Anyone else find the "Double dipping" phenomenon a bit... strange?

I don't understand why this would be seen as strange?

If I go to see movie it might cost me X amount of money. If that movie is really good then I might spend X to go and see it again. I might even buy it on DVD when it is released. A few years down the line there might be an event in my local area and that movie will be shown and maybe I will pay to see it again.

I assume by "double dipping" we are not talking about someone who buys a game on a console, loves it, and goes on to buy it again 3 weeks later on the same console?

So lets say a certain game comes out in November 2011. A player really enjoys this game. Really, really, loves it. Has a great time playing it. A few years later the console is retired and a new console is released. A few years after that, 5 years after the original release, the game is released on the new console.

Is it REALLY that strange that someone would want to buy a game they loved once more 5 years later on a completely different console?

Sure you could climb up into the attic and haul out the old console and bring it down and set it all up just to play that one game. Or you could just pay to play again. 60 bucks is hardly going to break the bank and if you can't afford it then just don't buy it, I guess.

So a year later the game is released AGAIN but it's a portable version this time. Is it that surprising that people would say "I quite fancy having the portable version of that actually" and so they buy it again.

Around this time last year (June and July) I went to see Radiohead twice in Europe. This was significantly expensive. Why twice though? Why go and see them at all when I already own all their music on CD? Is that really so weird?

To be honest I find it more strange that people have massive backlogs worth hundreds or thousands of dollars. All those games sitting bought but unplayed maybe never to be played.

I see it like having a pile of movie tickets sitting around for films you haven't seen yet but intend to see at some point. Or films you watched bits of here and there. You can't even be sure that the cinema will close down and be replaced by a new and improved cinema before you get to see everything. Probably just build up another backlog for the new place.

Double dipping with games is like going to see a movie you love again years down the line. Maybe your local cinema hasn't shown it for years but the newly opened place across town is showing it as part of a special event so you buy a ticket. How is that strange?

I think that the problem to understand each other in this lies in the fact that people like OP and me probably don't replay games(me for sure), once a game is finished we pass to something else, while those who double dip like to replay games so they are willing to re-buy them for the most convenient console.

I buy a lot of games on Xbox to play with my friends, and get PC versions for solo online play, because I don't actually like dealing with Xbox that much but tolerate it for said friends. PS4 used to occupy the PC slot a bit before I upgraded to GTX 1080 and all that. I'll also sometimes get an Xbox version of something I already own elsewhere to gameshare it with my brother.

i almost never double dip

the only game that i bought twice is uncharted 2, that because on certain parts of the game somehow the disc got error or something, since i'm too lazy to return it to the seller i just bought another digitally

btw it's always tempting to buy remaster/remakes, but up untill know i'm able to resist the urge

2+2=5 said:

I think that the problem to understand this for people like OP and me lies in the fact that we probably don't replay games(me for sure), once a game is finished we pass to something else, while those who double dip like to replay games so they are willing to re-buy them for the most convenient console.

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I think then it's an issue of wasting time rather than money.

So if the OP says "that is a waste of money" then it makes no sense. I buy a game in 2011 on one console and love it. So I buy it again 5 years later on a different console that's perfectly understandable really. Then it comes out in a portable format a year later so I buy again for the portability. That's understandable too.

If you said though "I spent 100 hours on that game and I ain't spending another 100 hours on it" then I could obviously understand that to some extent.

I know folks who would watch the entire LOTR trilogy multiple times over the years or rewatch Game of Thrones or Breaking Bad multiple times.

Even seeing a brand new giant 4k TV in a store and thinking I want to buy that and watch my favourite movies or play my favourite games on it is kind of "double dipping" as well.

I will double dip with RDR2 just like I did with GTAV. i'll play it on PS4 Pro because who wants to miss out on the launch hype? Then later ill get it on PC for the higher resolution and mod support.

