# 3DS Games: Do You Prefer Physical or Digital Copies?



## Holla (Feb 19, 2015)

Do you prefer to buy and own physical or digital copies of 3DS games?

I'm personally on the fence on this topic. A year a ago I'd totally say physical, but now I've been buying more digital games though it really does depend on the game.

When it comes to Pokemon, Animal Crossing and Mario Kart for some weird reason I prefer physical copies. I also prefer physicals for games I'm not sure I'll like, that way I could always sell them later. For example if I ever get Smash Bros 3DS I'll buy it as a physical copy as I've never really played a Smash Bros game before.

Now, as of late I've been preferring digital copies of games, as there's less stuff to lose and lug around, plus I have a huge SD card now that I'll likely never fill. I also find it easier to just snag a game it off the eshop rather than having to physically go out to a store and buy the game, that is if the store even has it, you know the eshop won't ever "run out of copies". I've also found a few deals going digital too such as Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon during cyber deals or Virtual console Super Mario Galaxy 2 for Wii on Wii U. Of course deals for physical copies always exist too.

To be honest gaming is going all digital more and more all the time and will soon only be digital, but there's just something special about having a physical copy.


Spoiler: My Physical VS Digital List




*Physical Games:*

Pokemon X
Pokemon Alpha Sapphire
Animal Crossing New Leaf
Mario Kart 7
Mario Party: Island Tour
Nintendogs + Cats *Digital:*

Harvest Moon A New Beginning
Rune Factory 4
Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon
Tomodachi Life
Fantasy Life
Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D
Pokemon Art Academy



As you can see I have approx. as many physical as digital games. I also used to own a physical copy of Pokemon Y, but I sold it a few weeks ago.


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## abby534534 (Feb 19, 2015)

I MUCH prefer physical copies. I mourn the day when the game industry goes all digital... 

Here are my reasons:

1) Physical games allow me to resell if I want (not that I ever have, but I suppose I could if I wanted)
2) I love seeing all my game boxes lined up, and all my cartridges in my club nintendo game holder 
3) I don't trust digital copies.
4) I can share hard copy games.
5) I like to only pay cash as much as I can... and if I buy digital, I have to buy eshop credit/use a credit card

There are probably a dozen other reasons but those are the main ones that came to mind.


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## Mizu (Feb 19, 2015)

I'm leaning more towards digital copies over physical copies. I mean don't get me wrong, I love physical copies too but man, digital has some pretty good benefits to it. This is what I can think of off the top of my head at the moment:

Physical
-Physical copy of the game for those who love their cartridges.
-If your SD card fails on you, no matter. Your save file is on the cartridge.
-Can be cheaper then eShop when said game is on sale at Bestbuy, Walmart etc.
-Comes with a cartridge box and small booklet in the cartridge box
-Don't have to download the game after purchase
-Can resell the game afterwards when you're done or if you didn't like the game at all
-Can lend the game to a friend or family member

Physical Cons:
-More Luggage if you plan to bring multiple games around. This can be countered if you have a cartridge 3x3 box.
-Can get lost in endless piles of clothes or someone can steal it along with the precious cartridge box
-If you lose your 3DS, you lose the game in the cartridge as well. 1Game+1SaveFile vs 0Games+AllSaveFiles. Pick your choice.

Digital
-Convenience, carry around less luggage (somewhat countered if you own that cartridge carrier thing on Club Nintendo)
-Easy to buy, everything is on the eShop. No more travels to the store to get your games. Basically for lazy people like me.
-Can be cheaper then stores, depends on the game and if its on sale
-Games will always be on the eShop, stores will eventually stop stocking old games
-Only way to get Virtual Games if that is your thing
-Icons. Lots of Icons, the new virtual relative of the good ol' cartridge collecting days.
-If you lose your physical copy of the game or if someone steals your 3DS, there goes whatever game attached in the cartridge slot, while if you lose your 3DS. You can re-download the games (although you do lose all your save files, but at least you didn't lose whatever the game was in the cartridge slot of the 3DS!)

