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98 Comments
- TheWilder, on 04/13/2009, -6/+26If they ship the download code with a memory stick big enough to fit the game, then it would definitely be more appealing.
- dsmx, on 04/14/2009, -2/+21on the psp digital versions of games are almost always better, better load times, increases battery life, can carry more games around with you.
- CoreyTamas, on 04/14/2009, -4/+18I would rather buy a new 4 - 8 GB card every 5 or 6 games than a new UMD for every individual game.
- dsmx, on 04/14/2009, -3/+12Patapon 2 takes up about 400 MB of data on a memory stick, I know this because I got a digital copy as I don't like lugging round the UMD around where there's an alternative. (patapon 2 has been out in japan since last year and in europe since late march)
Since you can buy a 4GB of $23 I fail to see why it wouldn't work. Also the kind of people who will buy the digital version are the kind of people who put more than just game saves on a psp so what is the problem? - 1980Tim, on 04/14/2009, -1/+9If someone steals my PSP or I lose it or it breaks, can I redownload the games for free and play them on my new PSP or are they locked to a specific PSP?
That seems like the danger to me. If all my games are DRM locked on the memory card I could lose hundreds of dollars in games if something happens to that particular system. A disc works with any system. I'm not totally against downloadable games but there need to be protections in place to prevent this sort of thing. - Deejster, on 04/14/2009, -10/+17This is *clearly* the future. Are you luddites seriously that attached to physical discs? I remember hearing the same lame arguments about how MP3 wouldn't replace CDs due to the amount of space required (32MB flash was expensive then, compared to 640MB CD). Rewriteable storage cost dropped (small hard drives and flash memory), and the fate of plastic disks was sealed. Apple cashed in by by-passing the retailer and opening their own online - and *immediate* - MP3 store. iTunes is now THE most popular place to buy music - most consumers don't want the hassle of going into town to buy a physical piece of plastic.
Fast forward to today. Game discs hold a lot more than flash - at the moment. Flash storage IS getting bigger each month, and prices are already in free-fall. Apple are establishing the iPhone as a surprisingly impressive and viable gaming device, and have opened an online store - with immediate downloads. Spot the similarity?
The writing is on the wall for UMDs and physical gaming media, and Sony can see it. The question is, is it already too late? Will the iPhone do to the PSP what the iPod did to the walkman - thanks in no small part to a tightly integrated *electronic* supply chain of content. - NeoTechni, on 04/14/2009, -5/+12"I fail to see why it wouldn't work."
Not all games are 400 MB. 400 MB is small for a PSP game, and I'm sure you can tell the difference between the amount of data that goes into a game like Patapon, and a full 3D game with CD quality music, etc like say Crisis Core or Silent Hill which take up about 1.8 gigabytes each. PSP is a handheld made for console quality games like that.
Now imagine how many games you can hold on a 4 GB stick. In between 4 and 8, probably closer to 4.
Do you really want to have to delete/install games everytime your mood changes? Do you really want to have to use a PC to put games on a portable? Do you really want to kill of the ability to buy used games/sell your games as used/loan games out to a friend/rent games/borrow games?
I myself own 40 UMD games, 10 movies, 5 PSPs. I am probably one of PSP's biggest supporters. Though I have an OCD friend with over 250 games and movies.
Abandoning UMD would be the dumbest move Sony could make, it would literally be a step backwards. We moved away from solid state mediums like flash to optical, we're not supposed to go back. - wild, on 04/14/2009, -4/+11Ugh, I hope not. The idea of digital distribution for games drives me up a wall. I want physical media. You lose too many benefits:
- Swapping with friends
- Taking a game to a friends house to play
- Reselling a game you don't like
- Renting a game
- Not having to deal with hard drive storage (and overpriced console HDDs)
- Having access to all games instantly, rather than waiting to redownload an older title
- DRM (If the xbox live marketplace is any example of how they want to handle it, this is athe biggest non-starter) - CoreyTamas, on 04/14/2009, -4/+11Uh... you can also carry more memory sticks.
- consolejocky, on 04/14/2009, -0/+6Considering a PSN account would likely be required to get the digital download. The game would be locked to the account rather than any particular device.
All the games, save my first, for my PSP have been downloaded from the Playstation Store. I'm not sure that your fears are really something to be concerned with. - Elranzer, on 04/14/2009, -2/+7Basically, Sony is moving to (flash) cartridges. Its just that YOU need to provide the cartridge (Memory Stick) rather than Sony providing it per game. They just provide the content.
Nintendo did this in Japan way back in the early 90s with re-writable Famicom Disks and later re-writable Super Famicom flash carts. Only now instead of going to a download station at a Japanese 7-11, you use your own Internet connection. - PhonicUK, on 04/14/2009, -1/+6To me this seems like a (second) move to combat PSP piracy. At the moment its too easy for anyone with a PSP1000/2000 to install custom firmware, buy a 8/16GB memory stick and never actually pay for a single game.
