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Modern Video Games / Re: What are your plans when everything goes digital only?
« on: January 22, 2024, 11:19:50 pm »I don't really think it's gonna happen, in the sense that there's absolutely zero physical games. So it becomes a niche market, but it's not the end.
The main reason I doubt this is going to happen is looking at the state of physical media right now when we do still have physical alternatives, at least for gaming. I can't remember where I read this, but it said that the majority of games sales are now digital which does not surprise me at all. Streaming has killed physical movies/TV and music, and before that digital distribution (iTunes, Pay-Per View). Best Buy is getting rid of all their physical movies as we speak, and the selection at places like Target and Best Buy is sparse at best. Look at these store's selection of blueray/dvd players too; there is a very small section of about 4 or 5 blueray players to choose from now. With something like a game console, a significant portion of RnD has to go into adding physical media capabilities, and that's not to mention the added costs of making sure distributors and manufacturers can produce the games for your console. I guess what I'm trying to say is, why would Sony or Microsoft even bother with the added hassle of making sure their new consoles can play physical media when there is less of a demand, while still requiring the additional expense of catering to a minority of customers?
I don't think the console makers are going to keep things physical for a niche group of people. And if there's no way of playing physical media, this takes companies like Limited Run out of the picture, unless they are somehow releasing games on older consoles that have the ability to play physical media still. I don't know, I hope you're right, but it just seems like we are going in a very clear direction that other forms of media have already gone over the past 10+ years.
There's a big market for DVD and Bluray collecting still, the casuals might have moved on from owning movies a long time ago but there's still the demand for physical, so every new movie, show, or anime is still getting physical releases to this day. The presence at a retail level goes away or diminishes and gives the impression that "it's dead", but it's products that you can still order online. There's a shocking amount of amateur musicians and bands, which you still buy physical CDs or Vinyl from directly from their merch store, or specialty sites. Anyone who has a real following, has physical media probably dropping right this minute. Relatively speaking, record players aren't exactly abundant at retail, but there's a market for them and they'll always make them.
It's rumored that the next iteration of PS5 / XBOX will not include a built-in disc drive, but have the capability to connect an external one, like modern day laptops or PCs without a disc drive. Really all it does is read and install from a disc, what developmental capabilities are they spending resources on to allow for that? It's a device that's functional through a USB. Isn't a PS5 built off of common, non-propitiatory architecture anyhow? I'm struggling to see how it's difficult for Sony to implement external drive reading compatibility like any other piece of hardware on the market, going forward. Doesn't seem like it would be, particularly if that's the way they do end up going later on with the PS5. With Microsoft, I kinda think Xbox might not even be a thing next generation. They clearly don't want to continue in the traditional sense. Nintendo doesn't know how to manage a online network, I don't see them going digital.
I dunno, every other form of media has survived the onslaught of digital to various degrees and I think games will in a way, as well. Not entirely, but there will be an option. It might even be something that's not even in the picture currently that comes about to pick up the slack. I struggle to see Sony or Nintendo going all digital, with no physical compatibility. I think the best thing to do, is rid the defeatist attitude that it's all over. Keep buying physical games, cake up that market and make it worthwhile for publishers to keep doing what they've always done. Unfortunately we can't rely on physical retail space anymore, but you can still buy online. If I didn't have such a retro fixation, I'd be picking up a lot more modern games.