Post-Launch Updates have destroyed my Perception of Physical Game Ownership and Value

[60fps]

I recently added a few physical games to my 3DS collection, both DS and 3DS titles.

And I was wondering, since I'm usually buying games digitally by now: Why am I still willing to buy physical 3DS games in 2019?
Because the 3DS is the last system where games rarely have any post-launch updates, so when you own a 3DS game card you actually OWN the complete game, the real deal!

In 10 years, when all digital game stores shut down, the internet collapses and all digital data will be erased, like some people predict, I will still own the latest and greatest version of Dragon Quest 8. That feels great!


Say Hello to PS4 and Switch games. As soon as they get their first inevitable post launch updates, I don't own the real deal, the final, balanced version of a game anymore. All my PS4 game discs feel like a burden now. I seriously don't have the same perception of ownership and value for physical PS4 or Switch games as I did with my SNES and N64 games for example.

But not only do they FEEL worthless, most of my PS4 discs ARE worthless today:

• I buy a new physical game for 60€.
• One year later the game data on that disc is completely outdated due to an ongoing flow of digital updates.
• On top of that the same game gets sold for 20 bucks now, both physically and digitally.

At that point I'm stuck with my physical game disc, worth nothing anymore, with outdated game data on it.

That was the case with most of my PS4 discs. About a year ago I said screw it, from now on I'll buy digital games exclusively. This way at least I don't have to hassle with switching game discs and shelf space anymore.


Yes, for Nintendo it's different. Nintendo games barely lose resell value.
But I'm not interested in selling my games anyway. This Winter I sold all my physical Switch games just to replace them digitally via the big eShop sale. Plus I don't care about Collectors Edition items anymore (most of the time you're better off buying artbooks, figures, soundtracks seperately), so what's the point of buying physical mediums anymore?

I'm not complaining by the way. I'm fine with adapting and going all-digital. Just wanted to share the thought process.

TL;DR:

• With physical 3DS games I still own the real deal and it feels great to actually *own* the games.
• With post-3DS games I'm better off buying digital games.

 

[SMD]

You can't trade in digital games.

 

[Nostradamus]

I'd also add that many games won't even allow you to play without being online so no matter whether they are digital or not at some point in time you won't have access to them.

 

[AxeVince]

3DS games have their fare share of post launch updates.
So does the 3DS which locks the ability to play some games if you don't have the latest update. So buying one in a few years when the servers are dead and was not up to date to your games will make them unavailable to play. It is the only console I know forces you to be up to date to play some games.

 

[Anubis]

You can't trade in digital games.

Click to shrink...

Discounts, coupons and game sharing help mitigate the benefits of trading games in imo.

 

[Deleted member 17627]

I feel like this isn't unanimous though. There are plenty of games that have never had patches or updates on modern consoles, and often if there is a patch, it isn't something you need in order to continue playing the game.

This issue definitely applies to online multiplayer-based games, but out of the numerous ones that are out there, which ones are still going to be played ten years from now?

 

[Lupin]

Post-Launch Updates have destroyed my Perception of Physical Game Ownership and Value

Click to shrink...

Then all is going according to plan...
- No printed manuals
- Huge DLC pushes
- Day-one patches, esp. on AAA titles
- Fewer on-disc "game of the year" compilations or physical DLC discs
- Online-only software with regular updates, making the disc effectively worthless in time
- Subscription services galore

The faster they can push everyone to go all-digital, the happier game publishers will be. This is exactly what the industry wants, and it's completely by design.

 

[Lashley]

Discounts, coupons and game sharing help mitigate the benefits of trading games in imo.

Click to shrink...

This. Game sharing has saved me more than selling physical games ever has.

 

[LiK]

True, I've gone digital with GaaS type games now when they'r eon sale. But I'm still going physical cuz I still have GCU.

 

[mrmoose]

I feel like this isn't unanimous though. There are plenty of games that have never had patches or updates on modern consoles, and often if there is a patch, it isn't something you need in order to continue playing the game.

This issue definitely applies to online multiplayer-based games, but out of the numerous ones that are out there, which ones are still going to be played ten years from now?

Click to shrink...

I can't remember the last time I bought a game on PS4 or Xbox One and it didn't force me to download some kind of patch day 1.