The PSP-3000 was the first step, stopping the custom firmware from getting a foothold on new devices. DRM'ed digital distribution for new games would take care of the existing units with custom firmware already installed - effectively closing both avenues for piracy.
Sadly, this combination also spells a worrying end to homebrew PSP apps and games. - UselessTrivia, on 04/14/2009, -2/+7The UMD is dying! Yay! Now if only Sony would standardize on SD memory like EVERYONE ELSE.
- SOSHaruhi, on 04/14/2009, -1/+6http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2008/3/3/
chaka chaka pata pon - dygel, on 04/14/2009, -1/+6Download-only distribution is pretty gutsy. A keen environmental move.
Putting it in landfill-bound boxes anyway is more wasteful than selling UMDs in the first place. - MaxMWood, on 04/14/2009, -1/+6Good essay but I think you're wrong, physical CD's will always be better than a digital download to me as I want something physical for my money.
- aladrin, on 04/14/2009, -0/+5Are you kidding? This means demand will go way up, so prices will rise before they fall.
- danwallace, on 04/14/2009, -0/+5Right, but without having to own *****, overpriced Apple products!
- josephbloseph, on 04/14/2009, -0/+4Well, the PSP has had downloadable games for a while. This is probably just expected to be the most popular.
- bentrinh, on 04/14/2009, -0/+4http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.12177
Have fun ;) - Ashkc88, on 04/14/2009, -1/+5@Deejster
Yeah, and the "Petz" series continues to outsell great big video game titles. Why? Because most consumers are complete dumb *****. The "everyone is buying it" argument is obsolete when dealing with which is better.
DRM sucks, and is only going to get worse because of downloadable media. You don't get all of the extras you get when you buy the actual copies. Developers will leave content out on purpose to make you pay more than what you normally would as DLC. I could go on and on why downloadables suck, but honestly I don't have the patience. - protogenxl, on 04/14/2009, -1/+5F E V E R !
- kinseyincanada, on 04/14/2009, -0/+4if they are going to ship you a memory stick big enough to hold the game why the hell would you want to use a code to then go and download the game? why would you just put the game on the memory stick?
- Elranzer, on 04/14/2009, -2/+6"We moved away from solid state mediums like flash to optical, we're not supposed to go back."
Only due to price. Solid-state mediums have always been superior to optical. It's just more expensive to make the same amount of storage space. But the speed and loading differences greatly outweight this.
Nowadays, a 2GB flash unit would be just as expensive or cheaper than a 1.8GB UMD, and in all cases would be a superior format. - insidius, on 04/14/2009, -2/+6Ahh righto there nephlabobo that makes perfect sense. The usual arguments I see from the Digg crowd in regards to piracy of such software normally goes along the line of:
"Give me the product HOW I WANT AND GET WITH THE TIMS LULZLELLLL OR ILL PIARTES ! WIN WIN FRE!".
So here they are, moving with the times, giving people what they want and what do they get in return? A threat to not only continue to pirate but increase the rate at which you do?
You people are pathetic, seriously. It is no wonder none of the big companies will actually take our criticism on board with people like you screwing our cause. - 0olong, on 04/14/2009, -2/+6There are people who didn't like the UMD move in the first place. I for one would love it if they dropped the UMD drives altogether and added a 30 or 60gb HD to the PSP. That would allow for at least 50 to 55 games or whatever mix you would want to have of movies, music, and games. Even if they had to up the price back to $150 or $200, it would be worth the price.
- Deejster, on 04/14/2009, -1/+5I think UselessTrivia's reason is that MemorySticks cost twice as much as equivalent SDs.
Unfortunately, Sony will stick with MS. They would have to pay a license to use SD, and they earn royalties if they can persuade other manufacturers to use MS rather than SD. - mynameistux, on 04/14/2009, -1/+4I don't understand, some people say I like bacon, and get 100's of diggs, why do you hate me digg?
- moxley, on 04/14/2009, -0/+3Here's the problem though - all of the things which you list as advantages are things which Sony and the companies which own the rights to these games see as big DISADVANTAGES.
They don't want you swapping, reselling, buying used, renting, etc.
If your hard drive or memory stick gets full, they want to sell you another one.
I agree with all of your concerns, the consumers deserve freedom with their software products - but these corporate asswagons only see you as wallets, and they want more money from you. - Elranzer, on 04/14/2009, -2/+5Hopefully this trend will bring down the price of the overpriced Memory Sticks.
8GB SDHC card = $15
8GB Memory Stick Pro Duo = $35
Anyone notice the problem? - MacHarborGuy, on 04/14/2009, -0/+3you know, I tried to do perfectly good sarcasm without pulling out the cliched /sarcasm tag, and NO ONE GETS IT!
todays digg weather conditions : partly fail with a 75% chance of suck - danwallace, on 04/14/2009, -2/+5Yeah, ***** you Sony. anononon is stuck in the past, so we should all wait for him to catch up!
- wild, on 04/14/2009, -0/+3Well, you can only transfer the license once a year, and you must be connected to the internet to access the games you "own" if you haven't. That part sucks, especially given I am on my fourth 360 thanks to the wonders of the 3RLoD...
