Analyst: 66% of console players still prefer physical games over digital

The majority of players still prefer physical games over digital on console, and Nielsen Games reports that the exact opposite is true for players on PC.

[BondJames]

physical you can sell

[darthv72]

I prefer physical but if the deal on digital is good... I will just buy that. You got to love those flash sales.

I think steam and xbl both offer refunds on digital games so it's one step closer to offering a digital marketplace for people to sell their license to a game.

[RememberThe357]

That's were I've found myself recently as well. I'll say that I prefer physical game disks but in reality I'm buying mostly digital.
I love the competition aspect of brick and mortar vs digital and Im not looking forward to when games cut out the retailers and publishers set up their own platforms.

[phoenixwing]

i prefer physical but youre right those flash sales make it easy to buy digital every now and then.

[brich233]

Digital you can game share

[Kumakai]

you can buy digital or physical.... that means they are selling no matter how you receive it.

[neutralgamer1992]

Bond

I like collecting more than selling. This Gen I have yet to buy a single game digitally

What I don't understand the hate on physical media is so unreal. If you like digital good for you enjoy it why are people trying to force their preference on everyone

Why can't both physical and digital exist?

Give gamers the option

[shinoff2183]

I believe they can coexist, I wish alot more indie games would get released physically, there are some really good ones this generation. It does help that some publishers are doing low print runs like limited run games

[Aceman18]

I know I do, i like having a collection of games.

[UCForce]

I prefer physical game all days.

[JeffGUNZ]

What about at night?

[Geobros]

I think I will never stop to buy physical games if I can have this opportunity. Digitally, I use only demo's for games I would like to buy or small indie games.

[XiNatsuDragnel]

Physical over digital

[annoyedgamer]

Physical is owned, digital is a permanent lease that can be revoked at any time.

[xander70769]

This 100%. I will always prefer physical. It will be a sad day if or when the industry moves forward with any digital and/or online-only model.

[raWfodog]

I've explained before that I'm about 90/10 physical over digital. There are a few games that I buy digital when everyone in the house wants to play it. This way, I can download the game onto both of my PS4's and two people can play the game at the same time, especially MP.

[akaFullMetal]

I go physical for most games unless I see a deal on psn for a game on sale for 10 or 15 bucks.

[Sayai jin]

Too each their own. I prefer digital mostly for the keepers and physical for the games that I'll play once.

[Derceto]

Brilliant logic really. You prefer the unstable format, with no guaranteed continuance for the "keepers", and the physical, guaranteed continuance format, for the games you'll play once.

I hope nobody is under your care.

[JeffGUNZ]

Oh stop, your comment is laughable. How many times has Sony or MS this generation just pulled your digital game? Companies stop supporting online games (pulling servers) for both digital and physical copies of games. I buy almost all digital solely on convenience of not having to deal with discs. I also enjoy having all my games on an external HD and I can just unplug it from my xbox, bring it to my friends or families house, plug in and play. The fear of some gamers is laughable. Still yet to see big console companies revoking a digital copy or revoking ownership of a digital game someone bought.

The only people I know who are all physical are people who resell their games when they are done with them for credit to new games. Also, the collector crowd keeps their games. To me, I have zero interest of keeping my PS1 Crash Bandicoot disc in the zero chance I would ever replay it years later. Yet, I respect those who do that because they are entitled to their opinion. Unfortunately, people like you come around and throw insults to others because they prefer a different way of doing things.

[Sayai jin]

Insults shows your level of maturity. Yes, for ga med that I'll play for months and years , I buy digital and it's very stable. As for games, that I'll play once I buy physical and donate them to youth programs.

Under my care? I'm fully retired at 43 years, living very comfortable, two businesses that I own, but don't deal with the day to day, former combat vet, 2 kids in college and 2 soon to follow, lovely wife, vette in the garage, and own all current consoles, 2 gaming rigs, mama arcade machine, movie theater, and many other toys...

My logic seems to be kind of working...LOL

[Sayai jin]

Jeff, yup, the convenience is nice. Same thoughts here.