It's a rich people thing

I try not to double dip too much. I only buy games more than once if a really great game gets remastered or remade with some big improvements, like Shadow of the Colossus, which I actually triple dipped (PS2 original, PS3 remaster and PS4 remake)

I don't normally buy the same version of a game on more than one system though. I have Doom and Wolfenstein 2 on PS4, so have no need for the Switch, Xbox or PC versions for example, as that is a waste of money to me.

No but the name bothers me

People are making light of the fact that they're going to buy a game again. For whatever reason. That's their prerogative, ya stick in the mud.

Recently double dipped on SFV and NFS on PC but thats because I sold my PS4 but also because the PC versions are better...

DocSeuss said:

Doom is fun, sure, but I wanted to try it out on my TV and it was on sale and I had Xbox cash so I got it to see how different the console release was. And then I traded in some games and had credit, and hey, look, the switch port. Sure, I'll pick that up. Not like the Switch has a lot else going on for it these days, right?

Anyways now I own a thousand copies of Doom.

For most people, I think it's because either they're console gamers who don't own the game on the PC and thus have to upgrade every gen, or prefer to play on one platform and don't get it there until later (like, hey, I have Yakuza 4 for PS3, but I'd absolutely buy it for the PC if it was announced). I think there are also people who want to support companies and games they like. There are some who like collecting games too.

I have Resident Evil 4 on PC. I do not need to buy it every time it gets rereleased.

There's also people who buy games for achievements and, for some odd reason, Trophies.

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Why are trophies odd vs achievements?

It depends for me. I've bought Resi 4 both on GCN and Wii... but the Wii had the added content and new controls. I'm also considering buying MK8 again for Switch, just to have it on the go.
I can also understand when people buy it again just to support a small indie studio for instance, when they really loved the game, or something like a virtual console game to be able to play it on a new system so you don't have to hook up an old console that doesn't have HDMI etc.

Is it weird to rebuy a movie on Blu-ray that you originally had on DVD? (or even VHS?) No? Then why is it weird to buy a better version of a game you love?

Now, buying multiple copies of the game on the same platform for just yourself, for no tangible benefit? (As in, not for the sake of multiplayer that requires two copies of the game/two devices or a cheap digital version later on for convinience's sake), now that's weird.

I have the money to do it.

Sue me.

Vex said:

Ok. I get this, but isn't this like ordering five plates of the same dish, but you only ate 4? Sure youre supporting the chef, but doesnt that feel wasteful?

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No because buying the same game on different consoles is like eating the same dish but on different days.

If I go to the same restaurant after work every Friday and order the same food it would be a bit weird for people to say "but you went there last week and ate the same thing".

Updated versions of games don't count i guess

I do own several copies of skullgirls but at this rate who doesn't

I bought Witcher 3 on ps4 at release. Then I bought the goty edition on pc because I wanted to play it and the dlcs on my newly built gaming pc.

Nuclear Muffin said:

Is it weird to rebuy a movie on Blu-ray that you originally had on DVD? (or even VHS?) No? Then why is it weird to buy a better version of a game you love?

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With movies and music it's not just the buying different formats, people will literally buy all new equipment and use it to watch and/or listen to their favorites.

I know folks who will spend hundreds on new headphones and then use them to listen to music they have listened to 100s of times before.

Folks will buy a massive TV and a brand new sound set up for their living room and then throw on Star Wars.

Vex said:

Ok. I get this, but isn't this like ordering five plates of the same dish, but you only ate 4? Sure youre supporting the chef, but doesnt that feel wasteful?

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Throwing food away and throwing digital content away is hardly comparable. I would feel guilty wasting food. I typically double dip if I think it's a game I want on say my PC and Switch or something. Or in the case of Souls, if I have a friend on one console and another on PC. If I know I'll play the game all the way through multiple times why not?

And for the record, I don't simply double dip just to support the dev, that's just sort of what happens if they make a game I really like. But if I don't think I'll actually play it, I won't buy it again.

Andy Mac said:

With movies and music it's not just the buying different formats, people will literally buy all new equipment and use it to watch and/or listen to their favorites.