- Cheesepuffly, on 04/13/2009, -9/+12Pure digital downloads i dont think will work. The thing is, the PSP does not have built in memory, or at least publically accessable through regular means. So the people who say just got a small memory stick just to save game saves, wont be able to download it.
Some games work with digital download, A great game like Patapon 2 (or assuming its as good as Patapon), should not. - cromulent742, on 04/14/2009, -1/+4They still haven't figured out how to install custom firmware on the 3000?
- Deejster, on 04/14/2009, -2/+4Though your opinion is equally valid, most consumers disagree with you. In January 2008, for the first time the digital download iTunes store sold more music than the the number 1 physical media CD store, Walmart.
(Source: http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/62458.html) - wild, on 04/14/2009, -0/+2Burning a disc is about sharing with a friend. It isn't just about legacy devices and back-ups.
Don;t people game with their friends anymore? - DirtyVicar, on 04/14/2009, -1/+3***** you, your ___(favorite distribution method)___ sucks!
- josephbloseph, on 04/14/2009, -1/+3I'm pretty sure that's how the playstation store works.
- ibeetle, on 04/14/2009, -1/+3Look at the other side of that coin. If you get tired of, or beat a game that you downloaded you can't sell it on eBay or trade it in at GameStop.
- bentrinh, on 04/14/2009, -2/+4Hm. Carry around 4 games in chip the size of my thumb nail (or pinkynail, if you use a MicroSD adapter), or carry 4 UMDs totaling up to about 2/3 of the PSP itself around?
- mynameistux, on 04/14/2009, -4/+6psp game ~ 600mb
8gb memory stick = 8gb
8gb memory stick smaller than umd
HMM - Sabin, on 04/14/2009, -1/+3I just don't see it happening this generation. The storage capacity isn't there, broadband penetration isn't adequate yet (you would be cutting a fair chunk of rural America out of your customer base) and not all console/portable gamers are internet users, have wireless access or in some cases might not even have a PC. In the future it will all be wireless but that technology is still too expensive in some markets (like Canada which acounts for ~10% of game sales) to be viable for data distribution.
Another problem is that current storage technology is still fairly limited. even with a 16gig MSPD you will only be able to have access to between 8 and12 games at a time on the PSP and most people don't even have that much storage on theirs. PSP games are up to 1.8GB, album downloads are only ~150MB, there is a substantial difference there.
You are also forgetting the number of people that sell/trade games they are finished with. i know the game companies aren't fans of this practice but the people who do buy and sell used games are going to be even less likely to buy a game if they are going to be stuck with it forever.
The problems are even bigger on home consoles with 360 games sometimes using two DVD9s and PS3 games filling 20+gigs on a bluray disc. I know that with my ISP I would only be able to download a few movies/games a month before hitting my 60 gig bandwidth cap so I much prefer to just go to the store and buy a game/movie if I am going to bother paying for it. It is almost cheaper that pay for the stuff legitimately than it is to pirate it now.
Download only is fine for games (and albums) that are ~200megs but once they start getting bigger than that it is simply to unwieldy to deal with. In 10 years you will probably be right but right now you are jumping the gun quite a bit partly because of people attitudes and partly because of the mentality of the corporations that control our broadband and wirless infrastructure. And don't forget, seeing those boxes on the shelf is like free advertising which companies like Sony love. - Radica1Faith, on 04/14/2009, -2/+4Maybe not on the psp. But overall, digital downloads are the way to go. For all of us. An infinite amount of supply, with 0 waste produced.
- DarkLaughingMan, on 04/14/2009, -0/+2Last I recalled Gripshift wasn't fully working (it's not a full hack). And it won't change piracy, people will just hack the downloaded file itself.
- kinseyincanada, on 04/14/2009, -1/+3why the ***** do you own 5 PSPs?
- PeanutCheeseBar, on 04/14/2009, -2/+4Digital downloads may not be the ideal way to go, but at least there's two advantages:
1. They'll stop stores like GameStop from raping customers for a used game at a high cost.
2. Developers and producers will see more money from more downloads; less packaging will mean less cost to distribute. - NeoTechni, on 04/14/2009, -1/+3"8gb memory stick smaller than umd"
8 GB stick costs like $60.
PSP games are 1.8 GB
I don't want to have to spend another $60 every 4 to 6 games I buy just to store them - CoreyTamas, on 04/14/2009, -2/+4Yes because:
1. $80 over 5/6 games is a small price to pay for having them all in one place.
2. If something is digitally distributed, you pay less because there's no UMD.
2. The media is smaller. I can hold more games on physically smaller real estate.
3. Performance off the card would be faster than off the optical drive.
The convenience and plain old awesome makes it the only logical way in my book.
Hell YES. - CoreyTamas, on 04/14/2009, -1/+3"Do what I want or I'll steal"
Most children have already figured out this is wrong by the time they arrive in kindergarten. What's the holdup with you? -
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