Amazon game download store prepping for October UK launch
Amazon's preparing to launch the UK version of its digital game download service. The service already exists for US customers, and should be hitting our shores in October.
Amazon is planning to unleash its online game download store in the UK this October, MCV reports.
The store would let you purchase PC games and download them digitally, without having to go through all the hassle of having the darn things delivered to your house encased in cardboard.
The service has existed in the US since 2009, which in tech years equates roughly to the Bronze Age, so we're glad Amazon has finally seen fit to bring it to our green and pleasant land. According to MCV's sources, the service is currently in the testing phase, but is on track for a proper release this autumn.
Amazon is not the first to try to capitalise on digital downloads. Steam, from Half-Life developer Valve, is currently king of the market, with a brilliantly simple desktop client and regular special offers. But Amazon has the benefit of already being a household name people trust, so when it comes to grabbing new customers it could have a massive advantage.
Assuming the UK service is the same as the US version, when you browse to a game that can be downloaded, you'll have the option to buy it normally and have it posted to you, or to download it there and then. Tidy.
It looks as if the whole world is abandoning physical media. Not only did Apple remove the optical drive from its latest Mac mini, but it made Lion, the latest version of OS X, a download via the Mac App Store.
Are you all for the gleeful abandoning of rubbish physical objects? Or do you prefer to have a collection of games you can touch and feel? Let us know in the comments section, or on our Facebook wall.