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I'm generally buying more digital over physical for all platforms, but Switch specifically I almost hate the idea of buying physical games anymore
- Thread starter CloseTalker
- Start date
Imagine a portable console actually being truly portable in a self contained manner. It's incredibly freeing not having to pack certain carts to bring with you on a trip or whatever, especially when you're like me and you don't know what you'll feel like playing until the mood strikes you.
I used to be anti-digital, too. For the Switch its never made more sense.
Aside from reselling them, the physical games being a lot cheaper than the closed eshop price in some countries is a big reason. In the U.K. a new, major digital game on the eshop is £50, plus you'll have needed to have bought a large memory card too at some point. Or you can shop around the online retailers and find it for £40 and be able to sell it for £30. If you're talking equations that's a huge difference in pricing of several hundred quid over the course of say five years, even if you don't sell any. And if you do sell your games on (I sell on maybe a quarter of mine) you're getting them for a fifth of the price.
I buy physical because retailers have better sales quicker, and the burden of swapping carts/discs is not enough to outweigh the benefit of saving $.
if Nintendo releases 3 first party games in 1 year you want to buy, and you get them at Walmart for $10 off day 1, that's $30 you save per year. More if you wait for a sale.
at best you're waiting 6 months for digital discounts on first party Nintendo games and even then, they may only be as good as the $10 off WM day 1 price if that.
also, Nintendo games hold value so many $50-$60 physical games You buy today will have $20-30 value at GameStop and even more second hand for 2-3 sometimes even 5 years
I traded Pikmin 3 Wii U to GameStop for $70 in 2016. It made zero sense. But I wouldn't be able to do that digital.
not only but I can play a game but not line the companies pockets if they have poor business practices (CDPR) by buying used physical games
if Nintendo releases 3 first party games in 1 year you want to buy, and you get them at Walmart for $10 off day 1, that's $30 you save per year. More if you wait for a sale.
at best you're waiting 6 months for digital discounts on first party Nintendo games and even then, they may only be as good as the $10 off WM day 1 price if that.
also, Nintendo games hold value so many $50-$60 physical games You buy today will have $20-30 value at GameStop and even more second hand for 2-3 sometimes even 5 years
I traded Pikmin 3 Wii U to GameStop for $70 in 2016. It made zero sense. But I wouldn't be able to do that digital.
not only but I can play a game but not line the companies pockets if they have poor business practices (CDPR) by buying used physical games
It's not about laziness. It completely changes the way you play games. If you're not sure what you feel like playing you can flick between games as if you were changing channel. I'd never go back to physical now.
I fail to see how changing carts vs. staying stationary, changes the way that games are played, and I say this as someone who bought some digital games. It's not mindblowing like you make it sound.
Maybe it's just me but I disagree that it makes sense. Particularly regarding the accounts problem that stem with the Switch, and what makes a portable imo doesn't necessarily refer to the format of media played. Granted, I've been a Game Boy guy since I was kid, so naturally I am used to cartridge switching. Especially as the cases that I took my handhelds in, usually had a pocket for me to swap out my games.
I grew up with Game Gear, Game Boy Color, SP, etc. Always used to carry around all my carts and ensure every carrying case I used had room for the games/etc. I have probably around 100 games on the Switch by now. I don't think it's "normal" to have that many games, but I also think if I were to carry around all of my games wherever I brought my Switch if they were all physical (or even half for that matter), it would officially lose its "portable" status IMO. And I also think that the convenience of a full digital library is something you don't realize you would value until you actually do it (Re: "naturally I am used to cartridge switching."), since I was the same way.
Well it's not something you can really understand from just buying some digital games, so it's no surprise you don't get it. But don't worry it's not your fault.
I still don't mind buying physical for newish games even now because it's usually cheaper, though obviously digital wins out in the medium and long run these days . Switch is the console that is the least hassle to buy physical for though. The cases don't take up much space, you can be more confident than for other consoles that the game on the cartridge (with some exceptions) is going to be like the final product and not have a shitload of patches , and obviously a lot of games have good resell value. I get it with other consoles, but i've never had any issue having a small case to keep cartridges, it's the least cumbersome it could possibly be for a physical product.
There are Three switch systems in my house so going digital on a title only makes sense if there's only one person who would play it.
It's getting more and more difficult, going digital is just so convenient, but even on Switch I'm mostly physical with more than 100 games in my possession. I use a carry case whenever I bring my Switch somewhere that can house up to 8 cartridges, so I can always carry my current rotation of games with me. I do have extra little cartridge bags that enable me to bring even more games with me. It's not like I go outside much in these times anywhere so I use my Switch at home where my collection is. Changing the cartridges is also not that tedious. I do get the convenience factor, but I personally will buy my games physically as long as it's still possible.
100% agreed OP. I have a 1 TB SD card in my switch and I'm never buying physical again on it. I love having 100 of games ready to play.