Digital Cons:
-If you have a bad internet plan, well. You'll be downloading the game for ages and we haven't even gotten into bandwidth problems yet.
-If your SDHC corrupts, you lose all your save files on the SDHC
-If Nintendo decides to do something to their terms and agreements, you could potentially lose your games from Nintendo Network (though I strongly doubt something like this will happen)

I'll edit along the way if I can think of anything else I might have missed.


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## Holla (Feb 19, 2015)

JiHao said:


> I'm leaning more towards digital copies over physical copies. I mean don't get me wrong, I love physical copies too but man, digital has some pretty good benefits to it. This is what I can think of off the top of my head at the moment:
> 
> Physical
> -Physical copy of the game for those who love their cartridges.
> ...



Some very good points, I agree both options have their pros and cons. I guess that's why my collection is a mixture of both. I grab the in store deals or cyber deals when I can, buy physicals of the games that I want physicals of and digitals for when I'm lazy or have trouble finding a game in stores such as back when I wanted Harvest Moon A New Beginning. 

Another idea for the Club Nintendo Game holder. I have one of those but it's nearly full of my favourite DS games and physical 3DS games. I'll soon have no more space in that case so digital copies are helpful in that respect too. As I'm almost out of space even with the game case.


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## Mizu (Feb 19, 2015)

Holla said:


> Some very good points, I agree both options have their pros and cons. I guess that's why my collection is a mixture of both. I grab the in store deals or cyber deals when I can, buy physicals of the games that I want physicals of and digitals for when I'm lazy or have trouble finding a game in stores such as back when I wanted Harvest Moon A New Beginning.
> 
> Another idea for the Club Nintendo Game holder. I have one of those but it's nearly full of my favourite DS games and physical 3DS games. I'll soon have no more space in that case so digital copies are helpful in that respect too. As I'm almost out of space even with the game case.



Very good point, I forgot that despite the Game Holder having quite a few slots in them, if you have a LOT of games then you'll need multiple cartridge holders. I've updated my list in a way. There's lots of reasons to go Physical or Digital. Now that I re-read the post, I actually am split between both as well currently.

Physical: Animal Crossing New Leaf, Mario Kart 7, New Super Mario Bros 2,Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, Pokemon X and Pokemon Y
Digital: Animal Crossing New Leaf, Super Mario 3D Land (600 coins code), Etrian Odyssey IV, Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millenium Girl and Fire Emblem: Awakening

For me, I think the deciding factor of physical copy or digital copy is mainly if I know I'll keep the game forever or not. Like for Fire Emblem, I know that's a game I have no intentions of selling but DK Country Returns + Zelda: A Link Between Worlds are two games that I don't intend to keep. Both are great games, its just that I did not enjoy them as much as others have.


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## Yoshisaur (Feb 19, 2015)

I like physical copies because they are a cool keepsake! Also years from now some of the less popular games probably won't be available to buy on future systems and impossible to get if the digital shop closes on the old system.


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## JCnator (Feb 19, 2015)

I've been pretty much a fan of digital copies of games since Wii Shop Channel first appeared back in late 2006, mainly because I don't have to worry carrying too many discs/cartridges along with the console. This is especially true for every portable Nintendo console since DSi, since it would compromise a lot of portability.
Another advantage is that there's no concerns of shortage unlike their physical counterpart. Heck, I won't even need to waste even more gaz just to get video games, especially while I'm still living in the middle of nowhere that are only guaranteed to sell the most mainstream games with relatively limited stock.
I also hardly sell games, because I can't make more than 5$ CAD a pop unless if I resort to eBay, but that's too much of hassle for me to set my account that way. Might as well keep the games forever, even if some of them are pretty terrible.

With the advent of digital manuals and Internet being available at almost any time, game cases and manuals are pretty much meaningless to me and do tend to take space in my shelf, since I don't often glance at them anyway. Unless if I end up having a large gaming room, I have to be careful on how many retail games I store at the moment, or else my rooms will feel cramped.


