On the heels of our poll no less comes a very
interesting write-up on the future of digital distribution. IGN swan dives into the possibilities that we could see in
games media and how you get your hands on it.The future still has a lot of questions that need answering. Thanks to the efforts of Apple and Microsoft though, we're already almost to the point when physical media can be neglected. But with the advent of Blu-ray, do you think we will ever get to that point? One important hurdle to get around is security. Especially with Linux and the openness that Sony is proclaiming, digital distribution could possibly lead to more piracy. Hacking or not though, another pinnacle issue is that of the middleman.
Developers have the wonderful opportunity to completely cut out retailers if they wanted (cheaper prices anyone?). With digital distribution, even small independent game makers can get their product out there. Would cutting out the middleman and their store shelves be healthy for the industry? Would it even matter? These are some evolutionary issues that are starting to pop up. Growing pains are almost expected. But either way, digital distribution most certainly spells success for the average gamer.