 

[Border]

Digital games can't be loaned out to friends.
Digital games can't be traded in to stores.
Digital games can't be given to younger siblings or cousins as a fun gift.

Once you look at your media collection and realize that you don't have the time or inclination to revisit 90% of the titles you own, the concept of having them forever kinda loses its value as well. The limited storage space on your device means that eventually a bunch of stuff has to be deleted, so you're stuck downloading it again which is such a chore (especially when we're talking about years of cumulative updates that have bloated a game's size beyond 75GB).

And besides, outside of Games As A Service, what titles are really receiving updates more than a year after launch?

 

[Julianne Stingray]

I think people are starting to derail from the OP's point with digital vs physical pricing/pros/cons arguments when the OP is more describing the loss of value in physical preservation that post release patches add in general assuming update servers can and will go down.

FWIW OP, I went through the exact same thought process you did as a huge physical preservationalist up until a few years ago. Now I'm basically full digital on everything except PS4, where I feel like I'm already too deep in physically so might as well complete the collection.

One change in mindset that has made it easier though is realizing that as I get older I care less and less about replaying games. I don't even have enough time to enjoy all the new games coming out each year that I want to play so owning a patch-complete physical copy that I can replay in 10+ years isn't that appealing anymore either.

 

[Aftermath]

I agree like are any of these games apart from out of print and rare ones going to be worth anything in the future, well maybe with future Backwards Compatibility but hopefully only if the updates come too.

Thats why I like waiting on Deep Discount Sales on all platforms.


Hopefully many people will start archiving everything the best they can

 

[Brazil]

TL;DR:

• With physical 3DS games I still own the real deal and it feels great to actually *own* the games.
• With post-3DS games I'm better off buying digital games.

Click to shrink...

This is pretty much what I started doing a couple of years ago before I even realized it. I only buy physical copies of 3DS games nowadays. For the rest it's digital all the way.

 

[Sheepinator]

Games spend years in development in digital form in the development office. Stored on servers, copied to hard drives in dev kits, etc. Then at launch a snapshot of multiple years of development is put on a disc, which is copied to a hard drive before it can be run. Then there are patches, updates, new content added to that hard drive image. So why do people care so much about the coaster which held that brief snapshot of the games state? If it's to trade in to reduce costs, OK, but there are other ways to access large libraries for cheap such as Game Pass, PS+, EA Access, also the legit way that a family in a household can share a digital game on 2 consoles. If it's to "collect", there's a fine line between collecting and hoarding. At some point a couple of house moves from now it's probably clutter in a box and that helps noone, including the environment.

 

[TheTruth]

You are reading my mind OP, but I still buy games physically on PS4, especially indie. The reason for that, digital just feels hollow to me. The game is just like a good book, after beating it I like to go to the games shelf and go through the games and reminiscing of experiences it gave me. Also when purchasing a retail game I am doing bigger research if I will like the game and give it a bigger push when the game is not grabbing me. So I just love expanding my collection of the games I love little by little, even though some of them if played by actual disc only would be an inferior version. Though I don't believe there will be a time when there won't be a way to play them without updates either.

 

[DontHateTheBacon]

You can't trade in digital games.

Click to shrink...

This. Or sell them to other people. Or do really anything with them if you don't want them anymore besides delete them.

 

[Deleted member 10629]

Well, that's because a physical copy of the game has zero value. They're not investments. The fact that they can fetch high prices on eBay is due to speculators.

Sure, you can sell your collection, but unless you have some mad selling skills, you will probably get less money than you spent.

 

[Deleted member 1476]

Same, I don't sell games anyway so I couldn't care less about that. I'm still buying 3DS/DS games that I like, plus older gens.

It is nice to have updates and fixes, but that makes physical copies useless to me. I want the complete game, not the rushed one they had to ship. I know someone reading this will probably start to type furiously about some old game that shipped incomplete and would benefit from patches/more content (Hello, Xenogears), but honestly that's besides the point and if you want to do that don't even bother replying.

 

[Sain]

Well, that's because a physical copy of the game has zero value. They're not investments. The fact that they can fetch high prices on eBay is due to speculators.

Sure, you can sell your collection, but unless you have some mad selling skills, you will probably get less money than you spent.

Click to shrink...

