Topic: Anyone get the feeling that physical gaming may be on its way out?

Between Nintendo shadow dropping GCN ports with the physical release being months later, Sony's rumoured detachable disc drive PS5 and a few things regarding Xbox (e.g. Starfield code in box, Series S price constant meanwhile Series X price increase) it feels like physical may be starting to be on its way out and that PS6, Series X2|S2 and Switch 3 may be digital only consoles.

Note Switch 3 isn't a typo, I do mean the successor to the Switch's successor. Switch 2 will no doubt have a cart slot.

I think we're starting to see major companies start to put less value on physical games. Like you pointed out, there are shadow drops of digital games with physical coming later, along with Xbox and maybe Playstation having digital-only consoles and several publishers just putting a digital code in a box.

I think it'll still be a long time before we truly see the end of physical games; with most companies still being supportive of it, and with companies like Limited Run Games trying to give people the chance to get physical games that would usually only be digital, I don't think it'll go away anytime soon. However, when - and I say when because I do think it'll happen someday - I won't be going down kicking and screaming. I prefer physical games, but if my only option is digital going forward, I honestly won't mind too much.

I think what we're seeing is a shift that only Nintendo's major titles will get physical releases, at least simulatenously with their digital releases.

As you say, the shadow drops of releases like Metroid Prime Remastered, Pikmin 1 HD and Pikmin 2 HD, these indicate that Nintendo sees their value more in digital sales than in physical. They're still doing eventual physical releases to appease the dedicated fans though, and their shadow drops in Nintendo Direct presentations are definitely to encourage impulse purchases.

Nintendo won't abandon physical releases, doing so would mean losing shelf presence in gaming and super market shops around cities, but it'll probably be reserved for their flagship and tentpole releases.

@Grumblevolcano I'm worried the higher cost of Nintendo's game cards will continue to be a problem for the next gen. This baloney with Metal Gear Volume 1, only putting one game on the cart, which is six years after switch release!, I find to be a troubling sign. Weren't these game cards supposed to be cheaper by now? (granted pandemic & supply was an unforeseen issue)

The only way people will accept digital-only is if consumers have more ownership rights & control. Our having to depend on servers & their limited lives, still hurts confidence in digital ownership. Not to mention, the occasional delisting of games, which threatens the ability to buy a game later on. Like Ittle Dew 2 - it's been gone for about three(?) years now. There was a point where I wanted to buy it, but you can't now.

I will never go all digital unless the games are free of DRM and I can freely back them up and essentially do as I like with them.

I can do this on PC, but I can't see consoles ever accommodating this.

And if such a day comes that Nintendo goes all digital (which I doubt), I strongly doubt that I will be a part of it. I'd rather grab a handheld PC/Switch knock-off and enjoy my Nintendo games "via other means" should it ever come to that, especially if Nintendo-published games continue to cost AU$80+ without the overhead expenses of physical releases justifying such prices.

There will always be a niche for physical copies (hello LRG), and while I detest the practice of software patches for console games, at least Nintendo have had the forethought to allow updates to be transferred wirelessly between consoles, which also gives us an avenue to back up update data so long as we have an additional console (or two).

Plus, I have amassed such a ridiculous library across all platforms (from DS through to Switch, and PC) that I'll never be short of games to play, so, I think I'm good.

I don't see the 3-month wait for Pikmin 1+2 HD as Nintendo not valuing their physical releases. I see it as a response to what happened with Metroid Prime Remastered. That game was impossible to find for a while, and Amazon preorders got delayed significantly. My copy didn't even arrive at Gamestop on the launch day for the physical version. I think the September Pikmin release is to give retailers a chance to get adequate copies.

I also feel like if this is the future, all I ask for are big enough storage devices to hold everything. I'll pay whatever I have to in order to never worry about losing access to a title.

I'm pretty much fully digital already and only ever by a physical game if I see it cheap or if its a second hand copy of a Nintendo game.

I'm probably in the minority here, but im a massive fan of the subscription model moving forward and hope Nintendo adopts that approach on its next console.
I've had my Series X and PS5 since launch and have bought 5 games in that time, the latest being Diablo 4 as I couldn't wait for the merger to go through and it drop on GamePass.
I know it's a rental service but I like being able to play games without the need to pay upfront and I'm not bothered about hording cases.
It's why I subscribe to streaming services and don't buy DVDs or BlueRays anymore.

Yeah no. I heavily prefer to have my games physical mainly to avoid filling up the storage in my console’s.

Nah I don't think so, I think they figured out that dropping stealth games and then their physicals later gets some people to double dip if they are passionate about the game and have more money than sense xD
There's nothing like a physical game, I much prefer the feeling of ordering one and holding it in my hands than downloading one but that being said, if there's a game I want and it releases earlier than on the Eshop I'll download it there and skip the physical.

They got my kid brother in that regard. Most of his library is physical, but he couldn't resist Pikmin 1+2, even though I think that two barebones port downloads for AU$70 is a complete rip-off.

I don't mind the wait for a physical copy if it means that it's still on the way, especially if it ends up being a complete release with no software updates. That's why I haven't yet bought Switch Sports or Mario Strikers, as they launched in unfinished states, and I'm sick of buying unfinished crap at launch when I can buy a reprint later (though it may take some trial and error before I end up with a complete copy of those two games).

