pixel wrote: Fri Nov 04, 2022 12:44 am
I'm buying a lot more music CDs than I did in the past, but they're also used and cost $3 each. I'm still a big Spotify user, but I'm always ready to start downloading stuff again if I need.
It's the same thing with video games: I'm okay with the current landscape. But the gaming piracy scene is rather corking these days with the digital-first marketplace. I consider that my last resort if things get too dicey with usage rights.
That's already happened for me and TV/movies. I have a few subscriptions to the platforms I really need or want to support, but don't bother with the rest.
Being a cheapskate dirtbag has never been more admirable.
It's not even so much of being a cheapskate here. I just like having things because they can't be ruined or removed or edited or deleted or "cancelled"
What do you do when your favourite artist cracks the shits and their whole catalogue is pulled from Spotify?
Or the network writes a whole show off for tax reasons?
Or the licence for a show you like has changed and it's now not on one of the 24,743 streaming services you subscribe to, but one of the 2 you don't?
Or steam decides you no longer own Monday Night Combat because FUCK YOU.
Or what if Disney wants to Butcher the aspect ratio of all the early Simpsons episodes and still remove one anyway?
Sure having nearly every Simpsons episode Butchered at the snap of your fingers is great and a real time saver... But y'know I can get the DVDs which I've had for quite a long time now and watch them ALL properly.
As for CD's... Even after 40 years, they are still the best way to listen to consistently high quality music.
Lossy formats (basically anything shared on the internet) are fine if you're listening through a pair of 2 year old airpods on a noisy and packed peak hour train.
But the second you use any sort of speakers with any sort of quality... radio, MP3s, Spotify, YouTube, cassettes, etc all falls apart.
Vinyl sounds really good the first time you play it, but after you've played the Beatles albums for the 200th time, they simply don't sound as good anymore.
But a CD? If it's taken care of one you bought 40 years ago will sound EXACTLY THE SAME today.
No removing or changing of stuff once it's pressed to a physical thing (which is not always good, for example they fucked up the Red Dwarf Blurays, but I still have my DVD's from like 18 years ago so all is well)
In terms of movies, the technology has kept getting better to suit home use. VHS then laserdisc then VCD, DVD, hd DVD, Bluray, 4K Bluray.
But with the CD, it's perfect for music and nothing has come along that's better.
(Minidisc came damn close, but fizzled due to stupid prices and got phased out before it could take over)
By the 90's, humanity was asking too much from the CD. Video and computer games were put on them as well as Audio and for a while it worked ok, if you didn't mind the shit loading times compared to carts, they could hold a lot of Data cheaply.
By 2001, 19 years after introduction, the CD simply couldn't keep up with demands of the game and film world.
But even 21 year after that, the CD is still an ample thing for what it was designed for. 74-80 minutes of proper quality audio at a time.
So even if you prefer the convenience and low cost of streaming services (and I ABSOLUTELY DO) the Compact Disc still has a relevant role to play in my life.
My only New CD purchases in the past Decade have been Bad Religion and Daft Punk... Music so good it doesn't need to be changed or cancelled. I can't tell you how much used shit I buy (DVD's and CD's and vinyl) because I stopped keeping track.
As for Capcom. I don't even remember the last Capcom game I bought...
One of the dead risings probably? Still haven't played any after 2 which I had the stupidly big edition that had the dolly for a while before I sold it to fund my next lot of games.
I'd I could sell my Digital purchases or rentals to fund more I would.
Anyone want a digital copy of Dick Figures? Good thing I downloaded them all because my ownership of that no longer exists.