Digital Download vs Physical Disc pros and cons

[martinmc78]

I was originally thinking of going all digital with games on the Xbox one purely for ease of use and the hot swap function. However looking at some of the deals that the shops are already advertising for preorders like additional maps and exclusive content I am starting to feel that the digital option while making life easier wont give me the in game benefits that I would get if buying the game from a store.

This is understandably a ploy by the stores to get you to pre order and buy physical copies but I would have liked to have thought that somewhere there would be a digital option to pre order and get the same benefits as the physical copy. I don't want to download a game day one for the same price as a store copy only to find I need to download an exclusive map pack for an extra ?5 just to keep up with my friend that bought the game in store and got a pre order bonus.

I haven't seen or heard anything yet on digital download deals or if digital will get a small price reduction so that additional content can be bought on release to match the stores. Has anyone else seen anything? And has anyone thought of any other pros and cons between the two media formats?

We've already done to death the digital vs physical in terms of drm, sharing and offline play so I wouldn't want this thread to go over what's already been said.

 

[WanderingTraveler]

In my opinion, digital downloading is better when you're online. As long as you don't do the following:
1. Tie it to one device.
2. Require some kind of checking mechanism (you can only download it from...wherever store the manufacturer prefers. Assuming the XBOX One is as secure as WP8, it shouldn't be a problem.)
3. You have a decent internet connection.
For the disc-based media, I'd rather see a model of a console without a hard drive.

 

[vertigoOne]

IMO, the devs and pubs should be making incentives for downloadable MORE attractive than in-store pre-order incentives. If they do not, they are only hindering their own potential and at the same time making the less profitable option appealing to the consumer, essentially devaluing their own production.

 

[martinmc78]

IMO, the devs and pubs should be making incentives for downloadable MORE attractive than in-store pre-order incentives. If they do not, they are only hindering their own potential and at the same time making the less profitable option appealing to the consumer, essentially devaluing their own production.

That's what I mean, it should be happening already to drum up more interest but its not. The pubs and devs must have already agreed deals with retailers in order to offer deals. As much as I don't want to I may well pre order some of my games from shops in the hope that I can cancel them if and when the download deals start showing up. Its a whole new ball game I guess for some of the publishers as its the first time its been done on console, just hope deals start leaking sometime in the next two months or they may well miss the boat.

 

[vertigoOne]

That's what I mean, it should be happening already to drum up more interest but its not. The pubs and devs must have already agreed deals with retailers in order to offer deals. As much as I don't want to I may well pre order some of my games from shops in the hope that I can cancel them if and when the download deals start showing up. Its a whole new ball game I guess for some of the publishers as its the first time its been done on console, just hope deals start leaking sometime in the next two months or they may well miss the boat.

Well I guess since resale is now possible one could pre-order to get the content that they want, then resell the game on ebay or such and use the DLC code with a digital copy. Best of both worlds, and it helps the devs more than retailers...and if downloads end up being cheaper than retail then it would be win/win.