I always buy the physical version if I can for any console except PC. If my account gets banned for whatever reason, it will minimize the amount of cash I lost. Many people got banned and lost their accounts for no apparent reasons in the past or because of payment issues. Also physical games can be sold to get back some of the money. Switch games in particular hold their value very well since games barely drop in price even several years after release.
Echo'ing others in this thread - I don't trust Nintendo's online practices, so I refuse to buy digitally. I've been buying almost exclusively digitally comfortably for a long long time on PC but I trust those platforms. I have absolutely no confidence that Nintendo will make any effort to make my Switch games playable on a future console without charging me an arm and a leg for a "remaster". It's pretty disgusting what Nintendo gets away with without the bad PR.
As others have said, funny enough Digital on Switch is the one platform I don't really like doing on Switch if it can be helped. Something feels more concrete about Switch Physical games compared to PS & Xbox. Think it helps that they aren't typically plagued by 30GB+ patches
I actually just decided to make the change to digital on Switch today. I've been pretty much digital the entire pandemic on my PS4 (and now my PS5) and it has been sort of eye opening.
I am still a little anxious about the decision but if I really think about it, worrying about plastics cases on a shelf feels a bit silly.
I am still a little anxious about the decision but if I really think about it, worrying about plastics cases on a shelf feels a bit silly.
The last physical game i bought was breath of the wild and that was only because my switch refused to connect to my wifi at the moment.
I intend to stay 100% digital unless there is some some super cool limited edition i want, but that has yet to happen, i think i am just done with physical games.
I still have a pretty nice big collection of older games from past generations in my attic, i am not sure why to be honest, it was many years ago since i last replayed any one of them, i should probably sell/give that stuff away soon.
I intend to stay 100% digital unless there is some some super cool limited edition i want, but that has yet to happen, i think i am just done with physical games.
I still have a pretty nice big collection of older games from past generations in my attic, i am not sure why to be honest, it was many years ago since i last replayed any one of them, i should probably sell/give that stuff away soon.
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On the switch, it's an extra hassle as you need to remove it from the dock first. Feels like I'm scratching the screen if I do it directly.
I was 100% physical until my country's currency lost 30% value over dolar. Then I went digital because Brazillian eshop became cheaper than US.
However I found out that digital is actually better than physical. It's so convenient.
1. No more trading catridges.
2. I can see evwry game that I have
3. No need to buy a new shelve
4. I don't need to inport games and I can play games on launch day
5. It's cheaper right now.
However I found out that digital is actually better than physical. It's so convenient.
1. No more trading catridges.
2. I can see evwry game that I have
3. No need to buy a new shelve
4. I don't need to inport games and I can play games on launch day
5. It's cheaper right now.
Most of the reasons have been covered but yeah, physical for me on Switch if for no other reason than Nintendo games retaining their value and I tend to casually collect for their systems. Playstation/xbox games are installed to the HDD so it's not like buying them physical allows you to play off th disc and save space. Plus the vast majority of their games end up in the 2 for $20 bin when the next gen hits so meh. I feel no way about buying digital on those latter platforms.
Back in the day I used to carry my GBA and DS games loose inside of a little pouch. For my Switch games, however, I have a Switch case I keep my games in.
However, maybe because the Switch is just such a good platform, or maybe because I have more income today, but I have over 36 physical Switch games, more then 3 times that can actually fit in the case. And suddenly I'm starting to feel how annoying and cumbersome a physical collection actually is.
But I'm still never going to go digital if I can help it. The monetary value of having a physical game I could sell is just too much for me to want to go digital for convenience. Not to mention that if something were to happen (e.g. if my Switch were to get banned for hacking the console), then I would be able to simply move my games elsewhere. I'll just suck it up and put Puyo Puyo Tetris in my Switch every single time I want to play it.
However, maybe because the Switch is just such a good platform, or maybe because I have more income today, but I have over 36 physical Switch games, more then 3 times that can actually fit in the case. And suddenly I'm starting to feel how annoying and cumbersome a physical collection actually is.
But I'm still never going to go digital if I can help it. The monetary value of having a physical game I could sell is just too much for me to want to go digital for convenience. Not to mention that if something were to happen (e.g. if my Switch were to get banned for hacking the console), then I would be able to simply move my games elsewhere. I'll just suck it up and put Puyo Puyo Tetris in my Switch every single time I want to play it.
What does storage size have to do with anything? I store like 300GB of crap on my phone, and I store like 300GB of games on my Switch. When I want to open software I just open it without having to physically swap media on my device. It's all just downloaded and installed and available on my device.
Carrying around a box full of tiny disks to store my software makes as little sense for my phone as it does for my Switch.
Physical all day, every day. I've sold a few Switch games for 80-90% of purchase price (DOOM, Splatoon, Crash collection, etc.) I love the little carts and the tiny game cases.
