This is why physical video game sales are far from dead in South Africa

[Hanno Labuschagne]

This is why physical video game sales are far from dead in South Africa

Despite a rise in digital software sales, physical disc copies will still be important in South Africa for several years, the local distributors of Xbox and PlayStation have told MyBroadband.

With many people confined to their homes during widespread COVID-19 lockdowns, online platforms became one of the most important channels for game and software sales.

Digital storefronts make it easy to purchase titles straight from home, download them, and start playing within a few minutes or hours, as opposed to having to go out and visit a shop to buy a physical disc.

 

[username and 23 others]

No input from the local Nintendo supplier? The company whose latest gaming system is a R1,300 clock with Super Mario Bros...

Digital really diminishes the "value" of games. After buying Switch games for < $10.00,I do not really see the need for Day-1 purchases of games. And with some next-gen (just checked PS5 prices, I suppose XB is the same?) games at R1800 (this is not finalised, yes?) ... no amount of HDR/4K/120Hz or whatever will convince me otherwise.

**** those prices...

My biggest gripe with digital is bullshit like this for Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon: Famicom tactical role-playing game, localized and released for the first time in North America—for a limited time. That **** only works for physical games.

 

[Genisys]

No input from the local Nintendo supplier? The company whose latest gaming system is a R1,300 clock with Super Mario Bros...

Digital really diminishes the "value" of games. After buying Switch games for < $10.00,I do not really see the need for Day-1 purchases of games. And with some next-gen (just checked PS5 prices, I suppose XB is the same?) games at R1800 (this is not finalised, yes?) ... no amount of HDR/4K/120Hz or whatever will convince me otherwise.

**** those prices...

My biggest gripe with digital is bullshit like this for Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon: Famicom tactical role-playing game, localized and released for the first time in North America—for a limited time. That **** only works for physical games.

I don't see how digital copies of games "diminishes the "value" of games"? If people are into second hand games, good for them. Issue is buying a second hand game a player will still need to download a 50GB patch and then have the disk inserted to play the game. Disgusting. I'd rather get a digital copy then having to switch disks around, and deal with a disc scratching by mistake. Essentially a disk is anyway just a form of DRM. Can't play a game if you don't insert the disk.

 

[genetic]

I don't see how digital copies of games "diminishes the "value" of games"? If people are into second hand games, good for them. Issue is buying a second hand game a player will still need to download a 50GB patch and then have the disk inserted to play the game. Disgusting. I'd rather get a digital copy then having to switch disks around, and deal with a disc scratching by mistake. Essentially a disk is anyway just a form of DRM. Can't play a game if you don't insert the disk.

This.

Games are code... i.e software - their value is determined by how good the software actually is. A cardboard box is not going to make a game better.

 

[username and 23 others]

With physical, I "own" the game. It is mine. I can share it. Borrow. Lend. Sell it. If a publisher goes bang/legal reasons/etc. : even if they pull the games, with my physical copy, I can still play the game.

Value is objective and all that, but some of the prices for (rare) physical games are... mindblowing.

Obv physical does not make a game better, what bullshit is that?!?

I never had issues with scratching of games, bitrot, etc. I take care of my stuff.

I got burned with the Wii. Once they shut the shop down, I could not access any of the titles that I wanted. If my Wii dies for whatever reason, all my WiiWare and Virtual Console games go poof! I can't transfer the games to another Wii also. All that money spent goes with the Wii and I have nothing to show for it. At least with my physical games, I can still use it on my other Wii. Same with my PS2 discs (yes, I have my backup PS2 ready...)

OK, maybe the way Nintendo ran their shop at that time was nothing to get excited about.

Essentially a disk is anyway just a form of DRM. Can't play a game if you don't insert the disk.

... ... ...

Dunno how true this is, but apperently the new XB needs an internet connection for you to play the previous gen's games as for some reason it dials home.

 

[CommonSense]

I got burned with the Wii.

Ah, I see where you went wrong.

Tut tut tut from the PCMR side of the fence....