2014 at 11:51
Retail has its own problems.
Sith JJ
August 25, 2014 at 11:52
Hells yes it does. Tell that to my shelf. 😉
But seriously. I prefer digital. Just makes things easier.
Kromas of City17
August 25, 2014 at 11:52
Refresh for image of my shelf from a few months back.
Rags
August 25, 2014 at 11:56
You can recycle those Diablo 3 boxes. Is that a Tali figurine 3rd from left? 🙂
Kromas of City17
August 25, 2014 at 11:59
That is indeed my Tali Figure. I have the full set but I bought a Glass Display for my ME stuff. That Tali is slightly damaged so she stays with the other guys.
Rags
August 25, 2014 at 12:00
Damn, nice! (take pictcha) Wish I got some myself. They are incredibly expensive now. At least I got many lithographs.
Kromas of City17
August 25, 2014 at 12:02
I generally import from the US. Works out quite a bit cheaper and my sisters sends it to me as a “gift” so customs clear it with almost no hassle.
Rags
August 25, 2014 at 12:05
Ah that’s neat. Which versions are those? And did she buy them from a store or online if you mind sharing? Thanks!
Kromas of City17
August 25, 2014 at 12:07
I buy it myself online but deliver it to her house. She then gets it and sends it my way. I usually do about 2 purchases a year like that with my next one most likely happening end of December when I get back from Brazil. If you want something just let me know and I can get it for you.
Rags
August 25, 2014 at 12:09
Cool, I made a note. 🙂 Thanks!
Sith JJ
August 25, 2014 at 11:57
Haha. Excellent. Didn’t know. Mad
A Kerrigan figurine!
Ben Dover Kuntz
August 25, 2014 at 16:44
as with every hobby, you need a room for it….
Kromas of City17
August 25, 2014 at 16:52
PC room WAS my room. It is getting too small. 😛
Ben Dover Kuntz
August 25, 2014 at 17:49
i have my own room dedicated to gaming in my house… its like a car hobby, you gotta have the garage for it. placing your hobby in the living room or the bed room will just make it difficult…
marikagacek
August 25, 2014 at 11:52
Just wow O.o
Sageville
August 25, 2014 at 12:04
Steam bundles skew all these stats.
Matthew Holliday
August 25, 2014 at 12:10
R450 for new AAA pc games at retail instead of 60$
thats a 25% saving, so i buy all new games from retail, steam specials fill just in the gaps.
Sir Rants A Lot: On Pandora
August 25, 2014 at 12:13
This worries me. Yes digital is big. But of those 92% of sales are they all new releases? What happens if you remove older games and specials from that list?
What would the stats be for current year releases only? Would it still have a larger digital sale ratio? I don’t know so much. I really believe Steam and Humble sales skew these stats
Alex Hicks
August 25, 2014 at 12:28
The error in this post is here:
“Earlier this year I bought Wolfenstein: The New Order at retail on PC, purely because the exchange rate conversion for new titles on Steam is ridiculous at the moment. That wasn’t the case a few years ago, but having the option to still go retail saved me quite a bit of money.”
Do you spot it? Yep … it’s the word “new” before “titles”. That is why my backlog is as large as it is; and why I don’t buy retail – 75% off.
Do you even STEAM, bru?
Craig Lotter
August 25, 2014 at 13:43
I’ve shifted completely to digital on XBOX 360. That’s okay when games clock in at 7GB. Not entirely sure if it is feasible with the behemoth sizes of current gen games though…
Galbedir
August 25, 2014 at 14:10
Digital is great for bundle sales on Steam…however I will always still buy a hardcopy if possible over a Digital copy. Purely because I don’t like the idea that all I’m getting for my hard earn cash, which is a crap load of it these days, is a license to play the game. Bring back the days of game manuals containing lore/stories/artwork. I return to my example of Witcher…I see all these “get 10% off with Digital pre purchase” bleh bleh…HELL NO! I know that Witcher 3 will come with one freakin awesome game manual and box set, just like Witcher 2 😀
Galbedir
August 25, 2014 at 14:14
Also I’d probably buy more Digital if South Africa had any kind of decent internet line that didn’t cost me half my salary. At the moment most new release steam games take me 24 hours to download. Which when I buy a game, I want to play it now, not in 24-26 hours, while the rest of my internet shuts down.
Gareth L (That eXCheez Guy)
August 25, 2014 at 15:18
Blizzard digital prices are way too high. I have a hard copy of Reaper of Souls that was only used to enter the serial key; they game content was already there from the standard Diablo 3 2.0 patch.
Brady miaau
August 25, 2014 at 15:33
Hell yeah. They want to rip you off by large margin, compared to the retailers.
They wanted something like $50 for heart of the swarm in December, I bough for a fraction that price, where I cannot remember
Wesley Fick
August 26, 2014 at 08:17
I buy physical media because downloading games on a 2MB line takes forever. I’d prefer to install it from disc, do the update and then carry on. I also prefer that it goes through Steam, because then I can keep the disc in a good condition. I don’t buy very many new games, but I do take advantage of any extreme specials or a Humble Bundle every now and then.
On console, it’s physical all the way.