Reasons NOT to buy a digital copy?
- Thread starter Yoshisaur
- Start date
Yeah, I want a physical for that reason but the amount of times I had to take my ACNL copy in and out of my ds....I was gonna pre-order digital but I just never finish the purchase thinking I'll regret it.
silasthevillager
Senior Member
I support your choice to go digital.
i second this - owning a physical copy is just better imo
twinkletoes
Senior Member
I was originally going to buy a physical. However, my friend gave me a Nintendo card so I'm using that instead 
ill probably still get a physical just to have the box though. I'd go with physical!
ill probably still get a physical just to have the box though. I'd go with physical!
thegunpowderincident
net light side shift
Off the top of my head, 3 possible reasons come to mind:
1. Collecting purposes.
2. Having the option to sell or trade in the game if you ever want/need to.
3. Not having, or planning to buy, a larger microSD card for your Switch, and thus buying physical to conserve storage space.
My 3rd reason is definitely the weakest, since microSD cards aren't super expensive and are totally worth it imo. So in my case, the first two reasons are what apply. I like having my games' boxes. And although I don't intend to ever sell the game, video games are something with resale value if one ever finds themself needing money. Or even if you just don't enjoy the game as much as you hoped. AFAIK eShop games are not refundable.
1. Collecting purposes.
2. Having the option to sell or trade in the game if you ever want/need to.
3. Not having, or planning to buy, a larger microSD card for your Switch, and thus buying physical to conserve storage space.
My 3rd reason is definitely the weakest, since microSD cards aren't super expensive and are totally worth it imo. So in my case, the first two reasons are what apply. I like having my games' boxes. And although I don't intend to ever sell the game, video games are something with resale value if one ever finds themself needing money. Or even if you just don't enjoy the game as much as you hoped. AFAIK eShop games are not refundable.
I guess since the games will be tied to your console rather than per card, that makes getting digital a little bit more logical. My heart says get it physically, but I'm not really sure what more I'd get out of it? So, I guess you're fine going digital.
| DIGITAL | PHYSICAL | |
| Displayable: | - No (but doesn't take up space) | + Yes (for collectors) |
| Protection in case of loss/damage: | + Safe (restore purchases) | - Must be rebought |
| Preorder bonuses: | - None (most regions) | + Options vary by region |
| Swappable: | + Easy | - Must change cart every game swap |
| Patch Removal: | - May be difficult | + Easy (for modding) |
| Mutliple Islands (w/ other Switch, simultaneous play/visiting): | + Gamesharing possible | - Must buy more copies of the game |
| Launch Day Play: | + Preload for midnight launch | - Dependent on shipping times or store hours in person |
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DylanMcGrann
Kind Cynic
The only practical reason to buy physically is if you want to share the game or sell it. Otherwise, if you don’t enjoy the ‘collection’ aspect of ownership, digital just has a lot of advantages.
I went all digital for the Switch and it’s been very convenient always having all my games with me and not needing to worry about physical storage. And there are workarounds to temporarily sharing a game with someone else on more than one system, but I wish that were easier.
I went all digital for the Switch and it’s been very convenient always having all my games with me and not needing to worry about physical storage. And there are workarounds to temporarily sharing a game with someone else on more than one system, but I wish that were easier.
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This was actually really helpful
DylanMcGrann
Kind Cynic
That one is not true. The save file is on the system, not the card. Putting the card into multiple systems is no issue, and each system will have it’s own island. The drawback is if you want share the game with someone on more than one system, you’ll only be able to play one-at-a-time without another copy of the game.
Yeah I meant simultaneous play. I think a lot of people use a second town to get villagers, which requires visiting their 2nd town from their 1st. I'll clarify that, thanks
Well, in my experience I was all digital starting with the PS4, 3DS & the Switch for quite a few years.
Then I went back to buying physically only just last year. I missed owning my favourites. Digital for AC is good if you can?t be bothered switching back and fourth between different cartridges but it doesn?t bother me personally.
There?s nothing quite like loving a game and realising you actually own it because you purchased the physical copy. I think it?s much more rewarding being able to have the game in your hands rather than it being just a download on your console.
If you don?t want a game collection taking up space, just keep absolute favourites or get rid of the cases.
Then I went back to buying physically only just last year. I missed owning my favourites. Digital for AC is good if you can?t be bothered switching back and fourth between different cartridges but it doesn?t bother me personally.
There?s nothing quite like loving a game and realising you actually own it because you purchased the physical copy. I think it?s much more rewarding being able to have the game in your hands rather than it being just a download on your console.
If you don?t want a game collection taking up space, just keep absolute favourites or get rid of the cases.
RainbowGrace
Senior Member
In my experience, digital copies tend to have more glitches? I don't know why, but I often get audio skips or brief black screens. This is across multiple devices and different games, so I know it's not the console causing it. Maybe I just have bad luck...
Khaelis
Bell Tree Forum's Resident Hybrid Addict
This is generally caused by the storage device (mSD card, etc) speed. "Weaker" models can have this issue. Though in some cases, this can be a hardware issue.
I have never had trouble with this with my digital games. I have no idea what could be causing that though.
silasthevillager
Senior Member
FYI, launch is at 9PM PT the day before, not midnight.
My husband is getting a physical copy while I am getting a digital one. He doesn't play that often, but I played the last game almost every day for a year (and off and on occasionally after that). The digital made it much easier to do my daily things and then play the game I was into at the time. That was actually the first digital game I had ever bought and I'm doing it again.
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