Xbox One Digital Game Prices Raised In EU

NowGamer: "There's been a lot of talk regarding high digital prices of games on the PS4 and the Xbox One, with Sony in particular coming in for criticism for high prices that have since been adjusted.

However, rather than lower their prices, Microsoft has now gone in the opposite direction, with the price of Xbox One exclusives Forza 5, Ryse: Son of Rome and Dead Rising 3 all being raised on the Xbox store."

[PrivateRyan]

This would be my main concern with an all-digital future - Microsoft controlling the prices and setting them far higher than you'd expect from physical copies

[ElementX]

Sony and Nintendo do the same thing, it's nothing new. Even their "sales" aren't much of a sale. Plus discounts are still ridiculous, saving maybe a few dollars.

[CRASHBASHUK]

no sony said the price of the games on the store is up to the publisher.
Sony don't set the prices as for Nintendo and Microsoft I am not sure if its the same

[jackanderson1985]

@crashbashuk sony set the prices of their published games but leave 3rd parties up to 3rd parties it's the same for MS... not sure on nintendo though

[HiddenMission]

@ElementX

That's total bs most of the deals are free games or $5 to $15 off. I've been a plus member since day one of the service and the deals are great. Hell Tomb Raider was on sale for 50% off.

You need to get your facts straight...that's why you have all of the disagrees.

[GutZ31]

Now that Sony has a deal with Amazon.com, there is competition in the PSN market place.
Prices will go down on everything, even if its by a few cents, but its good for consumers in the long run, with sales going on during holidays and the likes.

[dcj0524]

I got final fantasy XIV for $10 (usually $40) and Ni No Kuni for $9.70 ( usually $30). That is a sale.

[aCasualGamer]

At least Sony is providing us discounts via Playstation Plus while Microsoft raises their prices even after everyone has Xbox Live. If you ask me, that's a clear difference.

[jacksons98]

@ElementX
Two things:
Playstation Plus and Borderlands 2

[Naga]

Apparently Sony is still selling their digital games for more than retail?

http://www.eurogamer.net/ar...

Looks to be even more expensive than this supposed price hike in the UK.

[nypifisel]

They don't want to compete with the retailers in price on their online stores. It's really not to take customers from retailers cause that would piss them off.

[President]

You must be trolling or never used PS+, the sales are crazy, the discounts are more than just a few bucks, wtf are you talking about. Discounts range from a few bucks for games that cost less than 10 bucks or go upwards of 40 bucks discount for a new game.

[asmith2306]

It's up to the publishers unfortunately but I agree, digital game prices are extortionate.

[DragonKnight]

There's a lot of misinformation about these pricing issues.

First of all, the fact is that the Big 3 actually set pricing tiers for all 3rd party publishers. The publishers decide what their game is worth based on those tiers and set the price for the game accordingly.

Retail partners are also a factor for console digital games. If digital games on consoles are cheaper than their retail counterparts, then there would be no reason to purchase retail copies unless you like collector's editions or owning your game, which is something that flies out the window if there is a discount involved.

If the retail partners are shunned this way, they will threaten to stop supporting the publishers involved and cut off huge sources of revenue for said publishers. Until every publisher comes up with their own solution by having their own stores and own distribution networks for games and/or consoles, this facet won't be going away any time soon.

And finally, things like government laws and varying taxes have to also be taken into consideration. Many places don't consider digital items to be taxable because they aren't physical products, but there are likely places that don't hold that same idea about them.

So in the end, it isn't as cut and dry as "they want to charge more than retail and are greedy."

[mark134uk]

am i the only person that thought digital games would be cheaper than disc, as they save money on the disc and case?

[JasonKCK]

3rd party sets the price for their own games on all consoles. This isn't a MS vs Sony thing when the high prices are the same. So stop trying to 1up and defend the expensive digital prices on Live and PSN. Arguing about $80 vs $80 makes absolutely no since.

Steam is looking so good right now.

[MazzingerZ]

X1 was meant to force everyone all-digital, I assume that was considered in their revenues forecast for the console...I wonder how much was it adjusted after all 180s and what impact will have in future decisions?

[Kryptix]

@ElementX

lol You're delusional, and here's why.

Back in July, if you were a Plus member, you could get Max Payne 3: Ultimate Edition for only 12 bucks or 15 bucks without being a Plus member. And the Ultimate Edition comes with all the DLC.

http://www.junkiemonkeys.co...

http://us.playstation.com/g...

12 bucks for Max Payne 3 and all the DLC? That's a great deal right there.

Forward to now, aside from Borderlands 2 being free, there's a Christmas promotion going on.

You can get the Tomb Raider Bundle (Tomb Raider plus extra goodies and a free game, Quantum Conundrum that goes along with it) for 15 bucks even if you aren't a member.

Deal list for Week 2 oF December:

http://www.computerandvideo...

