DeepEnigma
Gold Member
Well, MS said that they only expect Game Pass to be 10-15% of their revenue. That is even less, but it's being pushed as the mainstay, innit?
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Do you agree with Microsoft that physical media will die this generation?
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NickFire
Member
I am slightly leaning towards NO, and that physical will continue for at least another generation.
On the one hand I'm guessing Sony would love to cut out brick and mortar cuts. On the other hand I think they would see an opportunity by keeping discs. 1) Makes part of audience very happy; and 2) can preserve relationships with retailers who still get foot traffic at holidays, and induce said retailers to give them premium shelf space.
On the one hand I'm guessing Sony would love to cut out brick and mortar cuts. On the other hand I think they would see an opportunity by keeping discs. 1) Makes part of audience very happy; and 2) can preserve relationships with retailers who still get foot traffic at holidays, and induce said retailers to give them premium shelf space.
EverydayBeast
ChatShitGPT Alpha 0.001
The key to digital to me overall is the design of the stores, if you give Xbox a functional store everything will be in place. PlayStation is good at digital distribution because of its store layout.
kingwingin
Member
It's only dying because they are killing it
March Climber
Gold Member
?
Game pass is just a blip on the radar. The real titan in this situation are online storefronts, like Steam.
DeepEnigma
Gold Member
Reread what I wrote.
supernova8
Banned
I only buy games digitally if I'm buying on PC or on console if the game is cheap enough to be an impulse purchase, ie at $10 or less. At $10 or less, I'm not bothered because resale I'm probably on getting $5 (or less) which is insignificant. Full price console games though, fuck that I will always buy physical if I have the opportunity because I want to be able to sell it and put the cash toward my next game.
I only bought a Series S on the assumption that I would never buy any games on top of my Game Pass subscription, which has worked fine for me. Absolutely wouldn't buy any fuckin games though unless they were like $5 and there was no chance said game would ever come to GP.
I only bought a Series S on the assumption that I would never buy any games on top of my Game Pass subscription, which has worked fine for me. Absolutely wouldn't buy any fuckin games though unless they were like $5 and there was no chance said game would ever come to GP.
March Climber
Gold Member
You're saying MS wants Gamepass to only represent 10-15% of their revenue (assuming this means 10-15% of overall Xbox revenue) but at the same time MS is pushing it as the mainstay in Xbox revenue(implying it will be much larger than 10-15%). Unless you want to help me fill in these statements with more context, it sounds contradictory. Otherwise you'll just know information I'm not aware of and I'll look like a fool to you, which I'm fine with if that's what you want
I'm saying GP, as of now, isn't the main reason why we are fast approaching a digital future, nor is it even the main reason of this thread discussion. It will be one day for sure.
supernova8
Banned
Would be interesting to see data for how many people are buying premium (ie full price $70) games digital versus how many are buying those same games as physical copies.
Would also be interesting to see a digital versus physical split along game price brackets. I would assume the digital ratio goes up as the price of the game goes down.
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DeepEnigma
Gold Member
No. MS went on record claiming that GP only represents that revenue % yet they push it to the forefront as the mainstay. Was just backing up that 28% physical is still an extremely important factor.You're saying MS wants Gamepass to only represent 10-15% of their revenue (assuming this means 10-15% of overall Xbox revenue) but at the same time MS is pushing it as the mainstay in Xbox revenue(implying it will be much larger than 10-15%). Unless you want to help me fill in these statements with more context, it sounds contradictory. Otherwise you'll just know information I'm not aware of and I'll look like a fool to you, which I'm fine with if that's what you want
I'm saying GP, as of now, isn't the main reason why we are fast approaching a digital future, nor is it even the main reason of this thread discussion. It will be one day for sure.
Fbh
Member
Maybe.
I could see them still offering physical options next gen but in a way that's annoying so they can respond to complains by saying they are still giving you the option of physical but it's done in a way that's unappealing and will soften the blow of everything eventually being 100% digital (like making the console digital by default but offering an overpriced optional disc drive like the rumoured Ps5 rework)
It's not only about having the whole game on the disc though.
