PixlBit

I feel like streaming isn't good enough yet. I don't know, I haven't tried it, but I feel like local gaming is probably a step above for quality.  

I used to gamefly but I would forget to return the games and get charged for them.  Eventually I left the service.  

Knightdriver rents a lot.

I think it installs the game, as well as the day one update.  

Oh it is. PS Now is too far ahead of its time. Lag occurs even for people with the best Internet possible in their area. It did for me. I don't think I'd qualify to sign up with what my roommate has us on data plan-wise.

So .. Gamefly was your Blockbuster? lol

Indeed he does. 

That makes sense, but where is the day one update coming from? If it's PSN, I still KIND OF don't own that game. 

I don't know, you could trade that game back in still though, which u can't do for digital purchases.  

True, but given that every time I've thought to trade a game in, no matter how old it was, I've been offered like $5 ... 

ha ha I know...

There is reselling to other people though. Pocketing the money yourself as opposed to being nickel-and-dimed by GameStop or pawn shops. 

True.

I haven't rented a game in close to 10 years. Bricks and mortar rental places dried up in London a long time ago. I'd love to be able to rent again but I'm not into the whole mail order rental thing.

As I've said before PS Now and game streaming in general is still a dumb idea. If you have a monthly download cap from your ISP and/or crap bandwidth you can forget streaming altogether. I now have 100 mbps and no download cap but I still have no interest in streaming games.

I also get the urge to punch people who say that streaming PS3 games on a PS4 is somehow backwards compatibility. Thankfully the internet prevents me from engaging these violent outbursts.

Same here.

I think people who argue for PS Now must be Sony fanboys. I should do research on how brand loyalty affects the gaming market in particular. Regardless of company, folks are willing to swallow some putrid shit in the name of brand loyalty. 

I used to rent games all the time at the local rental place, Pay Less Video, when I was younger.  Renting games there cost a buck, as opposed to a 40 dollar game, so you can guess what Kid Cary did most of the time.  I did this mostly during the NES and SNES days, but also a bit with the N64 as well. 

I stopped renting games during the CD era because nearly any CD game I rented from there would be all scratched up and unplayable.  And by then, I was reviewing lots of games and if there were any that I didn't review that I wanted to play, I would just wait for the price to go down.  Nowadays, the games I want to play, I also want to own, so that's why I don't really rent anymore.

I never got enough bad CDs to swear off renting. Oddly enough, I've had the most issues with that when renting Blu Ray movies from Red Box. 

We used to have Mickey's Video Store nearby. Not sure Disney would have approved had they seen the marquee with an image of their copyrighted character in it ... 

I stopped renting after Gamecube, only because I didn't have the newer systems. 

I just started renting again this year to save money. MS is unveiling a kind of rental service right now. For $10 a month you get access to something like 100 games. Download them and play them as long as they are available. Some may leave this list at the end of a month others wont. Some will be new games and some will be old. It's kind of neat, like Netflix but not streaming. Streaming is dubious with games. Too much to process on today's internet. I would do this but I like renting for all the systems. I buy physical copies of just the few games I can't do without every so often. I just love the idea of trying out games with the rental service and it stops me from buying a lot of used games and then just trading them back in for pennies. I've never had a scratched disc from Gamefly and I've rented from them off and on for many years. 

Installs, I'm pretty sure, involve the internet. I think I heard that it doesn't even take the info off the disc, it downloads the game from the net after acknowleging your ownership of it. I guess if you don't have internet it just plays from the disc. The last PS4 game I put in though only had an update download and then played from the disc right away. Xbox takes a while to download/install the whole game. 

I really wish PS Now was more like what MS is doing. MS is definitely winning as far as creative ways to provide BC. I'm going to start a Gamefly sub some time after our Spring Break, so I don't have to change addresses to get my games. 

After looking it up, I think PS4 installs the game on the HDD, but nothing seemed to indicate NEEDING the Internet. This may mean more physical purchases on my end, especially when the physical and digital copies are the same price (Until Dawn is $20 at both my local GameStop and the PS Store).

Neither system needs the internet, I don't think. Some people still don't have internet. I think if the XBO has internet, it uses it, if not, it goes for the disc. That's my guess anyway. 

My last install on XBO was Zoo Tycoon and that took maybe a half hour to install. The last game I installed on PS4 was Tales of Berseria and it took almost no time at all. Weird if they both move the disc's info to the HDD. 

