Digital or Physical

When buying a new game, every consumer has a choice to make regarding the format, Physical or Digital. While the two formats have different pros and cons, there is sometimes overlap, and the physical copies can often have some of the properties of the digital copies. As I discuss in my article "Are Nintendo Switch Game Cards Physical or Digital? you may even by a physical copy only to find it contains only a code for a digital copy. I have listed those games in my article "List of Physical Games with No Game Card".

Digital or Physical Games? What will you choose?

It is important for the consumer to understand what they are buying and why they are buying it. So let's look at some of the reasons why people may buy one type over another.

Reasons to buy digital games

To start off, digital copies are incredibly convenient. Simply purchase the title from the eShop and install your new digital game onto your Nintendo Switch, all without having to get up or go anywhere. Another fantastic benefit is that many digital games can be "pre-ordered" and loaded and played within seconds of its release. This is all without the worry of the game being out of stock.

Nintendo digital games can also be purchased from your PC or mobile device and downloaded right to your Nintendo system for the ultimate in convenience. So even if you don't have access to your Switch, you can order a game and have it ready when you get home. You can do this by visiting the e-shops selection of games for Nintendo Switch and following their instructions.

Find and buy digital games from your PC or mobile device and download them right to your Nintendo system for the ultimate in convenience.

As long as you have your password and access to your Nintendo Switch account, you will always have your game. No need to worry about losing a game or worse, having it stolen or even destroyed by a pet or small children. Of course the games are treated with denatonium benzoate, a “bittering agent” to help keep pets and kids from putting the games in their mouths.

Your only worry is to ensure that your Nintendo Switch has enough storage space for the games you purchase and play, so make sure you buy a large enough SD card for your purchases. When you run out of space, Nintendo also allows you to delete and re-download your games as often as you need to. All your digital games are stored safely in the Nintendo cloud, and can re-installed anytime as long as Nintendo and the publishers keep these servers running.

Nintendo eShop cards

There is no need to worry about the Nintendo servers closing in the short term, but with the closure of the Wii Shop Channel on January 30, 2019, it became clear that digital copies may not be downloadable forever. As long as you don't delete your games from your Switch they will be fine, but if your Switch dies, you would not be able to move over your digital copies after that point.

Reasons to buy physical games

Physical games are items you own. You are free to loan or sell your physical copies, unlike digital purchases which you can't transfer or sell. Places like GameStop, Ebay and Amazon still allow games to be traded or sold. So once you have completed a game, you can get some of your money back (or if you are lucky all your money) especially on more rare or collectable copies.

My favorite benefit of physical copies is that everyone in my house can share and play the same game card. For example, I can play Tales of Vesperia on my Switch and then my teen can play it on her Switch without the need to buy a second copy or try to figure out how to share copies of the game.

I can also lend any of my physical games to a relative or even let a good friend borrow my games. It's a lot easier to share my copy than to try to share digital accounts. There are also still services like GameFly that rent digital games.

Both digital and physical games go on sale fairly often. I typically have found the best discounts to be on physical games, especially since I had the Best Buy games club (that unfortunately has now been discontinued). Amazon Prime and Walmart are now having having frequent discounts off new physical releases, and Best Buy will match these sales prices. Also, if you are willing to buy pre-owned games they can save you a few bucks, as they are slightly cheaper than new copies. Just be careful not to buy pre-owned games where the digital code is part of the game.

Another fantastic benefit of physical copies is publishers are starting to offer a variety of collectables, and these "Collectables Make Physical Editions More Fun" and can offer you a variety of items, even when purchasing the standard edition. They will offer you items such as key chains, stickers, joycon skins, collectable cards, instruction manuals, reversible covers and adhesive patches. Publishers will also offer more expensive collector's editions with statues, music CD's, underwear (Yes Underwear), and much more, all designed to bring the most value to fans of the game. Companies like Limited Run Games and Super Rare Games cater to the collector and are making digital games in a physical form. You learn more and see photos of some of these items in my article "Collectables Make Physical Editions More Fun", "Is Limited Run Games for Collectors" and "Games with Reversible Covers".

Collectable games from publishers like Limited Run Games offer instruction maual, cool artwork insoide the case and collectable trading cards.

Physical collections also give you something to show. People love to post copies of their collection on social media. Feel free to share your collection in our "Switch Legacy Facebook Group" or in our Switch Legacy "Forum". Yes, a digital collection saves you shelf space, but there is so much joy in collecting physical game boxes, finding what is hidden inside the box, and admiring the fantastic artwork contained on the package.

We at Switch Legacy believe the biggest reason to go physical is the fact that the game can be saved in the Physical Game card and played far into the future, even after the the Nintendo servers have stopped supporting that game. While we would say games with the best legacy score (Such as an "A" or "B") in our "Games Index" are the best games to collect, we believe that even a game with a lower score ("C", "D" or "E") can still receive an important update by "Matching Game Versions by Local Transfer will help the Long Term Preservation of Game Cards".

Conclusion

While only you can decide if physical game cards or digital copies of games are better for you, it is a good thing for you to have a choice. Choice is good. Many people don't want the benefits of physical titles and that is fine, but the truth is, many gamers do a mix of both — sometimes you'll see a physical deal you can't pass up; other times, you'll just want to download Mario Maker 2 without having to leave the house. There's no wrong way to enjoy your Nintendo Switch games, but it's worth keeping in mind the pros and cons of both options.

We at Switch Legacy are here to help you make the most out of your physical collection. We encourage you to browse our Games Index to help you decide if you want a physical or digital version of a game. What do you prefer digital or physical? Add your thoughts to the comments section below.