Robert Hastings from Deviosity ponders whether or not a middle ground can be found in the quiet war between physical media and digital distribution, and whether the seemingly inherent issues with the concept will every be solved.

It seems like everyone’s talking digital distribution these days, and why not? It’s undeniably an innovative method of both consuming and vending out goods. Video games and movies are little more than computer files layered onto a disc, so it makes perfect sense that there are some that would prefer to eliminate both the trip to the store and the progressively tedious task of swapping out media for other media.

The numbers don’t lie however, and it’s apparent to me that the entertainment industry as a whole just isn’t ready for full-on, no media drive, digitally delivered of content. People like to have stuff. Perhaps not you, but the average consumer wants to have something physical to show for the money they’ve spent. To some, myself included, knowing that there’s a copy of a game or a movie sitting on a hard drive somewhere in their house just isn’t enough. They want to pull it off their shelves and show it to their buddies, or let them borrow it, or send a family member away and into another room to watch it.

RobertDevious via deviosity.net »