Dude, it took me 15 seconds to find a copy.

Someone, ffs, find a way to get that to me. (See, another massively positive point in digital distribution: I'm not limited by physical shipping rates/laws.)

As someone who spent a good portion of time living in a different hemisphere, I can tell you with a good amount of authority that this statement is plainly false. Digital region-locking caused me endless headaches.

In the past 5 years, I've lived in 3 different regions, and the biggest issues I've had were with physical disks. With digital, I've been able to move around and transfer licenses and do whatever. I have a copy of Mirror's Edge that I'll probably never play because by the time I played it, the US 360 I bought it for, was gone. If I bought it digitally, I would have been able to play it.

You make a lot of assumptions:

http://wccftech.com/microsoft-quietly-regionlocks-digital-xbox-games-dlc-error-code0x87de07d1-reported/

-----------------------------

To follow up on my earlier point, I tried to acquire the free digital copy of Halo 3 that was currently available on games-with-gold while I was working in New Zealand.

Microsoft was having none of that.

I literally had to contact my sister, who was living here in Canada, and have her sign-in as me on the website and make the transaction for me. Aside from creating a brand new account (which was what Microsoft's Customer Service recommended), that was my only solution.

So don't try to sell me on this "Digital-games-don't-have-region-locking" BS.

Not sure how spending almost 3 years in Melbourne and 2 years in London and moving to a mostly digital 360 library as I bought an aussie 360 and then UK 360 involves assumptions. I also maintained credit cards/bank accounts in the US, AUS, and UK throughout this process and made sure to maintain the region of my console appropriately as I fired up each new one.

Neither system is perfect, but with a digital system you were able to have someone sort it out for you. I could not call ANYONE, ANYWHERE and have them magically turn my Mirror's Edge disc into the right region.

You keep bringing up this Mirror's edge example, but I never had a single issue related to region locked physical media purchased in NZ while using my Canadian console and account. I was able to keep buying and playing games as though nothing had changed. When my console DID break, I bought a replacement in NZ, and it worked with all my old stuff. Completely different story when it came to digital games. I ended up having to make a new account just so I could purchase DLC for Reach. And I couldn't maintain a bunch of different credit accounts because I didn't have one to begin with.

Your argument that maintaining multiple accounts for different regions is self-defeating: The fact that we have to do that is why digital media is inferior!

Also, I'd gladly pay the cost of shipping/handling if it was between that and compromising my personal information. I wouldn't have done it if it had been anyone other than a family member that I trusted.

I have never, ever to this day had a broken game disc for any system I've ever owned. Never had a system scratch one of my discs either.

I had memory cards crap out, but never the game discs. I too always took\take super good care of my media.

After a couple of decades of CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays, and game disks, I've only ever had one get noticeably scratched. I loaned a DC Talk CD to a friend of mine in high school and it was returned a month later completely unplayable.

Many consoles, players, and drives have been known to scratch disks through no fault of the owner, and sometimes discs aren't manufactured to very good standards and will sort of fall apart after a while. With digital you just have to make a backup copy-- if that's allowed in your country and under your terms of service. The fact it's not always allowed is big thing that puts me off digital-- I don't think they'd ever know, and if they did I don't think they'd come after me, but the idea that I'm breaking some rule, and more so the fact the rule exists in the first place, upset me.

Dude, it took me 15 seconds to find a copy.

Someone, ffs, find a way to get that to me. (See, another massively positive point in digital distribution: I'm not limited by physical shipping rates/laws.)

As someone who spent a good portion of time living in a different hemisphere, I can tell you with a good amount of authority that this statement is plainly false. Digital region-locking caused me endless headaches.

In the past 5 years, I've lived in 3 different regions, and the biggest issues I've had were with physical disks. With digital, I've been able to move around and transfer licenses and do whatever. I have a copy of Mirror's Edge that I'll probably never play because by the time I played it, the US 360 I bought it for, was gone. If I bought it digitally, I would have been able to play it.

You make a lot of assumptions:

http://wccftech.com/microsoft-quietly-regionlocks-digital-xbox-games-dlc-error-code0x87de07d1-reported/

-----------------------------

To follow up on my earlier point, I tried to acquire the free digital copy of Halo 3 that was currently available on games-with-gold while I was working in New Zealand.

Microsoft was having none of that.

I literally had to contact my sister, who was living here in Canada, and have her sign-in as me on the website and make the transaction for me. Aside from creating a brand new account (which was what Microsoft's Customer Service recommended), that was my only solution.

So don't try to sell me on this "Digital-games-don't-have-region-locking" BS.

Not sure how spending almost 3 years in Melbourne and 2 years in London and moving to a mostly digital 360 library as I bought an aussie 360 and then UK 360 involves assumptions. I also maintained credit cards/bank accounts in the US, AUS, and UK throughout this process and made sure to maintain the region of my console appropriately as I fired up each new one.

Neither system is perfect, but with a digital system you were able to have someone sort it out for you. I could not call ANYONE, ANYWHERE and have them magically turn my Mirror's Edge disc into the right region.

I have never, ever to this day had a broken game disc for any system I've ever owned. Never had a system scratch one of my discs either.

I had memory cards crap out, but never the game discs. I too always took\take super good care of my media.

After a couple of decades of CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays, and game disks, I've only ever had one get noticeably scratched. I loaned a DC Talk CD to a friend of mine in high school and it was returned a month later completely unplayable.

It's either in the player or it's in the case! How freaking hard is that?!?!

