I'm generally buying more digital over physical for all platforms, but Switch specifically I almost hate the idea of buying physical games anymore

[catpurrcat]

I respect your choice OP. But it's almost the complete opposite for me. I'm digital on Sony and MS because their digital sales and commitment to backwards compatibility gives me confidence in my purchases.

With Switch the physical games hold their value so well, even years after, not to mention their digital prices are rarely discounted. I feel like a bit of a dummy for buying Tokyo Mirage and astral chain with digital vouchers because now I'm stuck with them forever.

but I totally understand and respect your choice to go digital for a mostly portable system. I would love to, but I'm just not convinced that they will maintain our backwards compatibility.

 

[Davilmar]

I'll keep buying physical as long as I can. I only do digital on PC because I have no choice.

 

[ROMASS]

Man, are people that lazy that switching a cart is that big of a fucking deal?

Click to shrink...

Absolutely.
Any other reason that can be brought up is just make believe, it's 100% laziness lol

 

[TheGhost]

If you handed me a switch cart i wouldn't even know where to insert the thing.

all digital here.

 

[//ARCANUM]

I regret not going all digital sooner on Switch. I have a ton of physical games for it that I wish were digital.

 

[turbobrick]

nah. The only switch games I have digitally are the ones that are only available that way. Same for every system.

 

[JoelStinty]

Bar a couple of launch games I've been 100% digital on Switch. The general size of the games are small and it's so convenient just to have a vast library at the tip of your fingertips

Funnily enough I did have a twang to start buying physical again over the last few days. It ran through my head that the Switch may be the first console that may never become redundant for me because of it's portability, it's ability to play tv or portable, it's vast library; I can imagine going back to it decades in the future. I think games being released now are universal and won't age. Production values are so high. For the first time
I felt scared of what would happen to my purchases. Never felt that with other consoles it's odd. At the moment you can still redownload your Wii purchases so I felt more confident that library will be still accessible in the future.

Overall I think as digital becomes the norm, consumer rights will be shored up and the risk of losing games will become less and less.

 

[DeadMoonKing]

For me, I'm pretty much all physical for all platforms I own unless I absolutely can't avoid it -- even though (pre-COVID) I would take up to five international business trips a year.
I can certainly see why people wouldn't want to fumble with carts and switching them and potentially losing them, but given that I practically only play RPGs, I don't really need to carry all that many carts to begin with when I do travel.
Otherwise, when I'm at home and much prefer to play on my TV.

 

[KC-Slater]

Man, are people that lazy that switching a cart is that big of a fucking deal?

Click to shrink...

Ever since game updates, online play/features and DLC have become a thing, physical media is no longer the default. If you aren't planning on selling your games, and you're not displaying Switch cases like some sort of embarrassing trophy, why bring plastic and paper into the equation?

 

[Ramako]

Doesn't help that the retail release of Rocket League I bought a few years back is now worthless due to the game going free-to-play.

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Not sure what this has to do with physical vs. digital debate. Had you bought the game digitally a few years back, it would have been no less of a waste of money due to the game eventually going free-to-play.

 

[Combo]

I like physical for rarer items can gain value. For me it's an investment.

 

[maximumzero]

Not sure what this has to do with physical vs. digital debate. Had you bought the game digitally a few years back, it would have been no less of a waste of money due to the game eventually going free-to-play.

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I buy physical software with the expectation that if I want to resell it later down the line it'll at be worth something, even if it's a fraction of the original price.

 

[SiG]

I'm the opposite. I prefer physical on Switch whenever possible.

 

[Man God]

I've rebought games digitally on Switch that I already own because I hate bringing the cartridges with me.

Click to shrink...

Done that as well.

 

[Mandos]

I do both... but I need to upgrade my SD card again :(

 

[dreamlongdead]

Nah, I'm practically 100% physical on Switch.

