Q: PS4 distribution & gifting?

[Matt L. Icious]

Hi everyone, hopefully including pre-sales support

I am a PC CMDR that never ever owned a console. So sue me for not knowing how things work there
During the annual Easter visit I found my nephews all new PS4 pro. Now I'd like to spoil them - and drive their father, a '85 player who doesn't even know E : D exists, totally nuts: I'd love to gift them a copy of E : D for their PS4 - once it arrives. But...

How is E : D PS4 going to be distributed? Download only, or will there be a boxed version at a premium?
If it's download only, how would gifting work? How does that work on the XBone, is the system basically the same on the PS4?

TY for any input.

 

[stormyuk]

Hi everyone, hopefully including pre-sales support

I am a PC CMDR that never ever owned a console. So sue me for not knowing how things work there
During the annual Easter visit I found my nephews all new PS4 pro. Now I'd like to spoil them - and drive their father, a '85 player who doesn't even know E : D exists, totally nuts: I'd love to gift them a copy of E : D for their PS4 - once it arrives. But...

How is E : D PS4 going to be distributed? Download only, or will there be a boxed version at a premium?
If it's download only, how would gifting work? How does that work on the XBone, is the system basically the same on the PS4?

TY for any input.

It will be download only via the PlayStation Network Store, you can buy them a PSN store card from pretty much anywhere at a retail level at game and general stores everywhere. This will allow them to redeem the code for cash on the PSN Store to buy Elite. Elite is going to be £39.99 in the UK so any card with a value more than that will do the trick. [up]

Elite wont be able to be gifted as such on PSN as I don't think there will be a retail mechanism for buying Elite Dangerous as a code for the PSN store. I think something of the sort was available on Xbox but I have never seen "Elite Dangerous" gift cards even in Xbox sections at retail here. So I think PSN store credit will be the way to go.

The other "way" to do it would be to log in with their account on the PSN store (which you can do via a the PC on the web) and buy Elite Dangerous on the PSN store with a credit card (or store credit as above) and then set this to download on their PS4. When they next log in they will get it downloaded directly to the console (of course you have to wait till its available to do this) and they have to trust you with their PSN login.

So a few ways to achieve what you want.

 

[Matt L. Icious]

TY for the information.
That was not exactly what I was looking for, I would have preferred the almost-old-school physical box with key that is transmitted by parcel, not IP packet...
Since I don't want to gift them 40 quid for any random PS4 game, but specifically E : D, I'll try your second suggestion.
I am positive that a phone call to the dad announcing a surprise and mentioning the PEGI7 rating will get me access. And I'm diligent enough to tell them to change the password once I'm done.

That said, I think that's a use case that should be facilitated, by FDEV or PSN...

 

[Airwave]

ED will be digital only at launch. At some point in the future they may offer a retail PS4 disc but it's unknown at this point if or when. Sometimes Retailers sell Digital copies with a key. I have seen them on Amazon, BestBuy, and Walmart.

 

[DoxViper]

ED will be digital only at launch. At some point in the future they may offer a retail PS4 disc but it's unknown at this point if or when. Sometimes Retailers sell Digital copies with a key. I have seen them on Amazon, BestBuy, and Walmart.

Retail disc won't happen unless they do it for all platforms. Its not cheap, so I don't think will see that. Airwave is right about the Amazon option, but again this would need to be offered to all platforms, not just ps4

 

[Cmdr Nemo]

It's my belief, that the entire gaming industry will eventualy discontinue the manufacturing, distribution and sales of hard copies (cd's). Because one: The gamed and all their features are getting larger and larger requiring more and more disks. The manufacturing, distribution and sales of which, leads to reason #2. The process isn't free, and effects the bottom line. A single downloadable digital file can be downloaded to whom ever, gazillions of times and at the downloaders expense, which is minimal to a single person. AMAZON for example can offer to be the sole distributer or just one of many. For a considerable less cost than the current system of hard copies (cd's). THUS a lesser cost and and a larger bottom line. Which when everything is said and done, is the main reason there are video games.

 

[Mr. Stevens Catering]

It's my belief, that the entire gaming industry will eventualy discontinue the manufacturing, distribution and sales of hard copies (cd's). Because one: The gamed and all their features are getting larger and larger requiring more and more disks. The manufacturing, distribution and sales of which, leads to reason #2. The process isn't free, and effects the bottom line. A single downloadable digital file can be downloaded to whom ever, gazillions of times and at the downloaders expense, which is minimal to a single person. AMAZON for example can offer to be the sole distributer or just one of many. For a considerable less cost than the current system of hard copies (cd's). THUS a lesser cost and and a larger bottom line. Which when everything is said and done, is the main reason there are video games.

I don't think it is the cost of materials for distribution that is the major player. Anyone recall how many floppies Elite was in the 80s? I recall toting around a stack of 13-15 3.5" floppies in college with Wolfenstein 3D (and disc 10 or 11 would always corrupt 3 or 4 times...). DvDs and Blu-Ray discs are made pretty cheaply now, but the cost is still not zero.

The main reason is the world has become connected where more people in the developed world are on the internet than not and speeds have expanded such that lengthy downloads and the space of game downloads is now pretty easily transferable. If the internet was not as pervasive or still stuck on dial-up/DSL speeds, I'm sure they'd be printing dvds/blurays and wrapping the costs into the price.

 

[Matt L. Icious]

It's my belief, that the entire gaming industry will eventualy discontinue the manufacturing, distribution and sales of hard copies (cd's). Because

... killing the second hand market. Buying second hand games is killing profits - that's worse than clubbing cute innocent puppies!

Back OT: It's less the box that I am missing. That, I could fabricate myself should I wish. But why can't I just buy a key and email it to someone who then registers the key to his/her steam/PS4/XBone account. Shouldn't be much different than buying for yourself. The key just ends up in a different account.
Sounds doable - but a 1% use case and thus not profitable. Poor puppies, my bad for thinking that.

 

[Tezcatlipoca]

The other "way" to do it would be to log in with their account on the PSN store (which you can do via a the PC on the web) and buy Elite Dangerous on the PSN store with a credit card (or store credit as above) and then set this to download on their PS4. When they next log in they will get it downloaded directly to the console (of course you have to wait till its available to do this) and they have to trust you with their PSN login.

I've read too many horror stories to ever trust PSN with my credit card details!

I only ever use PSN credit, usually purchased from CDKeys.com (or GAME, if I have store credit).

Back OT: It's less the box that I am missing. That, I could fabricate myself should I wish. But why can't I just buy a key and email it to someone who then registers the key to his/her steam/PS4/XBone account. Shouldn't be much different than buying for yourself. The key just ends up in a different account.
Sounds doable - but a 1% use case and thus not profitable. Poor puppies, my bad for thinking that.

You can buy download codes for some Xbox One and PS4 games, but not all of them.

 

[Cmdr Nemo]

I've read too many horror stories to ever trust PSN with my credit card details!

I only ever use PSN credit, usually purchased from CDKeys.com (or GAME, if I have store credit).




You can buy download codes for some Xbox One and PS4 games, but not all of them.

As a grandfather living in Mexico with a half dozen grandkids in America. I have access to all their accounts. I buy psn cards from Amazon and upgrade their wallets with psn cards from Amazon and or various games. Having access is the same as having multiple accounts. Should they not want me to give them gifts that they want (never an issue), all they need do is change the password. No password means, no gifts.