PSPGo, and the merits of downloadable games
This is something I posted as a comment on 1Up.com’s news story about a Dutch retailer boycotting the PSPGo. Copy/pasting for posterity —
I’m glad PSP’s ‘go’ing pure download. It’s about time. I think digital distribution will be a great boon for the games industry, provided they can simultaneously keep pirating to a minimum. And I agree with whoever said that digital distribution will make the cost of doing business much cheaper, thus encouraging more independent developers and, hopefully, more quality niche games. Downside is that we’ll lose the used games market. I like to be able to pick up old games on the cheap as much as anyone, but I’d much rather have the convenience and variety afforded by widespread digital distribution. And, ultimately, I’d rather see game publishers and developers, rather than GameStop, get money for every game bought. That’s healthy for the industry, pure and simple. This download model and the coming “cloud gaming” model are what’s coming, and I welcome them. Think of all the petrochemicals we’ll save by not pressing, packaging and shipping all that crap.