The discounts on physical are way bigger than digital, and I saved a lot of money. Disgaea 5 is the only large digital game I own, and I got that because it was $20.

Swapping cartridges is a small hassle, but it's nothing compared to downsides of digital. I'm basically out of internal space even though I barely downloaded anything. I'll have to buy external storage, and I'm only putting indies on there.

 

[Ramako]

I buy physical software with the expectation that if I want to resell it later down the line it'll at be worth something, even if it's a fraction of the original price.

Click to shrink...

Sure, but had you originally bought it digitally then you'd still not be able to resell, as there's no resale market for digital games, so there's still some value in having the physical copy, even if it's residual.

I guess this would be an issue if you could have purchased it cheaper digitally than physical from the outset.

 

[V has come to]

i had stuck with physical on console for the longest time but recently decided to move to digital there too. was nice playing 3d world right when it unlocked instead of waiting for amazon to deliver it

 

[JFoul]

All of my switch games are physical because I just don't trust Nintendo with my digital library yet.

 

[Iron Eddie]

All of my switch games are physical because I just don't trust Nintendo with my digital library yet.

Click to shrink...

My fear is Nintendo will change the hardware again and those cartridges won't work and the only way you can play older games is digital.

Most of my games are physical by the way.

 

[Waxwing]

Prefer digital too for switch. I would sure as hell re-buy Ring Fit digital if Nintendo would stop being crazy. It's never become a habit for me because changing the cartridge creates just a tad too much friction.

 

[MegaManTrigger]

Ever since game updates, online play/features and DLC have become a thing, physical media is no longer the default. If you aren't planning on selling your games, and you're not displaying Switch cases like some sort of embarrassing trophy, why bring plastic and paper into the equation?

Click to shrink...

The problem is longevity and the paradigm shift of consoles. If I want to revisit a retro console (NES-PS2), I can do so without having to worry about anything because I can just shove in a physical disc/cartridge and play my games. I can still do this with PS3 and PS4 generations, but the problem in that case is the increased prevalence of the digital storefront (which will continue onwards until consoles are entirely digital). Once that digital storefront is dead, all your updates, patches, and digital copies are rendered useless. As future consoles move toward the digital space, you're basically going from owning a console, to effectively renting it out for about 5-7 years before repeating with another console.

 

[Jumpman23]

400gb as card on my Switch has me all digital aside from a few games I bought physical at launch. Convenience of digital is comfortable AF.

 

[Shiz Padoo]

Physical is still the primary media for me. If I were to travel with my Switch it would be in a case and the case has slots for a few games, so no problem there.

 

[KC-Slater]

The problem is longevity and the paradigm shift of consoles. If I want to revisit a retro console (NES-PS2), I can do so without having to worry about anything because I can just shove in a physical disc/cartridge and play my games. I can still do this with PS3 and PS4 generations, but the problem in that case is the increased prevalence of the digital storefront (which will continue onwards until consoles are entirely digital). Once that digital storefront is dead, all your updates, patches, and digital copies are rendered useless. As future consoles move toward the digital space, you're basically going from owning a console, to effectively renting it out for about 5-7 years before repeating with another console.

Click to shrink...

This is sort of an over simplification of the issue. Digital games will still work if they are stored on your hardware (or backed up on an external drive, for example.) If your specific piece of hardware fails, then you may run in to problems, but the same could be said for a cartridge or disc. Further complicating matters is that the physical release of games only guarantees you the "1.0" version of software--which is becoming increasingly less reliable as publishers have online updates/patches to fall back on. My point is, owning physical media in 2021 does not mitigate the problems you suggested to the degree that you allude to.

 

[CloseTalker]

This is sort of an over simplification of the issue. Digital games will still work if they are stored on your hardware (or backed up on an external drive, for example.) If your specific piece of hardware fails, then you may run in to problems, but the same could be said for a cartridge or disc. Further complicating matters is that the physical release of games only guarantees you the "1.0" version of software--which is becoming increasingly less reliable as publishers have online updates/patches to fall back on. My point is, owning physical media in 2021 does not mitigate the problems you suggested to the degree that you allude to.

