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Is The End Of The Boxed Version Near?


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Digital downloads are certainly the future, but whilst I live in rural Spain, they're not an option for me.

Perhaps being a little "old fashioned", I also prefer boxed copies of games. I feel the same way about things like Kindle. I doubt I'll ever really get into the idea of reading a book on a screen, as opposed to printed on a page.

I have never been into reading, My family have given my Sports People Biographies for birthday and christmas, Havent gone past 3 chapters in any of them. Then I bought an Iphone which had Ibooks on it, after some friends had been raving about Micheal McIntyre's book, I downloaded it through Ibooks and read the hole thing. I've put it down to not being able to see the full book i.e. the full 900+ pages in come cases. But I like you would like to keep box versions of games even music and films for that matter.

If you have mates over and they ask so what music you got, it will be like on the shelve over there, not hang on let me boot the computer up.

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I think its more a societal thing. Mankind is slowly moving towards to sleeker more cost effective formats. Nothing is sleeker than electronic.

I'll be buying the boxed version until it no longer exists.

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So basically with regards to costs you have paid over £50 more since 2007 to 2011 for digital download for FM than I have and who goes back to old versions of FM? Not many judging of the forums so to me it's a waste of money sticking to a certain supplier all the time when there is other avenues to go down by saving money.

I pay £40 for FM every year to get it on steam and have it guaranteed on day 1. that's not a lot of money.

I don't care about retail boxes unless its console games.

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Boxed copies won't be going anywhere for two reasons:

It'd be giving up "in store advertising" in Game and the like. And even once the game store dies, Tesco and the like.

It'd make it much more difficult to buy as a gift*.

Plus I doubt creation and distribution make up a significant part of the release budget. It's a bit like the ebook vs paperback argument, which claims ebooks should be cheaper as they don't have to be manufactored, but ignores that at the sort of runs a best seller is printed in paperbacks cost pennies each at the very most to make.

*Yes, I know I can gift FM12 to a friend via steam. My nan doesn't though. She might ask me to order it from Amazon to wrap under the tree for a cousin though.

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And I feel quite strongly about having the rights to do with your copy as you please, like lending it out to others or re-selling/give to charity after use. Although companies would like you to believe that's illegal...

Well not "illegal" as you'll go to prison for it*, but illegal as in its a breach of the license agreement you agreed to when installing the game.

* "What are you in for guv?", "Breaching the licensing agreement on Football Manager". Not the best episode of Porridge.

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Well not "illegal" as you'll go to prison for it*, but illegal as in its a breach of the license agreement you agreed to when installing the game.

I'm not sure how well that one would stand up in court if it were ever challenged. Being unable to see the terms and conditions until you have bought the product is not usually the sign of something legally watertight.

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This would be a bad idea, as it limits the places you will be able to get it from, Steam already charges too much compared to Asda etc. Also some people don't have 'unlimited' Broadband, and may not want to use 2-3G or whatever it is of their download allocation if they don't have to.

Personally, I still prefer old school boxed versions, I'm already not happy about the idea of having to activate via Steam, nothing against them but I just think it is a pointless excersise which will infact only help the pirates as once the torrents get released (and they will), it will be easier for those downloading these to install their stolen versions (in fact easier than us who buy the game).

I think if it comes to a point where I can only get it off Steam, I'd probably stop buying it and I have every version since CM2.

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If you look at companies like Blockbuster + Netflix, they've pretty much gone all digital and I see no reason why games won't go the full route pretty soon. I can't remember the last time I bought a game or even music for that matter from a store. Ultimately it'll be the consumer that'll decide though I'd imagine.

People are still buying CDs though so I guess you could take a look at that and compare it to video games.

I for one though am perfectly happy with all digital.

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