Why Digital Only Consoles For The Future Are A Bad Idea

Digital-only consoles are becoming more popular, but I'm not ready to accept consoles that don't offer the option of a disc drive.

[MaximusPrime_]

People are entitled to their own opinion.

Digital-only is now a thing and still is. Nothing you can do to change it back. Accept it.

[shinoff2183]

You start people are entitled to their own opinion

Then you end with accept it. Wtf

Truth is there's room for both on the market and I feel there's enough of us that would just hang it up, it would put a dent in the industry. Look at some of the bigger titles changing their tune with Alan wake 2, baldurs gate 3, etc. Then you still have all your other publishers that are putting out some pretty dope indie games that deserve physical releases. Physical still has some life in it. If we're talking Xbox fine, that base does t give two fks. Ms got them convinced hook , line and sinker. The other bases not so much.

None of what I said is referring to pc, that's a different market. Just can't lump pc players with console players so easily.

[Knightofelemia]

If Alan Wake 2 at the time had a physical copy I would have grabbed it but they went all digital which turned around and bit them in the ass. Now they are getting ready to sell Alan Wake 2 as a physical also including Alan Wake 1 to mark up the price.

[Terry_B]

Because an opinion is an opinion..but a fact is a fact.

People can have their opinion about digital only..but in the end their opinion won't matter.

Digital only is a thing on PC since 10+years. The next consoles won't have physical for sure. I myself dislike that, but it will happen anyway.

[outsider1624]

@Terry
The next consoles having only digital only will be DoA. Let them try it.

[-Foxtrot]

This is such a shitty mindset, I'm so sick of it, it reeks of being so pretentious and up your own arse

An all digital future is being pushed onto us, that is a given but the only reason it's succeeding is because people like you exist with that mindset. It's like giving up without even trying to fight.

The people who champion this future on and make fun of those who prefer physical are just as bad, they want a future when publishers and companies are in charge of what we buy. If they want to remove a mission, they can, if they want to remove some songs when the music licence is up, they can, if they want to just get rid of the game within a few years for whatever reason, GUESS WHAT, they can because it's the point of an all digital future. Complete and total control and the kicker is there's no real benefit to digital games, they aren't cheaper despite the middle man being cut out, you're paying the same for less.

I just don't get people, the digital only gamers are so smug about all this, especially watching a format die out when people are enjoying it. It's like trying to hurry an awful bleak looking future along just because they don't buy physical games not knowing the damage that future will eventually do until eventually it starts to affect them and they start to complain, but by then its far too late.

[lodossrage]

The people that cheer for digital only are too short sighted to see what they're ACTUALLY cheering for.

They're promoting you, the customer having even less control over the content you "buy". And it's exactly like Foxtrot just said, they'll do what they want, when they want, how they want.

And then years down the line when it becomes the norm, the same people cheering it will be the ones crying about a company taking their games away, making them nonfunctional, removing dlc they paid for, etc.

[Jingsing]

The digital crowd will be the first to complain when their digital libraries get turned into cloud streaming. Yes they can do that and there is nothing they can say about it. Physical is the only thing stopping cloud gaming.

[Charlieboy333]

I see the same dumbasses cheering for an all digital future that praised the Activision aquisition....yeah that turned out great. Same retards with no brain power.

[MetroidFREAK21]

No. I will not accept it

[ChasterMies]

“Digital-only is now a thing and still is. Nothing you can do to change it back. Accept it.”

This isn’t a cancer diagnosis, it’s a licensing issue. If you want to preserve access to your games, you have to buy discs.

[Profchaos]

Not accepting it without a fight.

As an example I'm excited for star wars outlaws but I'm not buying it because it's a single player game that can't be played offline

[Hofstaderman]

This.

[PapaBop]

@Terry_B Well if we're talking about facts, my savings are in triple digits this year alone thanks to buying the disc based PS5 and buying physical media in comparison to PS store prices.

[Knightofelemia]

Why buy a digital console? Going physical you have a system that can play both a physical game and if you go to Walmart buy a 4k blu ray you have a 4k blu ray player. Plus I also like a sense of owner ship when I walk in and out of Gamestop with the game in my hand. And if the game is a steaming pile of shit I can trade it in towards another game. Plus physical will always be cheaper then the digital cousin. And if I want to really save money on a game I can buy it used. Can't do that with a digital game. The moment games go only digital is the day I just stick to retro.

