Poll of the Day > Do you think next console generation will be the first all-digital consoles?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Of course not. Physical isn't going away.

Articles about physical games sold vs. digital:

https://mynintendonews.com/2022/12/27/72-of-console-games-sold-in-2022-were-digital-vs-28-physical/
https://www.gamebyte.com/90-of-video-game-sales-in-2022-were-digital/
https://assetsio.reedpopcdn.com/GI22_Infographic_YIN_dev1C.jpg

I think the biggest indicator that it might be going away is revenue. All physical games sold in 2022 accounted for a little over 10 billion in revenue, vs over 170 billion for digital.

It's not impossible. Assuming Nintendo's next system is roughly a year out, I don't think now would be a good time for them to take that step, since there's quite a bit of resentment around shutting down servers for the WiiU/3DS next ~April (and therefore locking people out of being able to download digital content they've already purchased) and a digital-only system would suffer for that, but it really is mostly a few hold-outs that insist on continuing to buy physical media, and publishers would much rather digital.

No. I dont think so But I also hope not, as well

Dikitain posted...

Seems like physical games are becoming less and less appealing, what with day one patches making them essentially an incomplete game that requires an additional download before you can even do anything with them. So, will the PS6/Switch2/Xbox Omega Delta Up Your Butt and Around the Corner Edition be digital only?

Depends on the game As long as the game works when I first get it or play it, Im good Even if it needs a day one patch

Dikitain posted...

Articles about physical games sold vs. digital:

https://mynintendonews.com/2022/12/27/72-of-console-games-sold-in-2022-were-digital-vs-28-physical/
https://www.gamebyte.com/90-of-video-game-sales-in-2022-were-digital/
https://assetsio.reedpopcdn.com/GI22_Infographic_YIN_dev1C.jpg

I think the biggest indicator that it might be going away is revenue. All physical games sold in 2022 accounted for a little over 10 billion in revenue, vs over 170 billion for digital.

Im not sure this definitely means that much. Like one of the articles said, it includes mobile Also, I think a lot of the games might nothave physical copies Like smaller indie games, for example Or ones they dont want to make copies for. Like when they made Ace Attorney Dual Destinies and Spirit of Justice download only In those cases, it wasnt like people didnt want physical copies, but couldnt get them Which is why those were games that jumped to the top downloaded games on that system for a little while

People also probably wouldnt like it due to what adjl said, as well Impossible to redownload with servers off So, when the servers are down, hopefully you have all the games you want to play downloaded And sharing would probably be off limits, as well Sharing a game is easy, but you cant share the memory card, IIRC Nintendo erases the card if you want to use it on a different system I believe that happened with the 3DS, as well

adjl posted...

publishers would much rather digital.

Itd probably be cheaper for them, I would think

I hope so

That said, going the same route they did with these consoles would be acceptable Where they made two systems. One have a physical disc slot, and the other is digital only That could work

My main issue is the memory, though I need more I dont want to have to keep redownloading stuff all the time And downloading takes time

I hope not. If anything go back to all physical. And bring back the little booklets that smelled weirdly good!!!

I think it will be the one after the next gen. I feel like Sony will keep physical at the very least for one more Gen. Same with Nintendo.

All three will need to increase internal storage though.

No. Sony and Microsoft will just sell the disk drives separately for those who want it. Kinda like what Sony at least is doing with the PS5 slim. As for Nintendo? Having a all digital handheld hasn't gone well in the past so I don't expect Nintendo to take that risk.

Dikitain posted...

Seems like physical games are becoming less and less appealing, what with day one patches making them essentially an incomplete game that requires an additional download before you can even do anything with them.

Downloading a patch takes less longer than downloading a full game plus patches so disk is still better for me as my internet is terrible.

BADoglick posted...

I hope not. If anything go back to all physical. And bring back the little booklets that smelled weirdly good!!!

I still love the smell of a brand new game case opened.

Ogurisama posted...

All three will need to increase internal storage though.

This is very true If they want to go all digital, we need to be able to hold more than a few games at a time Especially if they want to eventually take away our ability to download games after a while

wwinterj25 posted...

Downloading a patch takes less longer than downloading a full game plus patches so disk is still better for me as my internet is terrible.

