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[SenkiDala]

I was thinking, I am a guy who preferred physical gammes until late PS3/360 eras when games started to be updated all the time.

I'm a maniac of updates, the kind of guy who goes to check by himself if there are new updates for each of his games. I don't wait auto updates, I check.

I can't stand buying a disc edition which will be the 1.00 or 1.01 version of a game, for me a physical edition MUST contain the FINAL version, so it is the best version that contains everything. I still buy games on disc time to time but honestly since physical editions are just 1.00 editions with dozens of updates that you need to download... Then it has an identical value to me than a digital version. Sure I can sell the physical edition or lend it to a friend but in 10/20 years if you wanna replay the game but the servers are dead, you're just stuck with your 1.00 edition, which for me is kinda not acceptable to play, I don't want play any of my games in a 1.00 / vanilla state.

I won't even give exemples since now it affects 99.99% of games. Games that are released physically and who never require any update are... very very rare.

So I was thinking. If publishers were publishing, let's say for exemple Resident Evil 4 remake day one 70$ with the base game in 1.00 and after 3 years or so, after the game is fully updated, all modes came out (Mercenaries, Ada's story etc), a 2nd version of the game and sell it again 70$, would you buy those ? Would you buy both or wait for the Final Edition ?

Note that it would work for the current console, for exemple if Resident Evil 10 comes out at the end of the PS5 version and a PS6 version exists on the new PS6, then there must but a PS5 FINAL EDITION and another PS6 FINAL EDITION (maybe later).

Yeah I know it looks like the GOTY editions we have time to time (I love those) but sometimes even those editions get updates after, proper real GOTY editions that are really FINAL VERSIONS are quite rare.

Personally I would totally be all physical again if that happened, I don't mind wait 2 or 3 years for that FINAL EDITION. What demotivates me to go all physical is that, well, the full final game isn't on that fucking disc anyway so at that rate lets same some space and get it digitally.

Curious to know your opinions.

 

[BouncyFrag]

I don’t see this ever happening.

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

Updates for physical games don't bother me, unless the day one release is a buggy mess. Thankfully, that doesn't always happen as of yet. When it comes to most physical purchases for me, I tend to mostly buy Switch games that don't require big updates frequently. Only other physical media I buy, as games are concerned, are PS5 games. I'll buy day one PS5 physical games for a few specific exclusives, but I also tend to buy a majority of non-Nintendo games on Series X digitally, some months after release to get the bugs out.

 

[Miles708]

That's what I currently do.

 

[SenkiDala]

I don’t see this ever happening.

I doubt it too.

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

The problem is that, even if there were games released like this (and despite their best efforts, even the LRG releases sometimes have patches and new content after the fact), it wouldn't be a consistent, across the board thing. There's no way you could just have "complete" copies of your whole collection physically, and I don't want to have half of my stuff physically and half of it still digital.

 

[Celcius]

Nope, I just buy digital and get the updates as soon as they are available.

 

[rofif]

ehhh maybe.
But honestly there is no reason we can download patches to usb stick like we could on 360

 

[Robb]

I don’t really care which specific version of the game I have on the disc as long as it’s fully playable offline in a working state day one. If it isn’t you’ve already lost me. Doesn’t really matter if you release a finished product later or not.

 

[xrnzaaas]

I'm not avoiding physical versions which require large patches or basically redownloading the entire game, that's not why I buy them. Besides I'm not gonna wait several years to play something that interests me, 6-12 months is ideal to start when all big patches have already been made.

 

[Sleepwalker]

Sure I would

 

[FinalBossWithTheMostPower]

Depends whether I've been along for the ride the whole way.

I mean imagine me buying Cyperpunk Ultimate Definitive We Finally Got It Right Day 782 Edition.

Not happening, despite it being the best game I've ever played.

 

[pqueue]

no. never going to happen.

plus the bigger issue is any connectivity/phoning home the game does to company run servers. having a current patch version of a game will not help preserve longevity of the game with that.

