MS: No question, downloaded games will overtake retail

[Zeus]

Microsoft's David Gosen believes there is absolutely no question that the sale of downloaded games will overtake the sales of games at a retail front in the coming years.


According to David Gosen, Xbox Europe's VP of strategic marketing and Live, “There’s no question digital will overtake physical. It happened in music and will happen to our industry."

He was talking as part of his keynote speech at Microsoft's UK Gamefest developer event in central London today.

Gosen told attendees that "convergence is happening" in the industry as consumers turn to games consoles to deliver content digitally, be that games or movies.

He said that the success of premium downloadable content for games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero, plus the success of Xbox Live Arcade proved that “digital will be the dominant force in future”.


News Source: <A href="http://www.mcvuk.com/news/31441/Microsoft-No-question-downloads-will-overtake-retail" target="_blank">MCVUK</a>

[SwooshICE]

ugh. not when you are in canada where all major internet providers are heavily capped for bandwidth limit.

[Eric10301]

I guess they cant tell the difference between a 3 meg song costing .99 cents and a 7-50gig game costing $60. I'm guessing consumers willingness to download the 2 different entertainment mediums will be completely different.

[bxpapi196]

I wonder who plans to download 15-50 GB of game? :confused: yea we all got fast internet. :cool: All i know I still want to trade my games:cool: LOL microsoft with their view of the futures.

[kronikdaddy]

This wont happen until:

A: There are enough users on fiber lines that cable/DSL lines have plenty of bandwidth to spare meaning less bandwidth monitoring. Fiber lines getting capped out isn't really a problem currently.

B:The 100% digital version should cost LESS than the boxed product, WHY the F*** would i pay the same price for a download as a retail copy. Digital distribution doesn't need a box or disk so no paper, ink, plastic etc. No gas or oil used in transport, no shipping cost, no workers to sell the game and manage inventory, No brick and mortar store to pay a lease on and on and on.

The version i download should be $10-$20 cheaper but they just make that much more money on digital downloads without the extra cost.


Those are my biggest problems with digital downloads and most people i know would agree.

Oh, And.. C: The ability to transfer content to whoever i want, That way it would be possible to sell old games.

[theindiearmy]

It will only be a matter of time, hell, GT Prologue on PS3 sold more digital copies it's first week, so that's a sign that what MS theorizes will indeed be true.

[retardbud]

still waiting for fios here.......

[alkalinetrio]

yes indeed. <strike>pirated</strike> downloaded games ARE REALLY popular on the 360.

I just want to add how much i hate the "POINTS" system on the 360 and Wii. Just put the fucking price in currency so we know what we are paying.

edit. err html don't work in the posts?

[shadyx]

believe it

[bxpapi196]

believe it

its gonna happen in the days that internet goes in the gigabyte console would have hard drive with Terabytes :D

[dOOmy]

Hahahahahahahaha Sure are alot of stupid people around... the only way i will download a game is if its a free version. a game disk has an intrinsic value, you can sell it on craigslist or trade it in for another game or play it again or give it to a relative 5 years from now. A downloaded game has no value, you play it and keep it on your hd untill you need the space for something else, and then if you want to play it again you are out of luck. I keep my discs in pristine condition and I will have them forever.


------------------------------------------------------
I look forward to death, you don't have to work, go to school, pay bills or anything, all you have to do is lay there and rot...it doesn't get any better than that :p

[DCunderground]

Downloaded games already overtook retail. Just ask SEGA about the Dreamcast :D

[amoeller]

This wont happen until:

A: There are enough users on fiber lines that cable/DSL lines have plenty of bandwidth to spare meaning less bandwidth monitoring. Fiber lines getting capped out isn't really a problem currently.

B:The 100% digital version should cost LESS than the boxed product, WHY the F*** would i pay the same price for a download as a retail copy. Digital distribution doesn't need a box or disk so no paper, ink, plastic etc. No gas or oil used in transport, no shipping cost, no workers to sell the game and manage inventory, No brick and mortar store to pay a lease on and on and on.

The version i download should be $10-$20 cheaper but they just make that much more money on digital downloads without the extra cost.


Those are my biggest problems with digital downloads and most people i know would agree.

Oh, And.. C: The ability to transfer content to whoever i want, That way it would be possible to sell old games.

