Alternative distribution to optical disks : SSD, cards, and download*
- Thread starter Cheezdoodles
- Start date
I ve searched a bit. Dacades ago there were no 16 core CPUs for consumers and console gamers and that's where one big difference lies. In this form this hasn't been done for decades.
Yes, every game that has a world that does not fit into memory and has no loading screens at the same time needs a technique like "OCS". Still many games have loading times. Sure, even in 2009 OCS was not cutting edge. Even then it was the method of choice if one does not get everything into the memory. Of course OCS was generally known in the industry for years at the time CIG started.
For example, the open world games which are made with Snowdrop (The Division etc) have a 16 core support and the multicore part is quite well done. Unfortunately the thing is also incredibly CPU hungry if one wants to use the full engine. Otherwise the point is why to develop for 16 cores if hardly anyone has such a machine to play and also there is no quickly sign of 16 cors become standard in the consumer area in the future? Snowdrop was completely rewritten for Division and the team build it from zero. As far as the maximal number of players is concerned there would be more if they would not have taken the consoles into consideration. A real MMO with hundreds of players wouldn't be possible on consoles either.
When it comes to loading times you also have a problem if you really need massive bandwidth which most players just don't have. Accordingly you have to make sure that it also loads smoothly on an average gaming PC or a console.
Last edited:
You're slithering around now.
You said that manual copying of games to internal storage to play them was fine, and used the "fact" that PS4 did this as proof that it was not an impediment.
I said that would be stupid, and pointed out that no, the PS4 absolutely does not do what you said it did. You were entirely incorrect, and the opposite is the case.
Soooooo that would mean you were arguing that manual copying of 100+ GB games to a very limited internal drive would not be an issue for gamers, as this was already the case for PS4 (hint, it isn't, and no console including Nintendo consoles does this).
That would be an incredibly stupid strategy. Incredibly stupid.
And to make this absolutely clear, to do this and require manual copies of titles from external storage to internal storage to play them is possible - of course it is - but it's stupid.
And that was what you were claiming. Using the PS4 as an example. You were saying automated handling of externally stored games was not necessary.
When you refuse to quote and make a point by point rebuttal, and generate your own representation of another posters points to argue against, and then accuse them of screaming in some kind of smear in your sign off ...
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
No shit you can enable the copying of files between locations.
In the same way you can copy arguments between Gamefaqs and Beyond3D.
phoenix_chipset
Regular
@function
Gamefaqs? This and neogaf are the only forums I use dude. I'm chozofication over there.
Why so hostile? I already said I was mistaken about how PS4 external works? Okay, I get it, you don't think it's a good idea.
I'll be honest, you're blocked from now on. Consider that your win if you want because talking to you yields absolutely nothing ever.
Gamefaqs? This and neogaf are the only forums I use dude. I'm chozofication over there.
Why so hostile? I already said I was mistaken about how PS4 external works? Okay, I get it, you don't think it's a good idea.
I'll be honest, you're blocked from now on. Consider that your win if you want because talking to you yields absolutely nothing ever.
arandomguy
Veteran
But half (or whatever percentage) of current sales being physical when the option is available (for the same price) isn't the same as assuming everyone who currently buys physical would just not buy at all if a release were digital only.
A concern with going digital only is how this might affect mainstream brand awareness in the retail space as with the current business model the retailer doesn't make money on the base console (much like the console maker) but has incentives to push it via store presence due to software and accessory sales.
A concern with going digital only is how this might affect mainstream brand awareness in the retail space as with the current business model the retailer doesn't make money on the base console (much like the console maker) but has incentives to push it via store presence due to software and accessory sales.
I think the switch is a slanted look into physical medium. Its a platform that has a lot of younger kids who's parents will buy games for them on a physical cart because they do not understand micro sd cards and storage like that.
Also japan isn't really an issue for the xbox
Johnny Awesome
Veteran
Figure out when music went all digital and go from there.
Charlietus
Regular
Music and movies aren't videogames. Everytime I hear about how physical is "shrinking" (even if by the insomniac leaks physical is still above 50% in almost all cases, eh) I'm like, yeah? Of course? Digital only consoles are being sold, so those users can't buy physical anymore. It's not some change of mind in the users, it's how they have to use the product. Physical isn't going away, and those that abandon it are going to get boycotted or ignored by a huge amount of users. And that's good.
Does getting less options benefit anyone?
If Xbox abandons physical, I'm not even considering whethever they are doing next, since I don't want less options.
Last edited:
Frenetic Pony
Veteran
It benefits devs, physical costs distribution $ on top of the cut a given store takes. Devs were happy to go digital because it made them more money per copy at the same price. That's a major reason AAA games remained $60 for so long, the large switch over to digital made them more money without charging more anyway.
In all probability there'll still be an oddly large market for physical Switch 2 carts, and could be one in certain markets for a handheld Xbox circa 2026. But at what point is a physical distribution system not worth the cost of having the distribution network, the R&D, the cost of keeping it on the console, etc? It's a good question to ask.
I don't even get how somebody can be in denial about physical and that video games are different than content like music/movies.
Who buys physical still these days?
Either people who try to get the lowest price deals because of used sales, overstocking and buy outside the sales window. Game companies have all the interest to minimise such sales.
Then there are the collectors which want special releases either to put on their shelf or for future profits.
IMHO that kind also existed for a decade or so in the movie market but that is imho also pretty much niche when people realise it's not worth it. Special music collector sales can probably be hand signed these days.
What do you expect from physical releases? You can't play them anyway without downloading GBs of patches and when the servers shut down they are usually toast anyway. What problem do you wanna prevent with physical disks?
Then you have to be prepared for doomsday because your consumer interests don't align with corporate interest and consumer reality.