 

[SenkiDala]

The only way it would happen if it becomes mandatory, like with some kind of new EU law. But yes I sadly don't think it would happen, I just hope publishers will release more and more GOTY versions at least. Like a BOTW version with the DLCs on the cart, and same for MK8DX with all the circuits, FFXVI with DLCs and so on.

 

[acm2000]

or buy digital at launch and enjoy the update ride

 

[ReBurn]

Probably not. But I don't collect games any more.

 

[Mr Hyde]

Absolutely. I always wait for games to be fully patched and have all dlc included. I rarely buy games day 1 anymore due to the state of them at release.

 

[TGO]

Only if it was a new version of the game, like Persona 5 Royal.

 

[Pasta la Vista]

For certain games yes I would... as long as Limited Run is not involved.

 

[Warablo]

There's no point in physical if you don't plan on reselling after.

 

[TexMex]

The physical edition with never contain the FINAL version of a game again. Those days are over.

 

[Gamer_By_Proxy]

Only if it was like a gog release. Like it would always work on any console or you can drag and drop the files on pc.

 

[jayj]

On Switch yes, only if they contain the entire game on the game card. On everything else, no, because discs have become little more than an extension of DRM.

 

[Guilty_AI]

I don't care much about resale, which is why i prefer digital DRM-free versions of game. I get all updates and i could keep this copy of the game with me without worrying about servers or logins.

 

[SenkiDala]

I don't care much about resale, which is why i prefer digital DRM-free versions of game. I get all updates and i could keep this copy of the game with me without worrying about servers or logins.

Yeah the digital DRM free versions on GOG are the BEST way to buy digital games, you can download copies of the games up to date en store them on a 10/20 whatever TB drive, or NAS, and you're good.

The bad thing about GOG is the "small" catalogue compared to other stores like Steam or EGS. But hey, big companies are not interested in selling DRM free versions of their games...

 

[Leonidas]

My answer is no.

PC, PS5 Digital and Xbox Series owner here. Can't use discs on my PS5 and have no desire to use them for my external PC drive.

My Xbox Series drive is only used for BRD and BC titles which I already owned.

 

[bender]

I've had the same idea for a while. Like a Final Run version of Limited Run Games since a lot of their games don't have the latest version on disc/cart. I just don't think there would be an audience large enough to make it viable especially when you'd probably need to charge close to full price years after the initial release which would be a terrible value proposition to most consumers.

 

[El Muerto]

It's a maybe for me. I would buy the patched disc if the game is bad at launch like Cyberpunk or Redfall levels of bad. I would then wait until the game is finished then buy it. I usually buy games years after release anyway, not paying full price to beta test a game, unless it's from a studio i trust like RGG.

 

[Aenima]

A crazy idea would be a complete game with no need of updates day 1.

Would not double dip, would just wait for the patched version instead. Its kinda what i do already anyway as alot of games get a GOTY edition a year or so later patched and with DLC included.

 

[Zannegan]

I used to, back when they released GotY editions.

 

[GeekGuyWithGlasses]

No, because I lack the space in our apartment/ mostly playing on my SteamDeck so I have no use for physical copies atm.

 

[Barakov]

There's no point in physical if you don't plan on reselling after.

Eh, accessing the game you paid for and being able to play when you want and not being at the mercy of a company's servers might be a bit more important.

 

[protonion]

I dream for a future console with ssd like cartridges for games which are patched in-cartridge.

Don't know if possible... But it would be nice.

 

[SHA]

Yeah sure, I think I've mentioned this before already, not a bad idea, alienating a demographic is what's bad for all of us.

 

[Dis]

The physical edition with never contain the FINAL version of a game again. Those days are over.

I was shocked to learn FF7 Intergrade has the yuffie episode as a download code..

And Cyberpunk 2077 “ultimate edition”
With a ..code.

 

[BlackTron]

This issue puts my head in a psychological loop that prevents me from playing games completely. It comes out, but I don't want to buy a coaster, and I don't want to pay $60 for a digital license. There's no way I'm going to plan to buy the game twice. It's going to be once or never. If the day one physical game was more finished, I'd just get that (so uh, Mario and Zelda).

