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When I buy a game via digital download, THIS is the most important to me... [poll]
 
A reduced price from its physical counterpart  (18/44 votes)
 41%
Convenience of not having to use a physical disc  (9/44 votes)
 20%
Having my game tied to a user account  (9/44 votes)
 20%
Playing my game across my current devices  (0/44 votes)
 0%
Immediate game acquirement  (6/44 votes)
 14%
Other  (2/44 votes)
 5%
 
What is the most important to you when you buy a game somewhere digitally? Note: Some of these options may not relate directly to Nintendo, but with digital game services in general, so just vote for the option that attracts you to digital game purchases in general.

1.) A reduced price from its physical counterpart - You like to get a great deal, and on some services, sales are frequent. Companies can price games a little lower without the physical overhead costs.

2.) Convenience of not having to use a physical disc - You don't have to put in a disc! Just click and start playing. You don't even have to worry about making room on the shelf!

3.) Having my game tied to a user account - Was your system lost or stolen? Did you lose track of where your disc was? No worries. Your game is tied to your user account, so you can easily redownload it. With your game tied to a user account, there is also the potential that your ownership of a game will extend to future platforms. Or, maybe you decide to get that new phone or computer - all of your purchases can simply be redownloaded after signing into your account.

4.) Playing my game across my current devices - Do you have a PC set up in the office, with your Macbook floating around somewhere else? Are you a Vita user who also owns a PS3? Do you have your iPad for home use, with the iPhone for on the go gaming? Click this option if you like having your games available across your current devices the most.

5.) Immediate game acquirement - Hey, this game just came out. You don't have to wait for it to ship. You don't have to camp out anywhere. Just click a link and it's yours...immediately (or however long it takes your device to download it).

6.) Other - Am I missing something? Feel free to post it here. Please to not say "ALL OF THE ABOVE" here, as I was just curious to see what the one thing is that attracts people most to digital purchases.

Edit: I may have to reword this somehow...I know there is some overlap. Having a game tied to your user account can really encompass many things, from playing your game across many devices, to future backwards compatibility. Let me know if you think I should repost this.
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02/26/13, 20:54   Edit:  02/26/13, 20:57
 
   
 
Convenience. That's why I downloaded NSMBU, Nintendo Land and Brain Age most recently.
02/26/13, 21:00
Assuming we're talking eShop stuff... convenience. I like not having to swap discs or having a 3DS that basically lets me be a digital hoarder.

If we're talking Steam, it's the frequency of sales.

I voted convenience.
02/26/13, 21:05   Edit:  02/26/13, 21:05
I voted "immediacy" in regards to Nintendo devices, on the 3DS I prefer to have a physical copy so I can play it on both my 3DS and my XL (a problem I realize probably only one in a thousand gamers have) so I'll only download a game if I have to have it right away and can't wait (like, for example, Nintendo screws up and doesn't ship physical copies to stores...), or if it's an eShop-only game.
02/26/13, 21:06   Edit:  02/26/13, 21:08
Rofl, how about all of the above? I mean seriously they are all important. If you put all of those together it becomes PC digital distribution, or as I like to call it "Simply a Superior Way".
02/26/13, 21:11   Edit:  02/26/13, 21:12
I voted for #5 as I was able to pick up Virtue's Last Reward digitally after I couple of months after I completely missed the stealth release here and EVERYWHERE was sold out of the physical copies. That was pretty damn cool.

But really it's convenience in general, so #2 could have got a look in as well. I love the fact that I'll be able to play up to SEVEN Zelda titles on my 3DS at any given time. That number may climb as high as 9 with future releases. 10 if you make OoT digital and put a DS Zelda in the game slot. That's mindblowing.
02/26/13, 21:12
Clutter reduction is nice.
02/26/13, 21:17
Oldmanwinter said:
Rofl, how about all of the above? I mean seriously they are all important. If you put all of those together it becomes PC digital distribution, or as I like to call it "Simply a Superior Way".

02/26/13, 21:20
9 times out of 10 price is my only real concern. There are exceptions though. I think I'll want Animal Crossing digitally. Probably a lot of stuff, moving forward. But not enough to pay more for it. So Nintendo / Sony / etc. better get their digital pricing in line with the deals I find at retail.
02/26/13, 21:23
Oldmanwinter said:
Rofl, how about all of the above? I mean seriously they are all important. If you put all of those together it becomes PC digital distribution, or as I like to call it "Simply a Superior Way".

