Downloading game vs. buying disc on PS3 ??

[Scott45]

A game I bought I can put on my shelf.
A game I bought I can play in 20-30 years. Download is a service so creating a memory today on a downloaded game you won't be able to play down the road really sucks.

This is exactly the reason I just bought Red Dead Redemption: Game of the Year
It includes all of the DLC currently available. So if I have a hard drive failure, I'm good.

[Nebagram]

I prefer a physical copy, largely because of the Victorian broadband connection I have where I live and also because of the fact my 60GB PS3 has filled up so fast with patches I simply can't afford to give space to a 5GB game (or larger, which I believe the aforementioned RE5 is).

[Bojay1997]

This is exactly the reason I just bought Red Dead Redemption: Game of the Year
It includes all of the DLC currently available. So if I have a hard drive failure, I'm good.

I agree and I always get the disc version, even if it means importing the European version, but ultimately, even recorded disc media will fail, so the idea that any of these things are permanent is foolish.

[Emperor Megas]

I agree and I always get the disc version, even if it means importing the European version, but ultimately, even recorded disc media will fail, so the idea that any of these things are permanent is foolish.

When will this start happening, exactly?

[Kitsune Sniper]

When will this start happening, exactly?

I have a few CD-Rs and DVD-Rs from a few years back that have already rotted away.

I go through all my backup discs every couple of years because of that.

[Emperor Megas]

I have a few CD-Rs and DVD-Rs from a few years back that have already rotted away.

I go through all my backup discs every couple of years because of that.

That can't be the norm for all optical media though, or most discs were already be corrupted. I have audio CD's from the 80's (the ones that were thick and heavy) that still work fine, and several CD-roms that are over 20 years old, and I've never lost anything yet that I'm aware of. I'm wondering when I can expect disc rot to do it's thing.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

That can't be the norm for all optical media though, or most discs were already be corrupted. I have audio CD's from the 80's (the ones that were thick and heavy) that still work fine, and several CD-roms that are over 20 years old, and I've never lost anything yet that I'm aware of. I'm wondering when I can expect disc rot to do it's thing.

I suspect that burned optical media has a different (likely shorter) lifespan than pressed optical media when both are maintained in ideal conditions, no?

[Kitsune Sniper]

That can't be the norm for all optical media though, or most discs were already be corrupted. I have audio CD's from the 80's (the ones that were thick and heavy) that still work fine, and several CD-roms that are over 20 years old, and I've never lost anything yet that I'm aware of. I'm wondering when I can expect disc rot to do it's thing.

Like Frankie said, recordable media has a much shorter lifespan than pressed media. The disc manufacturing quality also plays a hand in how long the media will last.

Also, I've bought several CDs from the 1980's and 1990's that already show signs of bitrot / degradation. You can see pinprick holes if you hold them up to a light. A -lot- of MCA CDs seem to have that problem. One of my favorite albums, which only had a throwaway CD pressing, has rot, and I've never found a replacement copy anywhere. That's why I always copy my music to FLAC after I buy it.

[RP2A03]

When will this start happening, exactly?

No one really knows for sure, but it's a safe bet that playing games that were bought on physical media (not typically laden with DRM) thirty years from now will be easier than playing downloaded games (often laden with DRM) fifteen years from now.

I have a few CD-Rs and DVD-Rs from a few years back that have already rotted away.

I go through all my backup discs every couple of years because of that.

Pressed discs are far more robust then recordable discs. With that said, quality, fresh CD-R and DVD-R media should hold their contents for more then a few years.

More information on the lifespan of optical media can be found here http://www.clir.org/pubs/abstract/pub121abst.html

Parts 4 and 5 are the relevant sections.