As the entertainment world provides fountains of endless forms of media, the debate between streaming games (Luna, Nvidia, Game Pass) and owning the cartridge. Even the grey area of digital downloads seems controversial. With the Nintendo Switch 2 released, the game industry seems in favor of holding the circuitry of the game on their servers while we pay for the right to play it.

Which one is better for the modern gamer?

Pro Streaming:

  1. Streaming games allows you access to 100s of games for a low price.
  2. Streaming removes the need to update your console or rig
  3. Streaming services want you to have the newest and best games
  4. Streaming is instantaneous with no patches or downloads
  5. Streaming is a great resolution for people who just want to try games
  6. Streaming reduces plastic waste
  7. Streaming can be transported to your phone

Against Streaming:

  1. Streaming is like leasing a car you can never own but you still have to pay for it.
  2. No streamed game will ever rise in value
  3. It’s rare to have a powerful enough wifi to have a perfect gaming experience
  4. Essentially, you are waiting in line to play a game.

Pro Physical:

  1. You own the game. You decide when and how you play it.
  2. The hardware surrounding physical gaming is more stable and higher quality
  3. You can own retro games and pass them down to your kids
  4. Playing couch multiplayer is best on physical media
  5. You can get cheap games at flea markets and used stores
  6. You can loan physical games to your friends
  7. You can sell physical games for profit.
  8. Physical games have historic value

Against Physical:

  1. Physical games wear down and break
  2. $60-$70 for a single game seems like robbery compared to streaming
  3. Once the storage runs out on the console or PC you have to delete games to get more
  4. Most modern physical games can’t fit their game on a cartridge, meaning the game needs internet to function
  5. If the game doesn’t work on your console/PC, it’s up to you to fix it

If you want to taste-test every new game that comes out, you are better off streaming.

If you love the idea of games as a collection with nostalgic value, you are better off with physical media.

Cost of each:

A gaming subscription that releases modern games: $120-$150 per year

A gaming collection of modern and new games (3 games per month): $2160 per year

A gaming collection of retro and used games (3 games per month): $720 per year