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Could we see the end of Physical Gaming Media after next gen?

Bryank75

Banned
I bought Sekiro, Division 2, RE2 remake and DMC5 physical... I do buy a lot digital too but I like having physical a lot. Nothing quite like opening a new box.

Also, you should support the places where sell consoles. They are not going to continue to sell consoles if they can't benefit from software sales...

Gamers really need to take back ownership of gaming, don't let companies decide the future for you.
 

KiteGr

Member
It looks like they really want to.
But it'll also be the time I'll quit gaming.

I'm not comfortable buying air and "services" and I'm certain I can't make a collection out of them.
 
I doubt it. Physical will be more niche though. I don't think the publishers will pass on the extra buck from physical sales if digital makes them enough money.

I mean, CDs are still around after all and one would think the issue to physical media would be much more sever in the music industry.
 

PocoJoe

Banned
To go full digital
1) make digital games re-sellable/tradeable
2) make digital games cost less, cost should be of what it costs to have data servers + profit from physical games(for retail), so around 10-20€/$ at launch

Having digital only without ability to sell or trade + games would still cost 60-70€ on launch = many like myself would not buy em before they are in super sale.

Even physical games I wait for a week and get it for 30-40e used, or wait for several months and pick it up with 10-20e.

Paying full price for digital games even now is just plain stupid unless gamer is rich
 

Shin

Banned
https://www.diskbank.com.au/sony-announce-format-to-replace-blu-ray/
The new blu-violet semi conductor based medium laser technology is a significant advancement over that used in Blu-Ray and allows for over 25 times the storage capacity of any standard Blu-Ray disc.
And there are probably lots of other companies trying to push their invention(s), a piece of plastic costs almost nothing compared to a cartridge.
If it's half and half then you're still using a disc of some sort and download/patches for the other, they might leverage that idea to make more money and push you towards complete digital.
With perhaps if you want physical you pay more due to extra costs of making those discs or whatever.
 

ph33rknot

Banned
STFU

I have a 1TB cap which I hit all the time. My cell cap is 15GB and shared by five people. These are real limitations and there is no way to "move on" unless I pay ridiculous prices to go over my cap. For example $10 per 50GB.
10 ain't that much
 

Majukun

Member
last timesomeone tried it they lost a gen.

sure,things change with time,but i don't know if it's worth the risk for either of the giants.
 

Celcius

°Temp. member
I think now is too soon to do it, but if next-gen consoles continue to push more towards digital sales and if digital only consoles continue to come out (like the new xbox 1 S), then 6-7 years from now I can see physical games being completely eliminated from at least one of the major systems. I think it's just a matter of time for consoles as PC is already there and digital sales continue to grow every year.

I think mobile gaming is also a contributor to going digital, as mobile gaming is huge these days and digital only as well.
 
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Gafmau5

Neo Member
I could definitely see an all digital future. Possibly selling a disc drive separately like the HD DVD drive for the Xbox 360. I imagine the companies like Limited Run Games and Special Reserve Games will become more popular. When I say digital I mean downloading atleast for 5 more years or so. Streaming still has a lot of kinks and red tape to get through though.
 

Norse

Member
You'll all shit when they only allow rentals or subscription based access to games. Course they might not go that far, but ya never know.
 
Soon we will have 200-300+GB games, we are going solid state, meaning you can only have like 5-10 games installed at once. Will people put up with redownloading 300+GB files again and again every time they want to play?

I hope so. Physical releases of digital goods are ecologically irresponsible.
nanomachines and fusion. Fusion means unlimited energy, and nanomachines mean we can recycle anything even landfills can be turned into a cornucopia of brand new products.
 

CloudSolace

Member
It's a possibility, but I think there will always be a demand for a physical, in your hand copy of a game. Most of my games this generation have been digital and I am happy with that choice, but for some people it's just not a viable option.
 
I got Sekiro on Blue Ray, why does OP keep making posts about this? Bluray has a purpose, I find digital top expensive even if it is easier to obtain.
 

kraspkibble

Permabanned.
hopefully. physical media needs to die. you don't own games any more. you can't collect games anymore. too many games now need an internet connection to work, for patches, or to get all content.
 

Hudo

Member
I hope not. I hope we'll see the reemergence of cartridges (including PC). I don't like the prospect of a digital-only future, I love my physical stuff. It's already hard for me to accept that there are no physical manuals anymore. Also, I don't know about the network infrastructure in the US and elsewhere but in Germany it fucking sucks.

I would be somewhat ok with all-digital, if you could acquire the games without having them be coupled to some store account. And as things seem to go, that's exactly not where the industry wants to go... I recently got my old big-box version of Red Alert and installed it to a classic Windows 95 PC I've (re)built, and it was kinda refreshing that I could just install and launch it without having to sign in to some bullshit account.

Conclusively, I would like both physical and digital-only forms of acquisition to coexist. (And by physical I don't mean a box with a fucking download code in it, EA).
 

xrnzaaas

Member
End? No. Becoming a minority? Yeah, probably. I'm still buying as many physical copies as possible, it makes it very easy to sell the game if I didn't like it or if I finished it and don't want to have it in my library.
 

Zannegan

Member
I keep wondering if some mad fool will bring back "memory cards" in the sense that you'd basically take a special fast-transfer hard drive to a store or Redbox-style kiosk and get your digital games there. Drop it in your console to transfer/swap games into system memory and you have a...

...well, a horribly convoluted and probably expensive workaround to download-only. Reads like an 80s kid's concept of the "future." Still, if you slap an e-ink screen on there you could at least know what's on each card and avoid the problem of hand-written labels.
 
The day physical games die (or when all console games have DRM like cd keys, etc.) is the day I game only on PC. The reason I have physical games is they will still be playable 30 years from now, long after playstation network is gone. I still go back to play my NES games. Physical media is for life.

There is no point to a DRM console. All of your money and investment will disappear when the services go offline.
 

UltimaKilo

Member
It’s just not feasible within the next 15 years. The infrastructure is just not there. Companies aren’t going to limit their consumer base to the few that do have the infrastructure. Developing markets are also becoming more important, where the infrastructure is probably even further than 15 years away.

The point is: no. Companies need to move product and won’t limit themselves to people with good internet connections.

 
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