Current Events > Are there any differences in performance between digital and physical games?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Nowadays is the difference negligible in terms of loading times and gameplay performance?

---

Aside from Switch, physical games will install to the hard drive of your console before playing anyway.

For Switch, there is some difference in loading times.

---

Wouldn't it be the opposite, since Switch utilizes cartridges which have less load time compared to discs?

---

saspa posted...

Wouldn't it be the opposite, since Switch utilizes cartridges which have less load time compared to discs?

I mean there are differences between loading from the cartridge, the SD card, or the internal hard drive.

PS4/Xbox install all games to the hard drive and load from there, regardless of format.

---

Interesting. So what purpose does the disc serve after installing?

---

saspa posted...

Interesting. So what purpose does the disc serve after installing?

Nothing, aside from making sure it's in there for you to play. It's basically physical DRM to prove you still own the game (and didn't just borrow from a friend to install it and give it back).

---

Oh wow. So it really makes no difference for say ps4 what version of game you get in that regard

---

Yeah. The real benefit is that the license isn't attached to your account, but the disc itself, allowing for others to use/borrow it.

---

I prefer to get disc but have come to realize a lot of my ps4 library is digital. I tend to get discs for the games I care about owning though, like FF 12 or tales of vesperia.

---