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## Jaebeommie (Feb 19, 2015)

I used to prefer physical copies over digital, until this past year when I started to get more digital games. It started with last year's Platinum CN rewards. I was going to get Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, and then I saw that it would take up the entirety of my 4GB SD card. That's when I got a 32 GB card and started to get more digital stuff. 

I like digital gaming a lot because there are certain games that I want that aren't in stock anywhere. I don't have a debit/credit card of my own so I can't buy them off the internet. There's also less to lug around. I think now I'm only going to get physical copies if there are pre-order incentives or cool things that come with the game, like how Persona Q came with tarot cards and Theatrhythm Curtain Call came with a CD.


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## jobby47 (Feb 19, 2015)

I prefer Digital copies, because then I can't lose the cartridge.


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## tobi! (Feb 19, 2015)

Right now, physical because I'm lacking the memory in my 3DS.


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## n64king (Feb 19, 2015)

I prefer physical. It'll be nice to have the boxes as memories of a time when it was relevant, same as previous gens. Although I don't dislike digital, I only have 1 retail 3DS game as a digital and that's Kid Icarus Uprising because of Club Nintendo. I only aim for digital if that's the only form it comes in, virtual console included.


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## Jeff THE Best (Feb 19, 2015)

Ouch! Tuff subject...

I prefer physical copies because...
If your 3DS breaks then you lose the games that your bought.
If you sell your 3DS to have money to buy ummm let's say the New 3DS, then you can't keep the games.
The game's memory doesn't take space in the 3DS

I like digital copies because...
You can't lose the cartridge (not that it happened to me, *knocks on wood*)
You don't have a bunch of cartridges to keep with your 3DS all of the time.
You can buy it anytime you want.


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## Peisinoe (Feb 19, 2015)

For me physical.

My main reason why is... if the price is the same then I would rather have the physical copy. I feel like more  money is spent into the physical copy, especially for the actual hardware that holds the game versus just a file. So to me I get more "bang for my buck".

I feel this way for books as well. If the etext price is the same as the actual book, then I'm going to buy the book. I'm paying for them to manufacture it-for the same price as me downloading it. 

If digital was cheaper I would go for digital.  I feel like digital copies should be cheaper anyways, there is no hardware or actual physical manufacturing going on.

(This isn't about the actual creation of the game, just the after process to get it to us as the consumer)


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## ShinyYoshi (Feb 19, 2015)

I have all physical copies of 3DS games. The only non-physical games I have I got from being an ambassador and downloaded them for free. 

I like physical copies because I've always had physical copies of games. It's just how it's always been  I like having a physical copy to actually hold and see compared to a digital copy. Also, if something ever happened to my 3DS, I could still salvage the games and not have to start all over with digital copies.


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## Mizu (Feb 19, 2015)

Jeff THE Best said:


> Ouch! Tuff subject...
> 
> I prefer physical copies because...
> If your 3DS breaks then you lose the games that your bought.
> ...



You can actually re-download the games that you bought on digital if you happen to lose your 3DS or sell it by contacting Nintendo. Games are connected to your Nintendo Network account for you to re-download. Just used google to confirm this and yes you can recover lost games as long as you have the Serial Number of your old 3DS (on the 3DS itself or if you have the box, OR if you registered it on Club Nintendo) and a new 3DS to transfer your Nintendo Network ID to. You will also need basic information like age, birth date etc to confirm that it is actually you. So not all is lost should you recover your information. The only loss at that point besides the 3DS itself is your save files.


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## ObeseMudkipz (Feb 19, 2015)

I love digital copies more then physical. I love seeing all your games all at once instead of popping in and out cartridges. I think I have a whole screen of digital games which is good since I'm super lazy.


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## ecclesi-uh (Feb 19, 2015)

While I prefer to have physical copies (those boxes look so lovely sitting on my shelf) I'm often too lazy to go out and get them. I've got 7 or 8 games digitally downloaded (of those include Tomodachi Life and Omega Ruby) but I've got the more important ones in physical form (ACNL and all LOZ)


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## spelling88 (Feb 19, 2015)

i am very much team physical copy, i don't like spending money on something not physically real lol, plus i can put the cartridge on other 3ds's and i also like seeing all my games lined up too haha


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## DarkDesertFox (Feb 19, 2015)

Lately I've been preferring digital. It's annoying carrying around the games I want to play all the time when I can just have them on my SD card whenever. I will, however, purchase a physical copy of a game if it is a lot cheaper than buying it digitally.


