ESA proves Microsoft on correct path as physical game sales decline and gamers want best graphics.

Over the past 5 or so years, the gaming industry has changed dramatically, and while some factors remain the same like the types of games customers buy, there has been a substantial push towards digital purchases.

[Silly gameAr]

Here we go with the hype pieces.

[JasonKCK]

"The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) put out a report today which highlights the changes that took place over the past year in the United States and compares them to historical trends." http://essentialfacts.thees...

[NewMonday]

"gamers want best graphics"

gamers want games

[DarthZoolu]

They want both! Games and graphics.

[DARK_WOLF]

Yeh and xbox has loads of games.

If you think otherwise ur a muppet.

[Nu]

Don't be silly.

[Gazondaily]

Yeah because you would rather read doom and gloom articles instead right?

[Eiyuuou]

Ofc! Who doesn't enjoy some comedy?

[Patriot4Life]

The day that the price for digital games drops by say $15...that's the day digital will win.

Not sure why companies are still charging the same price as physical games when clearly the process for digital is much cheaper .

[ShaunCameron]

Bandwidth costs, server costs and (gasp) people who are willing to pay whatever they're charging.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Agreed this crap needs to stop what's so funny is even if there is a push for digital by some specific consumers exactly why does that also mean there is a push to try to get rid of physical? It's just the dumbest thing I've ever heard of basically people are begging for Less options? Lol

[TheKingKratos]

I wonder what kind of crappy gamer i am since i always buy discs and only cares about games ?

[Aceman18]

Only big budget games i have that's digital is mafia 3 and destiny, everything else is physical except what little indie games i have. Personally i love having physical copies for my collection.

[lellkay]

I think its safe to say gamers want the best games and graphics for their buck.

[rainslacker]

And they combine subs, DLC, MT, OC(steam/GOG), etc into digital sales to bolster the numbers that digital is somehow overtaking physical. While the ESA is reporting on gross revenue, you know people will use this as 100% proof that physical is basically dead because they don't take the time to look at how the numbers are derived.

[DeadSilence]

Microsoft has been on the right path but for different reasons, one is listening to Xbox fans and delivering great content like BC and good Live deals, also One S is a formidable console, they are lacking exclusives and hopefully they can get back on track.

Graphics don't sell Consoles or games, if they did nobody would play Counter Strike, League of Legends or Dota and guess what? Hundreds of millions do.

Also Wii sold insanely well without graphics.

[Legion21]

I would not call the live deals good. Most of the big name AAA games on sale could be found physically at lower prices. I think this is what really holds digital back. Use Doom for example, I have seen the physical game go on sale for $20 and $30. In this last spring sale on Xbox the game was $40. I'll take the $20 physical game over the more expensive digital game every time.

[jznrpg]

If you say they are on the right path but need to get back on track doesnt that make it sound like they went down the wrong road .

[Psychotica]

Graphics certainly sell games and consoles else nobody would have care about Consoles with 4K and PC gamers wouldn't spend hundreds of dollars on new video cards.

[Bigpappy]

Logical explanation. I am sure they can all agree with you if they pull their heads out of the sand. But they seem​contented in that position. Guess you should wait until after E3 to see if they feel safe enough to bring those heads up.

[TheKingKratos]

If consoles that do 4k is that important to gamers then why ps4 slim outsell pro by large amount and the vast ps4 userbase isn't upgrading to pro ?

I think the reason for this is ps4 gamers are getting the same graphics setting as the pro but at 1080p instead of upscaleing to/checkerborad 4k so no feel losing anything or left behind or forced to upgrade and Sony give me game after game after game is what i care about most

[Psychotica]

Because most people dont have 4k televisions, I am sure there is a price consideration as well

[XiNatsuDragnel]

Sigh Digital will never replaced Physical

[Thatguy-310]

Exactly. That article that popped up included smartphone apps and mobile games which make up a lot of the percentage. As far as console gaming goes digital is in no way close to eclipsing physical

[rainslacker]

i don't know why it's so hard to simply report what actual game sales are on consoles to actually have an accurate number. All these kinds of reports do is make people who want physical to die have some kind of ammo to act like most game sales are digital, when for any given game, the digital sales are in the 15-25% range, with certain kinds of games having higher digital percentages than others.

