I am adamantly against the idea of having to download all of the games. Internet access can be lost for a myriad of reasons. If my service provider tells me that I have an outage in my area I can still play on my discs. If the next generation of consoles doesn't have a local option I doubt I will ever buy it. Does anyone recall this error message?

"Your download of (insert game here) can't be completed at this time. Please try again later."

While I see the business reasons for doing something akin to this, which is mostly keeping production costs down while keeping selling costs up... I think it's a horrible idea.

First and foremost is hackers. If I spend money on a game, and my account gets hacked (for whatever reason) I have a good chance of losing whatever games I had on that account. Yes, there are precautions that could be taken, but the typical person can not defend against a skilled hacker.

Secondly, as Soldier put it... not everyone has access to the internet. For me personally, I know my ISP is s***. I would become beyond frustrated if I could only play online. This is one of the reasons (other than ****ty gameplay) That I have already stopped playing Sim City.

My third reason, while certainly not applicable to 99% of the world, is because of my job. I work on a submarine. We obviously don't have internet access out to sea. Video games, movies, etc keep us (relatively) sane. Switching to all digital would seriously hinder any sort of gameplay.

With all of that said, having digital copies available, without having to log on to a server (Sim City... f*** you EA) would not be the end of the world, but still a serious PITA in certain circumstances. I'd much rather have a hard copy (with a digital copy... CDs wear out) over anything else.

I like buying a game and bringing it with me to a friends house. Not to mention like you guys said about buying pre-used games, I never really sell any games back I either hold them down or give them to friends but either way I would be pissed if I bought a new game and wanted to bring it to my friends to play but o wait I can't unless I bring my whole plateform.... dumb

If the costs of the games came down, I probably wouldn't mind it. But there would have to be some things in place before I get fully on board.

1. Ability to re-download games at any point. Meaning, we own the game for at least the duration of the system.
2. To that end, the games should be compatible with 1 system backwards and 1 system forward.
3. Ability to download a game to a friend's box while I'm logged in as a guest. I get that I can only be logged into one system at a time.
4. Have to be able to play games offline. I think it would suck to limit the games to my "home" system for offline play, but if that's what it takes, I will take it.
5. The systems have to better use bandwidth... I don't know if Xbox users have the same issues I have on my PS3, but I have 75/35 connection, but whenever I test on the PS3, I only get like 25/10 at best.

Just so everyone knows... it's a little different, but Adobe has just shifted to an All Cloud model where you can't buy their software on disks (well, you can for awhile, but it will end). People aren't liking this either, but it looks like this is where everything is going. So instead of us just saying NO, NO, NO... it may be better for us to help them construct the new online only system so it works for us and them.

BTW, I just read recently that the Xbox will NOT be online only. So you won't need a fulltime internet connection for it.

I am against it. Though I live in a area where internet is pretty accessible, I have plenty of friends that don't. It would suck for them. Plus, majority of my games are used. I rarely buy new anymore.

When is the last time you guys bought a CD or even a DVD?

2 weeks ago.

DRM is horrid in the end tbh. If it was a 1 time every month or 2-3 weeks I wouldn't care but always online just not works. Now if you can play games offline and they don't cost $60 a shot kinda like how most games on steam work then ya no problem. The problem will always be someone wants their hand in the cookie jar and ruin it for everyone *Cough* EA & Activision *Cough*

I mostly buy digital games these days, and I have to say, I love just being able to start up the game without having to find the discs and faff around with them, particularly taking them in and out during the game (I don't know if that happens so much these days). On top of that, the discs can be easily damaged if you have children and pets. Don't ask me how. I've gone through 3 copies of some of my favourite games, due to disc damage. There's also the problem of losing the discs, not that that tends to happen. I've also had problems with pre-ordering discs and having them delivered late.

So, I've found that digital copies are much more convenient. I buy from gog.com every now and then and can't really see the drawbacks. The games are DRM-free, you can easily download them again if your computer breaks down. The only problem I have with those games is not having the physical stuff that I would get if I'd bought them. I do like manuals, maps and little figurines.

I would still prefer to have the choice, though.

And if games are digital, they SHOULD be cheaper. You're not having to pay for boxes, discs, distribution, etc. Older games should be cheaper. You should also "own" the game, and be able to play it offline.

If the costs of the games came down, I probably wouldn't mind it. But there would have to be some things in place before I get fully on board.

1. Ability to re-download games at any point. Meaning, we own the game for at least the duration of the system.
2. To that end, the games should be compatible with 1 system backwards and 1 system forward.
3. Ability to download a game to a friend's box while I'm logged in as a guest. I get that I can only be logged into one system at a time.
4. Have to be able to play games offline. I think it would suck to limit the games to my "home" system for offline play, but if that's what it takes, I will take it.
5. The systems have to better use bandwidth... I don't know if Xbox users have the same issues I have on my PS3, but I have 75/35 connection, but whenever I test on the PS3, I only get like 25/10 at best.

Just so everyone knows... it's a little different, but Adobe has just shifted to an All Cloud model where you can't buy their software on disks (well, you can for awhile, but it will end). People aren't liking this either, but it looks like this is where everything is going. So instead of us just saying NO, NO, NO... it may be better for us to help them construct the new online only system so it works for us and them.

BTW, I just read recently that the Xbox will NOT be online only. So you won't need a fulltime internet connection for it.

Totally agree with this.

I have been playing Defiance lately, which requires a connection to play. I enjoy it and have not had any problems connecting, but I like that it's a choice you can make when you purchase. the girl at Gamestop made sure to tell me before I bought it that it needed a connection to run.

When is the last time you guys bought a CD or even a DVD?

2 weeks ago.

Maybe its just me then. I hate physical media.

Im not sure how to even insert a CD into my MP3 playing/GPS/HRM watch.

Digital information is always on a physical media.

Maybe i'm just old school, but when i purchase something i want it to have a tangible presence.

Buy music, want CD
Buy Movie, want DVD
Buy game, want disc (regardless of platform)

What happens when you want to re-visit whatever it is you purchased, but you can no longer gain access to it because wherever you downloaded it from decided it had to be removed to make room for the new stuff. That's the part i don't like. Relying too much on someone else to preserve your purchase is BS to me IMHO.

I don't have a problem with purchasing games digitally, but I am ardently against persistant online required to access offline content. Digital games means smaller costs on logistics which means you can squeeze in more on game production. It is also much more convenient to purchase digitally.

I just bought HOTS digitally with no problems. My main concerns regarding all digital is...

1. Storage Capacity. Right now on my ps3, I have to routinely erase game data for games I no longer play to make room for new games. That is just the additional game data that is downloaded, not the entire game. How storage would you need to house all games like that? New system means more power and more graphics and more data, its probably the biggest issue.

2. Replacement. If I get the yellow light of death, is there a means to get my games back again? I think with the way p network all ready functions it will easily be a yes.

3. Download speed. When the updates to firmware first come out, they take forever. How do you account for this on release days. I am in favor of being able to download and install games pre release and having a mechanism that doesn't allow access until the live date.

Overall, i think it could work, but I think we're still one iteration too early in it actually happening.