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I honestly find it kind of cathartic. When I complete a game it feels like a definitive end to a title from my backlog...it's ejected, put back in its case and shelved/re-sold...forgotten about until I fancy playing it again in the future.
My Switch is permanently docked due to the Switch is not the most ergonomic of handhelds, so whilst I don't have the issue of carrying around expensive cartridges, but I get OP's concern. In old pre-digital portable gaming consoles days, I only had one game inserted at the time and didn't carry any extras, unless I was going on holiday. I also agree that changing the cartridge on the Switch doesn't have the same ease of just ejecting a disc, especially if the Switch is docked.
I buy physical with the Switch where possible (I prefer physical items and the ability to resell), and am generally alternating between one physical single-player game that takes longer to complete and one digital indie game at a time, so I don't have to change the cartridge that often.
Also, people, stop disparaging others for buying games physically or calling physical items/video games 'clutter', which implies there is an inherent messiness and disorganization to having physical items, sheesh. I don't know how you keep your games, but mine are tidy. There are both perfectly logical reasons why people prefer to purchase their games digitally or buy physical copies, it's absurd to be pretentious about it.
I go back in forth: Nintendo's online support is the weakest of the Big 3, and I have concerns Nintendo won't carry over digital games if they ever do a big console redesign after the Switch. As you said, though, physical cartridges may also not be supported one day, and everything might have to be repurchased digitally. My hope is that if it turns out to be the latter, the price might have gone down by then on older games... but there is the obligatory Nintendo Tax!
I KNOW.
I'm so careful with it, and it still freaks me out. The cartridges are so small and delicate, too, that they make the 3DS cartridges feel like solid bricks in comparison, lol.
I buy physical with the Switch where possible (I prefer physical items and the ability to resell), and am generally alternating between one physical single-player game that takes longer to complete and one digital indie game at a time, so I don't have to change the cartridge that often.
Also, people, stop disparaging others for buying games physically or calling physical items/video games 'clutter', which implies there is an inherent messiness and disorganization to having physical items, sheesh. I don't know how you keep your games, but mine are tidy. There are both perfectly logical reasons why people prefer to purchase their games digitally or buy physical copies, it's absurd to be pretentious about it.
I go back in forth: Nintendo's online support is the weakest of the Big 3, and I have concerns Nintendo won't carry over digital games if they ever do a big console redesign after the Switch. As you said, though, physical cartridges may also not be supported one day, and everything might have to be repurchased digitally. My hope is that if it turns out to be the latter, the price might have gone down by then on older games... but there is the obligatory Nintendo Tax!
I KNOW.
I'm so careful with it, and it still freaks me out. The cartridges are so small and delicate, too, that they make the 3DS cartridges feel like solid bricks in comparison, lol.
I dunno, personally I've been hunting down some cart versions of recent purchases because I like lending them out to friends and family. Sounds weird but I feel like the game gets more mileage and I can share the experience. Edit: for the switch.
You're not wrong. It definitely encourages me up wrap games up!
Switching a cart is not the problem, but bringing your carts with you, especially if you own a lot and you didn't know which to play
Completely opposite for me, the resale value of Switch games is too damn high for me to just throw that money into the Nintendo ecosystem (which probably won't carry over onto their next console if their history is anything to go by)
However swapping carts is a pain and if money and budget weren't a concern id by everything digital and just rebuy each generation.
However swapping carts is a pain and if money and budget weren't a concern id by everything digital and just rebuy each generation.
Opposite for me, i buy almost exclusively physical on Switch for the reasons other people have said (plus i like the idea of carts in a retro way). And some have even gone up in value from what i paid (like Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Torna), if i were ever interested in selling my games (which i'm not lol). I'm more of a collector
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Such a mixed bag for me. I love the digital aspect but also appreciate the physical carts themselves and the value they retain.
If I have to download any patch for a Switch game, it sort of negates the benefit of having the game physically. I'm not paying for the internet by the amount of data I use. (Free wifi is pretty ubiquitous in many places.) I'm also fine to wait a few more minutes to download the entire game. The benefit of having everything in one place outweighs any potential upfront install time.
Area can definitely be a big factor in Physical over Digital. I'm in a more rural area with rather low speeds, so being able to negate a install and just grab a patch help a lot. Xbox is the only system where it can be a bit finicky as it feels like some games just redownload the entire thing again even if if you have the disc.
What you described with Hollow Knight is more like the exception, not the rule. (The physical copy is also appears to be about four times more expensive than the digital, practically speaking.) Look at Smash for example—the game you buy in store is not fairly representative anymore of the state of the game now. Even in the scenario you suggested—if you are unable to access online services on legacy consoles, you're stuck playing an early version of the game anyway.
I lament the lost art of getting together with friends to go into town to check out the latest video games, meeting up with new and interesting people around the game shelves and forming bonds with them that last a lifetime. Gaming used to be such a wonderful social experience. See also: record stores.