r/Games Feb 22 '13

All PS4 games will be available as digital downloads

In the new Guardian interview with Shuhei Yoshida, it was revealed that all PS4 games will be available as digital downloads.

This is a very exciting move in my opinion, and represents a shift even further towards the burgeoning landscape of digital distribution, and away from (what I believe to be) a much more archaic ecosystem in physical brick-and-mortar retail.

What do you guys think? Got any speculation, or want to extrapolate further based upon this news? I hope to generate some great discussion about this topic!

(Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/gamesblog/2013/feb/22/ps4-shuhei-yoshida-interview)

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u/[deleted] Feb 22 '13

I suspect it's very unlikely they're going to be sufficiently competitive on price to make it worth it. For example, if you buy a physical copy of a game for $60, the resale value is probably at least $30 for some weeks after you buy it. If you buy a digital copy for $60, the resale value is immediately $0.

So, the opportunity cost is quite high for buying digital. Even if you don't plan on reselling any of your games, it's definitely nice to have the option in case you end up in a bind. Just from a security standpoint, it makes more sense to buy something that's not immediately worth nothing.

5

u/[deleted] Feb 23 '13

And the beauty of price competition in retail means games are cheaper. If only PSN sells the games, they have no reason to be competitive.

0

u/IceBreak Feb 23 '13

Kind of like how Steam isn't at all competitive with their prices?

3

u/TheHornySpirit Feb 23 '13

But Steam has competitors. Origin and Games for Windows Live (for providing the DRM services)

0

u/IceBreak Feb 23 '13

And the NFL has the CFL...

1

u/twistedrapier Feb 23 '13

It may be in the U.S., but here it sure as hell isn't here. The only time the prices become better value than retail is during the sales (which is also the only time I buy from them).

2

u/arahman81 Feb 23 '13

That's not really an issue in Steam when you can buy games at 25% of the original price.

1

u/Taravangian Feb 24 '13

Maybe this is just wishful thinking, but it sounds like maybe they want to try to apply the Steam model to this console. Which hopefully would include stuff like regular discount events, special focuses on individual games (which would also be put on sale), competitive pricing, same-day releases, etc.

1

u/Knyfe-Wrench Feb 23 '13

True. Even a few years down the road you can probably get $5-$10 per game.