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## LaBelleFleur (Feb 19, 2015)

I have a weird attachment to physical games the same way I prefer hardcopy books to tablets.


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## zoetrope (Feb 19, 2015)

Physical all the way.  I'll buy some virtual console or eshop exclusive things but all of my downloaded full/retail games were free.


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## isebrilia (Feb 19, 2015)

most of my games are physical (i've only had my ds for about three months though) i only have 2 digital games and they are just acnl and kid icarus uprising from the cn rewards. i play animal crossing everyday, so it's very convenient to have it as a digital download, the other reason i decided to buy it digitally was because they didn't have a physical copy in stock lol. since i've had animal crossing, i don't really touch any other physical games (fantasy life, oras, ssb, etc), so i guess i'm leaning towards digital as it's a hassle for me to find the cartridge and put it in.


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## Reindeer (Feb 19, 2015)

It depends on the game. For things like the main Pokemon games, I'd rather own physical copies. It's a nice addition to my collection of physical copies. If I were to get Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D (pls god no), I'd get a physical as well due to having all other games physically.
For other franchises, I don't care as much. I've bought Mario and Zelda games digitally, even though I own quite a few of those games physically. I wouldn't have much trouble with obtaining a physical copy of those, and it's not necessarily cheaper over here. I just don't really care about having a physical.


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## Mizu (Feb 19, 2015)

I forgot about save times. Although not a humongous difference, its very noticeable when you compare Etrian Odyssey Untold physical save time vs digital save time. Digital tends to save files faster, ranging from a split second to a couple of seconds. Not the biggest difference but it is a tiny advantage.


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## LyraVale (Feb 19, 2015)

I like the convenience of digital all being there with me to carry around in my system, but then again I had to upgrade my SD card in order to get some digital games, and that was a tiny hassle. Nothing too hard about it, I'm just THAT lazy of a person. XD

On the other hand, certain games, like ACNL, I think it makes sense to have a physical copy...especially if you're gonna have more than one town. I don't have a solid reason for this either, but it just somehow seems easier to me to juggle. I was really paranoid about my ACNL copy getting corrupted too, so much so that for almost a year I didn't take it out to play any other games. So maybe I'm kind of weird and not the best to give an opinion on the topic. I put a looooooooot of work into that town though, so I was paranoid of losing it all for a reason. I guess a digital copy could get somehow messed up, deleted or whatever too. 

IDK really, I guess it doesn't matter and I don't have too much of a preference. It did feel good though to sell Tomodachi Life back to Gamestop, since I hated that game so much. It was cleansing to hand over the whole package...I don't even know if you can sell back digital copies...it wouldn't be as satisfying probably. That's the only game I ever sold back though, so that's not really a deciding factor either. 

Last thing in favor of physical, is that I love to just hold the unopened package for a while when I first buy a game. This is really nerdy, but it's just so fun for me for some reason. I never go tearing into a game. I wouldn't be able to experience that with a digital copy. It's a small thing. But it's kind of like how bookish types love the smell of books. I love reading digital books, but there's nothing like holding an actual book in your hands. It's 2 different experiences, almost as if they're not even really related.

If it was vote, I guess I'd say I prefer physical for nostalgic reasons. But digital is definitely much more convenient.


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## Joy (Feb 19, 2015)

Physicals all the way man


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## snowblizzard24 (Feb 19, 2015)

Originally when I got the 3ds, I was purely thinking of buying games that were all physical. My cousin was gonna buy me a cartridge case and everything for Christmas. I loved buying the games and getting the boxes with manuals, pictures, and little stuff like that but now they don't really do that. The only thing they have in the boxes are they two-fold manuals and the cartridge itself so it's kind of a bummer. I really wanted to collect all the games like I did when I had the gameboy systems.