I don't know if that is a bad thing. Getting some money back for a game you will likely NEVER play again that can be put towards something else is a nice benefit.

 

[60fps]

I think people are starting to derail from the OP's point with digital vs physical pricing/pros/cons arguments when the OP is more describing the loss of value in physical preservation that post release patches add in general assuming update servers can and will go down.

FWIW OP, I went through the exact same thought process you did as a huge physical preservationalist up until a few years ago. Now I'm basically full digital on everything except PS4, where I feel like I'm already too deep in physically so might as well complete the collection.

One change in mindset that has made it easier though is realizing that as I get older I care less and less about replaying games. I don't even have enough time to enjoy all the new games coming out each year that I want to play so owning a patch-complete physical copy that I can replay in 10+ years isn't that appealing anymore either.

Click to shrink...

Actually wanted to add that I'm not complaining :) I like my digital, easy to manage collection. It's so convenient, and you don't have to pay full price anyway if you wait just a couple of months after a game releases. Games go on sale so fast nowadays, it's crazy.

Then all is going according to plan...
- No printed manuals
- Huge DLC pushes
- Day-one patches, esp. on AAA titles
- Fewer on-disc "game of the year" compilations or physical DLC discs
- Online-only software with regular updates, making the disc effectively worthless in time
- Subscription services galore

The faster they can push everyone to go all-digital, the happier game publishers will be. This is exactly what the industry wants, and it's completely by design.

Click to shrink...

You're right. And I'm completely fine with adapting. Just wanted to share the thought process behind it.

Games spend years in development in digital form in the development office. Stored on servers, copied to hard drives in dev kits, etc. Then at launch a snapshot of multiple years of development is put on a disc, which is copied to a hard drive before it can be run. Then there are patches, updates, new content added to that hard drive image. So why do people care so much about the coaster which held that brief snapshot of the games state? If it's to trade in to reduce costs, OK, but there are other ways to access large libraries for cheap such as Game Pass, PS+, EA Access, also the legit way that a family in a household can share a digital game on 2 consoles. If it's to "collect", there's a fine line between collecting and hoarding. At some point a couple of house moves from now it's probably clutter in a box and that helps noone, including the environment.

Click to shrink...

That's an excellent take. Exactly what I think.

This. Or sell them to other people. Or do really anything with them if you don't want them anymore besides delete them.

Click to shrink...

Yea but like I said, I usually keep my games. I have no interest in selling them anymore. If I lose money due to this, so be it. To me the positives outweigh the negatives here.

 

[Aokiji]

• I buy a new physical game for 60€.
• One year later the game data on that disc is completely outdated due to an ongoing flow of digital updates.

Click to shrink...

hate to break the news to you but all the discs are in this generation are local install keys & drm for the digital version lmao.

 

[Deleted member 135]

The majority of games work just fine without any patches. If they require big patches to work correctly they aren't worth playing anyway.

 

[SinCityAssassin]

At least I don't have to download a switch cart to make it run better.

 

[Ralemont]

To be honest I so rarely replay games that I always just view my games collection as an archive of experiences and memories.

 

[60fps]

The majority of games work just fine without any patches. If they require big patches to work correctly they aren't worth playing anyway.

Click to shrink...

Eating Spaghetti with my bare hands works just fine, too. But it's a subpar experience that I don't want. It's about personal perception and value. I just want the latest and greatest version of my games and have no interest in "owning" incomplete versions without balancing updates, New Game Plus, updated fonts to make the text actually readable, DLC campaigns and all that stuff that gets added post-launch nowadays.

hate to break the news to you but all the discs are in this generation are local install keys & drm for the digital version lmao.

Click to shrink...

You're right, that's exactly why I don't buy discs anymore!

 

[Ultima_5]

The majority of games work just fine without any patches. If they require big patches to work correctly they aren't worth playing anyway.

Click to shrink...

well this isn't right

 

[maximumzero]

Retail games still have more advantages in the end though, IMHO.

 

[sleepnaught]

I thought about selling my physical Switch collection and rebuying them digitally. How much did it set you back? I really regret buying physical, but now that I'm already invested in physical, I keep buying physical copies lol. It really takes away from Switch's strength of hyper convenience when you have to swap out carts.

 

[Musubi]

Yep its why I'm all digital now. Games have just skewed towards a direction that make discs so irrelevant in todays market.