[gold_drake]

its gonna be a sad day when the big 3 switch to digital only.

[Chocoburger]

Microsoft obviously wants to as soon as possible, Sony may in the distant future, but Nintendo won't in our lifetimes. They love physical media more than any other company on the planet. Nintendo is so staunchly ass backwards in so many ways, but this may be the only time I'm glad they refuse to 'get with the times'. So at least one first party will offer physical.

[Andy_Dee]

Why Digital Only Consoles For The Future Are A Bad Idea.

Not are. IS a bad idea!

[DodoDojo]

For us that enjoy physical its bad, but its not a bad idea for Sony and Microsoft. Around 70% (probably more for xbox) of Xbox and PlayStation games are being sold as digital. They'd have more control and save on shipping and manufacturing cost. We can kick and scream all we want, but its going to happen.

[jznrpg]

Saving on shipping and manufacturing costs doesn’t make up for a 1/3 of your revenues. Control is harder to evaluate but pleasing your customers has value also.

It doesn’t make sense as of now and I hope it never does. In the meantime I’ll keep collecting physical games and if it stops I’ll just play my collection I have enough games to last me a couple lifetimes

[CRASHBASHUK]

its going to happen you are seeing less games in shops and some even none
BUT i do think we need a digital trade in system when we do go all digital games some time in the future
it can also come down to points PlayStation and Nintendo has something not sure about xbox tbh and at the same time game uk are ending there point system

[CRASHBASHUK]

ok going to ask everyone
losing license/can't redownload vs disc rot/ game card dead

[staticall]

@CRASHBASHUK
Dunno about the customer protection laws in your country, but where i'm living, i can make one legal copy of the disc, manufacturer can't prevent it (otherwise, they'll go to court and lose the case) or make an ISO of it (on the condition that i will not redistribute it). So any built-in DRM must work with the copy.

So that disc rot concern doesn't bother me personally. And, from a personal experience, PS3 and PS4 discs don't rot often (i have around 250 physical games for PS3 and PS4). Because i'm in control of my discs, they're my responsibility, i can make a copy and fugget about it for the next 20+ years.

With license revoke, account ban, alteration to the game - other people are in control and it's their responsibility, there's nothing i can do about it. And they will do whatever they want whenever they want. So, to me, corporation control over my habbits is billion times worse than a «might happen once in a blue moon if you're not taking care of your stuff» situation.

In any case, you like digital only? Go ahead and enjoy it, no problems from me. But releasing digital only console generation? I'm out, i want to have alternatives, i like collecting discs, yet, people are defending corporations and making excuses for them, G-d knows why.

[CRASHBASHUK]

ok thank you for being open minded about both sides
just one more question to you or any one if a game has rotted and to replace it cost £/$//euro 100+ would you replace it?

[staticall]

@CRASHBASHUK
Depends on a game, if it's my favorite, like Deadly Premonition or Binary Domain, i might buy another copy. But they don't cost that much (usually around $10-12, sometimes even less), they're not that rare. Even games imported from Japan i have don't cost that much.

Personally, i check my disc collection every 3 months or so, no problems yet. And if something starts happening, i can make a copy, thanks to the customer protection law.

In any case, in my personal opinion, better to have an option to make a copy/buy extra one, than just have a «*poof* it's gone» situation, because publisher decided it's not worth it to keep the game on the storefront for whatever reason.

[Tankbusta40]

No thanks to digital only

[bunt-custardly]

What is really needed is a revamp of these digital stores and content ownership (perhaps enshrined in new laws). I heard ideas banded about in the past but don't think they ever materialized.

Basically:

Buy digital game/license whatever u wanna call it, but that person is able to trade that in somehow for discount against future purchases (obviously from the store that it was purchased from). That was one of the main draws (aside from owning the pretty cases) for physical copies. Play game, finish it, sell it for next purchase.

There are probably tons of flaws in this idea but better than nowt.