Yeah When I had to redownload a bunch of Nintendo games when I switched consoles, it was awful I think they know that, which is why games offer the early download option. Download them early, then check the internet to see if its available to play

BADoglick posted...

If anything go back to all physical.

There's absolutely zero chance of that ever happening. Even beyond publishers preferring digital because it costs them less (while they charge the same amount), there are many, many games that would never have been published if they couldn't be published digitally, particularly in the indie sphere where distribution costs frequently make enough of a difference to dictate whether or not a game is viable. Digital has its drawbacks, absolutely, but it also has some very significant benefits that I don't think should ever go away.

LinkPizza posted...

Im not sure this definitely means that much. Like one of the articles said, it includes mobile

The 72/28 split is specific to consoles, but that's the revenue split, and a huge portion of console revenue has come from games like Fortnite that - by virtue of being F2P online games - aren't going to get a physical release (ignoring that Fortnite did have a physical release before PUBG's success prompted them to pivot into being a F2P battle royale). I'm not sure how sales themselves break down, though I have little difficulty believing that digital is dominating direct sales revenue as well. The convenience factor plays a non-trivial role in purchasing decisions, particularly when it comes to sales and impulse buys (physical games are inherently more effort to find sales for and buy, so there's more opportunity for a prospective customer to change their mind).

adjl posted...

There's absolutely zero chance of that ever happening. Even beyond publishers preferring digital because it costs them less (while they charge the same amount), there are many, many games that would never have been published if they couldn't be published digitally, particularly in the indie sphere where distribution costs frequently make enough of a difference to dictate whether or not a game is viable. Digital has its drawbacks, absolutely, but it also has some very significant benefits that I don't think should ever go away.

It also gives them more power and control As of right now, sharing physical and easier and better than sharing digital in most cases All digital gets rid of physical sharing, trading with friends/family, and trading games in And refunds, in most cases Its also means harder to buy kids video games. I remember loving the surprise of video games for Christmas and Birthdays. Though, its basically giving them a card with money multiple times, except for the odd game with its own card like TotK But thats more a personal thing, so

adjl posted...

The 72/28 split is specific to consoles, but that's the revenue split, and a huge portion of console revenue has come from games like Fortnite that - by virtue of being F2P online games - aren't going to get a physical release (ignoring that Fortnite did have a physical release before PUBG's success prompted them to pivot into being a F2P battle royale). I'm not sure how sales themselves break down, though I have little difficulty believing that digital is dominating direct sales revenue as well. The convenience factor plays a non-trivial role in purchasing decisions, particularly when it comes to sales and impulse buys (physical games are inherently more effort to find sales for and buy, so there's more opportunity for a prospective customer to change their mind).

I think %off sales are about even Though, in stores, I usually see the buy 2 get 1 free sales or the buy 1 get one half off sales often enough But yeah. While I do know digital has a lot, I do think many might have come from games that just dont have physical. Not all, of course Like you said, it is convenient Not to ma toon the push for it Many games are giving away digital only gifts these days. Like Fire Emblem Hope giving out an Owl that can only come with a digital purchase that gives owl feathers, which is a loved gift for everyone Or how Raincode gave some sort of booklet or something with the digital only purchase, and cant be bought separately So, they are pushing, and asking game devs to help push

LinkPizza posted...

Though, in stores, I usually see the buy 2 get 1 free sales or the buy 1 get one half off sales often enough

Those are functionally 33% off and 25% off, respectively, just with the prerequisite of buying a certain number to take advantage of the sales. Sales like that are less common digitally (though I have seen a few cases where you choose how many games you want in a bundle and that dictates how much of a discount you get, which is conceptually similar), but equivalent discounts happen often enough. I expect that sales like that are more common in physical stores because they help cycle inventory, particularly getting people to buy games other than the one(s) they were planning to get so less popular stuff gets taken off the shelves.

I don't think so but it's not impossible.

Even this generation has shifted my purchasing habits. I was very diehard about physical media, and still buy the majority this way. Still, digital is very convenient and I appreciate that.