PS4 definitely installs to HDD. Several articles said that around launch time. It's because the HDD is faster than Blu Ray drive.

Is gamefly any good for buying? I generally buy games from ebay, but I hate waiting for auction deadlines. There are so many sales on Steam and GOG and bundle sites that I just don't feel like I need more games from a rental site, and I already pay a subscription to netflix. 

Ask KnightDriver. I've never used them, but am planning on using a free trial from Double Toasted after my spring break, which ends March 20.

Actually, I used to use gamefly years ago. Its a good way for sampling NEWER games without crushing the wallet. Thing is, there are so many sales all the time already and I've been getting more into story driven strategy games on PC which you can't really rent or play on console. Been meaning to use Redbox since there is one at my local grocery store. 

I've used red box for sfv, until dawn, and some cod game i played with my friend. Thing is, once a games a bit old it's gone. I want a better selection.

It's probably been 20+ years since I rented a game.  I like owning games.  If I don't have the money at the time of release, I just wait for the price drop.  There are many games I wait on for years before I buy them.  

There are a few games you need an internet connection to play them.  Plants vs Zombies comes to mind.  I don't buy those games.  Most games just install from the disk and you only need the internet if it's being patched for something.  

Good to know re: physical. I'll end up buying more physical copies.

I buy more than ever due to digital sales, but I'm going to see if gamely saves me money when I'm able to try before i buy some AAA $40 game like Bloodborne or Witcher III with high praise but that's not necessarily my style.

I was never big on renting because I wouldn't play enough of the game to justify the rental. The closest thing I do/did to renting was being part of PS+. Sony says you get the games for free but once you stop using the service, those games can't be played. It always bothered me that you can't purchase the games you downloaded for free after you leave the service. 

I feel services like Gamefly would be the best because you get a physical disc, and you can hold onto it as long as you want, just as long as you pay the monthy fee. Granted it takes a bit before you get the game you want but it would seem that you're not rushed into playing through it.

I haven't tried the streaming services but one I've thought about is EA's service. For a casual gamer who likes sports along with the rest of EA's library this sounds like a great service especially since you can test drive the newest games for like 10 hours. If you decide to buy it you get a discounted price.

I don't know much about Sony's service but I am still hesitant to put my credit card info in Sony's hands so I will not try their service.

As for the physical game install I think it depends on the developer. I think now the game checks the internet to make sure you own a legit copy. When I bought GTA V for PC I just went ahead and downloaded straight from their servers because my CD drive was acting up and it was easier to just download it. I'm pro physical but since I started playing on PC having digital is a lot easier because I can take my game library wherever I bring my laptop. 

When Blockbuster had like 4-5 day game rentals and I was young enough to have all that free time, I rented a ton of games that I either did or nearly beat. I need to be careful about what PS+ games I decide to DL.

I think I saw someone on here complain about late fees they had with GameFly? I don't know; like I said I'll be getting a free trial after the spring break.

Are you talking about Origin?

Oh PS Now is shit, especially if you don't have the highest available Internet connection. It worked when I had the step above lowest Internet possible at my old apartment, but when I tried it at my parents' house over a break (always makes me feel like a college kid again) it was laggy as all hell and constantly being interrupted. Just let me download the f*ing games! I heavily doubt they couldn't just put PS3 games on the PS Store if they have the tech to stream them.

There are definitely advantages to digital I think people skirt around because they don't want game companies taking advantage of it by screwing with licenses. 

Yes Origin. Funny how I couldn't think of the name yet the Origin icon is on my laptop tool bar. The only drawback with that service is that so far there isn't enough content. 

Shame about PS Now. They have the library that would make it worth it to have a subscription. 

My big fear with digital is companies screwing with licenses. At least with physical you own a copy of a game. 

Gamefly being the only option for longterm renting of physical games i sadly dont use it. Ive had too many a bad experiance. My last time with them they sent 1 game and it didnt even work. So I definitely sent it back and cancelled services. PS Now I dont care for since its streaming.  I would rather download the games. Rentals isnt good for games at the moment. There isnt enough options and I really wish there was because on the games im nervous to buy I wouldnt have to be if I could rent it. Hopefully the rental side improves before long. Also Xbox announced some sort of rental service themselves but im not sure of all the details. Ive been pretty  fucking sore with them for cancelling Scalebound.

Xbox game pass is only $10 and let's you download. Yeah scalebound cancellation sucks, but I'm honestly jealous of XBO owners for once.