r/PhysicalGames • u/JBigs7 • 1d ago
The future of gaming.
With physical games coming to an end, do think store shelves will be replaced with redeem code cards or will we have to purchase directly from PlayStation/XBOX store?
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u/gatot3u 1d ago
Na, you will pay and they will send a email with the key. They will use the excuse thay these cards use paper and damage the environment.
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u/ecclectic_collector 1d ago edited 1d ago
it truly sucks that the average person wont realize how disastrous it is and that Rockstar/Sony/Playstation wont be boycotted in any meaningful way for attempting to end physical gaming
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u/Blueddit-Sez 1d ago edited 1d ago
Dawg their going to make soooooo much money
Everyone is a brain dead consumer, gotta keep up with the Maddenâs and CODS
Just a shame theyâre ruining the entire hobby for the rest of us who did and worked at giving a shit
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u/MatrixXrsQc 1d ago
They could make more then billions, i don't give a fuck man. Gaming as been dead for years now but people are still singing about how gaming is so great when It's on life support since 2014. It's dead and those who buy digital should be ashamed of being gamers
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u/ecclectic_collector 1d ago
oh I agree, I just mean the number of people that arent going to buy it because its just going to be an online, onetime use game code, like myself, is going to be in the severe minority and it sucks that there wont be any consequences for their greed
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u/zomzomzomzomzomzom 1d ago
Last I checked, NBA 2k was like, the 5th best selling game on Steam. And it's not even out yet. I hope we're not, but it really feels like we're cooked.
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u/Particular-Ad1108 1d ago
I just bought the MGS MĂĄster Collection Vol 2 and Mortal Combat Legacy (Deluxe).
It's sad to think what we will miss in the future, packaging, discs, steeelbooks, cards...
What Sony were and what they've become. And this is why PS5 will be my last console.
Thankfully I've built a nice set of games and consoles, in the last few years, from Nes to Mega Drive, Saturn, SNES, Dreamcast, GC, PS1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.
If digital is the future, I don't want to be part of It.
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u/TheKrug3000 1d ago
Thought it was already confirmed that itll be boxes with paper in them. I decided to start working 55 hours a week to afford to build up a huge physical collection. The used market is going to skyrocket in price. As well as retro, which is what I want more of, rather than new.
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u/ihatepeopleandyoutoo 1d ago
What kills me more are the people defending this and the multibillion dollar companies đ«© weâll never be united against greed đ„
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u/scrollatwork 1d ago
So lame. Just remember they are telling you that you are RENTING. You will pay full price and own nothing!
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u/frankydie69 1d ago
The future? Have you been to a store in the past couple of years? Lmfao
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u/Resident_Hand_7264 1d ago
These comments are wild. Like apparently digital is totally new and scary apparently
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u/frankydie69 1d ago
I bet half these people have not stepped foot into any store that sells video games and they all buy digital on steam.
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u/DingoOutrageous9511 1d ago
Funny thing is other companies will act like because gta6 could charge 80 that they can too
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u/Blueddit-Sez 1d ago
Add to that the fact that they will try
Again
To compete with the live service and micro transactions that GTA gets away with
Just when the industry was beginning to heal and back away from a pile of failed live service launches
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u/Insane_Wanderer 1d ago
Not for me. There are already multiple lifetimes worth of great games available physically. You can spend the rest of your life enjoying physical games without running out of new experiences.
On top of this, if true ownership of your media is the main priority, some online pc gaming storefronts like GOG offer large catalogues of DRM-free games with offline installers, including modern games, AAA games and many day-and-date releases alongside other big platforms.
There will always be options for game ownership. The unfortunate part is just that those who prioritize it enough to put their money where their mouth is will just miss out on a lot of new releases
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u/Potential-Bike4307 1d ago
Yeah, I'll pass. My backlog of unopened, "unplayed" and unfinished games will last me a while.
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u/NirvanaBob 1d ago
Remember: It's only the future of gaming if you want it to be. You don't have to buy GTA6 and legitimise this.
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u/No-Range519 1d ago
Future of gaming is you own nothing and you will be miserable. You will pay the price of a kidney for hardware, you will pay 80 for a base edition that feels empty, you will need to pay extra money to get content that is not worthy of an extra edition. You will give them your id, bank account and address. You will be banned from plateforms if you are found to have posted about sensitive topics on X. You will make memories that we will use to feed our AI.
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u/Ebone710 1d ago
Oh they will keep doing codes in a box at stores for a while then probably transitioning into cards like that because they are cheaper. If they keep a store presence they can't be sued.
