Is the future digital?

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=238341

Microsoft: Xbox doesn't need Blu-Ray
Tuesday 9-Mar-2010 6:40 PM 'Future of home entertainment' is online, platform holder tells CVG

Microsoft has told CVG that it considers digital media - and not the Blu-Ray disc - the 'future of home entertainment'.

Calls for Microsoft to increase the capacity of its games media have grown since Lost Planet 2 producer Jun Takeuchi said that Capcom had to cut content from the Xbox 360 version of the game due to size restrictions of the DVD format.

However, director of Xbox and Entertainment at Microsoft Stephen McGill told CVG this week:

"We have no plans to adopt [a] Blu-Ray drive for the Xbox 360. In fact, the future of home entertainment started last autumn when Xbox 360 became the first and only console to offer instant-on 1080p streaming HD movies."

McGill's comments come after the God Of War III developers at Sony Santa Monica praised the 50GB capacity of PS3's multi-layered Blu-Ray discs.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer hinted earlier this week that there will be revised models of Xbox 360 coming 'in the future'.

250GB Xbox 360 'Super Elite' models are now available in bundles with games such as Final Fantasy XIII and Forza 3.

I hope they dont consider getting rid of physical copies of video games for the next gen. If so thats one less consumer buying. (Me)

I will never buy digital games. I'd rather get pysical copies like blu-ray games and stuff, I prefer it that way

If they do it,im not going to buy much on that system.

I HATE buying digital games.

The only reason i would get the next Xbox if they do that is for Halo and some of my fav other franchises.It wouldnt be my main hardcore console.

If they do this,then there going to lose much of there fanbase and buyers.Dont do it Microsoft

The future is NOT digital. I refuse to only digitally purchase stuff.

If the next Xbox is only digital, their servers better be AMAZINGLY fast to send 15-20GB games over the internet without waiting DAYS UPON DAYS for it to finish downloading......I have a 10Mbps Cable Modem Download Speed and that would still take close to 5 hrs IF AND ONLY IF I have a 100% constant 10Mbps......so what if someone has 768Kbps Cable/DSL?!?!?! It will take them like 60-70+ hrs to download ONE FUCKING GAME.

Conclusion ::: The next Xbox WILL have a physical disc drive of some sort.

i will always like have a hard copy of my software in case of problems but the future does look like it rest in the hands of digital distribution...kinda sucks but true. Even with Blu-Ray you are limited to 50GB but with digital downloads you can go as big as the harddrive your consumer has, i think internet speeds need to catch up with this before it goes huge, im not saying the download speeds are slow now but for a soul purpose of downloading 8,9,10 gigabytes of information will take its toll, but who knows we will all see soon enough, until then enjoy your games how ever you purchase them

Zombl337 wrote:

If the next Xbox is only digital, their servers better be AMAZINGLY fast to send 15-20GB games over the internet without waiting DAYS UPON DAYS for it to finish downloading......I have a 10Mbps Cable Modem Download Speed and that would still take close to 5 hrs IF AND ONLY IF I have a 100% constant 10Mbps......so what if someone has 768Kbps Cable/DSL?!?!?! It will take them like 60-70+ hrs to download ONE FUCKING GAME.

Conclusion ::: The next Xbox WILL have a physical disc drive of some sort.

good points! I agree. But I still don't like the idea of just downloading the games even if it's fast because I'd rather have the physical copy. Plus game shops would go out of business!!!

I buy used games all the time. In a world of digital download only games how will I save money buy waiting six months? In six months, a year, two years, etc. the digital download games as the same price as the day the were released.

I should also be able to do what ever I want with my property. If I buy a game I should be able to sell it if I want to. But you can't sell digital downloads because they only exist as bits of data on a hard-drive.

if they do this i want 30$ games no 60$ bullshit and it better be amazingly fast

I don't think that we're ready for full digital gaming. Just look at how much of a failure the PSP Go was.

The future is digital. We all know this, which is why iTunes exists. Which is also why Zune Marketplace is on the 360. All I need is some Microsoft points to download a movie. The future of gaming is digital.

Simple you go to the store or buy online some sort of flashdrive type thingy and install the game unto the hard drive for people who don't have online or prefer not to buy digital copies.

Or even better...just have both.

Kendo wrote:

The future is digital. We all know this, which is why iTunes exists. Which is also why Zune Marketplace is on the 360. All I need is some Microsoft points to download a movie. The future of gaming is digital.

Incorrect

Kendo wrote:

The future is digital. We all know this, which is why iTunes exists. Which is also why Zune Marketplace is on the 360. All I need is some Microsoft points to download a movie. The future of gaming is digital.

Theres a major difference between iTunes store and digital gaming. A song is about 5-7mb and this small file size makes it easy to distribute. Currently we can digitally distribute music because its small and easy to download even if you have slow internet. But not with movies and games, files sizes exceed many gigabytes and there's people who are not going to accept digital distribution until we have much, much faster internet.
Remember, in the end, the people decide what to produce, if we don't accept digital as a leading distribution method, the publishers will be forced to change their methods.

i don't want to go all digital because u can't return these and i like going out to get things

We won't go digital I am sure as not everyone has super fast broadband where they live and it would take me personally to long to download a game and I know that speeds are increasing but I like to own a physical copy.

MS and Bill Gate don't always get it right he did once say that "No one will need more than 637 kb of memory for a personal computer " - Well he was wrong on that so if digital is the future it is not going to be anytime soon.

It will be the iTunes of the future.

i can see movies for digital but games will never ever be digital. People want tangible items,items they can hold and use forever. with digital you need to depend on their servers and they will take it down one day and you basically don't have it any more.

Spartan v07 wrote:

i can see movies for digital but games will never ever be digital. People want tangible items,items they can hold and use forever. with digital you need to depend on their servers and they will take it down one day and you basically don't have it any more.

QFT... however why are iPod games digital? Why are PSPgo games digital? We also have Games on Demand? Hm....

...Xbox 360 became the first and only console to offer instant-on 1080p streaming HD movies."
Ha, thats something to brag about...