Nintendo move into the digital age

Joshawott

Joshawott

Monsieur Monster
AUKN Staff
Just came back from seeing The Avengers (badass movie btw) and I hear this awesome nugget of news:

From August 2012, starting with the release of New Super Mario Bros. 2, Nintendo will offer all 3DS games published by them for digital download on day of release as well as in retail. This will also occur with all Wii U releases when the console is launched this year.

Also, not only will this happen - but instead of buying the games from game stores, you will be able to buy 16 digit codes for the download of these titles, if lugging games around isn't your thing.

Source.
 
ilmaestro said:
Best bit of Nintendo news since... I don't remember the last one. Anything that cuts down on import costs for me is a bonus.
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Didn't think about it that way...ehehehe.

Mind you though, this currently only seems to apply to games that are directly published by Nintendo themselves, so I'm not sure about games distributed by a third party company.
 
ilmaestro said:
So... 90% of the games worth buying on their consoles, then? :p
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Well yeah. Even with third party games, if they're particularly good, Nintendo will snap up the American and European distribution rights.
 
Mutsumi said:
Shame... Too many things are going this way. So long as they keep selling physical copies though.
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I wouldn't necessarily say it's a shame. I love owning all my physical copies of games, but i can see the need/appeal for just putting something on the market digital only. Nintendo haven't suggested they are only doing digital download for it, heck you can easily expect a physical copy down the line, it's just another way of getting the game to those that want it.

I wouldn't worry in terms of console physical copies though, unless something drastic happens to nintendo/sony/microsoft, they aren't just going to transition to digital only anytime soon. PC gaming is the only area in which it's become more common to release digitally only because it's cheaper for starters, and it works better for indie developers. Looking to the Binding of Isaac & Terraria for example, they have released physical copies down the line too. So yeah

Nintendo have taken the right idea for this regardless, they are appealing to as many people as possible with this. Surprised it took so long for them to put up a big named title for this too, considering how long they've technically had the service available. Just hope it continues.
 
Nintendo have said both physical and digital copies will be available at release, so they're really appealing to both markets (especially by having people able to buy codes for downloads in store). Personally, if I can own the game physically, I tend to prefer that.
 
The problem with download games is storage... Yes you need physical storage for physical games, and a small amount for memory but if i were to install all of my 360 games (assuming each is around 6 gigabytes, which is about average) then I would need a 360GB hard drive. The highest amount going at the moment is 320 and that doesn't include all the memory data, DLC, my current selection of arcade games and the fact that I intend to purchase more games in the future. That and the fact that I can borrow and share games with friends (not to mention rental) is my main beef with download-only games, so I hope physical copies continue living a long and happy life =P
 
I'm fine with most things switching to digital distribution as long as:

a) It's on download to own basis, not streaming or any other shite, I want ownership and control over my files
b) Prices come down to reflect the far lower cost of digital replication over physical
c) The government mandates telephone companies provide high speed fibre-optic coverage for the entire country.

If all those criteria are met, my desire to own physical media will diminish substantially.
 
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