Digital distribution has been a hot topic in games lately. It’s the end all answer to the used game problem, and could very easily wipe out monster gaming retail chains like GameStop. It’s very possible that the next generation of consoles will be download only for games and computers already have several outlets to download games directly.
Are we really ready for it though?
Disk space isn’t really an issue; you can get an internal hard drive that’s over half a terabyte for like 40 bucks these days. By the time the next consoles launch around 2011 space will be even cheaper.
The problem is going to be with bandwidth. Games nowadays are already reaching the limits of DVD’s; with Blu-ray games are easily over 20 gigs, though at the moment that is in large part to sloppy code. Again, once we reach 2011 it probably won’t be uncommon for a game to be around 15 gigs. Is bandwidth going to be that much better in 2 years? We’ve sort of hit a bit of stagnation once cable internet became the broadband standard several years ago. The next step up would be fiber optics, but that is very expensive to set up and to maintain. Some places have it, but it doesn’t seem likely to spread quickly anytime soon.
Are download speeds even that acceptable today as far as large games are concerned? When I downloaded WipEout off of PSN the other day it took four hours and WipEout is only a gig. I do think PSN and my internet weren’t up to par at the time because it only took Slevin an hour, but my point still stands. An hour is a pretty decent chunk of time for a game that is maybe a 6th the size of a standard video game. If WipEout was available for purchase at a brick and mortar store I could have driven to at least three places, bought it, and driven back to my house in 20 minutes. If you increase that to 30, you could add another five places to that list and I live in a pretty small city.
If are only choice next console generation is digital distribution are we going to be willing to wait several hours after purchase to acquire our games? How much time will be added to that on launch day of a popular game if the servers get slammed? Not to mention where are these games going to exist 10 years from now if their aren’t any physical copies lying around and the servers are taken offline?
I just hope some of these issues are addressed before every major publisher jumps aboard. What do you all think?
Saturday, February 7, 2009
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I like digital downloading, but I agree that the networks (at least PSN) are way too slow. Downloading demos take forever. I think the "next wave" will be more of a micro-transaction system. While you can play the game online for free, you get more features or can customize your character for a charge. It is very popular in Korea, and it only needs to attach itself to an attractive intellectual property here in the states to do well.
ReplyDeleteI could imagine WoW doing this - something with an established client base already. People who play that game for any length of time become gear crazy. Blizzard could exploit this by charging for entrance in the PVP tournaments and handing out better loot to the winners. Suckers would probably pay in order to get the better gear.
Just my super casual gamer two cents.
Speed isn't a problem in my experience with Xbox Live, though PSN is an entirely different matter (slow as balls). Speed isn't too much my concern; bandwidth caps ISPs are beginning to implement across the board is a larger issue when more and more games go digital. Comcast has a 250GB monthly cap, which is fine today, but in a few years we may be doing that much through our game consoles downloading movies and games.
ReplyDeleteMy other concern, which trumps all others mentioned, is that we are eternally locked down to whatever digital distribution system we buy our products on. If Xbox Live was to go down and I needed to connect to use my Rock Band DLC or Live Arcade games, I would easily be out over $1,000 instantly. Not to mention zero prospects of ever selling my copy of Cloning Clyde to Gamestop. Then there is the problem of companies like EA charging you to "keep a copy of your game" on their server for a fee in case you ever need to download it again.