You need to understands that we don't share a single opinion. Personally I care about physical distribution. I have nearly 400 dvd/bluray and often I share them with my friends/family.
I prefer physical products because you "own" it. You can share it, you can watch it when/where/how you want and you can resale it. The day Microsoft will decide that theirs servers for the Xbox One are too expansive (like all the old Halo multiplayer server), you will lose all your right on theses games.
I only use digital distribution when they are cheap enough (Steam and Netflix).
Agreed, and I still buy blu-rays for this purpose. But, I think the strategy MS is doing is to gradually centralize (like Apple) the distribution model for games on their platform. It would be difficult to go straight to a download-only option (especially in this age of bandwidth caps), but this provides a hybrid that gets people used to the idea of digital rights and learn to accept the ramifications. The disc is just a way to distribute a digital copy without forcing a download. Once people settle in, Microsoft can shift to digital-only in a matter of years without upsetting things. Once digital, we'll see less discounting (no effect from warehousing physical goods), and Microsoft makes more in the long run.
I don't deny the use case you provide (certainly, I'm a fan; I don't care much about digital), but the point is that Microsoft stands to gain a lot from this. The 1% backlash won't make a dent in the potential profit upside.
Comments
You need to understands that we don't share a single opinion. Personally I care about physical distribution. I have nearly 400 dvd/bluray and often I share them with my friends/family.
I prefer physical products because you "own" it. You can share it, you can watch it when/where/how you want and you can resale it. The day Microsoft will decide that theirs servers for the Xbox One are too expansive (like all the old Halo multiplayer server), you will lose all your right on theses games.
I only use digital distribution when they are cheap enough (Steam and Netflix).
Agreed, and I still buy blu-rays for this purpose. But, I think the strategy MS is doing is to gradually centralize (like Apple) the distribution model for games on their platform. It would be difficult to go straight to a download-only option (especially in this age of bandwidth caps), but this provides a hybrid that gets people used to the idea of digital rights and learn to accept the ramifications. The disc is just a way to distribute a digital copy without forcing a download. Once people settle in, Microsoft can shift to digital-only in a matter of years without upsetting things. Once digital, we'll see less discounting (no effect from warehousing physical goods), and Microsoft makes more in the long run.
I don't deny the use case you provide (certainly, I'm a fan; I don't care much about digital), but the point is that Microsoft stands to gain a lot from this. The 1% backlash won't make a dent in the potential profit upside.