Digital downloads spell end for video game stores?

**MIG-31** · Jun 10, 2009, 08:31 PM

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Will digital downloads kill the video games store?

That's the multibillion dollar question facing retailers from Wal-Mart Stores Inc and Target Corp to GameStop Corp, as Internet distributors continue to grow.Retailers like Target splashed out on large booths at last week's E3 Expo in Los Angeles, showcasing games like Activision's "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen."
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Source: Yahoo

Mr cairo · Jun 11, 2009, 09:47 AM

short answer ..NO

long answer possibly over the next 20 years or so but its going to be a long time before the infrastructure is there to support this

if i can get in my car drive to a shop get my game get it home and have it installed and playing in under an hour then any download service will have to come close to matching that

as it stands if i tried to download GTAIV in the UK at the moment after only 2 gigs of download my ISP would cut my speed for 24 hours so i would download at maybe 250 KB

But then my speed is restored and im back to full speed so at that rate im looking at 4+ days to download one game this is without my usual browsing, Gaming and the potential in the future to download a full 20 gig Blu Ray disk .... i will have to plan on monday what i want to watch or play on Saturday

yes there are new infrastructures and speed increases but as fast as they implement these they take on new customers to share that bandwidth i have 20 meg BB i generally Dl at about 700 only sometimes getting 1Mb or over on a good day

its going to be years before Digital download is available to the masses and then only if the ISP's completely remove any kind of cap

Jun 10, 2009, 08:31 PM	#1
MIG-31 HardwareHeaven News Mod Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Nottingham,UK Posts: 56,818 Rep Power: 471 System Specs	Digital downloads spell end for video game stores? LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Will digital downloads kill the video games store? That's the multibillion dollar question facing retailers from Wal-Mart Stores Inc and Target Corp to GameStop Corp, as Internet distributors continue to grow.Retailers like Target splashed out on large booths at last week's E3 Expo in Los Angeles, showcasing games like Activision's "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen." ____________ Source: Yahoo __________________ Please Post Your News Submissions Here

Jun 11, 2009, 09:47 AM	#2
Mr cairo F0rum For Humans Only Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Slightly to the left Posts: 1,780 Rep Power: 92 System Specs	Re: Digital downloads spell end for video game stores? short answer ..NO long answer possibly over the next 20 years or so but its going to be a long time before the infrastructure is there to support this if i can get in my car drive to a shop get my game get it home and have it installed and playing in under an hour then any download service will have to come close to matching that as it stands if i tried to download GTAIV in the UK at the moment after only 2 gigs of download my ISP would cut my speed for 24 hours so i would download at maybe 250 KB But then my speed is restored and im back to full speed so at that rate im looking at 4+ days to download one game this is without my usual browsing, Gaming and the potential in the future to download a full 20 gig Blu Ray disk .... i will have to plan on monday what i want to watch or play on Saturday yes there are new infrastructures and speed increases but as fast as they implement these they take on new customers to share that bandwidth i have 20 meg BB i generally Dl at about 700 only sometimes getting 1Mb or over on a good day its going to be years before Digital download is available to the masses and then only if the ISP's completely remove any kind of cap __________________ *Please consider Sponsoring my wife for the race for life*