I really hope not. I'm a collector and I don't want to be at the mercy of the console e-shops going offline; part of the reason I didn't shop on Steam for like six years after it came out. I also despise old media being altered for stupid reasons years after the fact, like removing music.

adjl posted...

Those are functionally 33% off and 25% off, respectively, just with the prerequisite of buying a certain number to take advantage of the sales. Sales like that are less common digitally (though I have seen a few cases where you choose how many games you want in a bundle and that dictates how much of a discount you get, which is conceptually similar), but equivalent discounts happen often enough. I expect that sales like that are more common in physical stores because they help cycle inventory, particularly getting people to buy games other than the one(s) they were planning to get so less popular stuff gets taken off the shelves.

It would have to be all games have the 33% or 25% off in the group to match, though Where with the buy 2 get 1 free sales or the buy 1 get one half off, its any game on the sale list Which is usually all, but not always I seen some of the bundle ones, though not many And I dont mind if stores use it to get rid of inventory, as it helps me out immensely

Nintendo can apparently never move away from physical, because as soon as they shut down their servers after 12 years you just lose your games.

As standard equipment; sure - it wouldnt surprise me much. But I think the physical medium would still be available as optional/third-party equipment for a long time to come.

Nope. Physical isn't going away. Regardless of how much newer consumers demand to be permanently screwed over by game companies.

Lil_Bit83 posted...

Physical isn't going away.

I'll be very surprised if it doesn't. There will always be demand for it, and as such I expect there will always end up being something satisfying that demand, but it's very likely that major console manufacturers will go all-digital eventually, given the potential for cost cutting and increased control over how consumers use their games (particularly cutting out the resale option). It's not likely to be next generation, though. That'd just be too much of a PR disaster right now.

Imo there's almost absolutely going to be at least one digital-only option for one of the consoles that's significantly cheaper- and if they're smart, some kind of price matching system to match cheaper physical sales to go along with it. They still need to ease us into digital-only, but we're past due for the first steps to start happening.

agesboy posted...

Imo there's almost absolutely going to be at least one digital-only option for one of the consoles that's significantly cheaper

Isn't that already true for the PS5/Xbox whateverit'scallednow? Maybe not "significantly cheaper," but I believe there are digital-only options for them.

adjl posted...

Isn't that already true for the PS5/Xbox whateverit'scallednow? Maybe not "significantly cheaper," but I believe there are digital-only options for them.

AFAIK, they are a good amount cheaper I think doing this would be the best since it allows everyone to still get what they want. And while it doesnt give the companies complete control of the games, and doesnt completely cut the cost associated with physical games, it should cut cost a little bit

LinkPizza posted...

I think doing this would be the best since it allows everyone to still get what they want.

The thing is, "best" for consumers isn't necessarily what manufacturers/publishers are interested in. The fact of the matter is that the vast majority of people who still buy most/all of their games physically wouldn't actually stop buying games if they went digital-only, no matter how ardently they protest against going digital-only. At this moment, ditching physical media entirely would piss off enough people that it's uncertain whether it would actually be more profitable in the long run, but there will come a point in the not-too-distant future where that's no longer a question.

Of course, the biggest thing that I think is holding them back is that nobody wants to be the first to do it, simply because all of those physical holdouts will jump ship to competitors instead of just putting up with a digital-only system. To that end, I won't actually be surprised if Nintendo's the first one to do it, given that they have such a robust exclusive library that people won't be able to get the same experience by buying a physical-ready alternative. But then Nintendo's generally been behind the curve as far as sketchy corporate shenanigans go, so who knows?

adjl posted...

The fact of the matter is that the vast majority of people who still buy most/all of their games physically wouldn't actually stop buying games if they went digital-only, no matter how ardently they protest against going digital-only.

While I wouldnt stop completely, Id definitely slow way down Probably buying 5%-10% of what I buy these days Cant say how others feel, though But if other do the same, it could end up hurting them

adjl posted...

To that end, I won't actually be surprised if Nintendo's the first one to do it, given that they have such a robust exclusive library that people won't be able to get the same experience by buying a physical-ready alternative. But then Nintendo's generally been behind the curve as far as sketchy corporate shenanigans go, so who knows?