And there's the proof, only a blind person will deny it. :) I kinda doubt you read the responses, you hate to be proven wrong. lol

[user5575708]

first party games should be the cheapest. theres no developer to pay and theres no retailer to hike up the price.

take a lesson from steam...they LOWER prices

[JokesOnYou]

According to micro those "select" games launched at "promotional" prices and are now changed, still it's amazing how everyone overlooks they are still cheaper than sonys 1st party games but it's OK I'll say it:

"Even after the price revision, Xbox One's exclusive digital titles are still less expensive than Sony's PS4 equivalents. PlayStation exclusives Knack and Killzone Shadow Fall, for example, retail in the UK for £53." -CVG
http://www.computerandvideo...

That said digital should be cheaper but I think it has more to to do with Euro laws and retailer competition.

[kayoss]

They say going digital will be better, they say going digital will save you money, they say going digital will translate to cheaper games because the cost of blu ray discs and cases will be obsolete. All BS!

[BabyTownFrolics]

who said that? seriously I don't remember anyone saying that digital copies of new games would be cheaper.

[KiRBY3000]

@baby

common sense said that.

[dcj0524]

It's true. Look at steam. The big three are just playing catch up. Sony just had a fantastic holiday sale but we need sales like that monthly.

[nukeitall]

Ironically, digital games would have been cheaper under MS old digital only model. Why?

Retail games would have been digital, but with a disc (you don't need) and a case. This means, whatever retailers do now with sales, or off loads to their games, they would have done to the digital copies back then.

Because people screamed so hard we don't want that, we are back to the old de-facto standard. Almost any game on console found digital on *ANY* platform is cheaper in physical form than digital.

Even Sony admits, they cannot undermine retail:

"First of all, we want to support a healthy retail channel, so it's not in our interest to go and seriously undermine retail."

http://www.eurogamer.net/ar...

MS was increasing competition, forcing themselves to lower prices, and allow a third party digital market where each individual user could re-sell their digital games. Thanks to a lot of mis-informed whiners, we went back to the defacto standard of getting screwed.

Remember, actual cost of manufacturing and production, as well as getting it to you is for the most part independent of the sale cost. Ask Coach handbags, why their product cost so much?

[JeffGUNZ]

@ Nuketail

You are completely spot on with that and the fact you have 7 disagrees shows how one-sided this site is. MS original strategy would have saved consumers money, but people here want to bash MS for anything that they cried and cried and cried until MS had to change their policy. MS was moving forward and people, especially on this site, can't adapt to that. Allowing users to be part of their friends and family group and share content was brilliant. I find the most ironic part here is everyone on this site apparently has a gaming PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and X1, and have a good internet connection, yet were still against it. Gaming is a privilege, not a right, and the whining from people who just wanted to bash MS lead to gamers going back to the standard old way of gaming.

Luckily, MS will be pushing digital download and when internet connection per househould increase more over the next several years, you'll see them start adding the great stuff they were going to do.

[Kayant]

@nukeitall

Really we are back to that again even after this....

"Retail games would have been digital, but with a disc (you don't need) and a case. This means, whatever retailers do now with sales, or off loads to their games, they would have done to the digital copies back then.

Because people screamed so hard we don't want that, we are back to the old de-facto standard. Almost any game on console found digital on *ANY* platform is cheaper in physical form than digital"

That means their distribution system was basically the same as it is today considering you were still going to be buying games in disc form before installing them to your HDD & the disc being useless there after. So where was manufacturing, production, licensing and distribution cost going to be save to offer these lower prices?

"MS was increasing competition, forcing themselves to lower prices, and allow a third party digital market where each individual user could re-sell their digital games. Thanks to a lot of mis-informed whiners, we went back to the defacto standard of getting screwed"

Where did they announce plans for these things? And before you say people were crying so they couldn't. These are the things they should have talked about from the beginning if they were going to be changing their policies to such a degree but they didn't meaning that was probably not in their plans.

"allow a third party digital market where each individual user could re-sell their digital games". Hmmm.... There was NO support for the reselling, renting of games at launch and the only thing we could do was after 30-days of someone being on your friend's list you could gift them a game forever. And you talk about misinformation when it was MS who started it with all their execs saying different things.

[nypifisel]

@dcj0524

You wont ever see that I'm afraid. There really are no comparison to steam here; Steam is on an open platform which has competition. The console platform holders can't compete with retailers (which have a high price) cause they wield too much power in terms of sales. This haven't been the case on PC for a very long time. I believe Sony, MS and all the publishers would love to go more digital cause it saves them a lot of money, but due to reasons stated above it wont happen too soon.

[Mr Pumblechook]

It's a real shame that Microsoft reversed their policy of keeping digital prices in line with physical copies. However Xbone customers can choose to buy disc games so they still have a choice. God help us when they go all digital...

