Back when ME3 was announced I pre-ordered that steel-case Collectors edition for PC, got the game there in my wardrobe so I don't have to redownload everything all over again.. Will Legendary Edition have a Disc version or it's going to be Digital only this time? (though I guess Andromeda was Digital only for PC so..) Call me old fashioned but I do like to have my hands on disc copies of things, considering how slow things download here in Australia. Cheers! [CM - Edited title for topic visibility]

The game size has been specified to be around 120GB How many DVDs would be required to hold that? 15 or more? We're getting to the point that games are outpacing Blu-Rays as well, so requests for disc versions make no sense on PC and the clock is ticking for consoles. 🤔 Unless of course you just have a download code inside a physical box or a single disc with an installer. Depends on what you expect from a 'physical' copy. 😉

For the Xbox One/Series X/Series S and for the PlayStation 4/5 there will be physical copies and digital copies. The details of the physical copies beyond that is scarce right now. I don't know how large the game is on consoles (meaning how many discs it will have). On the PC version on STEAM, the total hard drive space needed is 120 GB, I cannot find any information on Xbox or PlayStation's websites to determine size. If this is the same for consoles, then it will need 3 Dual layer Blu-ray discs to work on the Consoles. Either they will decrease the size on consoles, or they will use a Blu-ray XL or 4K Blu-ray disc for it.As far as PC is concerned. I have not heard anything as to whether or not there will be a Physical copy. Judging by the size factor (120 GB) and the current market, I am guessing that a physical copy will not be available on the PC. Most computers nowadays are foregoing optical disc drives in order to leave more room for other components. Even when optical drives were still common on computers, most were not Blu-ray drives, but rather DVD drives. Yes, you still can purchase external Blu-ray drives for around $100 now, the amount of people who have those on PCs today is a lot less on Console, so it does not seem economically feasible for them to do physical copies for the PC.Perhaps in the international market (where internet speeds are variable) there will be physical copies available, but in the US market, I just don't see it.

So far, I haven't found disc copies for the PC version, but I don't have any insider knowledge.

@TheRealMarsupio TheRealMarsupio wrote: Perhaps in the international market (where internet speeds are variable) there will be physical copies available, but in the US market, I just don't see it. I think internet speeds are variable in the US as well. 😉 @Dawezy For the question, yes it will be digital only on PC for most parts of the world if not all. That is standard by now for big EA games (And most other Studios.) for exactly the reasons @TheRealMarsupio pointed out. There are way to few Pc's having a Blu-ray disc drive build in to make physical copies a economically sound option.

@Dawezy @Fred_vdp I'm going to give you a tentative yes to there being a physical copy. My evidence in this is purely that I am in Aussie as well and both Eb Games and JB Hi Fi are showing mass effect legendary edition with the case art (the ps4/xbox one logo at the top) which granted, could be edited but I dont know either of those companies to sell digital copies of games so for this reason I believe both stores are selling physical 🙂If PC only doesnt have a physical I'd be surprised, but I guess it is becoming more common for disk drives not to be a thingFirst Mass Effect game i bought digitally though :') Decided for this generation i was going to stop making a pile of physical games since space is limited, still have my collectors me2/3 covers though :D

Physical version available or digital only?

21 Replies

Fred_vdp
Hero+
5 years ago
So far, I haven't found disc copies for the PC version, but I don't have any insider knowledge.
GrimReaperTaken
5 years ago
@Dawezy @Fred_vdp I'm going to give you a tentative yes to there being a physical copy.
My evidence in this is purely that I am in Aussie as well and both Eb Games and JB Hi Fi are showing mass effect legendary edition with the case art (the ps4/xbox one logo at the top) which granted, could be edited but I dont know either of those companies to sell digital copies of games so for this reason I believe both stores are selling physical 🙂
If PC only doesnt have a physical I'd be surprised, but I guess it is becoming more common for disk drives not to be a thing
First Mass Effect game i bought digitally though :') Decided for this generation i was going to stop making a pile of physical games since space is limited, still have my collectors me2/3 covers though :D
mcsupersport
Hero+
5 years ago
As a side note, you can always transfer games to a outside USB based drive and keep them until you want to play them again. Meaning once you download a game, play it, and if you think you want to play in future but don't want it on your main drive, you can use an external HD to save it until you want to play again.
Fred_vdp
Hero+
5 years ago
Nowadays, even physical PC releases don't come with the game on disc, but a product code. In some geographical regions with slow internet connections and/or data caps, discs may still be included.
SofaJockeyUK
Hero+
5 years ago
The game size has been specified to be around 120GB

How many DVDs would be required to hold that?

15 or more?

We're getting to the point that games are outpacing Blu-Rays as well, so requests for disc versions make no sense on PC and the clock is ticking for consoles. 🤔

Unless of course you just have a download code inside a physical box or a single disc with an installer. Depends on what you expect from a 'physical' copy. 😉
Fred_vdp
Hero+
5 years ago
Yeah, I forgot for a moment that PCs tend not to come with Blu-ray drives (or even DVD drives). I think it's almost certainly a 'no' for a PC physical release with functioning dics. A box with a code, maybe.

The last time I bought a physical PC game it was Shadow of the Tomb Raider, which included a disc with an application that activates the game on Steam.
GrimReaperTaken
5 years ago
Seriously? I've never seen a physical copy without a disk. I guess aussie net is too slow :P
SofaJockeyUK
Hero+
5 years ago
@GrimReaperTaken wrote:

Seriously? I've never seen a physical copy without a disk. I guess aussie net is too slow :P

The first 'fuss' over a download code in the box I remember was Metal Gear Solid V (2015) so this is not a new thing.

Games with a single 'installer' disc give an illusion of it being a physical copy, but it mostly isn't.
Dawezy
5 years ago
Couldn't comprehend the idea of having a PC without a BD-RW drive atleast, not sure why everyone makes a machine without them these days.
Correct me if I'm wrong though, but if they made an actual game disc and used say .. dual-layer BD? that has an absolute ton of space on it? it's not an impossible feat but I could see them sweeping the idea under the carpet because everything has to have Origin now (I despise DRM in all its forms, but you have to appease some evils I guess, I miss DOS ;_;.) for their library.
Not holding my breath for a disc release outside of consoles ofcourse, but getting some kind of confirmation of a yes/no from a EA/BioWare staff member would be nice.
Also yes, Auzzie internet is slow lol. I have unlimited monthly data with my provider but the speeds dude? ugh.. lucky to break 1.8MB/s for downloading anything. So if Legendary Edition was in actual fact 120GB atleast? have to do it over a few days if not a week as I don't leave my PC running when I'm either asleep or out of the house.
SofaJockeyUK
Hero+
5 years ago
@Dawezy wrote:

Couldn't comprehend the idea of having a PC without a BD-RW drive atleast, not sure why everyone makes a machine without them these days.

A sensible idea.

Though the lack of Blu-Ray as a PC standard means game publishers won't make or sell games withe that format.

I suspect the days of physical media are very much numbered. 🤨