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[Midn1ght]

I know we've had several thread about this in the past but with today's leaks, it seems that the all digital future is coming rather sooner than later. Microsoft with their adorable digital mid gen refresh console, Sony with a supposedly separate/detachable disk drive for the Pro Model and who knows what Nintendo will come up with next.

Are you really going to ignore disk less consoles? Are you all in on digital and feeling more sexy than ever? Tell me how you really feel GAF.

"So cute"
- Phil Spencer

 

[Banjo64]

 

[SappYoda]

You will adorably not own anything

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

That marketing speak makes me puke. I'm not buying a console that doesn't have capabilities to read physical games media. That said, I'll probably go back to PC if/when this all digital future arrives to console.

 

[StueyDuck]

Just to be clear, adoration and being adorable doesn't necessarily mean being cute.

It's just how it's mostly visualized

But it is sure a unique way to describe a discless future, definitely felt like a right click, synonyms choice.

 

[GHG]

 

[Kupfer]

No "all digital" future for me.
I rather own the stuff I buy.

 

[poodaddy]

Been all digital for almost fifteen years now. Absolutely love it, couldn't dream of going back.

 

[tusharngf]

All digital with steam and gamepass PC.

 

[ChuckeRearmed]

I haven't touched physical game for years (aside maybe Nintendo BOTW and Taiko). It is just too convenient.

 

[consoul]

Adorable? No.

It does look like it should contain a bottle of scotch or some protein supplement though.

 

[Skyfox]

It's a bait and switch. Ownership doesn't matter until they pull the plug.

It is inevitable.

 

[mrBarrelNut]

I've been all digital since late Xbox 360 days. Last physical game I got (as a gift) was the GTA V for the 360.

 

[Rocco Schiavone]

If the consoles go digital only I'm switching to PC.

 

[RoboFu]

The longer you resist the longer digital doesn’t get better and the longer physical gets worse.

Assimilate.. assimilate… assimilate!!

 

[Bumblebeetuna]

Been all digital for almost fifteen years now. Absolutely love it, couldn't dream of going back.

but.. but.. you don’t own anything

 

[Kurotri]

All digital is coming. You cannot stop it. I cannot wait to be even more adorable than I already am.

 

[artsi]

I'm full digital already. I understand all the reasons why people are against it, but unfortunately it's only a matter of time.

 

[mrBarrelNut]

If the consoles go digital only I'm switching to PC.

PC has been been all digital for decade or more already?

 

[elegantgamer]

That marketing speak makes me puke. I'm not buying a console that doesn't have capabilities to read physical games media. That said, I'll probably go back to PC if/when this all digital future arrives to console.

aren't a majority of pc gamers all digital tho?

 

[GHG]

aren't a majority of pc gamers all digital tho?

Yes, but on PC you can at least make your own backups (and the internet is basically one huge backup machine) if you wish to.

From a preservation standpoint, digital only consoles are bottom of the barrel.

This is why cloud needs to be rejected outright - it represents zero opportunity for preservation.

 

[M0G]

When this shit hits full-time I'll be going back to my retro collection and buying those absolute must-haves through Steam sales. Simply can't justify spending the new normal prices for games, and receiving a license to a broken mess in return.

 

[Bernoulli]

I love it so adorable

 

[Punished Miku]

I started on Series S for Xbox this gen so I was already all digital. That's why I've been buying up every BC game that goes on sale for 2 years.

 

[Zuzu]

Trash, sappy marketing.

No, you want to force everyone into your walled-garden prison so you can gouge them with high digital prices and cut out the second hand market.

 

[Hudo]

Microsoft, Sony etc. can push their digital-only future all they want, reality is that at least in Germany, the infrastructure just isn't there. And it won't be for quite some time because our politicians are premium retards. And I am fairly certain that there are other countries as well where a digital-only model is not feasible.

 

[BennyBlanco]

I’ve been all digital for a decade plus. I will buy a few games here and there physically that I really like. But it’s different on consoles. When you completely control the walled garden and there is no other option it’s gonna be a bad time. If the only way to buy Steam games was directly through Steam I would buy way less games.

 

[Party McHardy]

Watch Nintendo will keep cartridges till the bitter end.

 

[VAVA Mk2]

PC has been doing it for years ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

 

[Midn1ght]

Yes, but on PC you can at least make your own backups (and the internet is basically one huge backup machine) if you wish to.