[supes_24]

The day gaming goes all digital is the day I may consider to stop gaming.

[buynit]

I just don't understand why DD games have to cost the same as retail it's just pure greed IMO. I will say though I do have 3 DD games and I love how I can go from game to game and that some what makes up for it..

However... I will never pay more then 60$ for a game online, ever.. I don't care how much extra content it will have I will never go over 60 for DD games.

[Naga]

Is this just in the UK or something? I ask, because I just hopped on my Xbox to confirm this story, and the prices are exactly as they have always been - identical to retail across the board.

I understand wanting digital games to be cheaper (they should be, after all) but at this moment, I don't know what the story is on about.

[PrivateRyan]

'Forza 5, Ryse and Dead Rising 3 were all previously priced at £44.99, but are now on sale for £49.99.'

It seems like it's UK only atm, yeah

[Naga]

Yeah, I see what the article is saying with that, but I think I would at least appreciate

1) a modification of the title so as not to mislead, and;
2) some independent verification that this is true.

[Volkama]

Yup I could have sworn I'd seen Forza 5 at 44.99 before buying it for 49.99.

I think that's the RRP, but I don't follow such things closely. I prefer my games to cost a few quid (thanks Steam!).

[GirlOnFire]

Is Microsoft stupid? I know Sony gives a little plus discount while Nintendo keeps it at the steady price. Nintendo at least adds up and discounts eventually.

[Rustynail]

Are you stupid? There are discounts on Xbox Live too and constantly free games for gold members, does Nintendo even do that? Do they even let you transfer your digital content from Wii 1 to Wii U? The reason for the digital prices being high is mainly due to the retailers.

[KonsoruMasuta]

@Rustynail, games with gold gives you nothing but terrible arcade games or games you could go out and buy for 2 bucks at your local GameStop. The deals on XBL aren't that great either.

Although I agree with you, Nintendo doesn't do any of that stuff.

[JackISbacK]

they still the same on both and i hope that the digital games prices get lower as soon as it can ,i personally dont use to buy digital versions and use to buy physical versions because of just 2mb/p connection ,wherre game like ryse of about 48gb can take very long and therre are also issues wityh data availability at such spped i use to get upto 30gb of downloading with the speed of 2mb/s and then automatically converts to ultra slow 512kb/s unlimited for every month,but i hope one day i will buy digital versions and i hope these versions to be chaper at that time.

[bicfitness]

With a lower overall install base than their main competitor and more difficulty in shaving down the price (remember even without Kinect their COM is around $400), you can expect MS to seek any and every way to monetize their fanbase further.

[JessiePinkmanYo]

PrivateRyan-BINGO! A lot of supporters of all digital purchases pointed to Steam saying XBL will be run like that. Evidence points to the opposite, and MS never gave us reason to believe it would be like Steam. For all we know, they may have had an Apple store approach to gaming-buy or get an incomplete game on the cheap, laden with micro transactions to advance (Candy Crush). Also, any game you purchase as digital is always the same as retailers in XB live.
I'm not just picking on MS, Apple or any company in particular here. Sony, Nintendo could very well do the same

[stavrami-mk2]

nothing to worry about there then .an all digital future is a million miles away

[Gamer1982]

And PC digital titles are half the price of physical media with new games coming out around £20 mark compared to console digital titles at triple price £60..

[Soc5]

Also they've never really explained why digital costs the same as physical.
Early on when digital was just starting one of the selling points of companies going digital was prices could be cheaper. Did I miss that? What happened?

How does a digital copy with no material or distribution costs cost the same? Come on pass the customer some damn crumbs!

[TheSaint]

Not to blow my own trumpet but I saw this coming, this was the main reason I was against DRM because MS would hold a monopoly and abuse it.

The dicks.

[cleft5]

It's funny because everyone kept saying how Microsoft was going to do the whole Steam deal thing. Instead they are doing the exact opposite and raising the prices on digital content.

[HastaLaVista]

Sony does the same, infact sonys exclusives are 53quid which are even higher that ms. Its all bullshit tbh. Digital games shud be cheaper fact! This isnt a xbox thing its across the board. And its very annoying regarding what console u have. So stop bitching bout microsoft being the only ones that does it

[Perjoss]

An all digital future where companies think they can charge what they like for games, even games that have been out for a long time is going to bring back rampant piracy, trust me.

[NatureOfLogic]

Why some gamers are still supporting MS Xbox One is beyond me. MS only want an all digital future to screw the consumer and receive maximum profit. I can't support that. This is why we'll always need a physical copy option. I see services like steam trying to do it right, then greedy corporations like MS come along.

[IanVanCheese]

Can you actually lose all your bubbles?

[KingDadXVI]

Unfortunately it does not seem that it is possible. Ah well we can always dream.

[Pope_Kaz_Hirai_II]

IanVanCheese + 3h ago
Can you actually lose all your bubbles?

idiot.

