Games available in both retail and downloadable form

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Nintendo have announced that all Wii U games will be available in retail and downloadable form.

Nintendo have already begun by selling New Super Mario Bros. 2, along with popular 3DS titles such as Super Mario 3D Land, Ocarina of Time 3D on Nintendo eShop. However, in their downloadable forms, these games cost £10 more than they do in stores! I see no logical reason for this at all. Who in their right mind would download a game that they cannot sell or trade in for £10 more than a physical game that can be sold or traded in?

If Nintendo want to sell their games in stores and in downloadable form, they must reduce the prices of the downloadabe versions.

What are your opinions on the issue?

ll downloadable and disk bough games are overpriced in their download version. Take PSN for example, if you don't pay for playstation plus, all new releases remain £40 for months after the game can be purchased elsewhere for as little as £20....

I doubt this will change, since all the companies seem to be copying each others business ideas - which are odd and irrational >.<

I've sent an email to Nintendo on the concerns of price, as I saw an article on NintendoLife voicing similar concerns. I feel that Nintendo is likely going to have to change their price model, and I'm not sure if the programmer of Earthbound and compressor of Gold and Silver nor if the bumbling food marketer who heads NOA would have the idea that perhaps a sale wouldn't hurt.

Indeed, these virtual stores do more often than not overprice their content. With all the pricing information out there I can't imagine many people would buy these games, unless it was an exclusive to the companies virtual store. Its much lower in cost production that a physical game, so there is no excuse not to lower the pricing. That is why clients like Steam do so well as they are reliable and affordable, especially during those lovely sales

I can't really say I have a stance on this issue, really.

I've thought quite a bit about this issue. Here's what I've come up with:

Digital Downloads:

Pros:

Don't have to go out to buy them.

Are always on a system, so they don't need to be swapped out, which is especially a plus for handheld systems.

Have less load time, and a higher frame rate than UMD games.

Are cheaper for the developer to release/produce.

Can't be scratched or damaged.

Are better for the environment.

Are available in infinite quantities, and are usually available indefinitely.

Older and rare games can be acquired easily, and often for less.

Don't have the same standards as the physical game market, like graphics, so certain games might fly only in the digital market.

Due to a variety of factors, indie devs can benefit greatly from this new market.

The consumer can sometimes access content from another region with relative ease, if the system isn't region locked, and the downloadable service allows for that option(Japanese psn ftw).

Cons:

The have to be downloaded, which could take time.

HDD space limits how much content one can have on their system, which is a bigger deal with systems that have smaller HDDs.

Don't quite look or run as good as games on a blu-ray.

It's often possible to get a physical copy for less.

No trade in or resale value.

You don't actually own digital downloads, just the license to download and play them.

Nothing physical to hold, or put in one's collection.

No extra swag that might come with some special editions or early releases of physical copies.

Might make it difficult for stores to keep their business going strong in the long term.

If your system breaks, your digital downloads are lost, and have to be re-downloaded on another system.

Limited number of downloads per account.

Physical Copies:

Pros:

Don't have to download them.

Don't take up HDD space, aside from patches, dlc, and the occasional install.

Games on blu-ray discs look and run better than digital downloads.

Have some trade-in/resale value.

You actually own them.

You can play them on any corresponding system, or lend them to friends.

Extra swag can come with some copies.

The experience of going to a store and buying a game.

The savvy consumer can often find a physical copy for less than a digital one.

Cons:

Have to go out and buy them, which takes time, and gas.

Have to be swapped out every time you want to switch to another physical game, which is more of an issue with handhelds.

Take up shelf space.

UMDs don't run as well, period, and the UMD drive makes some noise(I'm not sure about the Vita, since I have yet to acquire one).

Certain genres are more emphasized in the physical market.

Certain games can become rare, and hard to find before long.

All games are available in limited quantities.

Can be scratched or damaged.

Less environmentally friendly, since they have to be manufactured and shipped.


Truth be told, I've always preferred to own my games, if possible. I like having physical copies. I have an 80G ps3 with b/c, so I don't have a lot of hdd space, and even though I can move some ps1 classics over to my psp, pro-duos are expensive, and I don't think they're going to be easy to find for long. With that said, when a game is only available as a digital download, it's kind of a moot point. Some of my favorite games this gen are downloadable only, and I can't imagine they would all fly as full retail releases. When it comes to retro titles, I like the ease of being able to download them, and they're usually not too expensive, at least not on psn. I also enjoy playing ps1 games on my psp, and some games like Parasite Eve actually feel like they were made for the psp. HD collections of ps2 games are a different story, and I prefer to have them on a disc. Since I was a late adopter of the psp, and have only had mine for two years, I like being able to access most of its games easily, since most can't be found in stores anymore. Plus, digital downloads run better. If I have the choice though, I prefer to own physical copies, despite the cons of UMDs.