What are your plans when everything goes digital only?

[kypherion]

Either pirate or quit engaging in the "everything".

I can't actively condone illegal activity on a public forum, but I can advocate for actually owning the things you buy.

E.g., Louis Rossman has a video on Sony's content (video) licenses expiring and them yanking content out of our library that you paid for and planned to keep. Given that alone, I'm not trying to sink any more money into the PlayStation ecosystem. Sure, I'll collect the previous gen console when the new one comes out and get the exclusives, but I will never invest myself into an ecosystem that I know is going to decline in quality further than it already has.

Or how about that other time when Louis Rossman did a video on Netflix not providing the image quality they said they were.

Not only that, everything is quickly becoming a service, or it's "as a service". Sure, it was whatever when Netflix exploded during the seventh generation. Streaming from my house beat going down to the local blockbuster or Redbox literally around the corner.

The problem is now HBO, Disney (Hulu), NBC (Peacock) also want $10 a month. I'm sorry Peacock, but I'm not giving you $10/month to watch House M.D.

I could pay $40 a month for lesser quality and not own it or I could pay less than $10 a month for a VPN. Hard choice.

[kypherion]

I can't figure out how to delete this message so instead of wasting space with a quote I'll just put my edit to the statement above down below.

There's a saying going around that's something along the lines of "if buying isn't owning, than pirating isn't stealing". I can't say I outwardly agree with that, however it's certainly food for thought.

[Cartagia]

I already refuse to pay full price for something I have much less ownership rights over what I had with offline DRM physical games. Not more than 20€. Imho for a good 10 years the majority of physical copies are already made pointless because of online DRM. You get a dust collector with the same ownership right you have for the digital release.

This plays a huge factor for me.  I'm (generally) not going to pay full price for a digital only title, but if it gets dirt cheap I'll pick something up.

[ferraroso]

First things first: I've been hearing that "the video game's industry will go full digital in the next five years" for the past fifteen years or so...
That said, I just recently bought my first digital video game ever: Project Wingman on the PS5! I only bought it because I have absolutely no hopes of it ever being released physically, but I have to admit it's pretty convenient not having to deal with disc swaps whenever I feel like playing it. I don't consider it part of my collection and will never add a digital download to my catalogue here though...

I think that even if most of the industry goes mostly digital in the future, as long as companies sell consoles that take some sort of physical media, collectors will continue buying physical games.

In the end, physical games may become more and more of a niche in the years to come, but I don't see Sony and/or Nintendo dropping discs/cards/whatever in the near future. Let's see...

[wartoy]

Right now I never buy Digital except for a few exceptions. I really want the new Allen Wake game but refuse to get it digital. I suppose when everything switches over to digital I'll just play what I already have and save a lot of money lol.

[aliensstudios]

I've got enough games (as many do on this site) to last a lifetime. If things go completely digital, dedicated hardware might as well disappear also. We're really at the point of diminishing returns with gaming and entertainment as it is.

[sworddude]

In the end, physical games may become more and more of a niche in the years to come, but I don't see Sony and/or Nintendo dropping discs/cards/whatever in the near future. Let's see...

I can see it for Nintendo, but sony is kinda following xbox in terms of digital. + majority usually not on discs anymore with big titles and digital only consoles.

Nintendo doesn't come close to most of that. ps5 might just be the last gen for physical sony.

[wowgek7]

the switch is my final system and thats for an reason they can stuff their digital future where the sun doesnt shine I am out

[dhaabi]

I've begun thinking that an all-digital future won't happen. At least, not until worldwide internet infrastructure becomes more widely available with higher quality.

I'm realizing I never actually answered the question, so I'll do that. If physical game items stopped being manufactured, it's not as if I would stop playing games, whether that be ones already released or upcoming ones. There are only a few franchises I actually care about which would be upsetting to not physically collect for, but the lack of physicality overall would be fine. Like many have said, I'd be inclined to purchase a digital-only game at a reduced price, but I'm already doing that for modern physical games. Right now, any game I purchase new is because it's being published as a limited or online-exclusive product, which I seldom collect for, anyway.