Even if the physical disc just has 1mb of data and the entire game needs to be downloaded, physical is still allowing you to resell, trade, lend, borrow, gift games after you are done with them
And maybe more importantly, physical also gives you more options from where to buy games.
Right now:
FFXVI is $60 on Amazon, $70 on PSN
Hogwarts Legacy is $50 at Best Buy, $70 on PSN
Jedi Survivor, which is finally running at proper 60fps on consoles, is $50 at Best Buy, $60 at Amazon and $70 on PSN
Just to name a few.
In an all digital future PSN is your only option.
I could see them still offering physical options next gen but in a way that's annoying so they can respond to complains by saying they are still giving you the option of physical but it's done in a way that's unappealing and will soften the blow of everything eventually being 100% digital (like making the console digital by default but offering an overpriced optional disc drive like the rumoured Ps5 rework)
It's not only about having the whole game on the disc though.
Even if the physical disc just has 1mb of data and the entire game needs to be downloaded, physical is still allowing you to resell, trade, lend, borrow, gift games after you are done with them
And maybe more importantly, physical also gives you more options from where to buy games.
Right now:
FFXVI is $60 on Amazon, $70 on PSN
Hogwarts Legacy is $50 at Best Buy, $70 on PSN
Jedi Survivor, which is finally running at proper 60fps on consoles, is $50 at Best Buy, $60 at Amazon and $70 on PSN
Just to name a few.
In an all digital future PSN is your only option.
March Climber
Gold Member
They're doing this because they want it to be the main attraction. I would also hype up my product to be the next big thing if I wanted it to be a mainstay and grow larger than 15%.
DeepEnigma
Gold Member
Yes. I get that. 28% is still a massive portion in overall grand scheme of things, since without that 28%, there is a good chance it impacts the revenue drive of add-on content generators.
TrebleShot
Member
Steam doesn't sell on discs nor does Game Pass, IOS, android ,windows or epic games store.
It's gone already.
It's gone already.
Rocco Schiavone
Member
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March Climber
Gold Member
Presently, I don't disagree with your post. I also don't see this number being a constant in the future, which is what we're talking about.
DeepEnigma
Gold Member
No doubt it will shift, no doubt all companies would love to have digital only at the same and more revenue producing as physical combined, no doubt "you will own nothing and be happy" is the end game, but nobody leaves $15b on the table in current year, especially when it's also intertwined with extra spend in the ecosystem.
Rocco Schiavone
Member
I love It when people cry about physical media and talk about like nobody wants or needs physical media.
There's a reason why people buy Vinyl, CD's and even cassettes are having a revival.
There's enough money left on the table even in the future.
Lucie Goosey
Member
I don't know when it will, but it will at some point.
Maybe next gen.
People are getting older, new humans are being born, and they don't give a fuck about physical media.
Physical media also deteriorates and stops working eventually. I bet you Valve and Steam will still be around in 30 years.
Maybe next gen.
People are getting older, new humans are being born, and they don't give a fuck about physical media.
Physical media also deteriorates and stops working eventually. I bet you Valve and Steam will still be around in 30 years.
March Climber
Gold Member
Again I agree for the current period. Generations can last up to 7-10 years however. We don't know what 2027-2030 will look like in terms of physical. That's yet another decade of a younger generation growing up that's not caring about physical nor attached to it. Eventually they're going to move on when the number decreases enough and simply discard that extra revenue and at the same time discard the added cost of blu ray drives.
Someone who's paid to do the numbers will do the numbers and point out that it will be fine for them to move on
Relax, no one here is crying. We're conversing like two adults and I've been presenting data earlier in the thread to show the trend. At the end of the day it's up to the big 3 to decide what they want to do, but it's very obvious from a numbers perspective where things are going.
Also, the reason music works is because they didn't constantly switch formats nearly every generation. Music has reached a general peak in terms of what you can do with it in format. The case for gaming becomes much more difficult when the average person can't put their PS2 disc in their PS5 and just have it work. When they can't put their SNES cartridge into their Switch and just have it work. This type of volatile change every 6-8 years, along with the industry being treated like the toy industry when it first became popular, screwed over video games.
