In which we wonder if digital is better

Within the last 5 years or so I've been switching a trend to using online services for games (such as Steam or PSN), music and movies (iTunes and Amazon.com) instead of purchasing physical items.  My main driver for this is longevity - I may not keep around the CD or DVDs, but I can always log into one of those services and re-download it at any time.  A nice secondary perk is "going green" and not wasting physical items that would end up going into landfill eventually.  In keeping with this trend, I've even re-bought games on Steam that I do not currently play (such as the Dawn of War series) or songs on iTunes just so I have them "in the cloud".

I've been trying to figure out if I should make a full switch, rather than still buying some physical games.  For example, I just received a pre-order of "Ys Memories of Celceta" on PS Vita, but I could have purchased the same item on the PSN store for the same price (well, in full honest, I bought the Silver Anniversary Edition since I'm a longtime Ys fan, but that doesn't back the point).  In some ways having something physical provides that "instant gratification" aspect, as I can pop in the disc at any time and play/listen/watch immediately.

But is it worth it?  Sadly, digital purchases match the physical purchase price, even though there's no packaging associated with a digital purchase.  This is likely a turn off to most consumers.  Maybe one day we'll see this change, and the trend will shift towards digital purchases.