I know folks who will spend hundreds on new headphones and then use them to listen to music they have listened to 100s of times before.

Folks will buy a massive TV and a brand new sound set up for their living room and then throw on Star Wars.

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I don't really see the comparison with music or sound. I'll throw in an old favorite when I get new headphones or a new subwoofer for the surround sound, just to put it to the test and see just how different it is. In those cases you are basically using familiar audio/visual as a comparison for improvement.

I preordered Medal Of Honor Warfighter. I forgot I did it. Later on I preordered it again and didn't realise I'd purchased it twice until they both arrived.

I played one copy for maybe fifteen minutes and gave the other one away.

Vex said:

We see this so often:

"TIME TO DOUBLE DIP"
"TIME TO TRIPLE DIP"

and my favorite:

"TIME TO DO QUADRUPLE DIP"

I feel like I am not understanding. So please help me understand. These people are comfortable with buying the same game twice, thrice, and sometimes even q.... qu....q-

...You get what I mean.

Why buy the same game so many times? Especially if the content is usually the same across versions? I feel like that is a waste of money*. Are you planning on resale? Sharing that copy with a friend? You cant play both at the same time. Why?

Anyways, I'm sure you all have your own reasons. I'd like to hear it. Thank you.
.

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Personally i only re-buy some of my favourite games ever. For example Ikaruga, RE4, RE REmake, Castlevania SOTN, Spelunky etc. My old consoles are not hooked to my tv anymore, so having some classics that i always can replay (as long as i have some free time) on newer platforms is great.

I got the Souls Games and Monster Hunter World on PS4 first and got them later on PC, I also got Rocket League twice because sometimes I prefer to play it on PC and sometimes on console when I have people over.

Not different to upgrading films we had on old formats to the newer standards. The same with books or music. Any product/creative piece is bound to be re-released if popular enough. People who feel attached to those will buy it again. I do it, but only when the price is convenient, and the improvements significant. For cases where improvements are marginal, or there's even a loss in some aspect, I would'n do it.

Deep down the problem I find with this particular model is that it distorts the real demand for the product in question. Eventually people who bought the same article for the second or third time will come to ignore it; if by then no new audience has been captured, authors and publishers face a risky situation: imagine they make a significant investment based on these sales, without knowing who constitutes their audience. It's no surprise so many companies are averse to treading new waters.

At the same time, other companies are able to exploit their fans by enticing them into buying multiple units, a dominant reason for the staggered releases we've seen during these last years, especially on PC. Fans get what they want, they're free to spend money that way, but companies are syphoning them off and many don't seem to even care.

We wouldn't do it with a shirt or a toothbrush, yet somehow we gladly fall into the habit here, with our hobbies.

Other than Destiny 2 where I'm playing both the Xbox One X and PC versions simultaneously I only "double-dip" when a game is on sale on Xbox/PC. I've always enjoyed the Xbox as a platform with Xbox Live, etc to enjoy games with my son but at the same time I generally like to experience some of those same games at some point on PC with better visuals, performance, different input options, modding/customization, etc.

Sometimes I do end up moving on from the console version to mainly playing the PC version, case in point with The Division. Lots of cross-platform/cross-game saves, etc talk recently so while it may be gaining traction a bit it is very likely still a ways away before it becomes any kind of standard for the entire industry, in some games I would definitely want it while others I'm not so sure.

I don't see anything strange about it. When I sold my gaming PC and moved on to PS4, I rebought couple of games I enjoyed to play them on a new hardware. No problems with that.

There is strange occasion when I triple dipped on a game I don't even really like - small VR shooter Eve: Gunjack that I bought for every VR platform I owned, for testing purposes. Game is really cheap though.

Most of the time it has to do with publishers and platform holders being sneaky. Not telling us a game is coming out later for other platforms.

I see a lot of double dipping comments when a pc or switch version is released. Pc for having more options and switch for portability. Both are perfectly fine reasons to double dip.

Many switch ports are games I can play in bed, whereas I've bought it on PS4 and barely touched it. Night in the Woods is a recent example of this. Also some Wii U to switch ports could constitute double dipping.

