Digital Distribution vs Retail Disk/Hard Copy – (A MultiMedia GodSend or a Digital Inspiration?)
As we approach the holiday’s and the end of the 2015 year I am reminded how our lives have been changed and run by the digital inspiration revolution, even without us thinking about it. Our lives function in social media, in the living room on multimedia video game consoles, high-speed fiber optic network internet cable companies, and I ask myself, where would we be without all of these creature comforts? As I sit here in my living room, with a Netflix original movie streaming on the flatscreen VIZIO Ultra HD 4K TV, my tablet personal computer (pc) on my lap, and a steamy hot Keurig K-Cup coffee on the expensive coffee table in front of me, I think to myself, “Wow, I really would not have life any other way…or…WOULD I?”
I am an avid video gamer, a multimedia video streamer, and a multi-copy collector of software. Which got me to thinking, out of all the video game software, personal computer software, movies, music, operating systems and mobile device applications, “Do I spend more of my hard earned money on an actual retail disk and hard copies or do I spend more of my hard earned money on the digital inspired version of the same product?” As I take a quick glance around my living room I notice, or I should say, I don’t notice hardly much if any hard copies of movie disks (DVD’s – Digital Versatile Disks/Digital Video Disks), music disks (CD’s – Compact Disk), or boxes of computer software and video game disks holders. Not to long ago, say the immediate pre/post y2k era (pre/post year 2000) I had numerous amounts of retail disks/hard copies of all sorts of multimedia software. Now, in the year 2015, I have got hardly any retail disks/hard copies laying around or on bookshelves here in my home. Maybe retail disks/hard copies just do not hold the same digital inspiration as the Digital Distribution version of the same software. Now in the year 2015, we take for granted that just a decade ago, owning various Media Formats, Movies, Television (TV) shows, Music, Video Games, Mobile Applications (Apps), various Operating Systems such as (Microsoft Windows, Android, Apple iOS, Linux), and internet web browsers such as America Online (AOL) were sometimes done using an actual hard physical copy/retail copy of the software product. Now a days, it is all purchased and run digitally.
Both owning a virtual copy (Digital Distribution) and a retail disk (hard copy) of a multimedia software have their own personal perks and benefits versus the competitor. If you own the retail disk or hard copy of the physical software product, then you have saved files to mess with, tech trees and other collector editions perks from video games and pc games, along with owning multiple copies of the same video game. Or even if your operating system has crashed and your computer will not boot up, then you could insert your operating system disk into your cd player or dvd player in your computer and boot up your computer without having to waste your money on an expensive computer technician. Plus owning a physical copy of a video game or movie dvd is nice since your can hold and feel the actual product you spent your hard earned money on in the palms of your hands, where as if you purchased the video game or movie dvd electronically, then there is nothing physical about that purchase, and you still spent your hard earned money.
Digital Distribution has just as strong as perks versus owning the actual physical copy of the video game, music cd, or movie dvd. Digital Distribution companies such as Microsoft Xbox Live Marketplace, Sony PlayStation Store, Nintendo Wii Shop, Valve Steam Store, Microsoft Games for Windows Live (GFWL), Battle.NET (World of Warcraft and StarCraft), Direct2Drive (Direct 2 Drive, Direct-2-Drive, D2D, D-2-D), and GOG make up the vast majority of all the Digital Distribution companies and Digital Distribution services. There are just as many, if not more Indie Digital Distribution companies and Indie Digital Distribution services that are available and cost even less than Digital Distribution companies such as Microsoft Xbox Live Marketplace, Sony PlayStation Store, Nintendo Wii Shop, Valve Steam Store, Microsoft Games for Windows Live (GFWL), Battle.NET (World of Warcraft and StarCraft), Direct2Drive (Direct 2 Drive, Direct-2-Drive, D2D, D-2-D), and GOG. Choosing the right Digital Distribution company can be precarious to say the least. If you are an avid Valve/Steam CounterStrike (Counter Strike) fan, then you will have to go with the Valve Steam Store Digital Distribution company or purchase and us a Valve Steam Machine, but you will still have to make your video game software purchase through the Valve Steam Store Digital Distribution company. If you are an avid Age of Empires video game player, then you have to go with the Microsoft Games for Windows Live (GFWL) Digital Distribution company. I love making purchases via a Digital Distribution company, the only downside is not owning a physical copy of your multimedia software/file purchase. Going with a Digital Distribution company though enables you to have your own custom Digital Distribution profile on the Digital Distribution companies website. You are also able to transfer some of your purchases via a Microsoft Windows 10, Microsoft Xbox Live Marketplace, and Microsoft Games for Windows Live (GFWL) Digital Distribution company profile accounts so you won’t have to make multiple purchases of the same game to play on different multimedia platforms. Sometimes that isn’t the case though, and you will have to make multiple purchases of the same game to play on different multimedia platforms.
At the end of the day, if you like to hold all your software and multimedia purchases in the palms of your hands, then simply try and find a physical retail disk/hard copy of your desired Media Formats, Movies, Television (TV) shows, Music, Video Games, Mobile Applications (Apps), various Operating Systems such as (Microsoft Windows, Android, Apple iOS, Linux), and internet web browsers such as America Online (AOL). However owning the virtual copy of the multimedia software product can be just as appealing, and even more so, since we live in a Digitally Inspired social networking era known across the interwebs as Digital Distribution.
Discussion Topic: Digital Distribution vs Retail Disk/Hard Copy – (A MultiMedia GodSend or a Digital Inspiration?)