Its probably wont be Nintendo The other two are already halfway there It would probably be Microsoft first, then Sony, then Nintendo Assuming they all did it

No of course not lol. At most youll get digital only versions but theres enough demand for physical copies/collectors editions that theres always going to be a need for them.

The generation after that will kaotnlikely be though.

PK_Spam posted...

collectors editions

I hear quite a lot of those just give a digital code now that's if you even get the game included at all.

wwinterj25 posted...

I hear quite a lot of those just give a digital code now that's if you even get the game included at all.

Yeah. The ones that do that suck Sometimes, you can find only beforehand, though That way, you can avoid them

LinkPizza posted...

While I wouldnt stop completely, Id definitely slow way down Probably buying 5%-10% of what I buy these days

Honestly, I doubt that. I don't doubt that you believe it, but bear in mind that you're actually saying that you'd cut down on your gaming by 90-95% long-term (short-term, it's believable, because backlogs). That means instead of spending an average 5-10 hours a week playing, you'd be spending 20-40 minutes. You can sub in whatever numbers more accurately describe your habits than me making some up, but whatever the actual figures it's a very substantial lifestyle change you're proposing that would take gaming from being a major hobby to a very minor one. You have touched on one thing that would change, which is impulsively buying something you weren't planning on getting to bundle with something you were specifically looking for in a BOGO sale (or the like), but even without that I expect you'd keep buying games digitally and just put up with having to plan your downloads ahead of when you want to play.

LinkPizza posted...

The other two are already halfway there It would probably be Microsoft first, then Sony

If Nintendo doesn't blaze the trail for them (in which case, they'll both follow suit), I expect it'll be whichever one is in the lead at the time the decision is made. They both have a history of getting cocky when they're winning: The PS3's exorbitant price point and esoteric architecture after the PS2's success, the aggressive always-online DRM of the Xbone (which they walked back after the disastrous first impression, but they never fully recovered), Sony rejecting cross-play opportunities now that they're in the lead (flipping things around from the PSWii60 era when Sony liked cross-play and Microsoft turned it down)... It's going to be an unpopular decision regardless of who makes it or when, so it's most likely going to be somebody that's in a strong enough position to feel confident that they can't lose.

With that in mind, Sony's winning now (not counting Nintendo, but Nintendo's mostly doing their own thing), but they're a little nervous with Microsoft buying up so many major third party studios, so I doubt they'll take any major strides like that any time soon. Microsoft's losing, so I doubt they'll take the plunge and risk burning whatever good will any new exclusivity deals can cultivate. As such, it'll be a while before either of them tries it.

If they're not going to include manuals and shit then I don't really give a fuck anymore

adjl posted...

Honestly, I doubt that. I don't doubt that you believe it, but bear in mind that you're actually saying that you'd cut down on your gaming by 90-95% long-term (short-term, it's believable, because backlogs). That means instead of spending an average 5-10 hours a week playing, you'd be spending 20-40 minutes. You can sub in whatever numbers more accurately describe your habits than me making some up, but whatever the actual figures it's a very substantial lifestyle change you're proposing that would take gaming from being a major hobby to a very minor one. You have touched on one thing that would change, which is impulsively buying something you weren't planning on getting to bundle with something you were specifically looking for in a BOGO sale (or the like), but even without that I expect you'd keep buying games digitally and just put up with having to plan your downloads ahead of when you want to play.

I mean, it wouldnt be the first time Ive avoided games due to space Or just plain avoided them If I dont have space to download games, I wouldnt pay money to not have the game So, Id wait for very specific games to come out before buying them Therefore cutting my games purchases It would be for that system that went digital, though If the other companies didnt go digitalis, then I just stick with them Even for something like my 3DS, I barely had any digital games Only buying the two Phoenix Wright games digital. I also had ALBW digital, but not because I wanted it. They just happened to trick my into it when I bought the special 3DS Had I known, I would have saved up money, bought the physical games, as well And sent the digital to my little brother But I pretty much stopped digital purchases unless there was no other way for me to obtain it I stopped for my switch recently, too So I have mostly physical But if everything was digital, then I wouldnt have room for everything Therefore, Id save room for very specific games instead Like for Nintendo, its probably just be Zelda, sequels Raincode (or Danganronpa like/inspired games), sequels/spin-offs to Cadence of Hyrule, Phoenix Wrights games, And maybe Rogue Legacy 3 or higher games Hades sequels would depend on how Hades 3 is For the other systems, there are a few series I like, but it would really depend As for backlog, it is a decent size that I have not worked on much And have actually ended up trying to work on, only to be taken out again by another game Also, I said Id cut down on buying games Not playing them I can still play the same amount I just wouldnt buy as much All it does is save more money, if anything

adjl posted...

