Would you ditch physical shmups for digital ones?

[DazTM]

Shmups are getting more and more expensive, but some developers are cottoning on that there's a market for them on platforms like Steam, Switch and other consoles, meaning it feels like they've been more accessible than they've ever been.

Has anyone considered getting rid of their physical copies of games in favour of the cheaper digital versions? I've been looking at my DC releases of Ikaruga and Zero Gunner 2 and asking myself if I really need multiple copies. Same goes for Raiden III, the PAL version now sells for around 80 pounds, while the PC version can be picked up for a few quid. I'd imagine that many would never get rid of their physical releases as they'd be too expensive to reacquire but it would be interesting to see if anyone has been tempted, or even done it.

[Marc]

I did yes!
Nah in fairness, it was a matter of necessity at the time, and one of the highlights of the last few generations is seeing many of the Saturn and DC games I missed popping back up as digital downloads at decent prices.

I'm in a position to possibly rebuild a collection now if I chose to focus on one machine, but honestly, I'm not sure I would.

The Neo Geo is the machine I'd be most tempted by, but even back in the day I picked up 80% of my carts for less than £100, and looking at the prices now.... the Neo collection I had would allow me to outright slap down a 10% deposit on a house these days.

[schleichfahrt]

Has anyone considered getting rid of their physical copies of games in favour of the cheaper digital versions?

No, not today. Did it in the distant past (but those were technically still on floppy discs and rather prone to failure).
For cartridges, PCBs and CD-releases: That's something my heirs can put to market, when they've buried me.
As long as I draw breath, I shall keep them.

[Ddshot]

The trouble with digital it dosent get released in all regions at least in the uk we never got the m2 digital releases I don’t understand why digital can’t cover all regions even if there is language barrier cus we end up importing jap versions anyways or go through the ball ache of setting up a jp account(PS4).personly I prefer a physical version at least you have it forever


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[DazTM]

Has anyone considered getting rid of their physical copies of games in favour of the cheaper digital versions?

That's something my heirs can put to market, when they've buried me.
As long as I draw breath, I shall keep them.

I've always said that my greatest fear isn't dying but that my wife will sell off my entire collection for about £100

[DazTM]

The trouble with digital it dosent get released in all regions at least in the uk we never got the m2 digital releases I don’t understand why digital can’t cover all regions even if there is language barrier cus we end up importing jap versions anyways or go through the ball ache of setting up a jp account(PS4).personly I prefer a physical version at least you have it forever

Yeah that's always been odd. At least make the option available and people can make their own decisions if they want to muddle from Japanese menus.

[endali]

i have a bunch of boxes full of old xbox360, ps1, ps2, ps3, gamecube, snes, games, memory cards, add-ons and dongles, etc. lots of that shit doesn't work anymore. i'm not trying to sell any of it, but it also doesn't have a ton of value. lots of that shit doesn't work.

i don't understand the "physical lasts forever" argument. physical doesn't last forever. discs don't last forever. the consoles that run the discs don't last forever. unless it's snes. snes lasts forever. snes cartridges last forever.

[MathU]

I have no problem with digital releases whatsoever so long as they don't take a dump on my user freedoms with DRM. Sadly, that has become a disturbing new norm the last several years.

[heli]

I ditch my physicals if i have the roms playable for a nice price.

[Bawa]

Space is at a premium for me so I have almost all my games in a digital form.

[FRO]

In all seriousness, I wouldn't entirely go digital unless I'm forced to. Even then, it will be kicking and screaming. I'm too much of an old school collector, and as far as digital preservation has come over the past couple decades, I'm not confident that a game I buy digitally today is going to be available tomorrow. I still buy digitally, because I want to support publishers, and show that there's still interest in the genre, but generally speaking, I still much prefer a physical copy whenever possible.

[miwa]

In all seriousness, I wouldn't entirely go digital unless I'm forced to. Even then, it will be kicking and screaming. I'm too much of an old school collector, and as far as digital preservation has come over the past couple decades, I'm not confident that a game I buy digitally today is going to be available tomorrow. I still buy digitally, because I want to support publishers, and show that there's still interest in the genre, but generally speaking, I still much prefer a physical copy whenever possible.

