One of the benefits of digital games from the publisher’s side, at least in theory, is flexibility with pricing. With the cost of manufacturing and shipping physical games out of the way, it’s also a cheaper method of distribution. Considering consumers aren’t getting as much for their money — no box, no manual, no ability to sell or let someone borrow a game — it makes sense that digital games would be cheaper than their physical counterparts. That will be the case when shopping for Vita games in North America, though it would appear the discount we’ll be enjoying is not nearly as much as it should be.
Reports of Best Buy stores getting Vita demo units in have surfaced in recent days. One NeoGAF member got to spend some hands-on time with the system ahead of its launch on February 22 and photographed a screen showing pre-orders for the digital versions of certain Vita games. Presumably these digital games Best Buy is offering would come in a form similar to Patapon 2‘s retail version where you’re given a code to download the game from the PlayStation Store.