Well said.

[Sigurd_m]

Let's just have it like it allready is! With downloading small arcade games, and retails on disc! Perfect I'd say! So we can trade games with friends etc..

me and my friends are gathering alot to play PES 08 now, and only one of us got it, so we use his copy allways.. Imagine us having to download the game with his account every time we are at my place..

though i'd guess that this is just m$ way to say **** blu-ray.....

[beterweter]

Originally Posted by kronikdaddy View Post
This wont happen until:

A: There are enough users on fiber lines that cable/DSL lines have plenty of bandwidth to spare meaning less bandwidth monitoring. Fiber lines getting capped out isn't really a problem currently.

B:The 100% digital version should cost LESS than the boxed product, WHY the F*** would i pay the same price for a download as a retail copy. Digital distribution doesn't need a box or disk so no paper, ink, plastic etc. No gas or oil used in transport, no shipping cost, no workers to sell the game and manage inventory, No brick and mortar store to pay a lease on and on and on.

The version i download should be $10-$20 cheaper but they just make that much more money on digital downloads without the extra cost.


Those are my biggest problems with digital downloads and most people i know would agree.

Oh, And.. C: The ability to transfer content to whoever i want, That way it would be possible to sell old games.

totally agree here.
and + here in belgium our internet providers charge us if we go over 12 or 15 gigabytes of download.some even charge 2 euro per gig.most 1 euro.
so it would become even more expensive as games always get bigger.

and i like my boxed games!

[Rockman_Joey]

Downloaded games already overtook retail. Just ask SEGA about the Dreamcast :D

Ahhhh that was harsh but true! :(

[rupter13612]

Will never happen.

[kcvfr400]

Eventually it will happen but at what cost? Will more tiles be live arcade/psn type and then less full retail games due to download restrictions put on us by isp's.

With overpriced hard drives I do not see Microsoft trying to bring this revolution about aswell as the overpriced live arcade titles (and yes some psn are overpriced and same goes for virtual console).

This is still to long in the future to be talked about by Microsoft like this, as if its round the corner.

[androctonvs]

Yeah, and e-books will take over normal books - oh wait, they didn't. People like to have their stuff on shelves, call them old fashioned geeks all you want.

PS: once the cracking of downloaded games becomes true, this guy will think twice.

[unwanted]

I was daft enough to DL siren on the PS3 just under 9GB (+just under £20) ... never again will I do that kind of download again... it is too much of my monthly DL limit, also no hard copy like when I purchase the disk version for the money...

[androctonvs]

I was daft enough to DL siren on the PS3 just under 9GB (+just under £20) ... never again will I do that kind of download again... it is too much of my monthly DL limit, also no hard copy like when I purchase the disk version for the money...

...plus, if you want to sell it, or trade it back...

[loliix]

Absolutely true!
Just ask the guys at Pirate Bay and you'll see.. :cool:

[superaktieboy]

erm count me out, ive got a download limit of 40GB per month at a speed of 8mbps.. so for those reasons im out!!

[unwanted]

erm count me out, ive got a download limit of 40GB per month at a speed of 8mbps.. so for those reasons im out!!

my speed varies from 500kbps to 5mbps... and capped at 20GB... as I said before... never again... UK internet is not good at best, EU internet is possibly even worse...

[Lunna]

I had no idea it was so common with those "crappy" connections around the world. scary...

[Spnoz]

This won't happen before quite some time.

Aside from the bandwidth issue, there is also something people didn't talk about so much so far... DRM issues.

People hate DRM but the industry LOVE DRM. They always try to put as much DRM they can in anything, and if it means making you buy the same thing two times or more to play it on different pieces of equipment, they will.

And seriously, just a look at how Microsoft handles its DRM is enough to make me VERY afraid of a "download-only" console. It's been two weeks since I called Microsoft to make them transfer my licenses to my refurbished 360 they sent me, and I'm still waiting for them to do so. They really don't seem to care if their customers can play the games their bought or not.

The problem with downloadable content, is that you're putting you're entire game collection under the control of someone other than you. If the company doesn't want you to play the game you paid for anymore, they can do that. They can revoke your licence anytime they want. They can prevent you from transferring your licences to another console. And if the company goes out of business in a couple of years, or just aren't supporting the games anymore, you can't play them because you can't connect to the servers?