I might still be a little bitter.

-Disciple

The credit I have would pay for most of one expansion. Both would be, what, $40, $45?

The expansions are $19.99 each, or $34.99 for the "Expansion Pass" that includes both TDB and HoW

hmm, and buying them for the 360 lets you have them on the xbone too? I may go with that then, thanks for the info

So don't try to sell me on this "Digital-games-don't-have-region-locking" BS.

Trust me when I say I feel your woes. I was graciously gifted a DL code for Reach some years ago and it never informed me it was region-locked. It simply failed to download before 1%. That's not the point I'm trying to make. What I am trying to say is that region-locking is not an exclusivity to digital games, so it's not really a downside for them.

With regards to region-locking, digital or otherwise:

"The PS4 is region free for games, but for legal reasons DLC is locked by region. If you buy a game from the US, for example, you will have to purchase all the DLC from the North American PSN Store. If you buy your games locally, then there shouldn't be a problem. Please note that the console is region locked for DVDs and Blu-ray movies.

Also, PAL and NTSC are obsolete analogue television broadcast standards and completely irrelevant to the PS4. The PS4 only has a digital output and has shed the old analogue output of previous consoles. The only problem you might have is with the power cable – you might need an adaptor plug."

I actually have a European account on top of my regular account, but as most PS+ games have been identical, I haven't used it in nearly a year. But region-locking seems to be dying...

My favorite part is how easy distribution is. Back in the days, I had a hard time finding OXbox games for sale. There were times I deeply regretted choosing it over a PS2. Now I can buy most games with little trouble. Region-locked? Sure, most of them are, but now I don't depend on stores deciding whether the games will be worth importing or not.

The last OXbox game that we ordered online was Morrowind, but we got a PAL version. D'oh!

So don't try to sell me on this "Digital-games-don't-have-region-locking" BS.

Trust me when I say I feel your woes. I was graciously gifted a DL code for Reach some years ago and it never informed me it was region-locked. It simply failed to download before 1%. That's not the point I'm trying to make. What I am trying to say is that region-locking is not an exclusivity to digital games, so it's not really a downside for them.

My favorite part is how easy distribution is. Back in the days, I had a hard time finding OXbox games for sale. There were times I deeply regretted choosing it over a PS2. Now I can buy most games with little trouble. Region-locked? Sure, most of them are, but now I don't depend on stores deciding whether the games will be worth importing or not.

• Fairly early on in the 360's lifespan, the fact that the controller indicator LEDs on the front of the console would change to fit the orientation seemed very cool. I tipped mine over to show someone how they'd change, completely forgetting that Lego Star Wars was in the drive tray. Apparently, it was still spinning at the time, and made a horrendous noise that I can't really describe adequately. The disc was dead.
  
  
• Back in the OXBox days, I intentionally broke Need for Speed: Underground. It wasn't a rage situation, I just realized one day that it was such a BS game that I would have more fun smashing it and never having to see it again than actually playing it. So I snapped it in two over the trash can. :)

The credit I have would pay for most of one expansion. Both would be, what, $40, $45?

The expansions are $19.99 each, or $34.99 for the "Expansion Pass" that includes both TDB and HoW

Dude, it took me 15 seconds to find a copy.

Someone, ffs, find a way to get that to me. (See, another massively positive point in digital distribution: I'm not limited by physical shipping rates/laws.)

As someone who spent a good portion of time living in a different hemisphere, I can tell you with a good amount of authority that this statement is plainly false. Digital region-locking caused me endless headaches.

In the past 5 years, I've lived in 3 different regions, and the biggest issues I've had were with physical disks. With digital, I've been able to move around and transfer licenses and do whatever. I have a copy of Mirror's Edge that I'll probably never play because by the time I played it, the US 360 I bought it for, was gone. If I bought it digitally, I would have been able to play it.

You make a lot of assumptions:

http://wccftech.com/microsoft-quietly-regionlocks-digital-xbox-games-dlc-error-code0x87de07d1-reported/

-----------------------------

To follow up on my earlier point, I tried to acquire the free digital copy of Halo 3 that was currently available on games-with-gold while I was working in New Zealand.

Microsoft was having none of that.

I literally had to contact my sister, who was living here in Canada, and have her sign-in as me on the website and make the transaction for me. Aside from creating a brand new account (which was what Microsoft's Customer Service recommended), that was my only solution.

So don't try to sell me on this "Digital-games-don't-have-region-locking" BS.

Anyway, I refuse to believe your disks have never broken.

I have never, ever to this day had a broken game disc for any system I've ever owned. Never had a system scratch one of my discs either.

I had memory cards crap out, but never the game discs. I too always took\take super good care of my media.

Anyway, I refuse to believe your disks have never broken.

It's absolutely true. None of my systems have ever scratched discs, and I've always been super careful.

Dude, it took me 15 seconds to find a copy.

Someone, ffs, find a way to get that to me. (See, another massively positive point in digital distribution: I'm not limited by physical shipping rates/laws.)

As someone who spent a good portion of time living in a different hemisphere, I can tell you with a good amount of authority that this statement is plainly false. Digital region-locking caused me endless headaches.

In the past 5 years, I've lived in 3 different regions, and the biggest issues I've had were with physical disks. With digital, I've been able to move around and transfer licenses and do whatever. I have a copy of Mirror's Edge that I'll probably never play because by the time I played it, the US 360 I bought it for, was gone. If I bought it digitally, I would have been able to play it.