[Vasto]

It already has.

[Liqu1d]

Eventually it will, but we're still many years from that on console.

[EatCrow]

Of course not.
We would literally need to move to a non material world.

But digital will continue to grow. Like it has been for a long time now. With certain games they make up up to 30% of the sales. Sometimes sony releases digital and retail sales combined. Take that number and subtract the number from vgchartz which counts only retail and you get a good estimate of how many digital have sold. In some games its been pretty high.

With some games digital is also more accessible. How many times I've looked for a game in store and couldnt find it! Especially JRPG's.

[jznrpg]

I buy jrpgs asap especially the more niche ones because once the initial release is gone some games are hard to find, but most games you can find at a decent price.

[Scatpants]

I mainly buy digital. I like having all my games in one place also I can game share with a friend of mine so I don't have to buy all the games. Sure, I can't resell them, but I don't really care about that. The only time I buy physical is when I see a really good sale for a fairly recent game. Ordered Wildlands yesterday from Amazon for example.

[JasonKCK]

There are more digital gaming platforms than physical.

[Liqu1d]

Pretty sure there isn't.

[Legion21]

We've seen it in other media such as music and movies. We have also seen it within the game industry with PC games. I think it's only a matter of time

[Yohshida]

Guess you haven't played on PC yet. Physical is less than 1% of PC sales.

[OB1Biker]

I hope physical will always be an option. However that's not THEIR interest and they keep pushing for digital only. I m not feeling optimistic for the future.

[PhoenixUp]

Trying to screw over the used game market can never be considered the correct path. What part of this basic concept is so difficult to understand?

[Yohshida]

Steam started that and won the war against physical. Yes, you can still buy a PC game with 6 DVDs in it, just to use your code and make it useless. ITs just a matter of time.

[Bigpappy]

I bought 1 physical copy this gen. I started digital last gen. I am not pushing for the demise of physical, but Digital will win eventually. It is just way more cost effective and faster from a business perspective.

[UCForce]

There will be no balance if industry pushed way too much on digital.

[SideNote]

And the end of game stores. That will truly be a sad day.

[EatCrow]

@SideNote

What games store?
Gamestop??

[morganfell]

@SideNote,

It would appear the same people that want MS to be stronger because they think competition is good for the consumer - which actually is not always true - apparently believe it will be better if hardware manufacturers have no competition for game sales.

[SideNote]

I went all digital for xbox360 and xbox one. I regretted doing so when I traded my one in for a ps4, it's lost money with nothing to trade with. Now I am buying all physical games on ps4, and am actually playing them through too. There will always be the download only game which I'll have to get though..

[Yohshida]

Sure you did

[green]

I am 100% digital with xbox one this gen

[Whatever234]

Its people like u who will forever change the gaming industry and make the big 3 so happy.Companies love clueless customers.

[green]

@Whatever234. And it is people like you that I cant stand. People that feel they have the right to tell people how to spend their money. Who on earth are you to tell me how and on what I should spend my hard earned money on?

[Spenok]

Cost effective? I can get a physical copy of a game cheaper than a digital one 9.5 times out a ten. Up to and including on day 1!

[Scatpants]

I like to be able to play the games right at midnight without going anywhere. Can't do that with physical.

[akurtz]

you can actually get your physical copies at 9pm at most places.

[Scatpants]

It ranges between 11 and 2 in the morning depending what time zone it releases in in central time zone anyway.

[shinoff2183]

I just dont get why people prefer digital over physical. Sure I have a couple digital games but thats it. I like having all my games sitting on shelves and what not. Plus most of the time the physical game can be cheaper then the digital.

[Movefasta1993]

I still remember the first time my account got banned by sony,i was playing dark souls 1 solo and then boom i got signed off and recieved a message from them.I had no idea why they did,and i didn't care enough to call them as i jsut got the game and i always solo my first runs of souls games. luckily my copy of dark souls 1 was physical and i just made a new account right after i got banned and enjoyed online. I feel more secure with a physical disc. On pc i don't care,because i got no choice now,there's gog but that's still too small and doesn't recieve enough support from AAA like steam(and steam has stated that if they were to shutdown they'd allow their users to download their games and steam isn't closing down in my lifetime,i know that for sure).But there is a choice on consoles,and i'll pick the superior one.