The main thing helping to preserve games right now are digital PC storefronts and people uploading copies of old games to digital avenues so that they can be preserved.
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Woopah
Member
Just looks that way from the bits of information we get from consoles games (PC is indeed very digital). In 2022 in France, we saw the sales of PS games like FIFA, God of War and Horizon favour retail over digital. More recently, FFXVI sold more physical copies at launch in Europe than digital ones.
In Japan we again have data pointing in that direction. Ghost of Tshushima had around a 40% digital ratio and Falcom said their digital ratio in Japan was around 15%.
Basically, retail is still very relevent in those markets.
As an aside, PS5 sales in Japan are some of the best of any PS device (console or hardheld) so they are definitely not shrinking (plus I was talking about PS5, Switch and Xbox in that comment).
ShadyAcshuns
Member
Well, the one good thing about all this is you can find tons of physical PS5 games for dirt cheap already. Physical fans had better start snatching them up while they can.
Rocco Schiavone
Member
Final Fantasy Rebirth says no.
What Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Being On Two Discs Really Means
FF7 Rebirth’s unusual format makes sense.
screenrant.com
The reason why Alan Wake 2 is digital only is not because of the size.
It's because they check how far they can go and they are happy that there's no used game Market for this game.
Del_X
Member
Final Fantasy Rebirth says no.
What Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Being On Two Discs Really Means
FF7 Rebirth’s unusual format makes sense.
The reason why Alan Wake 2 is digital only is not because of the size.
It's because they check how far they can go and they are happy that there's no used game Market for this game.
When every game has to ship on two or three discs and outside of games there's very little pressing going on you're going to see publishers re-evaluate. FFVII has nostalgia to play on.
Astral Dog
Member
Nintendo and Sony will still use physical media if they can
Gambit2483
Member
Nintendo is still keeping Physical very alive.
Microsoft is fighting to kill Physical as soon and fast as they can.
Sony meanwhile is stuck somewhere in the middle as their Physical sales are decent everywhere except their home market.
If Sony ends up doing a major push for all digital then that leaves Nintendo solely as the last line of Physical ownership of videogames.
Microsoft is fighting to kill Physical as soon and fast as they can.
Sony meanwhile is stuck somewhere in the middle as their Physical sales are decent everywhere except their home market.
If Sony ends up doing a major push for all digital then that leaves Nintendo solely as the last line of Physical ownership of videogames.
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LRKD
Member
No, but also yes. I think that physical is already 'dead'. In that Sony and Xbox can and would kill digital today. They surely have the sells for it and are confident the majority of consumers would switch. They're just worried about another Xbox One disaster if they do announce it. So instead they're slowly easing it in. Bringing the crab to a boil.
Introduce an optional digital version this gen, then maybe next gen part way through drop physical entirely. I think next gen will still have physical. But after that I'm not so sure. Xbox has been seeming to want to skip digital and go straight to cloud subscriptions. You will own nothing and be happy.
Introduce an optional digital version this gen, then maybe next gen part way through drop physical entirely. I think next gen will still have physical. But after that I'm not so sure. Xbox has been seeming to want to skip digital and go straight to cloud subscriptions. You will own nothing and be happy.
TGO
Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
Remember this includes all digital sales, not just digital versions of games
28% is a significant chunk of the market.
diffusionx
Gold Member
Sony will likely make PS6 digital only with an add-on drive for those who want/need physical. But the shift has been happening. PC has basically been digital only for 10-15 years at this point and nobody really cares.
Salty Popsicle
Banned
Physical media is on its deathbed right now and people are jumping down Microsoft's throat because they have the urn ready. The moment both Microsoft and Sony offered digital only/disc-less consoles in 2020, the end was nigh.
JackMcGunns
Member
Microsoft are getting such a drubbing today! I love it!
With Starfield and now this, so many true colors being revealed. Claims of persecution complex = gaslighting at this point.
Lupin25
Member
I knew all digital was coming at some point, because the new gen just don't care for physical media/collections and devs are putting less & less effort into premium physical editions.