For me it's mostly me wanting to actually finish a game, which I can do a lot easier with the switch if I travel around for any reason.

Normally only do it when a game launches the inferior console version before the PC. Like GTA 5 bought it on 360 then bought it again for PC when it came out years later.

Switch is also fun to rebuy games for as well to take them on the go.

I'll usually double dip for portable versions but in the case of Resident Evil 4 I own 8 copies just becasue I love the game so much and like to play pretty much every variation of it.

Some people seem to only ever use one or two systems at a time and either box up and sell their old platform and games so they need to rebuy if they want to replay an old game. I've even seen people here in the last week requesting Resident Evil 4 on switch, a game already available on 11 other systems!
It makes little sense to me unless they're very short on space and seems like a waste of money, I'd rather just buy games once and have access to them for a lifetime. There are situations when I can understand such as for new access to portability, a higher framerate or trophies but there are so many new games being released these days I'd rather just spend my time and money on those than a slightly enhanced version of something I already played.

rochellepaws said:

Some people seem to only ever use one or two systems at a time and either box up and sell their old platform and games so they need to rebuy if they want to replay an old game. I've even seen people here in the last week requesting Resident Evil 4 on switch, a game already available on 11 other systems!
It makes little sense to me unless they're very short on space and seems like a waste of money, I'd rather just buy games once and have access to them for a lifetime. There are situations when I can understand such as for new access to portability, a higher framerate or trophies but there are so many new games being released these days I'd rather just spend my time and money on those than a slightly enhanced version of something I already played.

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11 other systems but not one of them is portable (don't post the weird mobile thing)

The only place I understand it even remotely is when one of the two is on a portable platform.

Vex said:

Why buy the same game so many times? Especially if the content is usually the same across versions? I feel like that is a waste of money*. Are you planning on resale? Sharing that copy with a friend? You cant play both at the same time. Why?

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I like supporting the kind of content I want to see more of. These days AAA productions practically never make what I want, so everytime something comes out with a decent budget, I try to support it, to tell the publisher that I want more of it. I bought Crash Bandicoot on both PS4 and PC, and down the line I'm buying it on Switch and Xbox as well. In contrast, a few Nintendo games aside, I would almost never pay full price for an AAA game, because I find the committee design they employ limiting and stagnating.

I also like completing games I enjoy many times and when I buy different versions I like to see the differences, so make sure to complete a different one every time.

Its not really much weirder than paying £50 for something that'll be £20 in a few months and £5 in a year.

Because games are insanely cheap at the moment, and will continue to get cheaper in the future.

I spend less on a game on average than what I spend going to watch a movie.

I don't double dip a lot, but if I have a good game on PC, and it comes to the Switch got cheap, why not? Now I got it portable!

I don't have space to keep all of my consoles always set up so if a game I like gets ported to a more modern system that I have hooked up still (like PS3 to PS4) then yeah, I might double dip and replay it. I also like playing things portably so if I've rebought things on Switch I own elsewhere because being able to play that on my commute is great.

I'm kinda surprised anyone would be confused by this unless

1) You have all of your consoles you've ever owned hooked up at all times.
2) You never replay games.

I haven't yet bought a console this generation, having opted to build a PC instead. There's plenty of 360/PS3 gen games that I loved that I still want to play occasionally. My PS3 died and I'm not keeping my 360 hooked up to play <1080p, ~30fps versions of games I can play with HD overhauls that you can usually grab in a steam sale for dirt cheap.

I find myself kind of acquiring games on steam since playstation consoles going forward will likely not be BC.

Certain games in higher res or rereleased in higher fidelity like Resident Evil 4, which is one of my favorite games, I've bought multiple times.

Mexen said:

X-dipping is a personal decision driven by one's income, nostalgia, time, commuting circumstances, preferred gaming platform, collectors spirit, etc.

It's so easy to criticize people for doing it but it's their choice. If your circumstances only cater for you to own a game once, don't X-dip.