Downloadable content is fine for extra content for games or for small, cheaper games that doesn't cost a lot, but making retail games downloadable-only is like sending a giant middle finger to your customers, and a reminder that they can f*ck with your gaming collection anytime they want now.

[loliix]

my speed varies from 500kbps to 5mbps... and capped at 20GB... as I said before... never again... UK internet is not good at best, EU internet is possibly even worse...Don't know what you are talking about, in Portugal we don't have exactly a state-of-art infrastructure but there is no trouble at all to get a real ADSL2+ connection with 16Mbps download, 1Mbps upload and bandwidth ranging from uncapped to 100GB + happyhour..

I know I have one.. and getting a 24Mbps connection with uncapped bandwidth isn't that much expensive compared to the plain 16Mbps.
Even low-end connection for most providers start at 12Mbps download and 512kbps upload.

The connection you describe only exists here as 3G/UMTS mobile connection, and yeah, those pretty much suck..

[xTONE]

yes indeed. <strike>pirated</strike> downloaded games ARE REALLY popular on the 360.

I just want to add how much i hate the "POINTS" system on the 360 and Wii. Just put the fucking price in currency so we know what we are paying.

edit. err html don't work in the posts?

ummmmm its hard for u to do simple math? usa prices....... 400 points for 5$

[Eggman72]

Call me old fashioned but I like to physically have the disc and box etc...:o

[mastersworded]

This won't happen before quite some time.

Aside from the bandwidth issue, there is also something people didn't talk about so much so far... DRM issues.

People hate DRM but the industry LOVE DRM. They always try to put as much DRM they can in anything, and if it means making you buy the same thing two times or more to play it on different pieces of equipment, they will.

And seriously, just a look at how Microsoft handles its DRM is enough to make me VERY afraid of a "download-only" console. It's been two weeks since I called Microsoft to make them transfer my licenses to my refurbished 360 they sent me, and I'm still waiting for them to do so. They really don't seem to care if their customers can play the games their bought or not.

The problem with downloadable content, is that you're putting you're entire game collection under the control of someone other than you. If the company doesn't want you to play the game you paid for anymore, they can do that. They can revoke your licence anytime they want. They can prevent you from transferring your licences to another console. And if the company goes out of business in a couple of years, or just aren't supporting the games anymore, you can't play them because you can't connect to the servers?

Downloadable content is fine for extra content for games or for small, cheaper games that doesn't cost a lot, but making retail games downloadable-only is like sending a giant middle finger to your customers, and a reminder that they can f*ck with your gaming collection anytime they want now.


You should hear some of the garbage some people in the industry want to start with DRM on the discs you buy. They want to start forcing license keys and some other stuff on people so that you couldn't even sell/trade your discs in anymore since apparently the industry is "loosing too much money" to the used games market.

Check it out :

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/first-sale-not-last_5

[gustavo00]

i believe that more games will became available to download. I believe that people will download more games. BUT, that doesn't mean the end of "boxed" games.

1 thing : Xbox has a version that is "HDDless". How will this guy download any games? Aha, paying U$90 for a 20GB HDD. So, not in this generation, at least for M$.

2 : Many people already said - downloading 3mb songs, 350mb TV series, 700mb movies is one thing. Downloading 7,14, 21, 40GB for a game is damn boring. "Estimated Time : 3 weeks". No, thanks.

3 : ISPs can't provide enough download speed for everbody to download big files continously. The only reason why so many people download series, pirated games, mp3, etc is because this "many" means only a few.

4 : not everyone has its console connected to the internet. I know people who have a playstation 3 or xbox 360 and don't even know that they can connect to the internet. How they will download games?

5 : we have to deal with download limits. That sucks, but it happens. And can you imagine yourself downloading only, i dont know, 3 games? Halo 3, Mass Effect and Bad Company. Oh cow, already reached my download limit.

6 : Not only ISPs, but has microsoft the capacity to support downloading from everyone who owns a xbox?


?In the future, this 7gb games, 20gb games will be downloaded, the same way we do with older games. Could you think of downloading "HITMAN Codename 47" some years ago? It has around 270mb. It was a huuuge file when came out. Today it only takes a few minutes to get it. But 20GB wont be "small" for a while.