 

[Eumi]

Before updates became a normal thing, games weren't complete at launch, they were incomplete forever.

Now some games can at least be completed post launch.

 

[Ikuu]

- No printed manuals

Click to shrink...

Good, complete waste of paper and ink.

 

[thediamondage]

For PS4/XB1 I try to only keep 1-2 current physical games that I will play and trade in. Any MP game I am buying digital or skipping. So for example right now I have KH3 on PS4 and nothing on XB1, once I finish KH3 I will trade it in and maybe get something else. I don't buy games anymore that I will not be playing immediately, its totally pointless since the game will be on sale for a deeper discount if I wait.

On XB1 its even weirder with gamepass, like I am downloading crackdown 3 today and will give it a spin, not sure if its a good game or not but who cares I have gamepass.

2018 was definitely the year when holding onto physical games felt pretty pointless, it was a bit of a whipsaw with how fast digital prices dropped on shadow of tomb raider, call of duty, battlefield, assassins creed, etc. Far Cry New Dawn is a great example, I still haven't finished FC5 (and DLCs) by the time I do I may get around to New Dawn, by that time I expect it to be $15-20 on the microsoft store.

 

[Ogami Itto]

For me it was just the space physical games were taking, I'm just over having collections of media.

 

[Thrill_house]

I can't borrow and swap digital games with friends and i love getting physical as much as im able. Just buy games used for cheap a year later.

 

[maximumzero]

I think what I like the most about physical games are the ability to resell them. Every now and then I buy a game that I thought I would like but end up not caring for, (looking at you, Binding of Issac) with a physical copy I can trade, resell, swap, or whatever else I want with it. With digital, I've just thrown my money down a hole with no way to recoup it.

It's caused me to be rather uneasy on digital software as a whole unfortunately. There's quite a few Switch games I'd like to play that are digital only that I haven't been able to bring myself to purchase.

 

[Deleted member 29237]

Yeah I never bother buying physical for new PC games. Still do for Wii and GC but then they never had other options anyway. PS3 I have a mix but I think at least that gen games were mostly playable without patches weren't they?

 

[Epilexia]

This is the case with physical games nowadays, most of the time you will have a piece of plastic with bugs that were latter patched and with outdated content.

But this is beneficial for the consumer.

Because he will obtain more value from his investment in the game.

I think in 'The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+' in Switch.

The cartdrige comes without Pro controller support and with a nasty bug preventing you of unlocking 100% of the achievements. It has zero value without downloading the digital patches.

But as a counterpart, we'have received two free updates with tons of new content, bosses, characters and items.

And I love this timeline in which my favorite games are expanded with new features, levels and game modes. Most of the time, without paying extra money.

I look to my collection of physical games. A lot of them came with minor design problems, easily fixable after having some feedback from the users.

Think in a game with a terrible button layout. Before this digital generation, you will not be able to see a patch including an option to remap the controls.

Look at 'Deemo' on Switch. Every few months, we have new updates with free songs.

And once LABO was released, we have seen two collections of songs that can be played with the LABO piano.

And then think in the Playstation 1 generation. Think in the large list of games that could have been improved, with patches including Dual Shock support, once this controller came in the market.

I very much prefer this digital age.

 

[XDevil666]

resell is the reason I buy hard copy and the fact I actually own something.

Digital your leasing and is worth $0 as soon as hit the purchase button

 

[Sheepinator]

And then think in the Playstation 1 generation. Think in the large list of games that could have been improved, with patches including Dual Shock support, once this controller came in the market.

I very much prefer this digital age.

Click to shrink...

That's a great point. I think back also to Metroid Prime. One of the highest rated games ever, however the US launch version had a random crash bug when moving between worlds. This was fixed in a later revision, so people buying it later got that version. The launch version of course could never be patched. I guess according to one of the posters above, it wasn't worth playing.

 

[XDevil666]

For PS4/XB1 I try to only keep 1-2 current physical games that I will play and trade in. Any MP game I am buying digital or skipping. So for example right now I have KH3 on PS4 and nothing on XB1, once I finish KH3 I will trade it in and maybe get something else. I don't buy games anymore that I will not be playing immediately, its totally pointless since the game will be on sale for a deeper discount if I wait.

