There are a good number of gamers who believe that digital distribution is the wave of the future. But will it ever replace retail boxed games?
Not according to Nintendo of America president, Reggie Fils-Aime. He believes that while digital distribution has its place, it won’t surpass the traditional method of selling games to customers.
"[Digital distribution is] a nice added business model, but it’s not something that’s going to take over retail game sales."
Fils-Aime believes that the convienience of having a game disc is another reason why retail sales of games will continue to be the prefered choice for consumers.
"We’ll be able to see the sales growth and plan for [the digital download market], but I guess similar to home consoles, the consumer will want an experience that’s best delivered through physical goods, simply because of the memory size required. There will always be those opportunities for big, in-depth games on retail products."
Another factor has to do with what the consumer expects when purchasing a game; many are used to the idea of getting a real physical item. Ted Price, the creative director for the PS3 game Resistance 2 said:
"I think that digital distribution is here to stay. But at the same time, I think that there are enough people who appreciate the fondle factor, having a physical copy of the game in their hands, that [means] retail will stick around for a long time too."
The prospect of downloading a large game that is 8GB in file size, (the equivalent of a dual-layered DVD), is also a big deterrent to downloading content. For individuals who have normal DSL/cable Internet connection speeds, this can mean hours of download time before they can play the game.
Until super hi-speed Internet service is more affordable and available, the prospects of widespread digital distribution for games are probably unlikely.
[via venturebeat]
