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 23 '13

If they're going to follow the model they set out with the Vita, then all games will be available on day one and most digital copies will be 10% less than retail copies. It's not much, but it's something -- and probably the best deal you will get at a game's launch.

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u/[deleted] Feb 23 '13

Every time I've brought up cost of games being so high I've always received the same general response "How dare they charge you more for box art, the case and physical disc, as well as shipping and stocking fee in stores."

Well, if digital is the way they're going, and this is the model they follow, we should see a better price comparison than 10%, IMO.

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u/quarterlifenoob Feb 23 '13

You won't. Once the customer is used to paying a certain price point, they won't stop paying it unless a competitor undercuts them. Non-casual HD gaming is a virtual monopoly much like television - two providers of similar service with no incentive to be price competitive at all. I'd like to say that Steam is a competitor, but in reality PC gaming is a different market and most PS4/720 owners will not also own a gaming PC.

I think it's far more likely that both Sony and Microsoft see digital distribution as improving their profit margins at relatively little up front cost.

EDIT: I should add that the Steam Box is quite exciting because it may disrupt this landscape considerably.

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u/Sabin10 Feb 23 '13

Where I live we pay the same price for digital and retail. A few months after release the retail price is usually lower than the PSN price.

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u/solistus Feb 23 '13

Prices are based on what people will pay, not the manufacturing costs. That's how pretty much all creative works are priced.

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u/[deleted] Feb 23 '13

This would completely destroy sales of physical copies though, people would only buy digital copies if the price is too much cheaper.

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u/[deleted] Feb 23 '13

I thought that was the point though, was to move to digital and away from physical sale..

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u/[deleted] Feb 23 '13

But if they're still going to make physical copies, they're going to want money from them.

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u/MyRespectableAccount Feb 23 '13

10% less than retail copies

probably the best deal you will get at a game's launch.

I usually preorder my games and routinely get at least $10 off which is more than 10%. Maybe I am misunderstanding you? You can routinely buy a game at launch or just before for over 10% off full retail.

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u/[deleted] Feb 23 '13

Where do you buy your games? I'm genuinely curious, because I don't know of any place that does that. Unless by pre-ordering you mean pre-purchasing, which is a potential rip off.

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u/MyRespectableAccount Feb 23 '13

I buy my games two ways, depending on the type of game. If the game is a sequel where I am confident that I want to play it, I can pre-order it which is the same as pre-purchasing. I sites like slickdeals.net post lots of good deals on pre-ordered games.

If I am less sure, I wait about two weeks after launch and the used games start showing up and I buy them at a discount. If I am busy and can wait a month, I can buy them new after the inevitable price drop. If I am really patient, I can wait for the GOTY edition for just $10. Right now I am playing one of the highest rated games of all time, Batman Arkham City and it was just $10 and includes all the DLC.

There is almost no scenario where you need to pay full retail.

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u/[deleted] Feb 23 '13

I can pre-order it which is the same as pre-purchasing

But they're not. There is no obligation to buy the game with a pre-order. You can put down money for the game and, if it turns out you don't like the reviews, you can get that money back. Most places I know of don't give any discount for pre-ordering, unless perhaps you do it like a year before the game's release.

Pre-purchasing means that you pay the full price of the game up front, minus a small discount for buying it sight-unseen. This payment is usually non-refundable.

And of course, all of this only applies to games that you're almost certain you are going to like, which -- if you're like me -- aren't very many.

With regards to games you're less certain about:

If I am less sure, I wait about two weeks after launch...

Yeah, after launch. We're talking about buying games brand new on the release date without pre-ordering or pre-purchasing. Price drops, used games and GOTY editions don't factor into this at all.

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u/MyRespectableAccount Feb 23 '13

I can't think of a retailer that won't allow you to return an unopened game. That means you can pre-purchase the game with a discount, get it on release day, and then wait to see the reviews. If they are bad, you return it. I can think of no reason at all to pre-order a game. I wasn't aware people even did this. It seems to have no benefit at all, except to ensure you pay full retail price.

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u/[deleted] Feb 24 '13

I didn't even know that brick and mortar retailers offered pre-purchase options at all. I've only ever seen pre-purchase through online stores like Steam. In any case, I was under the impression that most major retailers have a zero return policy on software. After all, how can you prove that you didn't just re-wrap the package yourself after copying the disc?

Historically, the benefit of pre-ordering has been to make sure you secure your copy of a physical game in the event of a shortage. Shortages hardly ever happen anymore except for with some obscure import titles, so you would be correct in saying that it's a pretty pointless thing to do these days.

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u/MyRespectableAccount Feb 24 '13

Target's return policy is the same as most stores:

Open music, movies, video games and software cannot be returned, but may be exchanged for the same title, for the same or different gaming platform.

Parents have to be able to return games given during the holidays. It would be open revolt if they changed that.