100% agreed, our downloads would be in heap big trouble if servers were to be shot down.

Plus I like the thought of being able to lend out physical games to friends or sell them (looking at you, Sine Mora).

[pablumatic]

They don't make enough modern shooters for me to go fully digital with them. I buy digital and will get the rare physical releases when they happen.

Also as noted the extreme likelihood of digital delistings and possible loss of old services like the Wii Shop prevent me from going totally digital.

I think I can still download Gradius Rebirth, but for how long?

[Obiwanshinobi]

There's no "forever" with any material possession, but there are some of us who feel that the sense of continuity needs to be preserved at a great cost. That's where the idea of a "museum" stems from after all. As someone said, "you can read online everything David Bowie has ever published in print these days, but it WON'T give you a slightest idea of what his time's newspapers spoke about him."

[Verticen]

Being newer to shmups than many who have posted on this thread, getting physical retro shmups are out of the question for me given the current retro market. I prefer physical relases when I can, but most are either a limited production (like Limited Run Games), or will have to be imported with fees. Digital is the only way that many post-2010 STGs are available since many are indie, so that's what the majority of my collection is.

I've been looking at my DC releases of Ikaruga and Zero Gunner 2 and asking myself if I really need multiple copies.

Don't ditch your dreamcast ZeroGunner 2, ZG 2 Minus is buggy and laughably easy.

[Gamer707b]

No I wouldn't get rid of what I have. I can play my Saturn copy of Radiant SIlvergun now or in 20 years. Same for all my cart games too. They're not dependent on the internet. Future proof. But, going forward, at least in the past 5 or so years, I only buy games ( very rarely go digital ) that I know I will play and enjoy. And since I don't get many games anymore ( shmups or not ) I get a real sense of enjoyment and joy to collect all the physical M2 games on PS4 for instance. Yes Im very hard headed and old school.

[TransatlanticFoe]

Only if, as you get with GOG, it's in the form of an offline DRM-free package. Otherwise if your console dies and the service is discontinued, your games are gone. If you have the cart/disc/installer, all you need is the hardware to play it on - there's a second hand market for that, there isn't a second hand market for a digital storefront that's closed down/games are delisted for licensing reasons.

On consoles, it's being pushed so that the manufacturer can control sales - doing shops and the second hand market out of business. Stop falling for it "because it's more convenient", they're using that to hold an iron grip on the marketplace - screwing over you and retailers. It started with holding back content as DLC to get guaranteed revenue regardless of the resale market, you now hear people celebrating DLC as "continued support for a game" instead of "hey how about you sell us the full game in the first place?".

Very very few games are unplayable in their retail form (excluding the hilarious "only half the game is on the card" Switch situation), so day 1 patches etc. aren't an argument for physical media being redundant. Even in high profile cases like Assassin's Creed Unity, if a AAA is rushed out unfinished there's always a re-release/"game of the year" edition that has the patched version on disc.

[heli]

They're not dependent on the internet.
...............................................
I get a real sense of enjoyment and joy to collect all the physical M2 games on PS4 for instance. Yes Im very hard headed and old school.

No it is normal what you do.
I am not buying anything depending on internet.
As mentioned before : once the games go offline you cannot install them anymore.
Just for fun : how many consoles with digital gaming are not online anymore supported ?
You know it will happen one day for playstation also, maybe sony is very rich so they can afford longer support.
That day i will have all those shiny discs, that i can sell for a good price, once i have the ROMS running on emulator.
Digital downloads are worth nothing, they make sure you can not re-sell with passwords and codes for DLC for original discs also.
Factly you got ripped off with some worthless bytes you can not re-sell ever.
Maybe EU law says you should be able to sell, it is not good supported.

Then they come with a PS5 digital only, ofcourse it is easy without swapping discs,
then you can not play your PS4 orgininal M2 games on PS5.

If you dont care about money, go for digital, i see my games as investment that i can sell later.