[Liqu1d]

Assuming you have good internet and enough storage it's more convenient, you can also gameshare with friends or family. Price is and issue though.

[OB1Biker]

Games are expensive. I trade in the games I finished and often get day one games for half price. Even if I really want to keep a game I feel good having it in a box, able to delete it to make room and re install it in minutes for later replay.
I gave up trying to understand why people would go all digital filling their HD space and upgrading their HD, even whining games take too much space.
I do buy digital for small games or exceptionally some big game.

[shinoff2183]

I wanted to mention, after looking this chart is so stupid. I see it adds subscriptions, games, game add ons, mobile apps, and social network games. WTF for real when was the last time I could get snapchat on disc. Just seen the website mspoweruser.com go figure. If they want real numbers they need to go game physical, game digital and compare. They cleary cherry picked this graph.

[peewee11016]

LoL Gamers want better graphics but yet the only thing i see mircobots get hype for are 360 games lol

[Pancit_Canton]

Tone it down a little, You might trigger somebody. lol

[XXanderXX]

Digital buying preferred unless game comes with col statue or tons of content. Majority of the time all digital for me .

[Whatever234]

Another clueless customer.

[XXanderXX]

Am clues for buying things how I see fit or how I want .
Personally don't care for physical , so not to concerned if it desappeared.

[annoyedgamer]

publishers love digital...their profits soar and consumers lose.

[FunAndGun]

So true.

[JasonKCK]

How? Retail rips off both the customers and the games industry.

[ShaunCameron]

Yeah! How dare producers have control over their own merchandise and turn in a profit?

[jznrpg]

I will buy physical as much as I can, never have enough hard drive space, digital is worth nothing when you finish the game and I dont have to have my licenses authenticated online to play and physical has better pricing long term, why go digital

[Scatpants]

I'd like some actual exclusive games also. I already have a PC so I don't need another multiplat box.

[MetroidFREAK21]

High performance/framerate > graphics anyday

[omarja1405]

Looking at their current state, Microsoft has definitely been on the correct path. /s

[jznrpg]

ESA proves nothing about xbox

[mkis007]

Digital games need a $20 discount in order to phase out retail.

[jznrpg]

Their statistics are bent to fit their agenda. Mobile , apps and whatever have no physical option, I bet if they did just console games it would favor physical

[Vizigoth04]

Without even reading the article. The past 5 years physical software games sales have declined because Microsoft isn't selling games in general as well as they are last generation. That is fact. Now I'll read this article.

[fatbastard11]

"without the hassle of PC".....

it's sad how many people miss out on PC gaming because people like this author try making it look like it takes a rocket scientist to be a PC gamer.

[ShaunCameron]

Or could it be that they're just not that into what the PC has to offer for games?

[fatbastard11]

Well the PC has all the same games as what the Scorpio will have to offer and then some so if you don't like what PC has to offer then you REALLY won't like what Scorpio will be offering.

[TheOptimist]

Sad that gamers want better graphics.... Even though I own a PC and a PS4, there have been rarely a AAA game with good graphics I have enjoyed. I mean this year the best games for me are Nioh and Nier Automata..... Both not graphically demanding, but one has incredible combat depth (Matched by the developer's own Ninja Gaiden) and the other is a narrative masterpiece like nothing (Again only matched by the previous games in the franchise) before albeit with not as much gameplay depth it still has great gameplay.... And just waiting for Persona 5..... Graphics make a game good for the first 4 hours till it shows all tricks up it's sleeve, it's the gameplay depth that carries a game long into the future. There is a reason Half Life and Deus Ex are still as great as they were back in the early 2000s.

Don't mind them trying to close second hand market... Those who buy second hand are not giving a penny to the developer, so it's the pro developer right move.