On XB1 its even weirder with gamepass, like I am downloading crackdown 3 today and will give it a spin, not sure if its a good game or not but who cares I have gamepass.

2018 was definitely the year when holding onto physical games felt pretty pointless, it was a bit of a whipsaw with how fast digital prices dropped on shadow of tomb raider, call of duty, battlefield, assassins creed, etc. Far Cry New Dawn is a great example, I still haven't finished FC5 (and DLCs) by the time I do I may get around to New Dawn, by that time I expect it to be $15-20 on the microsoft store.

Click to shrink...

This is pretty much me :) I started off the gen buying way too much and now I only buy 1 at a time, I do keep the multiplayer games for longer though, but I sell them as soon as I move on to something else

 

[Vexii]

You can't trade in digital games.

Click to shrink...

I mean, this is it. Everyone complains about trade-in value being so low when they're trying to sell something that's almost a year old, but haven't played it for 10 months.

It's on you for not selling when the value is high, and with digital you don't get that option period.

 

[Swift_Gamer]

How do you know that in 10 years the digital stores will close?

 

[Epilexia]

That's a great point. I think back also to Metroid Prime. One of the highest rated games ever, however the US launch version had a random crash bug when moving between worlds. This was fixed in a later revision, so people buying it later got that version. The launch version of course could never be patched. I guess according to one of the posters above, it wasn't worth playing.

Click to shrink...

Even more examples. Think in N64 games struggling with the framerate, receiving updates to improve its performance with the Expansion Pack.

Think in the N64 games of the launch window, updated to include rumble pack support.

Think in Playstation 1 games receiving performance updates to run at 60 FPS in the hardware of Playstation 2.

Think in a lot of Game Boy games, receiving updates to have custom color palettes in Game Boy color.

Technology is always moving forward, so it makes sense that now we have a way of seeing the games making an use of these improvements, by also moving forward.

 

[Deleted member 12129]

How do you know that in 10 years the digital stores will close?

Click to shrink...

You don't. But at the same time, I'd bet if those platforms are gone their ability to serve updates or patches wont be far behind. Your disc isn't going to be the complete game anyway.

 

[elenarie]

Good. Complete waste of plastic and paper, otherwise. :)

 

[Scarlet Spider]

Nah, I don't like digital. When my PS3 YLOD I lost all my digital games on that console. I'm going physical whenever I can and as my main option forever.

 

[karnage10]

Digital games can't be loaned out to friends.
Digital games can't be traded in to stores.
Digital games can't be given to younger siblings or cousins as a fun gift.

Once you look at your media collection and realize that you don't have the time or inclination to revisit 90% of the titles you own, the concept of having them forever kinda loses its value as well. The limited storage space on your device means that eventually a bunch of stuff has to be deleted, so you're stuck downloading it again which is such a chore (especially when we're talking about years of cumulative updates that have bloated a game's size beyond 75GB).

And besides, outside of Games As A Service, what titles are really receiving updates more than a year after launch?

Click to shrink...

Just want to correct a misunderstanding here.
Steam allows library sharing so you do indeed can loan your library out to your friends. It is not perfect but if other companies stepped their game (looking at you console manufacturers, even with walled gardens why can't you do that?) then maybe it would be as good a physical version.

 

[BernardoOne]

It's not exactly a new thing, although it's much better handled today. So many PS2 games for example, filled with bugs at launch, and you had to buy the game all over again in new prints or from a different region to have it patched up.

 

[Komo]

Digital games can't be loaned out to friends.
Digital games can't be traded in to stores.
Digital games can't be given to younger siblings or cousins as a fun gift.

Once you look at your media collection and realize that you don't have the time or inclination to revisit 90% of the titles you own, the concept of having them forever kinda loses its value as well. The limited storage space on your device means that eventually a bunch of stuff has to be deleted, so you're stuck downloading it again which is such a chore (especially when we're talking about years of cumulative updates that have bloated a game's size beyond 75GB).

And besides, outside of Games As A Service, what titles are really receiving updates more than a year after launch?

Click to shrink...

The 3rd one can't.

But see this is what Microsoft saw and predicted with their launch Xbox One model. It doesn't seem so bad anyways does it? Gamestop is basically dying as we speak. You would have been able to share games with 10 people. That would have been insane.