[Youngindy21]

TBH, I buy both and it really depends on which version is cheaper. Maybe I'm lazy, but I do like how with digital copies you don't have to get up to swap discs if you want to play a new game. You also don't have to worry about your disc breaking or getting scratched. After playing on PC for a while, I've gotten used to that convenience. If we could sell digital copies/licenses then I would never buy Physical.

[Pancit_Canton]

Both for me.

- Collectors purpose (specially steelbook)
- Digital for PlayStation+ free games and Flash Sale

[Cmv38]

I'm lazy so I prefer digital, but fully support physical as well because I don't want a digital only future.

[_LarZen_]

After you get hundreds of games and movies floating around. You soon start to realize this cant continue. I've sold hundreds of console games. And now I'm thinking about doing the same with my movies. Why have a bunch of plastic standing around collecting dust...

[OpenGL]

I only do digital on pc because there's no choice. All physical on consoles.

[CaptainOmega]

I prefer physical... But I'll download digitally for indies.

[Relientk77]

Always physical

[psuedo]

Exact opposite on PC is only "true" because Steam has old PC games (digitally) that you cannot get anywhere else. Much less trying to get them to work on a new windows OS.

[Skuletor]

I prefer physical for console and digital for PC but I'll still occasionally buy digital for console and physical for PC, if I'm getting a good deal.

[Kumakai]

considering that 8 years ago digital sales were 0% and physical was 100%, I'd say that number is quite large and indicative of a trend toward digital. bigger picture, not simple majority - as in read between the lines.

[KwietStorm_BLM]

I would think the opposite was when higher on PC. I don't know the last time anyone I know bought anything physical.

[Derceto]

I wonder why. Maybe because physical actually retains some value? Tough nut to crack that one.

Plenty of morons in the world though, that get fleeced each and every day, making the digital "own nothing" market still have its supporters.

[feedthereaper]

There are three major factors in this.

1 - The ability to get better deals from physical copies compared to digital copies. Stores do price cuts to offload unselling stock but digital keeps prices high and as such are seen as less value.
2 - Downloading speeds in different areas. One country can download an 8Gb game in 5 minutes, another country is facing a 3+ hour download time for the same game. The console makers build worldwide consoles but the regions are not all equal and as such digital games are an easier solution than other regions where it can be a nightmare to download and if deleted, re-download a game.
3- Reselling is still a factor. Console manufacturers have tried often to find ways to make the reselling market difficult and to disrupt it, everything from one time only downloadable content, game passes and DRM, but all have to an extent failed. Once there becomes a stronger disrupter to the pre-owned sales (which developers want as $0 is made on each pre-owned sale), reselling will start to become a relic of the past like Blockbuster is, and more people will accept adopting digital content more as they have from TV/Movie streaming and Music downloading.

[King_Lothric]

Physical and digital must always be an option to the player. There are some who can go all digital and there are others who need the physical option.

Why it has to be one or the other and not both?

[kevnb]

that number will keep shrinking over time, but some people will always want some sort of physical product.

[xRacer74x]

Digital should be cheaper and those who want the premium for discs case should have to pay for more.

[Bobafret]

I hate getting up to change the disk. And yes I am lazy in that particular instance.

[gangsta_red]

I used to be all about physical. But now I only use physical when renting games from Gamefly. I seriously now prefer digital

[shinoff2183]

Physical media for gaming should stay around for a lot longer. That was the turnoff for me about xbox and still is. It's like they are trying their hardest to kill physical media. But why? Sony and recently Nintendo allow print runs as low as 1000 games, ms from what I read is 50,000 or 75,000 print runs. They literally are just trying to kill it. That's a big no no imo

[Sweetbrandigirl]

I perfer the physical game in my hand that way I can trade it, sell it,loan it out to a friend or just stare at it stacked in a tower of games like a invincible fortress waiting to be invaded.

[JBlaze226]

I prefer physical because if one day they pulled the game from the shop I still have the physical copy to continue playing it years after