[Nodoze]

Coming from someoone who was gaming when the 2600 Atari was cutting edge, you are 100% correct. It is sad how quickly modern day gamers are lured to the look of the game, only to discover how shallow and vacant it is. I wont name specific examples, but there are MANY. Graphics are great, but they do not a game make. Gameplay is core. Graphics is just the icing on the cake.

[yomfweeee]

Sorry, but I simply do not believe that Top 20 chart. Far Cry Primal outsold UC4? I know it is multi-plat, but there's no way.

[yomfweeee]

*Digital format sales include subscriptions, digital full games, digital add-on content, mobile apps, and social network games.

There's no denying that retail is shrinking year by year, but including all that garbage is kind of misleading. Specifically the mobile apps. What does that prove about consoles retail vs digital?

[Razzer]

Exactly what I was going to say. And the article then blatantly lies.

"The fact that only 26% of games are sold at retail in the United States, the biggest gaming market, is proof of that."

Bullshit. That is not what the report said at all. The graphic indicating that this was data from a MUCH larger model than just physical and digital console games.

But it is a MS fanboy site. Why am I not surprised?

[UKmilitia]

never be part of fully digital,unless the price of games drop considerbly .

last of us,uncharted,horzion are worthy of keeping forever,so many games released half assed and thats a huge reason why i wont buy digital

[Yohshida]

Physical is losing its share big time in the coming 5 years. PC basically already is fully Digital. The games you buy physical only have the BluRay in it and nothing else, not even a freaking manual. I just miss the old days when publishers gave you a freaking limited edition as the standard game in the Big Box PC games. Or the huge Manuals in the PS1 days. Now, they are lazy and im going more and more digital. Im already digital on PC for 10 Years, started on PS4 and only getting Limited Editions for XB1.The only Console im still Physical is Switch, because that freaking 32 gigs are a joke (and I don't have to install the games, so switching is pretty fast).

[Jayszen]

Well, I prefer physical media as do all my mates. Digital is fine for smaller indies and older games re-released on a new console but many of us prefer physicals discs because the download times for games in places like Wales and Scotland are abysmal. Unless you live in one of the major cities in the UK, or by some miracle have Virgin Media in your area, downloading any AAA game is a real chore. Even now, just an hour outside Glasgow, a friend of mine has the best download speed of 1mb and even that varies between lower speeds and that.

Satellite Broadband is not good enough for gaming but at least allows better speeds of up to 30mb and 6mb for downloads.

Sorry, but if the internet services in the UK do not improve and physical media is still done away with, many of us will simply forget about gaming or just enjoy it at a friend's on an occasional basis.

[JackTheLiz]

Ah, the ESA. The same lobby that said downloading abandonware constituted copyright infringement, and equates digital archiving to piracy. So of course they would say that gamers would want to go digital, screwing the customers out of more money from owning a physical item with value. Pretty sure the ESA doesn't give a damn about you, just their member corporations and their pockets.

[Nodoze]

If MS is on the right path, I will take an entirely different route. They have next to no exclusives, digital or not, and started the generation to MAJOR backlash based on their overly restrictive licensing. Now ALL Xbox hope is on Scorpio (which does not even have a price yet). Prepare for a reality check when this thing hits at north of 599. Just as with PS4 Pro, the audience is LIMITED, and this will NOT save the Xbox brand. If anything, the Scorpio is a swan song.

The data from ESA is so skewed it is not even really relevant to console gaming. The ESA included MOBILE GAMES. Anyone care to tell me how I can purchase physical software for a mobile device? If you follow the chart, and align it with mobile device sell through you would see they compliment one another.

This is simply a puff piece by MSpoweruser.

[Deeke]

I've seen lots of misleading types of articles on the ESA's data. The ESA's data isnt JUST for digital game sales: it combines ALL platforms--PC, consoles, mobile--and combines add-ons, microtransactions/DLC, social gaming purchases, and everything in between.

If you combine ALL those things, of course digital will smash physical.

[feraldrgn]

Nope.
Physical is here to stay, bog off with that digital only future rubbish.
Good luck with your snooping laws, poor digital rights & security flaws.
(Speaking in general, not Windows only).

[Einhander1971]

I'm obviously a muppet then tell me what these games are?