Nintendo recently announced that going forward, a difference in price will be reflected between their physical and digital products. In practice, this means buying a game digitally will save you a bit of money, whereas those buying physically will pay full price. According to Nintendo, this change in policy “reflects the different costs associated with producing and distributing each format”. Functionally, it means digital media fans are saving money, and physical media fans are paying extra.

With how heated the conversation has been lately around physical media and the cost of video games, it is little surprise that this has kicked off a fresh wave of discourse. There are many folks who see this as an anti-consumer move made to further discourage purchase of physical media. However, some are celebrating this as a way to make Nintendo games cheaper, marginally offsetting the recent rise in cost. To say reactions to Nintendo’s decision are mixed, would be putting it lightly, and both sides make a compelling case.

On one hand, you have folks who feel like this is a bad move. Physical media is already in a tenuous situation, and to many, this feels like a push by Nintendo to move even more gamers over to buying digital, by punishing them with a higher price for buying physical. They believe it isn’t fair for Nintendo to create a two-tiered system and punish gamers for the crime of wanting to be able to hold the game in their hands. To them, this feels like an anti-consumer move through-and-through.

On the other hand, a number of people support this move entirely. They would be quick to point out that prices aren’t increasing for physical-minded buyers, they will pay the same amount as before. Rather it is simply decreasing for those willing to forego a physical item and buy digitally. This makes sense, as it costs less to make a title digitally available as opposed to manufacturing a cartridge and case, so why wouldn’t it be cheaper digitally? Pair that with how expensive video games have gotten after multiple rapid price increases, and a $10 discount is very welcome to many folks. Even if this is a move done primarily to save Nintendo money, it also saves the digital-minded consumer money, which is a win-win for all parties involved.

Either way you look at it, this is a tricky argument, and in this instance, I can sympathize with folks on both sides of the aisle. It absolutely is true that with games getting more expensive than ever, any sort of discounted price is well-appreciated, and it makes intuitive sense to charge less for digital versions that don’t require manufacturing. On the flipside though, it certainly does feel like a move meant to push more people towards buying digitally, and as somebody also worried about physical preservation, I don’t love the idea of accelerating towards an all-digital world. Both sides have valid points.

Any reader who is even tangentially familiar with my previous articles will be keenly aware that I am not afraid to take a side on an issue. However, with this situation, I genuinely am at a loss. I do appreciate the discount as somebody who has bought markedly less video games since the price increases, but I think there are valid concerns about the motives at play here. I’m still working through how I feel on the matter myself.

Perhaps you can aid me by letting me know how you feel about the situation! Are you in full support of a digital discount? Or do you feel like this is unfair, and potentially even malicious? Let us know in the comments below!

Featured Image: Nintendo of America