Didn't think Microsoft would make the first move this soon, though. Definitely thought they'd wait until their next console. Seems like their plans might be accelerating after these last few years.
What a bombshell.
Didn't think Microsoft would make the first move this soon, though. Definitely thought they'd wait until their next console. Seems like their plans might be accelerating after these last few years.
What a bombshell.
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Highway Star
Member
I wonder how many who have current gen consoles with disc drives, use them for games or movies.
I only use mine for movies. All my games since PS3/360 era have been digital.
I only use mine for movies. All my games since PS3/360 era have been digital.
Topher
Identifies as young
Mine is only for games. Streaming rental movies is too easy and I certainly don't care about owning them.
ironically, of all the games I have purchased, the ones I still have from past gens are digital.
I still have pc games on STeam that I bought nearly 20 years ago. All the physical games I bought from that time period are gone. I sold them. Traded them in. Or lost them.
Since you really can't do that on Steam, I still have everything.
And the one past gen console I still own is the Wii U. And I still own it because I had a lot of digital games (most free from Nintendo) and couldn't bear to disappear them for nothing. (phrasing deliberate.)
edit: oh and I guess since I had PS+ for years I still have a lot of PS4 games if I restart my subscription afaik.
I still have pc games on STeam that I bought nearly 20 years ago. All the physical games I bought from that time period are gone. I sold them. Traded them in. Or lost them.
Since you really can't do that on Steam, I still have everything.
And the one past gen console I still own is the Wii U. And I still own it because I had a lot of digital games (most free from Nintendo) and couldn't bear to disappear them for nothing. (phrasing deliberate.)
edit: oh and I guess since I had PS+ for years I still have a lot of PS4 games if I restart my subscription afaik.
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I don't know if Nintendo is keeping physical alive. Their customers are merely a few years behind in the digital adoption trend curve. Their game revenue is ~50% digital today.
This year they introduced Game Vouchers which gives the customer any 2 digital games for $100 and undercuts typical retail (physical) pricing. This type of move can only help increase digital revenue. PLus they offer 10% back in points. And plenty of discounts on eshop cards out there.
So I would expect digital ownership to only grow for NIntendo customers. And I wouldn't doubt if Nintendo improves the sharing of digital games next gen. IT's a hassle to share digital games with your family on multiple switches and near impossible if your family has 3 Switches.
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Morrie’s wig shop
Banned
When your dead your ded lol
When you start to get older, material things start to go to the way side. If it was 1995 and I was 18 you bet your sweet ass I would be fighting against the digital future. But I'm 46 now and as the Dead Kennedys album say "Give me convenience or give death" lol maybe not that extreme.
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rofif
Banned
Whatever. I will never understand why people advocate to have their consumer rights taken away from them. Might just as well post a sign "CORPORATIONS INSERT YOUR DICK HERE"
Mirumi
Member
The problem with these "charts" is it isnt anywhere near the full picture. Let's talk "50% game revenue" for Nintendo. On the eSHOP, like PS and Xbox, are many digital exclusives including shovelware and the like. Have you visited the shops? There are 100s more games. They pump out almost 10 x the games on digital than physical. So saying "50% of their game revenue" is misleading when 90% of their games are Digital; that isn't a good comparison.
A GOOD comparison would be How many copies of Zelda were Physical vs Digital? And how did Digital grow over the course after Day 1? These specific metrics are far more important in determining their actual influence and state. This is info we won't know.
And this extends further to Playstation; they also have tons of shovelware and digital only games. How are their Physical Sales vs Digital? Regionally?
Xbox it makes sense that they barely have Physical sales; Gamepass is literally a system that discourages players to buy even digital copies. And with no Limited Run Games really supporting XBox, they have even less physical releases to begin with. Xbox has set that mentality for 2 gens now.
So, is Physical media dying this gen? No, I do not believe so. Will it continue dwindling? Sure. But our data we are using is very skewed and a poor representation of the situation.
LostDonkey
Member
I mean for me it died around 2014. I haven't bought a single game on disk since PS4/ONE
Morrie’s wig shop
Banned
If video games is the only thing you got going on in your life, then yeah I guess you would feel like your getting fucked over.