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Exactly, it's a personal choice and some of the responses come off as if people are offended, which is petty as fuck. Let me do me.

I bought Witcher 3 on PS4, never finished it. Bought the GotY edition, didn't finish it, and I'll probably buy a remastered version on PS5.
I sold the game when I bought a newer version though. So it's not laying around somewhere.

Find it to be a complete waste of money personally.

Same reason I rebuy films I had on vhs on dvd - I wanna experience then again on a new platform with some of the enhancements that's brings

I do this quite intentionally with some games I love, especially Final Fantasy and Metal Gear games... probably just to have an excuse to play the game again. I think Metal Gear Solid 3 is my worst offender:



Seven retail copies of the same game, all purchased day one at full price... good thing I love the game! I must have four or five copies of MGS and MGS2 as well, counting digital copies... Of course, I've got every MGS game released in NA; I recently noticed that I have two copies of Metal Gear AC!D (don't know how that happened) and I own a Japanese copy of Peace Walker just because...

I would say that double dipping is extremely rare when there are no differences. Because there's rarely a case where there are no differences.

If you're going to put in your time into a game you played before, you might want the best possible experience for you. That might involve getting a remastered version, on a different platform (whether you played first on pc or console is irrelevant, you might hope for better experience on another platform), or even some original cartridge version for your retro console. Maybe your version is on a platform that you keep in a storage now. It could be now available on a portable device, or available in VR. It could have achievements/trophies for the platform where you collect them. You might buy a game on a different platform, so you could play it with your friends there. You might even import a game to play it a year before it's localized.

I bought Persona 5 digital few days before my collector's edition arrived, but that 60$ was worth it for me. The only time I didn't feel good about double dipping, was picking up SF V digital, because DLC had to be bought on your account and my game was from another region (and that's the only game I know of that has this restriction).

I double dip for different reasons:

I buy a game for 360/PS3/whatevs, play it, love it and move on. Either i 100% it or just beat it.
- I find this game in a Steam sale and get the sudden urge to replay it. Instead of pulling out my older machine, I buy this cheap version that looks better and maybe even can be modded a little. I also have greater choice when it comes to controls, and I prefer to play on my PC in general. It's a better version in many ways so if I have the money, why shouldn't I get it? I already know it will give me plenty of fun and I get to throw a little bit more coin to the devs.

I play a game on my PC or home console. Either beat it or not.
- It is released for Switch and I feel that it would work so much better for me as a handheld game. Bought!

I don't play a game I have bought. I never get to it.
- It's remastered for a newer system, maybe with some nice extras. If the changes feel worth enough, then that is the version I buy and play.


And I get why this may feel like a waste of money for others. But it just doesn't for me.

Because the Switch is portable.

Jimi D said:

I do this quite intentionally with some games I love, especially Final Fantasy and Metal Gear games... probably just to have an excuse to play the game again. I think Metal Gear Solid 3 is my worst offender:

Seven retail copies of the same game, all purchased day one at full price... good thing I love the game! I must have four or five copies of MGS and MGS2 as well, counting digital copies... Of course, I've got every MGS game released in NA; I recently noticed that I have two copies of Metal Gear AC!D (don't know how that happened) and I own a Japanese copy of Peace Walker just because...

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I don't really mind it with mgs because I can beat them all in about 4 hours or so. Like I have 75+ hours in MGS 3D just because I'd get bored and run the game for shits and giggles every now and then lol... I'd probably never buy another copy of PW or V, though.

The only ff I've really rebought religiously is FFV and that's just because it's one of the few FF games that can stand on it's own just by it's gameplay imo

Aostia82 said:

It is the re4 virus!

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I wonder if anybody has all 11 versions of RE4.

I only do this for PS3 games that are later released on PS4 in hopes of future BC with the platform. Outside of that no thanks. I'm not going to rebuy a PS4 game later on Switch to play it in handheld mode or shit like that.

Also while I think supporting devs is great I'm not buying every version of their game that is some asinine concept in my opinion.