[thrust]

Support them because i think the xbox one is one great bit of kit :)

money comes and goes i wanted the tech.

[FunAndGun]

You wanted to yell commands at your box?

I don't get it.

[Naga]

Speaking voice works perfectly, FunAndGun. And yes, some of us like to be able to say two words and have everything in our living room spring to life. It's f*cking cool.

[thrust]

Sounds like you have not used or set ups yours correct!

allways comes down to user error!

its ok just some people can not do things right, ask your dad or a friend to help you.

[MikeGdaGod]

like i told my cousin when he bought his xbone home and called me raving about the voice controls....."sounds like you paid $500 for a remote" :-/

[ragincrinz]

just want to jump in here and say im works great to love it. watch a film at loud volume and I can just say xbox pause and it picks me out and pauses. I don't need my pad to watch a film and I don't need to shout for it to pick me up over a loud tv. it works amazingly

[Darrius Cole]

No you don't....support the Xbox because you think it is a great piece of kit, I mean. Both of the last two Xboxes (Bone and 360) have been demonstrably worse pieces of kit than their competition. In the case of the Xbone it's worse kit at a higher price. So, unless you are one of those guys who think that all new kit is good kit, supporting the Xbox because you think it's good kit is not going to be the case.

You may support them because you support all game consoles.
You may support them because because you are now invested in Xbox Live.
You may support them simply because you have an emotionally soft spot for Microsoft and/or the Xbox.

But you don't support the Xbox because you think they make good kit. Or at least you didn't think they had good kit UNTIL AFTER you became an Xbox supporter.

[FunAndGun]

Hey, if you want to spend extra money to speak commands and be cool that is obviously your right.

You can say two words and have your living room spring to life. I will stick with keeping $100 and hitting one button on my remote.

I'm sitting here thinking, what makes it a "great bit of kit" or "i wanted the tech."

I could understand if you support them because:

-You like the games on Xbox One
-You have a large gamerscore that you don't want to give up
-You prefer the controller
-You like the color green

But saying its because of the tech just blows my mind. The things design is sloppy at best. Look at the insides of the machine, how its built, the extra space inside, the large powerbrick outside.

What tech did you want? the ability to speak commands? the ability to snap? the ability to scan the re-up card on your Live account?

[malokevi]

"I could understand if you support them because:

-You like the games on Xbox One
-You have a large gamerscore that you don't want to give up
-You prefer the controller
-You like the color green

But saying its because of the tech just blows my mind. The things design is sloppy at best. Look at the insides of the machine, how its built, the extra space inside, the large powerbrick outside.

What tech did you want? the ability to speak commands? the ability to snap? the ability to scan the re-up card on your Live account? "

^^

Yes, all of that, and a PS4. Why is it that Playstation fans always want us to explain our decision to them? As if we need to justify why we got an Xbox to you! Who cares? It's a functional machine with some cool tech that plays great games and does other nifty media function for 500 bucks. Could have ripped that off an Xbox add. All the explanation that is needed.

Doesn't matter what we say, your just going to criticize and nitpick, followed by a Sony plug. Little realizing that none of us have anything against Sony, and many of us have Playstations!

Life, it's a funny little thing, aint it?

[GirlOnFire]

If you wanted tech should of gone with PS4. I'll see you on the battlefield when you do! Unless you want that Kinect...it scans your bones. Is that why everyone calls it Xbone? I'm serious is it because of that? I never call it that. ^~^

[Gekko36]

@Darrius Cole - WOW

How dare you tell someone their own mind.

If you don't like Xbox, don't buy it, don't talk about it and don't dare tell someone that their decision was based on some jaded misinformation, idiocy or emotional weakness.

I could say the same thing about your decision to adopt the PS4 citing reasons as Brand Loyalty, Blind devotion, Blind love of the Japanese etc... but I won't.

On Topic: I agree all DD should be cheaper than physical versions, due to lack of VAT and manufacturing costs. All companies are guilty of this.

However I do recognise that MS tried to push us down this road. Which I was happy about. Cutting out the retail arms is a brilliant idea and you can only hope that more of the revenue goes back to the developers. Happy developers = better games for gamers.

@GirlOnFire - PS4 owners call it xbone because it suggests the xbox one is for penis's. But thats only coming from Sony fans. Kinect does identify your skeletal structure but not by scanning your bones only creates a skeleton structure on your form. Though it can work out if your happy, sad or angry or frustrated. Quite useful if you want to make the game harder or scarier for the player.

I was quite surprised that MS fans don't call the PS4 the Praystation

[Gamer666]

I just went to the PS4 online store in the UK and Knack is 52.99...

So who is the real gouger for digital sales?