I think one aspect people tend to overlook is the sheer amount of indie games only released for PC at a marginal price or even free. For many of these games, in my opinion, their quality outperforms games published by major studios, although that's an effect caused by publishers rushing developers to meet deadlines. I'd be playing more indie games, for sure.

[gf78]

As each manufacturer goes digital only whether game-by-game or the entire console being digital-only,  they are saving me money. As a collector, I buy many games and related merchandise. I'm old fashioned and want that tangible item. I've seen too many times how movies, shows, games, etc. get removed where you can no longer access them. Yeah, my copy of Overwatch may be defunct now and essentially a coaster, but I still have that book, statue, etc. that it came with.

Microsoft is pulling the trigger mid-gen it seems with the updated Series X releasing later this year sans disc drive. Their intentions are clear, especially given that they've had retailers pulling Starfield from stores (but not the DLC in the Steelbook), announced Senua's Saga as digital-only and being mum whether Indiana Jones will have a physical version. I'll keep Gamepass to play the few games I want such as future Halo games, but other than that they can kiss my hairy ass.

The same will apply for Sony and Nintendo if/when they follow. I really wanted to play Baldur's Gate III, but refused to pay $60 for a digital fart. Same for Alan Wake 2. Since BGIII has a physical edition finally coming, I ordered it. If Alan Wake 2 gets an eventual physical release,  I'll buy it then and only then.

[dhaabi]

Microsoft is pulling the trigger mid-gen it seems with the updated Series X releasing later this year sans disc drive. Their intentions are clear, especially given that they've had retailers pulling Starfield from stores (but not the DLC in the Steelbook), announced Senua's Saga as digital-only and being mum whether Indiana Jones will have a physical version.

At its core, the main difference between a Series X and Series S is the disc drive's presence. That the upcoming redesigned Series X is being reported to still be $200 more expensive than the Series S is laughable.

The only positive to this mid-gen downgrade is that curating the database's Xbox Series X sections will be much easier. Its library was already small, even.

[weirdfeline]

https://www.purexbox.com/news/2024/01/xboxs-physical-games-departments-reportedly-affected-by-microsoft-layoffs

[dhaabi]

I do want to address the issue of many modern physical games, particularly on the PS5 and Series X/S, being little more than beefed up CD keys. I say this because the discs are definitely more than CD keys, however without downloading the rest of the game which 90% of them require, the game will either not work at all or be in an unplayable state. I've seen this with various PS4 games as well, although it is less egregious than on consoles from the current gen. What this essentially means is the longevity of collecting for the PS5, Series X/S, and even PS4 and XBONE is severely in question.

I was reminded of the site DoesItPlay?, which I'm sure you'll find interesting. The site is vastly far away from making any noteworthy dent in the grand scheme of things, but it should provide a general overview of how many games actually are fully playable without an internet connection.

[ferraroso]

I can see it for Nintendo, but sony is kinda following xbox in terms of digital. + majority usually not on discs anymore with big titles and digital only consoles.
Nintendo doesn't come close to most of that. ps5 might just be the last gen for physical sony.

Good grief... If your prediction is correct, it means I will end up turning from a Nintendo hater to a Nintendo fanboy.

[weirdfeline]

I do want to address the issue of many modern physical games, particularly on the PS5 and Series X/S, being little more than beefed up CD keys. I say this because the discs are definitely more than CD keys, however without downloading the rest of the game which 90% of them require, the game will either not work at all or be in an unplayable state. I've seen this with various PS4 games as well, although it is less egregious than on consoles from the current gen. What this essentially means is the longevity of collecting for the PS5, Series X/S, and even PS4 and XBONE is severely in question.

I was reminded of the site DoesItPlay?, which I'm sure you'll find interesting. The site is vastly far away from making any noteworthy dent in the grand scheme of things, but it should provide a general overview of how many games actually are fully playable without an internet connection.

Trying to check out this site but the filters are just not working for me at all.