From a preservation standpoint, digital only consoles are bottom of the barrel.

This is why cloud needs to be rejected outright - it represents zero opportunity for preservation.

Also, you can buy digital keys everywhere online which encourages competition and lower prices, the PC digital market is not controlled by one entity. An all-digital closed ecosystem controlled by one company is just bad news.

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

aren't a majority of pc gamers all digital tho?

Well, it's either switching back to PC - where I have a choice from where to buy my games from - or just quit the hobby altogether.

 

[elegantgamer]

im all for physcial copies and i get the reasoning behind it. however to quit the hobby just because they're going all digital doesn't make sense. you're still going to buy the games.

 

[elegantgamer]

Yes, but on PC you can at least make your own backups (and the internet is basically one huge backup machine) if you wish to.

From a preservation standpoint, digital only consoles are bottom of the barrel.

This is why cloud needs to be rejected outright - it represents zero opportunity for preservation.

i hear you. but lets be honest. a majority are just buying games and playing them thats all.

 

[SmokedMeat]

A digital only console future is scary, but inevitable.

 

[FunkMiller]

PC has been doing it for years ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

PC isn't an entirely walled-off ecosystem, where products can be disappeared by whoever is in charge of the platform at the time...

Go look at what the movie studios are doing with some of their shows and movies that are only available as digital streams, and tell me everything is fine.

 

[SmokedMeat]

PC has been doing it for years ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

PC has numerous stores competing, offering different games, different sales, and different prices.

Consoles are a single store marketplace controlled by the hardware maker.

 

[Kupfer]

PC has been doing it for years ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

PC stores have competition, console stores don't (except for physical media)
I'm curious to see when the megacorporations will be ready to set prices as they see fit in their monopoly stores.
Without physical media, which retailers are still fighting over to somehow balance physical and digital prices, it will be much easier for corporations to charge high prices. And gamers seem to be sufficiently conditioned by now to approve of this practice as well.
And I'm curious to see whether the people who proudly claim to have been all digital for years will still see it that way when they get fucked by the corporations.

 

[Del_X]

I already play on PC and only buy switch games physical.

Wish I could say I care, but I don't.

 

[saintjules]

Did you really need to make another thread about an existing topic?

 

[Sethbacca]

I've bought more digital this gen than in previous gens, but I want the option of physical. I dunno if I'd be out in an all digital future, but I'd probably be questioning my purchases a lot more.

 

[Bry0]

Sure, on steam.

 

[Doctor Hades]

No. Certainly not one as envisaged by Microsoft who possibly the worst company out of them, Sony and Nintendo for games. All Microsoft want is to have complete monopoly over game sales and a bigger push for GamePass subscriptions. That's really all they care about which is why they have been so complacent with exclusive Xbox games for most of the past decade.

GamePass is okay, I guess, but games are added and then later removed all the time so this is not a guaranteed way to have access to all your favourite games. Also, digital games are removed due to licensing issues so the death of disc-based console games doesn't really bode well for the preservation of games in the future if consoles go all-digital. Not to mention the high prices you would be forced to play for new games only available from the Xbox Store.

On PC, I am happy with it being all digital because I have a choice of where to buy my games. I often buy third-party keys at substantial savings over the ones on Steam/Ubisoft/EA etc, sometimes as much as £25 (meaning I can buy the premium edition for the same price as the standard game in some cases) and that more than makes up for the lack of any resell value. The PC is also a better platform overall for games preservation and has by far the largest selection of games of any platform.

 

[Matt_Fox]

Where's the extra power? I'm find with adorable all digital, but if you're not also giving extra power then forget it, no buy!

 

[acm2000]

jesus christ, this isnt news, stop making threads

 

[Ev1L AuRoN]

All digital future, sure, if we always have the ability to run locally the code. A Xcloud like future, I hope it never happens.

 

[poodaddy]

but.. but.. you don’t own anything

 

[splattered]

To be honest and perfectly fine with the next consoles being totally digital as long as I can plug in at disk drive and still play some older games that I have

 

[kvltus lvlzvs]

I mostly game in steam, so nearly all digital. I don't like it, really, but it's where I am. Someday I would.like to get a massive hard drive, install my whole steam library to it, and apply no steam cracks to the individual games in case modern society collapses.

 

[makaveli60]

Go shove your adorably digital future up your ass MS and every company

 

[OmegaSupreme]

Cloud gaming is the future!