[ragincrinz]

bf4 on xbox one is 55 its a joke

[malokevi]

I still support them just to piss you off, Nature. It's funny to me.

yay Microsoft! :D

[Volkama]

Missed opportunity. You could have championed your precious overlords, as Sony's approach to digital is actually hugely important for the digital consumer.

Amazon digital store. Competition. That is genuinely good "4 the gamers".

[JeffGUNZ]

Uh, what? Digital Download is great. If the standard cost of a game is $60 for the disk, $60 for DD is absolutely fair. DD also brings convenience. Would you rather put on your coat in the cold month of December, go to gamestop at midnight, wait in line, get the game, then go home and play it, or just sit on your coach and download it? DD also removes any worries of the disc causing issues. The system won't eat discs, or your disc wont scratch and be unplayable because it's digital download.

it's just like music, once you buy the game, you own it, whether you delete it when your done and want to redownload it in the future. Of course, like everything their are pros and cons, but DD is great to most tech. savy people. MS will not increase the cost of a game if it's DD, if you really think that, then your either too far gone and just wish everything bad for MS, or your just not very intelligent.

Also, stop with this "MS is greedy" crap. I'm sorry, MS wants to make money, but Sony is doing it for pure joy and bliss? Explain why Sony is now charging for PSN?! They want to make money, they want to make PSN up to LIVE standards, which it is now, and that will also bring them more money. Every single corporation is greedy, that's how they got to where they are. I personally can't wait for all digital download from MS.

[JessiePinkmanYo]

DD is fine, but so is the option of owning a physical copy. I want the freedom to do both (and yes) for the reason of being able to trade in a game when I'm done OR if it's a steaming pile. I'm also sorry, but a DD SHOULD be cheaper than a physical copy, OR include some type of extras or incentives. A physical copy sold through retail (also gets a cut) plus manufacturing and delivering a product costs more than a DD. Also-brick and mortar stores compete, sometimes selling the games at a loss just to get us in the store.
I own all 3 consoles, but had MS not 180 that decision, it would've been two. I like the X1s exclusives, and I prefer my FPS' on Xbox, but they're on thin ice with me.

[indysurfn]

Yeah I'm with you on that. If Microsoft is charging the same, or even more for digital when they have physical as competition, what will they do when you don't have a cheaper choice!? In fact think what they will do when you have NO choice.

The retail store gets a nice profit when they sell at the suggest retail price. Microsoft should at LEAST cut that amount out. Now they are making their regular profit PLUS the retailers physical product profit. Plus you lose $20 dollars because you cant resale it. In fact their expenses is for downloading not a manual, case, blu-ray disc, manufacturing ,shipping, and returns. They could cut these also, and get even more sales but greed stops them.

It only cost about $40 dollars to store 15 LARGE games to a server. A 500 gig hard drive could have 15 LARGE games, and you only have to do it ONCE! There expenses are sub penny. Because each of those 15 games will be sold and downloaded thousands of times.

[Rustynail]

@Naturelogic

Lol. Piss off. Sony, Apple or Nintendo are no different from Microsoft.

[Perjoss]

I jumped ship, I had a 360 with over 100 games none of which were bought 2nd hand and all bought on or very close to day 1. I loved my 360 but after hearing about all of Microsoft's 'plans' I decided there and then, they do NOT have gamers best interests at heart. Even after they went through the famous 180 phase I still decided to just abandon them.

[yellowgerbil]

I still don't understand why ANYONE would choose digital.
Can't resell
Need to waste time downloading from internet
higher prices
no cool box for your shelf
and won't have it in 40years unlike my collection of NES games

[Kayant]

Agreed but for some people that don't resell their games and have the internet speed & no download caps I can see why they would go all/semi digital on XB1. As if they use kinect instant switching can be quite convenient.

[billw]

dont want to resell
dont want to waste time and gas going to the store
$59 is $59
no shelf space left
probably wont live another 40 years

does anyone still buys cds?

[PsylentKiller]

Lol. The only games that I will by the disc for are ones that I will resell. Sports games, games that I know I will only play once, extremely cheap and or discounted games. Otherwise, it is all digital. Got Ghosts, BF4, Ryse, KI, and DR3.
For PS4, I only bought two games, Flower and AC4 (physical) because I know I wont come back to it once I'm finished. Also, with PS+ it will probably become a free game in six months or severely discounted at the very least. I can visit it again then. Unfortunately, Xbox doesn't provide the same opportunities.

[Darrius Cole]

Actually $59 dollars is actually $65 in the US for disc-based games after you consider the most states add 5% to 10% sales tax.

Still, it is just stupid to give away for nothing value that can be resold if you don't have to.

I bought one downloaded game, BF4 (PS4), because Sony gave $10 of PSN store cash. Once I considered the PSN cash and the sales taxes, it was $50US to download vs. $66US to buy the disc in the store...$16 cheaper to download. I figured that if I traded in the disc, I would get $30 for it, and I may not decide to trade it at all if I like the game. So it was a guaranteed $16 savings right now vs. a possible $30 gain at some undisclosed point in the future.