I think it goes both ways. Xbox may decide that they're going fully digital and not provide a disc drive. By 2028 the global availability of internet will be much improved. On the other hand, it wont stop homebrew communities (in parts of the world that dont have high bandwidth internet) from figuring out workarounds. For example one could download over a long period of time a title using a jailbroken machine on lower bandwidth internet(I did this at times for my jailbroken PS3, it would take me about a month downloading multiple titles onto a harddrive then I would transfer them onto my PS3 harddrive). In remote parts of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Africa, etc, there are video game stores where you take your system and they load multiple pre-downloaded titles onto your machine for a decent fee. I think this is what people will do in those parts of the world.
But it seems physical will be more of a niche next gen. Sony may also decide to produce more digital only machines but I think the disc drive add on will become a core component of the design of their PS6 machine.
But it seems physical will be more of a niche next gen. Sony may also decide to produce more digital only machines but I think the disc drive add on will become a core component of the design of their PS6 machine.
Then go look at PC games and how many physical copies are sold since Steam and fast broadband.
Physical is dead - the users have decided. Consoles will end up that way, just as PC did without any forcing people to choose medium.
Charlietus
Regular
Devs are free to do whatever they want, but losing that shelf exposure is going to hurt them more than they think if they go that route.
Charlietus
Regular
So, who buys those physical games? The majority of people probably?
And those numbers are even higher for Nintendo, probably.
I guess if we keep saying that physical is dead it's going to happen, let's make it a self fulfilling prophecy.
Charlietus
Regular
Look at that dead physical:
x.com
x.com
The users truly have decided.
And all of this is with series s and PS5 digital on the market, which weren't a thing before.
The PC was always a more digital platform, obviously before any console. But the death of physical there is still a loss for the user.
Last edited:
You've just ignored my point. Explain the PC video game market and what that tells us about how valuable physical is.
Please quote the relevant information and not just link a tweet. People don't always get to view tweets or want to click on them.x.com
In Japan for the time being, maybe. If you have very big titles that take a long time to download, versus lots of convenient games stores you can grab a copy at, it makes sense. Other countries and areas with faster fibre and no game stores, it makes less sense. And as more game stores close down and more people have to buy digital, there's less reason to even produce a physical copy.
Almost 90% of games sold in UK in 2022 were digital - ERA
Physical game sales fell 4.5% last year, the digital entertainment and retail association says.
www.bbc.co.uk
Huh? The PC was 100% physical, same as consoles, as digital didn't exist. You had big cardboard boxes with paper manuals, and then CD jewel cases. As games became available to buy online, more and more people bought online, until physical died completely. There was no impetus to buy online or industry pressure the change people's habits - they chose convenience themselves.
Digital only is inevitable unless a new storage format holding hundreds of GB or even a 1 TB comes out and is readily affordable. If we're not getting a huge increase in capacity it doesn't make sense to continue when that path in the future. I appreciate physical as much as the next person and will continue to buy games I want for collection purposes this way but for regular game use it simply doesn't beat the convenience of digital only.
Retail space on shelves has shrunk to a considerable level compared to decades last and doesn't have as much sway. It's sad in a way but that's just the overall market dynamic in many countries.
And has been pointed out PC physical sales have gone extinct for years now. Now I would attribute this to the convenience of simply downloading a game and installing it on a HD via a broadband connection. And millions sure that before a digital storefront via piracy. Once devs/pubs realized this was the way to go it was curtains for physical on PC. Sprinkle something about DRM and yeah.
Retail space on shelves has shrunk to a considerable level compared to decades last and doesn't have as much sway. It's sad in a way but that's just the overall market dynamic in many countries.
And has been pointed out PC physical sales have gone extinct for years now. Now I would attribute this to the convenience of simply downloading a game and installing it on a HD via a broadband connection. And millions sure that before a digital storefront via piracy. Once devs/pubs realized this was the way to go it was curtains for physical on PC. Sprinkle something about DRM and yeah.
Charlietus
Regular
That isn't a survey, that is Chris Dring, who has access to real sales data, telling us that just like in Japan, in Europe the great majority of videogames sold are still physical. Welcome to 2024
Ps: that is true in the us as well, Mat Piscatella has shared data on that.
Last edited:
Charlietus
Regular
I don't think anyone can tell you exactly why PC boxes died, but it was probably steam. It became so popular with PC gamers and since steam didn't start to manufacture PC boxes their users didn't buy them. Also, I have been to many countries in Europe, and even 15 years ago I never saw PC sections in stores with games, just ps-nint-xbox. The PC market became big with steam, before it was just a niche.You've just ignored my point. Explain the PC video game market and what that tells us about how valuable physical is.
Please quote the relevant information and not just link a tweet. People don't always get to view tweets or want to click on them.
In Japan for the time being, maybe. If you have very big titles that take a long time to download, versus lots of convenient games stores you can grab a copy at, it makes sense. Other countries and areas with faster fibre and no game stores, it makes less sense. And as more game stores close down and more people have to buy digital, there's less reason to even produce a physical copy.
Almost 90% of games sold in UK in 2022 were digital - ERA
Physical game sales fell 4.5% last year, the digital entertainment and retail association says.www.bbc.co.uk
Huh? The PC was 100% physical, same as consoles, as digital didn't exist. You had big cardboard boxes with paper manuals, and then CD jewel cases. As games became available to buy online, more and more people bought online, until physical died completely. There was no impetus to buy online or industry pressure the change people's habits - they chose convenience themselves.
In the tweet, Christopher Dring, which has access to Europe sales data, says that just like in Japan, the great majority of games sold in Europe are still physical.
That article you posted, just like many articles like this, are so misleading. It makes it seem like 90% of full video games sales are digital, while it's showing physical sales revenue vs digital sales, subscriptions, microtransactions AND mobile games.
But I guess it drives clicks.