If Nintendo doesn't blaze the trail for them (in which case, they'll both follow suit), I expect it'll be whichever one is in the lead at the time the decision is made. They both have a history of getting cocky when they're winning: The PS3's exorbitant price point and esoteric architecture after the PS2's success, the aggressive always-online DRM of the Xbone (which they walked back after the disastrous first impression, but they never fully recovered), Sony rejecting cross-play opportunities now that they're in the lead (flipping things around from the PSWii60 era when Sony liked cross-play and Microsoft turned it down)... It's going to be an unpopular decision regardless of who makes it or when, so it's most likely going to be somebody that's in a strong enough position to feel confident that they can't lose.

With that in mind, Sony's winning now (not counting Nintendo, but Nintendo's mostly doing their own thing), but they're a little nervous with Microsoft buying up so many major third party studios, so I doubt they'll take any major strides like that any time soon. Microsoft's losing, so I doubt they'll take the plunge and risk burning whatever good will any new exclusivity deals can cultivate. As such, it'll be a while before either of them tries it.

I think itll be Microsoft or Sony since they both are already trying with the inclusion of digital only systems. Which Nintendo hasnt even tried yet And both have much better reasons to try Sony seems to keep the stores open longer, and remove less stuff from them (IIRC) And keeps their latest two systems up and running to together for years So, if the digital causes backlash, they could probably rely on the other system for a short while Microsoft has gamepass, and might try to use that to their advantage with a cheaper all digital console, like they are currently doing Whether that works or not if another question, though I never know how they are doing, tbh

As for right now, Microsoft wont because they want to try and buy every third party And making it non-digital right now could causes backlash. And people would stop selling to them And like you said, Sony is probably waiting to see what Microsoft will do. Nintendo will probably wait to see what happens. And will probably follow suit since they also want all digital But probably wont push the button unless they know it will work Like how fans react in a smaller group hearing about it But if one or both of the others push it, they probably will, too Theyve been pushing towards digital by giving out digital only prizes for games So they do seem to want it, as well

all I want is for AAA to fall off so that indies can finally take over.

i aint reading all that but i applaud you for sticking to precisely three dots as an ellipses to end every sentence you ever type

BucketCat posted...

all I want is for AAA to fall off so that indies can finally take over.

If indies "take over," they'll be just as bad as AAA. The evils of the AAA market are inherent to high-budget projects; the things we like about indie games are a function of them being smaller projects that people can take risks on without having investors to answer to.

LinkPizza posted...

I mean, it wouldnt be the first time Ive avoided games due to space

It stands to reason that if anyone does go digital as the only option, they'll include enough storage space and/or make expansion easy enough for that to not be a major issue. Storage space is relatively cheap compared to the rest of the system.

LinkPizza posted...

Also, I said Id cut down on buying games Not playing them I can still play the same amount I just wouldnt buy as much

If your only option is to replay old games, you'll likely end up playing quite a bit less. If that weren't the case, you wouldn't be buying new games now.

adjl posted...

It stands to reason that if anyone does go digital as the only option, they'll include enough storage space and/or make expansion easy enough for that to not be a major issue. Storage space is relatively cheap compared to the rest of the system.

You can assume that. But thats not a given Look at the current Microsoft and Sony projects For Playstation, the disc and digital versions have the same amount of memory And for Xbox, I think the all digital one has less internal memory So, we can hope, but who the fucks knows for sure

And honestly, if they wanted to show they could do that, they should have already done so. But the piss poor memory of the current systems make it hard to believe it would have enough storage Digital has been getting more traction, yet the memory of all the systems still suck At least for XBox, we know the reason it probably because they want us to keep using the subscription thing But the other two dont really have a good reason If its cheap, why not give us that extra memory now, instead of waiting to only have digital consoles available They could have shown us the pros of a digital consoles with making the all digital PS5 and XBox one having more memory than the same amount and less respectively

adjl posted...