A bird in the hand beats 2 in the bush.

If the download game is the same price then I would only save the sales tax and completely give up the right to trade it in. It would not be worth it.

[HiddenMission]

@yellowgerbil

other reasons listed above me but I went all digital for the PS4 and I love it. See I have two PS4's one in my living room for the kids and one in my room for myself. My main system is the one in the living room and I log in on mine. What this allows me to do is buy a game on my primary system and let my kids have access to it without having to buy multiple copies of a game. This has allowed me to play online with my kids while in different rooms...aka no need for split screen MP.

Since there is little tax I save $5 off of each title and since I buy around 15 plus games a year that's another game I will be able to pick up without spending more than my regular budget.

Going all digital was the best move I could make. Plus I never have to get up to swap disks I just turn on and hop into any title in my library.

I'll be picking up a 2 terabyte hard drive so I won't have to worry about space management for several years.

[indysurfn]

Microsoft said they took the 10 time family share out when they reversed their policies. How are you doing that? Even with the share it was suppose to be a one at a time share, no sharing the same game playing each other online, did they bring it back already without announcing it?

Better research replacing the Hard drive everything I've read so far is Microsoft is working on a external solution because if you pry open the machine to replace the hard drive you void the warranty. You didnt do the full math.
You may save $5 per game on tax but lose at least $20 per game on trade in.

http://www.gamespot.com/art...

[Naga]

The only real benefit I can see is not having to get up to change out discs. That and my understanding is that you can access them on other people's consoles as though they were your own...?

I can get the draw, but without perks like the long-lost Family Share plan that went the way of the dodo, I don't know that it's worth going digital.

Also, the article is misleading - the prices aren't higher. Maybe it's a different story for the UK, but I just checked here in the US, and they're the same as they've ever been.

[Gamer666]

Digital makes sense for people who travel a lot or have multiple homes. And if you don't bother trading/reselling.

I only buy digital so I don't have to lug blu-rays around everywhere. I download to both of my X1's at my two homes and download to my third X1 that I take traveling.

One less thing to worry about.

[ragincrinz]

digital works great with xbox one I can play one game pause it play something else then watch tv and carry on from where I was on any game I was playing and I doesn't even have to be the last game

[Volkama]

-I buy games to play them, not sell them
-Downloading can be more efficient and convenient than shopping/delivery
-Steam sales. Best prices out there. Consoles need to catch up.
-Boxes aren't cool, they're clutter. Games are cool.
-In 40 years time a digital copy is still perfect. No wear and tear, no misplaced discs. But very few games are still worth playing at that age.

-Instant switching
-No maintenance or care required (and care is a significant challenge if you have kids)

My reasons for buying digital might seem insignificant to you, but your reasons for buying physical are not things I find important either.

[JeffGUNZ]

It's about preference.

Conveinence of not having to wait in lines or see if the game is still in stock at the store.
I don't have to worry about the disc being defective, causing it to brick the system or the system eating the disc and scratching it.
I never paid more for a DD copy of a game then I would have paid at the store, never.
I could care less about a "cool box on the shelf", I prefer it on my HDD so I can play it whenever and not worry about grabbing a box, opening it and putting the disc in. I simply say "Xbox; play Dead Rising 3" and boom, DR3 is on my screen.
40 years from now I will be 68 and probably not eager to play BF4 lol.

To each their own, but DD is very conveinent.

[Tetsujin]

The ONLY time I'd go Digital on a game if its something I know 100% I will keep forever, AND its cheaper than retail. On the PS3 I have some digital games, and guess what? I play them for hours on end with 0 thought of returning them. At the same time, there's a lot of games I'd prefer to own on disc; biggest reason is to let friends test a game before buying, and second just in case it does end up being garbage I can either return it or trade with a friend. Third reason is in case my ISP does start capping bandwidth at least I still have a physical copy and patches/DLC would be my only concern at that point.

Do I want an all DD future? Hell no. Do I support it if they have the right games? Yes.

[TheEnigma313]

I don't really buy digital anyways, so if it's higher I won't buy it anyways. If they go all digital with higher prices, I'll just stick to steam.

[Flipgeneral]

Makes me wonder if SONY will follow suit

[TheEnigma313]

I don't think they will. They've been doing the opposite of MS.

[pyramidshead]

lol zing.

[DanielGearSolid]

Why? They just lowered their prices. Now they're gonna raise them?

[DCfan]

Oh, the old counter arguement of "bu..but SONY will do the same" gets me everytime.

[DanielGearSolid]

At this point the solution is obvious, buy the retail copy

[curtis92]

Which makes NO sense how retail copies are less expensive. You can tell it's a money grab when the digital version costs more.