[gunnerforlife]

Literally only 2 things are stopping people moving to full digital only, 1. Full ownership of a game!! If I buy it, I expect that game to be mine fully! If I delete it, change consoles delete my account, make a new account, I want to be able to re download that game again!!

2. Like you mentioned, if I buy a game, get bored and want to make money of it, I want to be able to sell it online or sell it to another PS user who at a discounted price or sell it back to Sony if possible.

If they are able to sort those things out.. Then I don't see a problem with digital only consoles.

[Zenzuu]

Call me old school, but I still prefer and like my games on physical medium. So far, there's literally no benefits of Digital only for me. Not only are games more expensive, but I can't keep the copy, lend it to a friend or take it over their house to play and so on.

[BlaqMagiq1]

When that happen I'll happily become a retro gamer where I can still play my physical games.

[Chocoburger]

Don't delay, go back and play the classics today!

I've been increasing my focus on classic gaming since 2017. Flashcarts and ODEs are such a blessing, and there's new translations and game mods released every day!

[Terry_B]

Most old people being old..and living in the past. That's how most comments about the topic can be summarized.

[SimpleDad]

It's gonna be funny when PS5Pro goes all digital.

[ChasterMies]

My guess is it will be digital with the option to add the disc drive. Keeps the price down, makes people who use discs happy.

[QuantumMechanic]

It's simply amazing to me how helpless 'digital-only' peeps are when it comes to the con. "It's the future"; "You can't fight it"; "the savings will be passed down to the consumer". Yeah right. How weak and gullible are you? More distribution options benefit all of us. Being old must mean we are of generations that actually fight for our consumer rights rather than deferring to the whims and greed of tech (cult) "leaders".

[Terry_B]

..its the present and actually the past since a decade on pc.

Games are indeed tons cheaper. On PC always and on PSN, Xbox, Nintendo E Shops you get games a lot cheaper often.

Thats just the reality since years.

[QuantumMechanic]

You're making poor comparisons. The PC market is open and digital entitlements are limited rentals that do not even afford the same rights as do the purchases of physical products.

[PhillyDonJawn]

Imma always go the disk drive route

[blackblades]

Just give me an option like they did this gen. Disc version and digital version.

[SPEAKxTHExTRUTH]

I’m fine with all digital to be honest. Let’s be real here, most of you people holding on to physical media can’t even play a lot of those games without internet on disk because disk are becoming nothing more than an unlock code. I’m not one to take away options from people and I hope that physical never goes away for those who choose it. But pretty much ALL other physical media has gone away and that’s just a fact. It won’t be long before it happens to video games. Yeah yeah I don’t actually own my game blah blah blah, for me the convenience of digital far outweighs the negative. I buy one game and share it on two consoles anywhere in the country. Physical cant compete with that.

[anast]

PC gamers will spend thousands on digital rentals, it seems okay for them.

[gigoran8]

welcome to the conversation that us involved in game preservation have been having for almost 2 decades now.

[hiawa23]

Definitely heading to digital only in the future but keep up the good fight.

[CRASHBASHUK]

ok going to ask everyone
losing license vs disc rot

[8bitAssassin]

The other problem is, within the next 10 years or less. Gaming is going to take a massive hit in quality. Not only that. The old guard of game developers will most likely be winding down from all the amazing series made in the 80's & 90's. The greed and bankruptcy of original ideas will have collapsed upon itself. The gaming industry is oversaturated with inflated egos and selfish fans who want to self insert, because of fanboy hatred.

[sagapo]

I buy on disc as much as I can. Even if that disc only has an install code on it, just the principle of the thing.

[Demetrius]

Digital will never have the same impact as going to Gamestop or walmart and finding the last copy of a game you wanted. Lol I know it's cliche but I really like the smell of a gaming case when it opens revealing a small manual. It's just something special about that, then other gamers are like HELL YEAH dude!

[GotGame818]

Check out the Blu-ray section at Walmart. It's next to non-existent compared to 10 years ago. When was the last time you rented a movie on disk?

Those of you thinking games aren't going digital only are in denial.

[Hugodastrevas]

When gaming goes digital-only I go piracy-only. I'm not paying full price for a license publishers can take away 5 minutes after taking my cash.