If your only option is to replay old games, you'll likely end up playing quite a bit less. If that weren't the case, you wouldn't be buying new games now.

Thats not the only option, though Replaying old games is an option And would help with the backlog But I would still have new games. Just much less But I can still put tons of hours into them If you look at the amount of hours I have in some games, people would be surprised that I hadnt finished them once or twice Tbf, the last three games I bought were May and June, and July I finished two of the three, but havent played any of them for months But my gaming hasnt slowed down So, I dont see why it would slow down in the future, either Theres also Roguelikes A couple of the games I said Id buy were Roguelikes And those you can play for years I mean, the most recent two games I played on Switch were Cadence of Hyrule, and Crypt of the Necrodancer

adjl posted...

If indies "take over," they'll be just as bad as AAA. The evils of the AAA market are inherent to high-budget projects; the things we like about indie games are a function of them being smaller projects that people can take risks on without having investors to answer to.

nah I don't mean take over like a handful of indie studios replace AAA just to become the same thing, but for AAA to go away or get more obscure, and things like indies are given more consideration from word of mouth and stuff. Like, how there is a "before you buy" or "top 10 new games this year" thing, but it's always for a AAA game. yeah there are channels that do this for indies, and even some indies get in with the AAA games sometimes, but it's either extremely niche (like, top 10 indie roguelike deckbuilders) or the "big" indie games that probably have some prominence already from past games, or have some form of publisher/large enough marketing budget
basically what I'm saying is that, I hope that indie games go from niche with outliers finding mainstream success, to how I'd find out about games 10-20 years ago, where it was just some random person suggesting it or a magazine. So, in short, I'm hoping for AAA to be seen by more people as just a money grab doing very little to push the gaming industry forward, and for more people or groups dedicated to finding random good indies and giving them some form of publicity. Like a larger "DIY culture" surrounding indie games.

For consoles? Yes. They want a closed store, so they can charge 100 base game, plus 90 five minute DLCs and you won't have options elsewhere.

With PC you get around that with the store options.

BucketCat posted...

basically what I'm saying is that, I hope that indie games go from niche with outliers finding mainstream success, to how I'd find out about games 10-20 years ago, where it was just some random person suggesting it or a magazine.

That's less a function of AAA being a money grab, though, and more a matter of the industry being so much larger and there being so much more media covering it. We're never going back to a paradigm of having like four different magazines you can read and that being the main way you find out about games, simply because there are so many better ways to get a game out there than that and far, far too many "hidden gems" for a small number of media outlets to cover all of them.

BoomerKuwanger posted...

If you have to go through MS/Sony/Nintendo to get a game published anyway, then what exactly would stop them from jacking up the prices now, and Walmart going "sure, as long as we still get our cut"?

See: "MSRP is $70 now deal with it."

I've been considering just going all digital seeing as how even with Prime, Amazon refuses to deliver on time, even sometimes days later. Just get like a 2 TB SD card for my Switch and just pre-load everything. Though I do love having my physical media.

Yes I will be emulating them if all digital.

I don't think we're quite there yet. The gen after probably.

I don't think the switch to digital-only will come until consoles can figure out how to reliably carry over your purchases from one console generation to the next. Backwards compatibility would be a huge technical challenge, so I expect streaming games to be the breakthrough that leads to them pulling the trigger.

funkyfritter posted...

I don't think the switch to digital-only will come until consoles can figure out how to reliably carry over your purchases from one console generation to the next. Backwards compatibility would be a huge technical challenge, so I expect streaming games to be the breakthrough that leads to them pulling the trigger.

Which means being connected to the internet for a lot of games

funkyfritter posted...

I don't think the switch to digital-only will come until consoles can figure out how to reliably carry over your purchases from one console generation to the next. Backwards compatibility would be a huge technical challenge, so I expect streaming games to be the breakthrough that leads to them pulling the trigger.

Why would they worry about backwards compatibility when they could just make you buy the same games again?