A community for PC Master Race.
Rules:
Question for PC gamers: you still buying physical copies of your games?
no, but the difference between console and pc is that drm free digital exists, and that the platform holder isnt the only one with the keys to remove DRM in worst case scenario
No, but PC is open hardware and open OS. What PC gamers expect from console hardware requires jailbreak.
PCs can run on hardware people assembled themselves. And programs can run on different operating systems.
Consoles are locked down, don't let you install a completely different OS, don't let you install whatever programs you want, and most importantly do their best to prevent you from having competing platforms on it. It's so locked down they even paywall multiplayer for games that have no paywall on PC. The hardware doesn't feel owned, but a rental with strings attached with no workarounds other than hoping a exploit comes out.
That's why digital is less an issue on PC than consoles due to hardware you control. On consoles you don't control your hardware but at least discs brought back some control on that end with games that can't have ownership revoked and is transferable. But, now that sole benefit of control for consoles is disappearing.
My PC hardware can be utilized to play games that I own:
1: on physical media (increasingly rare, and obsolete due to patches and updates all being online)
2: downloaded from sources both proprietary (risky but convenient) and other (less convenient/legal but available if the other sources disappear)
If whomever makes my OS decided to prevent this, I can install another OS easily.
They don't make physical anymore, (You can make your own for some games). However, unlike console, you are not locked to a single store for your purchases. Nor does the store provider, also make the hardware/software and own the network.
GOG + Memory Stick = Yes
No, not that I care to. The nature of a PC makes that fundamentally pointless.
The GOG games I buy have the option to download an offline installer that I back up redundantly on multiple external disks. I am able to include all of the games’ updates instead of being stuck with the often broken launch version of a game.