However, after I got the Pokemon X game, the other games that I wanted to play were either sold out at my Walmart or just not available at the time. Seriously, it took them three weeks to restock new leaf and they were about a week behind getting out Bravely Default... Some games aren't even available physically like with Phoenix Wright Dual Destiny.

So because of that I decided it would just be better to buy the game digitally to save me wasting gas to go back and time since I could play it right now. It's much more convenient too, I have all the games I want to play right there rather than me having to switch cartridges and look like a dweeb pulling out my little game pouch lol


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## Jake (Feb 20, 2015)

physical. i dont have anything against digital, but i can usually get a physical copy cheaper than the digital copy, as it's not too much of a hassle for me to go to the mall. plus I like the box art, so I prefer physical copies


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## Bowie (Feb 20, 2015)

Well, when it comes down to console games, I think I prefer physical copies.


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## LaurenPuzzle (Feb 20, 2015)

Definately physical, because sometimes you can buy them cheaper than on the store and also they are better to look out and you dont have to worry about ds breaking!


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## Tao (Feb 20, 2015)

I go physical with everything when possible.
- It's nice seeing them on a shelf, properly ordered alphabetically/by console.
- 20 years from now something goes wrong with my SD card or console? It will be much easier to just buy a new cheap console to replace it (consoles are usually much cheaper by that point) rather than replacing all the games I can no longer download + the same console.
- Did a game suck really hard? Sell that sucker. This happens less as I get older and learn to spot bad games, but it still happens.


Specifically with Nintendo...
- Their online services suck major arse. If something goes wrong with your console (or you simply upgrade it), it can be a major hassle to also get your games back..............Or you just slap in the disc and carry on as normal.
- 3DS games aren't big. You're not exactly "lugging them around" unless you for some reason feel the need to carry the actual box around with you. I can fit 14 games in a little pouch the size of my fist that pops into my coat pocket with zero hassle, as well as 1 game in my 3DS itself...That's 15 games. I'm never going to need 15 games whilst I'm out and about. I'm probably going to want to play no more than 3 of them at any time and I'll probably know which 3 those are before I even head out.


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## Pearls (Feb 20, 2015)

I prefer physical. I can't buy any digital games anyway, because of Phoenix Wright: Dual Destines and some other things, my SD card has no space


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## RosieThePeppyCat (Feb 21, 2015)

I prefer physical copies, because of my collector neediness and wanted to have everything with a box xD

But I do like digital copies. You wouldn't have to carry all those cartridges around all the time xP


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## Lady Timpani (Feb 21, 2015)

I always prefer physical. I just like having the cases lined up on a shelf haha. I've only ever bought two digital games, and that's because one was on sale by quite a bit, and the other was digital-only.


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## Earth Wolf-Howl (Feb 21, 2015)

Physical. It's the same reason why I refuse to use an E-Reader- it just feels right to move around cartridges, like it feels right to turn the pages of a book. After the majority of my life doing it, I can't get used to digital games.


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## Tao (Feb 21, 2015)

Lady Timpani said:


> I always prefer physical. I just like having the cases lined up on a shelf haha. I've only ever bought two digital games, and *that's because one was on sale by quite a bit*, and the other was digital-only.





I've bought digital copies a few times for this reason, though if I like the game I end up buying a physical copy at some point anyway...So I probably don't end up saving any money at all...


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## aliscka (Feb 21, 2015)

Definitely physical for me... but only because you can't Powersave on digital copies.


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## peppy villager (Feb 22, 2015)

I think I prefer digital, however my Animal Crossing game is a cartridge. I have digital games as well and I like it because I don't have any luggage, it's all there in one place.


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## Brad (Feb 22, 2015)

Digital all the way. Every 3DS game I own is digital (aside from MH4, Mario Kart, and Luigi's Mansion).

It's why I put a 32 gig SD card in my New 3DS.


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## Psydye (Feb 22, 2015)

Physical. Resell-able, tangible...etc.


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## tamagotchi (Feb 22, 2015)

Physical for me. However, I tend to lose them easily, but that's my own fault, lol.


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