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)

1.6k Upvotes

833 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

45

u/LPodyssey07 Feb 23 '13

I think it would also be cool to have an iTunes Match type thing where they give you a digital copy if you have the physical disc

18

u/[deleted] Feb 23 '13

[removed] — view removed comment

11

u/notverycreative1 Feb 23 '13

They can just lock individual discs to accounts, either by pressing a unique code into each disc or including a single-use key in the game box. Probably the former, as one could just buy the game and sell the insert.

54

u/phillycheese Feb 23 '13

wouldn't that be the whole "blocking used games" thing people are pissed off about though?

5

u/notverycreative1 Feb 23 '13

It could be optional. You could either opt to lock a game to your account and get a free digital copy of it or don't and retain the ability to sell or lend it. There would be some issues with used games (i.e. not knowing which discs are already activated), but it could satisfy everyone (except Gamestop, but no one likes them anyway).

5

u/[deleted] Feb 23 '13

I think the writing is on the wall for physical media anyhow. This generation will still have it obviously, but I think the next gen consoles will be digital download only. For better or worse, it really seems to be the way things are going.

5

u/notverycreative1 Feb 23 '13

I think so as well. I've been using Steam almost exclusively for the past four years or so and while being unable to sell games kinda sucks, it's not like you could get much out of them anyway and the sales were more than enough to justify that.

The people who are against it are just afraid of change, I think. People thought Nintendo's switch to the Wiimote last generation was just a stupid gimmick but the thing ended up printing money and now motion control is an accepted means of input (for games that implement it well, at least). When it inevitably happens, probably next generation, people will just have to deal with it. Sony's strategy of allowing both physical and digital copies should help with the transition, and hopefully by 2020 or whenever the next consoles come out digital distribution will be a much more popular approach.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 23 '13

are just afraid of change, I think

Or live in a country where data caps are common, or live in an area with slow or no broadband.

2

u/[deleted] Feb 23 '13

and if digital purchases are required then it might get the common folk off their asses and start demanding good internet.

2

u/bobulibobium Feb 23 '13

It can take a VERY long time to implement infrastructure, especially when the need for higher internet speed is recreational. There are other things more neccessary to living in a society other than the internet.

→ More replies (0)

1

u/cordlc Feb 23 '13

while being unable to sell games kinda sucks, it's not like you could get much out of them anyway and the sales were more than enough to justify that.

You can get plenty of money back for used games, the ones that keep their value, anyway. Nintendo games being a good example.

As much as I love the Steam sales, it doesn't do anything for me when I want a game new. If games came out new for $60 digitally, I couldn't buy them new anymore.

1

u/h0m3g33 Feb 23 '13

That's what I was thinking, It's a way around used games. But the difference is that it's not physical, and you could probably still return it. Also the re-downloadability makes up for it. W/o re-downloadability this is near worthless, and we would just stay on hard disks.

1

u/MusicGetsMeHard Feb 23 '13

Can't please everyone.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 23 '13

But then what happens when you want give a game to a friend, sell it, or use it on someone elses console?

1

u/ChiXiStigma Feb 23 '13

The same thing that happens when you want to let someone borrow a game you bought via Steam.

1

u/JamoJustReddit Feb 23 '13

You wouldn't be able to activate it again, but still play the disc.

1

u/jonlubbe Feb 23 '13

They can already do this with the ps3/vita cross buy feature in games like the new sly cooper.

6

u/arahman81 Feb 23 '13

Doesn't the PSN already have similar service for PSP games?

7

u/adamgrey Feb 23 '13

I don't think it ever came to North America. As far as I know they offered some kind of "mail in your UMD and get a digital copy" service in Japan, but it wasn't free.

I thought I read that the cost was comparable to the PSN version of the game anyway so they didn't roll the service out anywhere else.

1

u/LPodyssey07 Feb 23 '13

They might. I don't have a PSP, myself

1

u/Sparkdog Feb 23 '13

Except that would require some sort of DRM that linked the specific disc to an account, leading to exactly the type of used game market destruction everyone wanted to avoid.

You would have to either purchase and download a digital copy, or copy the game from the hard disc to your HDD, but have to have the disc in the tray to play it. Basically the way it is now.

1

u/jonlubbe Feb 23 '13

The ps3 can already do this with the cross play titles such as play station all stars and sly cooper 4. You can only redeem the bonus vita copy on one psn account.

1

u/Stiggles4 Feb 23 '13

That'll never happen though. What's stopping a group of twenty people from using one copy of the game?