Frankly, I would rather that ALL physical releases are delayed until the developers are confident that they will not be issuing any further software updates (or paid DLC, which should also be on the cartridge, even if it means charging a little more than they otherwise would have).

Sony and MS are already leaning hard into being digital-only, both offer platforms without disc drives. All eyes are on the Switch successor. Will there be a cartridge slot or won't there? Neither is a guarantee as we barrel towards an all-digital future.

I agree with your post. But, anyone that thinks game companies will want to give more power to the customer, I have some ocean front property to sell you in Nebraska.

Unfortunately, yes, we get that feeling. Owning a physical game feels right.

Last time i bought a physical game was GTA V on the Xbox 360, i have a few hundred Digital Games on my Series X, and i don't plan to ever buy a physical game again, i have embraced Digital, no more getting scratches on my Discs

No, because that's ****ing dumb. Like I'm sure some major companies would love that, but I think anyone making major games for consoles would see decreased revenue from people who can't reliably deal with digital games. Either because of download speeds or limited hardware space or a general refusal to (primarily, if not entirely) play digital games.

Like the same companies always hype some bs that's TEH FUTURE OF GAMING and then the majority of gaming continues on regardless of their whims, and often such things end up failing for most people (see: the failures of most live service games, the limited success of VR and cloud gaming). And all of that is still less dumb than literally doing away with physical game releases, because those are at least new things. All digital is just taking away something that already exists.

Vinyl records are more popular than ever in my lifetime in the era of Spotify, all digital future is a myth.

Basically, there are two types of company that want to see physical die.
1) The over bloated AAA games who have lost sight of the fact they are just games, where storage space is a limiting factor for their graphics that do most of the heavy lifting for capturing your imagination.

2) The cheapskates who are nickel and diming the industry usually on the back of strong ips. Passing storage costs over to the consumer while still charging full price for vapour.

And, of course, there is some crossover here that affects their bottom line.

When I buy a game, I invest my time into it and I like to have an asset to show for it. Digital consumption, to me, is no different to a night around the time...just p*****g your money down the drain for the sake of the path of least resistance. You have nothing to show for it (except a headache and no money.) And companies would prefer that. And kids who play Fortnite or Fifa trading cards etc don't appreciate that. Why would they? But they ask their parents for stuff, they aren't going to say no lol.

Some of the emotional blackmailing companies do to try to make people buy in to it, for example, it reduces plastic, is a false arguement. Folk don't throw games away like food wrappers lol. Not these days. There is a second hand market for them (and of course, they want to do everything possible to get rid of that too!) Anyhoo, I'll not rant. I don't think physical will die. There are still a lot of people with sense and genuine folk who still like giving a gift for occassions.

I dont think at the moment no, and I hope not, because while I do tend to get a lot more digital games, I get physical for the ones I really like!

I honestly wish we could just have both as they both have great pros, and cons.

I think the real question is, where will physical gaming go from here? Will 100GB UHD discs be enough to house AAA games for the foreseeable future? But then we have turds like Activision shipping 72MB launchers on disc, so this isn't really a storage issue, but a matter of rushing unfinished crap to shelves in contempt of consumers who want actual games on their discs.

Switch cartridges could, in theory, extend far beyond the capacity of UHD discs, but publishers are already skimping on 32GB cartridges as it is, even six years into the console's lifespan. I suspect that the Nintendo of the past would have put their foot down in this regard, even at the risk of arousing indignation from the third-party publishers, but this is not Iwata's Nintendo anymore, sadly.

I think we'll see digital releases and purchases be incentivised more by publishers in order to pursuade on-the-fence customers into making the transition, but some of us will not be so easily swayed. But as I said before, if Nintendo goes all digital, then I might as well buy a handheld gaming PC where I at least have the option of buying digital games without restrictive DRM tied to a digital marketplace that can be terminated in less than a decade. (cough Wii U)

I don't think that really has much to do with it as I usually pack the cases away and keep the cartridges in those 24 card pocket cases that I've imported.

It's more so about being able to use the games across multiple consoles and to not be hindered by the constraints of Nintendo's digital infrastructure.

And if I am so inclined, I can use my Switch Lite (my secondary console) to play games on the go without the need for an internet connection (as I would need if I were to play any downloaded games).

It ultimately boils down to wanting to maximising freedom and control over my purchases. I still buy downloadable games, but they are in the relative minority, and are usually limited to games that are both small in scope and file size. But if I suspect that a digital title may get a physical release later on (whether by a major publisher or a boutique one like LRG), then I'd rather wait, even if the digital release is substantially cheaper on sale (such as Konami's various collections that have since been issued physical releases via LRG), though I did make an exception recently for Super Bomberman R, which was dirt-cheap on sale, and if I like it enough, I might double-dip on a physical copy as well.

Yeah. To be frank, I've always found that to be a profoundly stupid argument.

Who even discards their games/cartridges? And of course you can resell/reuse the discs/cartridges.

And even if I were so inclined to throw out the cases, they are recyclable anyway, which throws the "reducing plastic" argument out the freaking window.

I am all for reducing waste and pollution, but if people were really serious about wanting to reduce waste, then they should look in their refrigerators, which is where much of our avoidable waste is generated.

The amount of disc/cart only-sales and scratched up media for sale on eBay rather suggest that a lot of people aren't exactly looking after their games and holding on to the packaging.

On the whole, I'd think that it would be better for all concerned if downloads became the norm for the mass market, leaving physical media as something for only the collectors.