[DanielGearSolid]

In the end the gamer wins. Since you can resell your games and make alittle bit of that money back

[MightyNoX]

Or in other words, thank goodness for used games and physical discs.

[MikeGdaGod]

MS is going to gouge their costumers every chance they get...it makes their console so very unappealing to me.

i don't get why people so feverishly support them. i mean we all like games, but no one likes getting nickeled and dimed.

[Volkama]

Their best tool for extracting our money is providing things that we want. Don't know about you, but I like things that I want.

It's not so much about "supporting" anyone. It's about exchanging money for goods and services.

[MikeGdaGod]

you are 100% correct....and thankfully, MS have no products or services i need or want.

the only thing they produce that i would even consider purchasing is the xbox console, and everyday i'm reminded of reasons not to.

when you purchase a company's product, you are (whether you like it or not) supporting their policies.

as a consumer, we are the ones with the purchasing power. and if you never flex your consumer muscle and demand better service, you will continue to be treated as someone that will put up with their nonsense as long as they have something you want.

i will not....my protest is real and it's in the form that i'm confident MS will take notice of....dollars & cents.

[Gabenbrah]

You people do know that Microsoft did this because the PS4 prices were higher than the Xbox One game prices... Blame Sony for pricing their games higher on the PSN store.

[HiddenMission]

Really I've never paid more for digital than I have for new retail...I've been buying games online for awhile now and I just went full digital since the PS4.

Not once have I paid more in fact I save $5 with every digital purchase...tax is much lower in the US for digital titles.

[Gamer666]

This article is about the UK store.

In the US and Canada Digital Prices are the same as retail.

For example, I just went to the PS4 store in the UK and Knack is 52.99. But it is 49.99 at Game UK.

Sony is charging more than retail for digital while MS is price matching now.

[Utalkin2me]

@Gabenbrah

Are you really being serious? Surely not.

[HiddenMission]

@Gamer666

Well I'm special needs today..guess I'll put my helmet back on and softly sit in my padded room :P

Thanks for the catch

[mhunterjr]

I don't understand how any of these companies even justify matching retail pricing. Besides the fact that your download cannot be damaged, it has offers none of the value of owning the disk. Until one of these companies offers a way to trade/barter digital licenses, I see no benefit to buying digital. The convenience of not having to stop by the store does not outweigh the ability to use trade/sell my property.

That said, I can say with certainty that retail partners like Walmart, target, best buy, and GameStop would stop pushing as hard for the first console that allows digital sales to undercut retail ones... They don't make much money on console sales, and rely on software sales and peripherals to make a profit.

[PsylentKiller]

I have multiple XB1's in my home. If I buy digital, I get two copies for the price of one. My living room is my home console and I use my gamertag for the console in my bedroom. If I want to play CoD with my nephew he can play in the living room and I can play in my room. If anyone comes over and wants to play a game, they go to the living room and I go to the bedroom. They don't need to bring their copy of the game over and they don't even need to own the game or put in their gamertag.
T is extremely convenient for me to buy digital but I understand that it is not that way for many people.

[HiddenMission]

I think people haven't really figured out that they can do this because I'm doing the same with my PS4's.

All digital for me.

[mhunterjr]

Well, that IS pretty convenient, but only for folks who have more than one of the same console in their household. Then the $60 would be more than worth it.

Too few people live in that kind of situation though.

[jackanderson1985]

title should really say in UK only as they're the same price in euro (at least in Ireland)

[AnotherGamer117]

Okay, I seem to remember comments on N4G about the DRM policies and how MS was going to be doing Steam type of sales even after the reversal - anyone else remember that?

[Majin-vegeta]

Lol came in here to say the same thing.Great minds think a like.

[Rock_On_PS4]

Physical copies of games you own your games and you can lend and sell the games to some one else.
Digital online games you do not really own your own games and when the service stops you can no longer play your games. Digital copies can not be resold or lend/borrow.

[Johnsonparts23]

Funny how this is the main reason people say that the way xbone was going with their all digital stuff was good because it would lower prices since it's digital. Anyone who believed that is insane. Microsoft will continue to charge as much or more as now and other companies will follow.

[boeso]

Say bye bye to your dignity, as you pay over the odds for games then buy back content via micro-transactions, fuelling further self loathing. Welcome, to NEXT GEN.

[KingDadXVI]

What exactly is the issue here? I agree that it sucks if the put the price up $5 but this is just more hate MS crap.

If Walmart starts charging $5 more for a game I go to another store. That is how the free market works. If you want lower prices then either don't buy it until the price drops or buy it somewhere else that has a better price.

Believe me once a retailer sees their sales drop for a product they will lower the price. It is simple economics people.

For those fools out there that seem to think this is some evil MS conspiracy pull your head out of the sand. Sony and Nintendo are no different. They will charge the highest price they can while not decreasing the number of units sold. I am really tired of tards thinking that all companies other than MS have the customers best interest at heart.