[heli]

Only if, as you get with GOG, it's in the form of an offline DRM-free package. Otherwise if your console dies and the service is discontinued, your games are gone. If you have the cart/disc/installer, all you need is the hardware to play it on - there's a second hand market for that, there isn't a second hand market for a digital storefront that's closed down/games are delisted for licensing reasons.

On consoles, it's being pushed so that the manufacturer can control sales - doing shops and the second hand market out of business. Stop falling for it "because it's more convenient", they're using that to hold an iron grip on the marketplace - screwing over you and retailers. It started with holding back content as DLC to get guaranteed revenue regardless of the resale market, you now hear people celebrating DLC as "continued support for a game" instead of "hey how about you sell us the full game in the first place?".

Very very few games are unplayable in their retail form (excluding the hilarious "only half the game is on the card" Switch situation), so day 1 patches etc. aren't an argument for physical media being redundant. Even in high profile cases like Assassin's Creed Unity, if a AAA is rushed out unfinished there's always a re-release/"game of the year" edition that has the patched version on disc.

Indeed the game-stores will disappear, like videotake shops.
Who wanto sell PS5 in the shop if you not selling games, it is a game-shop, not a hardware-box-selling-point.

And there you have it : they give you half the game so you can download the rest for one profile only.
You got ripped off, next time if i buy such a game i will install it with the code and send it back, FU.

[davyK]

I wouldn't because it's a one way street. No way I could justify rebuying everything I have if I had a change of heart. I still like owning physical games and only buy digital when it's the only option.

I will probably go solid state with Saturn at some point but I would still keep the games.

[Gamer707b]

i have a bunch of boxes full of old xbox360, ps1, ps2, ps3, gamecube, snes, games, memory cards, add-ons and dongles, etc. lots of that shit doesn't work anymore. i'm not trying to sell any of it, but it also doesn't have a ton of value. lots of that shit doesn't work.

i don't understand the "physical lasts forever" argument. physical doesn't last forever. discs don't last forever. the consoles that run the discs don't last forever. unless it's snes. snes lasts forever. snes cartridges last forever.

Speaking for myself, as you mentioned the Snes, Genesis , Sega Master System, even my Oddessy 2 ,all my cart based systems work as if they were brand new!
I can pop any cartridge game I have, and they all work. As far as my disc based systems, I still have my original PS1 from back in the 90s. Yes it loads games slowly, with all the abuse I gave it, but still plays games. Never had any issue with any of my 25 or so PS1 games. Even both my PS1 memory cards work flawlessly and they even have all my old game saves on them. My Saturn, Gamecube, Wii, honestly work as if they were new. And Ive played all these systems to death over the years.You get the point. These systems have lasted for roughly 30 or more years and will probably last for 30 more. That is a lifetime.

But, admittedly, I have always taken care of my systems since I was a kid. Dust them, put my games back in their boxes when I was done etc. The only systems that failed me was my PS2 and PS3. I have had to get them both replaced 3 times over the years. But , considering I own 18 consoles, and that I have played most of these consoles a lot and continue too, that's a pretty low failure rate.

[CaptainAhab]

I'm almost entirely digital for shmups except for Japanese imports for my 360 or eventually my Switch. Not a fan of paying for content on a digital storefront but at a certain point, being on a pretty strict gaming budget, I've just had to throw in the towel—accessibility + insanely good sale prices make Steam, the eShop, and the Xbox marketplace very appealing. Not to mention digital is the only option for several games, as someone above said.

[mtbd500]

In the old days I would have said no way but after buying and using an rgh 360 and copying all my games to the hdd it is so much more convenient and you don’t have to worry about scratches discs. I do like to collect things though so the ideal to me would be to sell merchandise such as art books or sticker sets or Ost with the game download code.

[EmperorIng]

a lot of shmups aren't worth owning physically. They're simply not good enough.

I quickly stopped getting tricked by every new LIMITED EDITION COLLECTOR'S PHYSICAL EDITION release of shmups that may be fine, but are largely mediocre or (in some cases) bad.