But by the time the game is fully updated, I'm not even thinking about it any more, and there are newer games. Maybe I get it during a Steam sale, or Epic just hands it over for free lol. Then it gets tossed in the giant pile of games in my account I was interested in, would have bought day one as a full game, and languishes waiting for its turn because by the time it caught up...you're in a stacked year like 2023 or something. Or I've just given up thinking about the state of things and am playing Sonic 2 again.

There are really few examples of non-Nintendo full-ass games I just need to have that break this and I just flat out buy physical day one. Like Ghost of Tsushima. If I didn't get it physical I'd have been waiting for a better solution not spending $60 for a digital game.

My PS4 collection is like entirely physical games I got for like $5-10 each. Including all the first party stuff that went to PSPlus. If the disc has a gimped version of the game on it, this is acceptable.

 

[Majormaxxx]

Imagine you do this, wait 3 years buy the ultimate disc and then on year 4, they come up with ANOTHER update to improve their monetization or whatever lololo

 

[Hudo]

A crazy idea would be a complete game with no need of updates day 1.

You should be put into a mental asylum.

 

[rofif]

or buy digital at launch and enjoy the update ride

Sure but we could have both.
I can play my Elden ring and bloodborne 1.0 with disc and update if I want.
All we need is ability to download updates to usb stick like it was on 360

 

[rofif]

For certain games yes I would... as long as Limited Run is not involved.

Seriously. Fuck lrg. Scammers who want to turn physical media into expensive hobby.

I don’t see anything wrong with having g disc game 1.0 and update being available for download

 

[Topher]

There's no point in physical if you don't plan on reselling after.

Or if someone is a collector. Or if someone has shitty internet.

 

[Audiophile]

I'd be in favour of an "Archival Edition" initiative like this..

 

[Drew1440]

I usually buy games three years after release, so yes.

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

If they re-release a GOTY edition with all the DLCs included on the disc or cart I'll def consider rebuying (I've done this multiple times already).

If it's just the new updates being added to the already existing code and nothing else extra on top of it (e.g. DLC) then I don't really see the point on double dipping. That's of course as long as the vanilla version can be installed from the disc and played offline without major hiccups from start to finish.

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

I was shocked to learn FF7 Intergrade has the yuffie episode as a download code..

And Cyberpunk 2077 “ultimate edition”
With a ..code.

Just the PS5 version. The XSX one is complete and everything is on the disc (well, 3 discs actually) including the Phantom Liberty DLC.

 

[Platinumstorm]

So as a kid I really enjoyed collecting game boxes; particularly for PC because of the things they had. Artwork in the instructions manuals, lore books like Baldur's Gate 2 and maps. The regular games had "pages" on the boxes that you could pull out for art and information because these were used for marketing.

Today boxes have a shitty paper insert in a generic case. There's very little to collecting them. Most collector editions now are an insane cash grab with a statue that kills feng shui; some dont even have a physical disc.

I buy a few things as physical. WoW releases since I have the vast majority of them as CEs, Final Fantasy games because I adore Amano's artwork.

 

[S0ULZB0URNE]

Rather buy within the launch window.

 

[Crayon]

If a game is quality and it would be feasible to use the disc in the future (nice, playable game even without it's updates), I like to buy a disk. There are some that I don't realize I want on disc until after I play them, and sometimes I go back for those. I do expect them to be cheaper though. A game that was all wrapped up final version like you are talking about? Actually, you know. Yeah, I'd do it sometimes. I was afraid to play FF7R because I thought I would hate it. It was well after they gave it out on plus that I tried it. And I ended up loving it. Yes, I would pay full price for that and the dlc in a really nice case.

 

[LavitzSlambert]

That's what I currently do.

That’s basically my approach too, except for the games I’m most excited about. Only a couple per year, though 2023 was packed.

 

[Shake Your Rump]

I only buy physical, but this would be madness.

Do you have a Nintendo Switch? Nintendo is constantly updating their retail games with the latest version as they are produced. If you buy something like Breath of the Wild or Xenoblade now, they have the latest version ROM on the cartridge. It would cost you a mint to replace your games.