Preserving digital games

[Nostalgic]

I usually buy physical games, but on occasion there isn't a physical release for a game that I pick up, or there isn't one specific to the system that I have.  For instance, there are physical floppy disks for the Apple ][ version of Nox Archaist; I bought the physical collection without the floppies because I don't have an Apple.  Another example is the GOG releases of the Ultima series, not just with the games, but digital versions of the manuals and hint books.

 

What is your preferred way to preserve these for play on current and future systems?  For a PC I could choose a flash drive, a micro SD card, or even an external hard drive.  Some of these could last longer than others.  Some could be easier to use on future computers than others.

 

[Tanooki]

Well for PC since that market dried up from physical I largely will go with GoG because you get independent downloads that work offline, and as such I keep those backed up on a 1TB portable drive with all my other stuff, but if they don't exist as a last option I use Steam.  Steam works at least because like GoG they keep the stuff working as OS's upgrade/change so it still works, and supposedly the agreement on there says if they ever folded they'd release the games from the loader DRM just to work too (and many already do if you check out those sites that show such things and where to find the files on your PC.)

 

One thing that ticked me off and stands out is what LRG just pulled for release today.  NES Gimmick.  But well, not.  INstead you have an expensive option and a more expensive option of a minimalist case/art and card/disc for Nintendo etc, or you can dump 10s of more dollars into a plushie and other bs.  Yet...why no NES cart?  It exists on one already in the PAL region and is rare as hell, was supposedly going to the NTSC market and that exists in some leaked proto too.  Yet, they're fine re-issuing other games on NES cart even that garbage port of Three Stooges is coming.  So since my choice is overpriced minimalist media or Steam, I'll get the Steam release -- F them.  Still largely considering buying a bootleg gimmick as a middle finger.

[Nostalgic]

My concern is that even if the vendor evaporates and does remove or deactivate any DRM, what will I do if the hardware the game is stored on fails? Or what will I do to install it on a future machine? I know even physical media isn't forever, but I'd like to have a backup in place that doesn't rely on cloud storage or the vendor staying in business. I figured dropping the files onto a card or flash drive or external HD should do - but is there a best option among these? (In the CD-ROM era, I would have just burned a CD.)

[Tanooki]

For me, it was investing in a portable drive, keeping a copy on that and on the used machine as well.  If one fails, there's a second.  And for now, that's on top of the locker at GoG with the installers or the way Steam just seeds it to its directories on the pc, much of it can even now be lifted and loaded as-is outside their DRM loader.