In that way, the old shmup business model was pretty ideal: you only ever had to pay a few credits in a mediocre game and then forget it existed. Similarly for digital marketplace: $10-20 and that's it. Not so if you sick-grab them copies of, say, Shikhondo at a premium price of $45.00 or more. Or heaven forbid getting duped into a $60 or more package.

[MintyTheCat]

NEVER.

[scrilla4rella]

Speaking as someone who had to help settle the estate of some hoarders (my grandparents), I would never want to leave my kids with a room full of things they may not care about or know how to easily sell for a fair price.

Who knows. if one of the little ones takes an interest in old games then maybe I'll keep the collection. But if not then I plan to sell the majority of it before I get too old. Or if I'm doing well financially then maybe I'll just donate the whole thing to the Strong Museum of Play in Rochester or a local well-funded archive with the proper infrastructure.

[BIL]

Consoles from the FC to PS2 - nope! I've no need to, thankfully.

I'm a lot less bothered about PS3 onward. I avoided the PS4's digital-only Arcade Archives on principle for years, until finally, Saigo no Nindou's first arcade-perfect console release twisted my arm. I'd kidded myself that the PCE conversion was an apt substitute (it's a superb HuCard, one I'll never part with, but it can't touch the AC's bitterest, chop-your-mahfuckin-head-off extremes).

Thirty hours and many exhilarating no-misses later, I realised modern consoles are more about high-quality emulation for me. If digital is what it takes to get Saigo, Dangun, Sunset Riders and a fuckton of other previously-stranded AC exclusives on my console, so be it.

RE permanence - ultimately, I consider everything in my library "digitally insured..." meaning, if a cart/disc dies, or if hardware becomes impossible to source, I'll happily flashcart/bootload it up. If my PS4 dies and digital stuff has been de-listed, years down the road, I'll just nab it. This shit be mine, motherfucker! I ain't gonna delete in 24hrs!

Here and now, I'll support Hamster, M2 and co. to the fullest. Eagerly awaiting M2's Toaplan project, physical or no.

[Stevens]

Space is at a premium for me so I have almost all my games in a digital form.

Pretty much this.

When I was a kid I wanted a huge game collection. As I've gotten older and my views on certain things have changed and as Bawa has said space is at a premium. Now its just stuff that takes up space, I just want to play the games.

If I can have everything I want to play on a laptop all the better.

[Elixir]

Digital.

I haven't inserted a disc into a console since... probably 2014.

These people that insist that digital games are evil are delusional; they're only a problem if they require an online connection. They're also saying they'd rather sit there and wait for their copy to arrive and make devs jump through hoops because they can't let go of their childhood.

You're going to open that game, play twice, shove it into an Ikea Kallax and never touch it again. They're more interested in the process of buying and owning a game over playing it. I am more inclined to believe people have more incentive to play their games if they're more easily accessible (from a list, ie. Steam). It's really weird to me how gamer entitlement also means inconveniencing yourself.

[mintshly]

If the game is a fair price, I’ll opt for physical over digital.
While not nearly as common for shmups, physical second hand copies tend to be cheaper than full price digital releases.
I’m not against buying digitally, and in the case of a “super rare” game that is hundreds of dollars, I’ll never shell out that kind of cash.

I do think digital only marketplaces are anti-consumer to an extent, not giving you much control over the product you bought. But it’s not as bad as some other forms of digital products (e-books come to mind)

You're going to open that game, play twice, shove it into an Ikea Kallax and never touch it again. They're more interested in the process of buying and owning a game over playing it.

I agree, I don’t like this practice. “Game collectors” are kind of a scourge. It’s very confusing to see giant collections of hundreds of games sitting in a spare room on shelves, never played or touched. It always puts huge upward pressure on older game prices, due to so much stock sitting in peoples houses. You can sort of see this starting to happen the PS2 generation, the best games on that platform are steadily rising due to the popularity of the game hoarding hobby and YouTube personalities.

I am more inclined to believe people have more incentive to play their games if they're more easily accessible (from a list, ie. Steam).

Probably true in most cases, although I have such bad memory that seeing the game case reminds me I own it. Whereas I often forget I own things digitally, unless I’m browsing the library.