While convenience is my leading reason and what I voted, I do agree with you on this. Those are all important.
02/26/13, 21:28
deathly_hallows said:
Oldmanwinter said:
Rofl, how about all of the above? I mean seriously they are all important. If you put all of those together it becomes PC digital distribution, or as I like to call it "Simply a Superior Way".



Hahahahaha, exactly!!
02/26/13, 21:31
Call me lazy, but not having to switch discs/carts is a huge selling point for me. That, and the fact that I won't have to worry about losing the games (since you will only be able to pry my 3DS away from my cold, dead fingers!).
02/26/13, 21:54
Oh gawd that picture is brilliant lmao!
02/26/13, 21:55
Dynablade said:
Oh gawd that picture is brilliant lmao!


I must agree. It works on many levels. Plus the art is hilarious.

As an avid PC gamer I fully endorse this image!

I know he has been salivating, waiting for an opportunity to post that. Glad I didn't disappoint him.
02/26/13, 22:00   Edit:  02/26/13, 22:01
Convenience is nice, but honestly, it's all about the lower cost for me. That's the major reason why I haven't bought any Nintendo retail games digitally yet. There's an inherent value in a physical object (along with its box, manual, etc), and as a bit of a collector of games, I prefer having them physically there, cart-switching and all. So to remove that aspect of game ownership to me should come at a price. With the same price for retail and digital, I'll ALWAYS go retail, even for stuff like Animal Crossing and SSB.

Give me something like 25-30% off for digital and we'll talk.
02/26/13, 22:00
Saving space is a must at this point in my life, but convenience is nice too.
02/26/13, 22:07   Edit:  02/26/13, 22:08
As I said, I could've put "All of the Above" but then I figured everyone would just vote for that.

I'm going to have to say reduced price as well. If I saw a game I wanted as a phsyical copy and it was $5, I'd 9/10 times take that over a digital copy at a higher price.

Whenever I jump on Steam sales, it's not because I simply want them all tied to an account. I could always keep a legacy PC nearby if the games stop being compatible with a newer version of Windows. It's more because I can't resist getting a 20 hour game at $5.

Edit: Damnit! Here's another option for you guys - I prefer that my money go more directly to the developer/publisher making the game. I knew I forgot something.
02/26/13, 22:08   Edit:  02/26/13, 22:13
I buy games digitally on Steam because they are dirt cheap. So I guess I'd vote for "price" if I had to.

I do also love that they are all in one place and I don't have to switch discs. That's a very nice thing, but at the end of the day if a disc was cheaper I'd buy the disc and "suffer" through the clutter and having to swap it out of the drive.
02/26/13, 22:34
Convenience, easily. Being able to play any computer game I own without having to swap through dozens (or hundreds...) of discs is incredible. It's why I'm moving to all digital on my 3DS so I can have all my games at any time. I'm also moving the Wii U to digital only for the same reason. Though, I will buy physical discs if it requires me to (maybe the Zelda games physical discs...since I'm a sucker for keeping those).
02/26/13, 22:37
Seems like 3 and 4 go together. Regardless, those are both what I'd want before I'd even consider buying digital games. I'd likely still never buy anything that's also available at retail, but I'd probably buy some eShop games if I could play them on both Wii U and 3DS, and knew that they would still be playable on whatever's next after that.
02/27/13, 02:49
Lack of disc is a "convenience?" I DON'T THINK SO. What if I want to take the game to a friend's place, or loan it to somebody, or sell it? What if I want to swap it in the glorious Negative World Game Swap thread? And what if my fridge is full? It takes two seconds to change the disc, and I can't imagine needing to take more than one portable game with me at a time.

Games tied to a user account? HOLD ON THERE, COWBOY. I think Sony's showed us just how little that matters.

Immediate game acquirement? SLOW DOWN, SLICK. I'm still running on ancient broadband technology here: it took me 20 minutes to download Fluidity: Spin Cycle, and that game's not even that big!

Playing my game across devices? CAN'T LET YOU DO THAT STAR FOX. Actually, this one's okay.


Price is the only answer.
02/27/13, 03:08   Edit:  02/27/13, 03:09
 
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