PlayStation brand boss Kaz Hirai has given us a grounded look at the digital distribution scene, claiming that it's extremist to believe that we'll have an all-digital industry even within ten years. The polygonal executive has also stated that, whatever happens, the PlayStation 4 will need some form of physical media support.
“We do business in parts of the world where network infrastructure isn’t as robust as one would hope," states Hirai. "There’s always going to be requirement for a business of our size and scope to have a physical medium.
"To think everything will be downloaded in two years, three years or even ten years from now is taking it a little bit to the extreme."
It speaks of the naivety and almost childish lack of restraint that many game executives have that they believe digital distribution will happen overnight. The same thing happens with 3D gaming. A new idea comes along and these industry folk expect it to suddenly change everything and be the "future" of gaming. It may well be the future, but that doesn't mean it'll happen next week.
Hirai: PS4 not download-only [MCV]
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Contest:
8:40 AM on 08.26.2010
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Physical discs, however, can last a lifetime if properly maintained. No hard drive can make that claim.
Then Netflix and Hulu happened.
I work at one of the local record shops, we also sell a lot of books, DVDs, and book, but our CD department is constantly thrashed. It has to be our most popular and fiscally prosperous department.
That's after iTunes and how easy it is to pirate music. While the physical option might not remain the most popular you'd be a fool to imply it will ever die or shrink to irrelevancy. At least here in the States, I know tradition is too strong.
But the rest of the world? Not likely. And, no, I'm not trying to ignore Singapore, South Korea, Columbia, and other developed nations, but you know what I mean overall.
...is this sony officially giving up on the PSPGo or what?
Sure, streaming movies are an option. But they haven't replaced the good ol' DVD or BluRay by any stretch of the definition, have they? That's what Hirai's getting at, I think. Sure, we might see digital distribution offered, perhaps even with some more robust options that make it viable to cut out the middleman.
Either at the tail-end of this generation or beginning with the next, most titles will probably be offered two ways: digital and physical. Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft are going to need the network infastructure for the day they DO switch to all-digital, and practicing on a console with the backup of having a physical distribution in place would be smart.
Of course, there's going to be plenty of ways to entice the customer into buying digital over physical. I wouldn't be surprised in the least for companies to do any of the following:
-Game Rentals, where for a set fee smaller than permanently "buying" a game, you get full access to the title for X amount of days or even hours. With an optional "Hey, if you'd like to purchase the game for keeps, we'll discount the cost of the rental from the price!" Imagine how many people would go for this?
-Earlier Releases, anywhere from a few days to a week. The hot new thing coming out, like Halo: Reach II or Final Fantasy Versus XIII? Gamers opposing the idea of digital distribution would convert ON THE SPOT if it meant getting their hands on the next new thing in advance.
-DLC Included. Imagine being offered the choice between a digital copy that will get free DLC updates automatically or a physical copy that won't and costs ten bucks more. I know which I'd choose.
Yes, there are options. However, the only way this is going to happen is if Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo put some heavy infrastructure into place first. Personally, I'm not a fan of digital media and will gladly continue to cling to my discs like a heathen afraid of fire, but I'm probably an exception to the rule.
The current system is too perfect. I get a disc, play it, trade it in, and then it can be resold in a location with less reliable infrastructure where the new owner will be unable to play online, and will have no reason to fork over more money for an online pass. Suck it, EA.
Sure, I get most of the PS3 games from retail and especially PS3 games would be a little too huge to download but on the PC I get nearly everything from Steam. But if there's a fancy collector's edition involved I'll get the CE instead. Maybe I am a collector but they sure make collecting very very unattractive.
Overall, physical distribution will never die, I just hope they get back to some prettier boxes.
But even so, I've had friends who lived in the forest and didn't get internet before 4 years ago.
Plus, full current gen box games that can be officially downloaded from XBL's Games On Demand and the few popping up on PSN are terribly over priced and they're never discounted. I'd say that *every* one of those games can be found for at least $10 less in its physical form, usually much more. If I'm paying $20 or more for a game, I want a physical disc and a case.
Once all the big guys go digital I bet some upstart company will make a physical media only console for guys like me who still long for the return of cartridges.
Agreed. Dead Space costs $19.99 via Games On Demand and also costs $19.99 at my local Blockbuster. It's really a no-brainer.
Regarding new games, I think $34.99 to $39.99 would be the sweet spot for digital distribution. Not a chance in hell I'm paying more. I realize that there's different costs associated with selling a game digitally and that it's not "free", but cutting out the middlemen (Games today go through at least two steps before they get to your hands) would drastically cut down the costs, which I feel should be passed on to the consumer.
I'd pay $39.99 to download a copy of Halo: Reach, for example.
And digital distribution would have the advantage of allowing developers and publishers to establish the price point. Instead of being faced with a barrage of games of varying quality and budgets all at nearly the same price, we could see games priced at what they're worth.
For once they are not talking out of their rear :)
The worst part is that if you look at downloadable 360 titles, etc., the savings of not having to package, ship, etc. aren't even passed on to the consumer. The vast majority of the time, you can get a physical copy cheaper than you can download a game. Why embrace that kind of "advancement"?
"...is this sony officially giving up on the PSPGo or what?"
The PSPGo is always going to be a niche product, but Sony is still fully committed to digital downloads of PSP games (which are available on all PSPs, not just the Go).
And I'd also add that it is also really expensive jumping onto each new innovation. (Going to next gen + HDTVs and then shelling out more for the silly 3D ones. Oh and the fact that Steam is pretty much the only service to get Digital Purchasing right outside of DLC and smaller scale games.)
Hell I'm not even on this Smartphone crazy. (Tracfone here; No bills)
I'm glad to see companies such as Sony, sharing the importance of physical media.
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