What is so complicated that people cannot wrap their head around this. Sony, MS, Nintendo, and every other company that makes a product is trying to make money. They do this buy making something you want and are willing to pay for. Sony's board of directors does not have a meeting on Mondays to discuss how they can make consoles and games out of some altruistic desire to support gamers. The sit down at their meetings and say what can we produce that gamers will like and pay the most for so that we can increase profits.

Grow some brains Fan Boys.

[XiSasukeUchiha]

O hell no M$ time for the evil laugh because seriously this doesn't help your dream what so ever, Sony please don't follow suit or this what coming to u http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[JeffGUNZ]

No one laughed the first 30 times you posted that link. How old are you? Stop. It's just embarrassing now.

[XiSasukeUchiha]

I know that but i already trapped u in the flamebait good luck sharingan deactivated

[contradictory]

move along please.
there's no reason to talk to narutards

[notyobizhwispndmymny]

The title is misleading in every way. Author has no credibility. First off raised in Europe and provides evidence of raise prices in Pounds Sterling. I guess England is Europe to the author and most of the zombies here. Ignorance isn't an excuse. Secondly PS AAA exclusives cost more or about the same as Xbox One in some cases more. Check and tell me how much KNACK and KILLZONE are on the PSN store. As for third party titles, there is price parity. Earlier the pricing was way higher on PSN. Devs and Sony explained why and it was rectified for parity across platforms shortly after. Most of say you have PS4s and death to the Xbox One but any article concerning it is jumped on and swarmed with drones. What are you guys so scared off? If it fails then so be it, why are you in a hurry to get it there? You call fans of the Xbox slaves but you don't even know what the word means. People that bought the Xbox One did so out of complete freewill. They watched MS implode after E3, then reversed a lot and they decided that the product not the damn company was intriguing. Sony fanboy logic at its best. Meanwhile all it takes for them to crawl out of the woodwork and leave their PS4s is any news on the Xb1. I wonder how you would classify that behavior. Finally no fanboy is good. MS fanboys are delusional too but the crown has to go to Sony fanboys. In the absence of critical thinking and logic, idiocy runs rampant I suppose.

[S2Killinit]

conveniently after the launch lol

[ExitToExisT]

I am probably the one of few who only buys digital if its %50 cheaper than retail

[MegaRay]

You never buy digital. I see

[ilovefatgirls]

so 45 and 50 pound respectively, that works out at about what 54 and 60 euro and 75 dollars and then 82
now for those of you not good with maths what im explaining is that the dollar isnt worth a shite against the euro or the english pound because it costs less pounds or euros to buy dollars and costs more dollars to buy either

something is rotten, i bet americans are paying somewhere closer to 40 or 50 dollars online probably around the same at retail, the arguements of units sold in the states is wearing thin with me and now im just trying to figure out wether its price fixing or just plain gouging
for me games are 70 euro at retail now (theyve gone up a tenner) i dont even look at the online stores anymore and just go straight to amazon to avoid paying way over the odds

[SilentGuard]

the benefit of all digital should be reduced prices. Without shipping and packaging costs associated with physical copies, the cut that goes to the retailer, and an inability to loan or sell as used, it doesn't make sense that digital isn't cheaper than physical. The only reason digital is being pushed as the way of the future is to allow for higher profit margins while keeping prices the same.

[bornsinner]

and they wonder why people want to pirate or buy used games...

[chobit_A5HL3Y]

digital downloads should be cheaper since there are no materials being used to manufacture or ship them. raising prices on digital dl's is a dick move.

[lobocob]

wtf

[ground_beef]

I've wondered that ever since digital games were introduced. Why would digital games be priced the same as physical copies. It defies the whole purpose of having an all digital future. While I now do purchase most of my games digitally, I don't see any logic in having the same price for both versions of the game.

[Thomaticus]

Lesson....buy the disc.

[Are_The_MaDNess]

thank god gaben for not being an ass with prices like these consoles have to put up with.
on PC digital games in the norm and you have to look hard for retail copies for games. and you know what? they are always cheaper.
heck, even GOG.com started a new money back policy this week if your game is not working on your PC and such. only a matter of time before steam does the same.

only ones i have to play full price from is Ubisoft on steam on new releases and EA with origins.
but ofc there is always a good chance that we get a discount on a preorder from greenmangaming or gamersgate with a steam key. win win.
feel sad for the Console only games that have to pay so much for their games.
not to even start with their slow download speeds comparing to steam and origins.

[contradictory]

nope, still not really getting the feeling that i need next gen systems.

[Hanuman]

We in the Benelux are really getting screwed! Yesterday I found out that the XBO probably won't be coming until the end of 2014 and now this. Pretty stupid, when 20 miles from my home (Germany) they are selling XBO products like hotcakes! (Wich us Dutch can't buy because of Region and XBL shizzle)