Click to shrink...

All that isn't even considering the large number of games (on all platforms) that don't even have the entire game on the disc. For many games the disc is essentially useless, it's just a key to download the digital version

 

[Novocaine]

I only have 1 physical game on my switch and that's Mario odyssey because I bought the bundle that came with the cart.
digital on a portable system is where it's at. My carry case has 4 slots for carts, that's the maximum I'd ever get.

 

[Calvin]

I'll keep buying physical as long as I can. I only do digital on PC because I have no choice.

Click to shrink...

I am mostly like this - I will buy very specific GaaS and open-world titles digitally (usually after the first $40ish sale) because I will play them for many months or with GaaS come back to them so regularly that the value depreciates enough where it is worth it. Everything else I buy with the intention of reselling, which makes the hobby vastly more affordable to me. Sometimes I even Gamefly, when the gift card deal is working because it allows me try plenty of games for cheap.

I only buy digital on PC - and only when I can't find the game on sale or on a subscription service. I have gone from a mostly console to mostly PC player recently, but I do still often play games on the new consoles as I do not want to pay full price on PC and never be able to recoup any of the cost. I will gladly play for a month or whatever of Ubi+ or EA premier or whatever vs. a full $40-$50 though.

Switch is no different - especially with Nintendo being so consumer unfriendly with sales all around.

 

[Musubi]

Buying physical on switch goes directly against the systems most convenient feature unless you're just good with only ever being able to play one game at a time

 

[Jave]

I stopped buying physical on Switch (Crash Trilogy was the last one) not only for convenience, but also because physical prices in my country (Chile) are friggin' ridiculous. Save a lot of money by using US eShop.

 

[Josh5890]

I'm the opposite with the Switch. I've held off buying games at launch waiting for the physical version to come along.

 

[Ocean]

I've never understood how anybody would ever buy physical media for a handheld device. Like, imagine having to switch out memory cards on your phone when you want to swap from Instagram to Reddit. That's how insane it feels to me to buy physical Switch games.

 

[linkboy]

With the exception of The Witcher III, I'm fully digital on my Switch.

 

[Black Mantis]

I'm all-digital on everything, apart from the switch. Until Nintendo takes BC seriously and I can be sure my digital purchases will be playable on their future devices, I'll stick with physical.

 

[MegaManTrigger]

This is sort of an over simplification of the issue. Digital games will still work if they are stored on your hardware (or backed up on an external drive, for example.) If your specific piece of hardware fails, then you may run in to problems, but the same could be said for a cartridge or disc. Further complicating matters is that the physical release of games only guarantees you the "1.0" version of software--which is becoming increasingly less reliable as publishers have online updates/patches to fall back on. My point is, owning physical media in 2021 does not mitigate the problems you suggested to the degree that you allude to.

Click to shrink...

This is not true for all cases. Some Switch games I bought have come with updates built in (Hollow Knight for instance has all the DLC + updates that the game received post-release. And this is factoring in that the final update was the Godmaster content pack). It's dependent on the developers and what was published. Physical media mitigates the storefront shutdown problem that digital games face. Like if I wanted to revisit a console, but I can't access PSN/Xbox store, then my only option is to find that physical copy.

I've never understood how anybody would ever buy physical media for a handheld device. Like, imagine having to switch out memory cards on your phone when you want to swap from Instagram to Reddit. That's how insane it feels to me to buy physical Switch games.

Click to shrink...

Uhh what...? I don't think that analogy worked as well as you think.

 

[F4r0_Atak]

I generally buy digital these days out of sheer convenience, but if there is a sale or I have some games to trade in I have no issue with going physical on PS5/XSX.

