Three Things I Like About Digital Downloads
I haven't been a strong supporter of digital distribution of games and other media yet with the PSP Go officially out and about, I thought I'd at least give digital downloads another look and list what I do like about them. Though I'm not going to jump onto the digital boat yet, I am curious to see how this will all play out and how those of us who still use tangible media will be affected.
1. PSP Minis - An ingenious idea from Sony. Bite-sized games that are cheap, fast to download, and fun. Best of all, they are bringing designers that wouldn't normally create games for the PSP like Mobile game designers and PC designers. My first Mini game I bought was Tetris, while it was a bit more expensive than the other Minis on the store ($10 compared to $5) it was well worth it. Tetris is fun and it is at its best when on the move. One of the things I loved most about buying a Mini, was that I didn't have to wait 20 minutes for the game to download. The entire transaction took less than 2 minutes - buy, install, play. My only question about PSP Minis will be the overall quality. One of the games I noticed on the European PSN Store was Yeti Sports Pengu Throw, which I thought was a free to play PC game. Why would I want to pay $5 for a game I can play for free on any 'ole PC. Hopefully, this won't be a common occurance and we'll start to get some great bite-sized games, like mini-chocolate cookies . . . mmm, so good.
2. No More UMDs - I have to admit that I look like a total geek when I'm packing my PSP with me when I travel (or maybe I look like a total geek all the time). I have two PSP travel cases, one holds the PSP, my headphones, and all the other cords I need. The other holds two UMD cases . . . and that's just for short trips. I have a decent size PSP game collection as well as my favorite movies and Anime on UMD as well. Having to drag all this stuff can be a hassle, especially when your PSP is supposed to be your carry-on bag. So, I definitely like the idea of not having to use UMDs, to be able to just take your PSP Go and play whatever you have, instead of changing out discs every time you want to play something different. If the PSP Go had come out first, I probably would have totally been on board with the whole digital distribution thing, but now that I have a UMD collection of around 70, I don't want to have to re-buy all of my favorite games over again just to be able to play them on the PSP Go. For now, I will dream of the day when I don't have to pack a suitcase for my PSP.
3. Digital Comics - Comics, I love them but I don't read them. I've always been a huge fan of your major comic book heroes as well as some lesser known ones, but I've never been able to really get into collecting comics books. There are just too many series, too many versions, and not enough space to house it all. That's why I've always been fascinated by digital comics, what a great idea. High resolution art, classic comics you can actually read without paying a couple grand for, and best yet - very little storage space is required. Out of all the things planned for the PSP this coming year, digital comics is the feature I'm most excited about. Hopefully, this will be the opportunity I've been looking for to get me into reading comic books.
