EU retailers: Several retailers no longer stocking physical games as Xbox is such a digital platform

You guys aren't seeing the full picture with the used games market. For some people (not me at all), they only have but so much money to spend on games. So they buy a game new at some point and sell it to a Gamestop and make 50% of the cost back. They then take that 50% cost and buy another new game. They keep flipping their games that they finish, in order to purchase the next game. So that money is going to Sony, Nintendo, and MS.

Then there's the other guy on the other end "BUYING" the used game. He's ONLY buying these games because it's in his price range. He wants to buy games for $40 or less and the games aren't going on sale fast enough. So he buys them used. Yes, you two are 100%% correct that the publishers don't get any of these person's money at first. But they will if the game has any DLC of any kind.

The only way around this is.....

1. Drop the cost of your game faster
2. Sell it for less at launch
3. Go digital only

All three of those ways will lead to less money on some level. But with having physical versions, there's more upside than going digital only. Digital only means you are cutting a decent percentage of people from purchasing the game right off the bat. And why do that? Is it really worth it?

100% understand the importance of it, but business don't give a damn about other business and how it effects them. They want their cut and they see GameStop and other stores as people stealing their supposed profits.
 
Sony will be selling their next consoles (PS5 Pro, PS6, etc.) with the same strategy as the PS5 Slim models. Only one SKU, that can have a disc drive attached to it. There will be a bundle with the drive, and one without it. They will continue to produce physical games as long as there's a market for it, and as long as the UHD format allows them to contain all the game data.

Most PS5s are produced including the disc drive. That's probably because there's still healthy demand for physical; but the trend is that digital market is rising and physical is shrinking. I could see the PS6 Digital/Physical "versions" being produced 50/50.

You also have to take into account that there are already AAA digital-only releases. Alan Wake 2, Baldur's Gate 3. BG 3 is receiving a physical version, but much later and it's more like an afterthough, not the main way of distribution for Larian obviously.

I think even when Sony inevitably drops physical (let's say PS7 or 8), they will still sell a compatible disc drive as an accessory you can plug in (similar to what Apple does with the Macbook's disc drive). They would do so in order not to get heat from people who built a huge physical library and want to continue using their discs.
 
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Sony will be selling their next consoles (PS5 Pro, PS6, etc.) with the same strategy as the PS5 Slim models. Only one SKU, that can have a disc drive attached to it. There will be a bundle with the drive, and one without it. They will continue to produce physical games as long as there's a market for it, and as long as the UHD format allows them to contain all the game data.

Most PS5s are produced including the disc drive. That's probably because there's still healthy demand for physical; but the trend is that digital market is rising and physical is shrinking. I could see the PS6 Digital/Physical "versions" being produced 50/50.

You also have to take into account that there are already AAA digital-only releases. Alan Wake 2, Baldur's Gate 3. BG 3 is receiving a physical version, but much later and it's more like an afterthough, not the main way of distribution for Larian obviously.

I think even when Sony inevitably drops physical (let's say PS7 or 8), they will still sell a compatible disc drive as an accessory you can plug in (similar to what Apple does with the Macbook's disc drive). They would do so in order not to get heat from people who built a huge physical library and want to continue using their discs.

Exactly this!
 
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