However for Switch, the nature of the system and how it's played makes buying and switching out physical carts just such a massive pain in the ass, and I hate the idea of it. For a system that's meant to be taken anywhere, the idea of carrying around my little case full of small, expensive, easy to lose carts and fumbling around with them every time I want to play a different game is just just fucking annoying. If my PS5/XSX buying habits are now around 60-70% digital, for Switch it's like 95%. The only games I'll consider physical are ones that I know will be a one and done experience that I'd likely trade in or sell after.

How about you? Are your digital buying habits on Switch super high, and do you buy more digital on Switch than other platforms because of how it's designed?

Click to shrink...

Doesn't Physical games take way less space than the Digital games? 🤔

 

[CloseTalker]

Doesn't Physical games take way less space than the Digital games? 🤔

Click to shrink...

Which part of my post are your replying to lol? I don't know what you're saying

 

[F4r0_Atak]

Which part of my post are your replying to lol? I don't know what you're saying

Click to shrink...

What I meant is, while I understand your point of ease and simplicity of access to your library of games when Digital, Physical versions still have a major advantage: space usage. That's all.

 

[CloseTalker]

What I meant is, while I understand your point of ease and simplicity of access to your library of games when Digital, Physical versions still have a major advantage: space usage. That's all.

Click to shrink...

You mean, like hard drive space?

 

[leng jai]

Buying Nintendo games digital makes no sense to me because they're so expensive and easily sellable when you're done for 75-80% of the price.

 

[Cotton McKnight]

I hate digital copies of anything. So when possible I buy physical. When I cannot buy physical I try to make a physical copy of the game (or make sure games that I buy on steam get backed up to my cloud storage).

 

[Ocean]

Uhh what...? I don't think that analogy worked as well as you think.

Click to shrink...

Swapping physical media to switch from one software application to another is a perfectly accurate analogy. It's anachronistic.

 

[Deleted member 13188]

When the next nintendo console is back compatible with your switch library you will be very happy about this.

 

[leng jai]

The worst part apart physical on Switch is having to open that flimsy flap that feels like it'll break at any second.

 

[KORNdog]

I'm actually the reverse for the switch. I simply do not trust them at all with my digital purchases. I have no confidence that the next console they make (not a switch iteration) would even support the games I buy digitally right now.

So basically anything I buy digitally on switch is eshop bargain bin fodder that I wouldn't care about losing forever.

Speaking of which. Buy cyber protocol. It's stupid cheap on the UK store (86p or something) and pretty sweet!

 

[Deleted member 59109]

Pretty much the opposite for me, I buy physical whenever I can because I like to see the game cases

 

[MegaManTrigger]

Swapping physical media to switch from one software application to another is a perfectly accurate analogy. It's anachronistic.

Click to shrink...

That's not an accurate analogy at all. These software applications that you mention are significantly lighter in space than games (Reddit and Instagram are approximately 160MB off of iOS/Google. Try to say with a straight face that these are comparable to Switch/PS4-5 games where they are in the gigabytes depending on the size of assets), the bare minimum Micro SD card available is anywhere from 8-32gb.

Furthermore, the Switch has a micro SD card slot too, so I'm not sure you even thought out your analogy that well.

 

[LuigiMario]

I'm all digital on Switch except for Ring Fit Adventure. Kinda bothers me Ring Fit Adventure came on a cart its the type of game I'd prefer to have digitally. I was about 80% digital on 3DS as well for similar reasons. I understand the risk of going digital with Nintendo, but the convenience of not having to carry around little cartridges I can misplace is really nice for me.

 

[FrostweaveBandage]

It has been a supreme pain in the ass with Switch physical carts because they are so tiny that an irresponsible child will just leave them wherever the fuck and it's a needle in a haystack to find them.

 

[Majora's Mask]

I don't trust Nintendo enough to go 100% digital with them. So I just prefer to buy physicall, when possible. But if I had it my way I'd be all digital, no doubt about that.