There are two major markets for the purchase of games on consoles: Physical or Digital. On computer, the question is becoming more and more obvious: Digital copies take a primordial place. But what about consoles? When buying games on console, a new question arises: Physical or digital copy? What is the best option? With Split Screen, we cover the pros and cons of each.
Physical copy
When you buy directly from the store, you allow video game shops to survive. When buying a physical game, you also allow you to have a better resale market. Depending on whether you have kept the manuals and the box set in good condition, you can resell your old games that you no longer play. Sometimes you can even find treasures in your old collection that can be worth dear. Of course, stores buy back about 40% cheaper than their resale price, but if you want to encourage small local shops, buying physical copies, especially for used games, will allow the shops to survive.
Also, a game purchased physically takes up less space on the hard drive. It therefore allows you to have more space for other games.
On the other hand, the unnecessary plastic used for the boxes is sometimes aberrant. A small cartridge that has a huge box, in addition to not using space for textbooks has a certain ecological impact. When the Switch console was released, games that took up too much space on the hard drive were sold in boxes with a code inside. It was a bit shocking to sell a game with a cover, so that in the end the game remains digital.
With physical copies, whether it’s Blu-Ray discs on Playstation or Xbox, or cartridges on Nintendo Switch, some kids can damage them or even lose them.
Digital copy
Digital copying is the perfect market for new games. With the arrival of powerful consoles and computers, the digital market is booming. It allows faster access to the game you want to buy and access to additional content as well. It also avoids the use of plastic in the boxes. Shopping on the Internet today is therefore becoming easier and easier.
In addition, some companies such as Sony, offer a service where one can have access to free games on the PlayStation Store. Indeed, when you join the PlayStation Plus program, Sony offers free online games every month. This allows you to play good games while remaining economical.
On the other hand, games purchased digitally take up more space on the hard drive and take up more energy. Physical games have the advantage that they take up less space for installation. Games that are played online (digital or physical), use a lot of energy from the servers. This becomes an ecological factor that can be quite striking.
Another important point for buying online: your child can easily buy without supervision on the Internet. It therefore becomes possible that he buys things without your consent using your credit card. It’s that easy.
Conclusion
The purchase of games is ultimately up to you. Both options have their pros and cons, but remain options all the same. Personally, I balance my options between digital and physical copies.