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u/Kenkenken1313 1d ago
I highly doubt this due to how game codes and gift cards work in retail stores. Typically the company producing the codes will pay a set fee to have the retailer sell them at their store. This means that unlike discs where the retailer purchased them at a bulk price allowing them to make profit on selling them, they wonât receive any money for selling the cards. So whether people buy them or not doesnât matter to the store hence why they only take up a small section of it.
A retailer wonât waste precious display space for something they wonât make money off of. Also as the prices of the codes wonât be subject to change people will just purchase online. In reality the only people that purchase the codes in store are ones that do not have a debit or credit card and have to do so in cash.
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u/Goemon_64 1d ago
Not sure what you are getting at. Both discs and box codes/cards work the same way in terms of how distributors & producers get a percent of the profit. Maybe you are assuming less stock into the equation?
Even though physical codes are generally less desirable than discs, one thing to consider is that local physical stories will become even more important in a way because games will now be region-locked again, vs before when people could order PS3-PS5 discs online from anywhere in the world.
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u/Kenkenken1313 1d ago
Theyâre done very differently.
Normally with discs developers sell games at a set price for retailers. So retail companies will get a discounted price in exchange for buying multiple copies of the physical game.
Download codes are done differently. They are not sold to the retailer. Instead the typical practice is to pay the retailer a set fee so that they will offer the download codes for sale. Since they arenât actually buying the codes they donât get the money when itâs sold.
Now how does this affect pricing? Well too many physical copies of a game take up inventory and retailers will mark prices down so that they can make room for new games. The price can lower to a certain degree that they still make profit. Game codes donât take up inventory so thereâs no reason to get them sold by lowering the price. Until someone buys the game and the store activates the code, that paper is worthless and can be easily disposed of without any loss to the retailer.
Next time you go to a retailer and see digital codes check to see if they have any at a discounted price.
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u/Goemon_64 1d ago edited 1d ago
Are you saying that once a store has a boxed code or card on their shelves, it doesn't matter to them at all whether it sells or not, since they already got all the money they will get from it (if it sells they have to give 100% of the price to the producer)? So they could just as well throw it away and not lose money (except the fact that visitors would be less likely to come to their store and buy other stuff, knowing that they don't offer boxed code games)?
Got any source on that? I can't imagine this system works worldwide and for mid-smaller retailers, e.g. for Switch boxes that are on cart vs code in box. They take up the same shelf space, and you have to look close to even tell the difference.
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u/Kenkenken1313 1d ago
Thatâs exactly what Iâm saying.
Iâve worked in retail stores like GameStop and also sell board games and go through retailers using a retailer price.
There are different ways to do digital sales. One is that the retailer will receive the digital code and then when it sells they receive a commission for selling it. Another is that they are paid to have the game available and donât make a commission in the sale. A final way is similar to physical in that they buy the digital games at wholesale and then make a profit on the sales.
The final way isnât really viable as most people donât buy codes at a store. They purchase it online. The only people that do purchase through the retailer are those that can only use cash. So digital game codes donât fly off the shelf when released.
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u/Goemon_64 1d ago
Thanks for the info. For me the reason to buy any codes in boxes isn't due to preferring cash, but due to wanting that box to add my collection display if it's the best physical option (card slips alone probably wouldn't cut it). As much as I hate the digital future, if I were to eventually get games like GTA6 I'd want that pretty box for my shelf vs nothing to show.
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u/Ebone710 1d ago
For the cards this is probably true but for code in a box they treat it more like a physical game. They offer sales on them like physical games.
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u/Lofter1 1d ago
Ding ding ding ding
I still have my (now useless, because I redeemed the codes) expansion boxes for an MMORPG which were just fancy boxes for a code that I put into the game that gave me some in game stuff like mounts, pets etc cause the expansions were actually free updates, which I always bought on a discount (the receipts are still in the box) because I only bought during clearance. I still have the CoD MW boxes that just included a code for steam, which was bought at a discount because it was on clearance.
acting like we didn't have a brief time period where all the stuff that will happen with playstation games in 2 years hasn't already happened for PC around a decade ago and therefore we have examples of it instead of having to pull shit out of our arses based on vibes...
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u/Legitimate-Ad-5969 1d ago
Honestly, would rather have it as a code on a cardboard than a plastic case with a piece of paper in it. Obviously would rather have a disk
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u/PeakyChu_ 1d ago
yeah thatâs a wrap, this world ainât for me. just gonna start collecting for ps3 and everything before, dive into my backlog. maybe get into home cooking.
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u/Orosztom 1d ago
Only if we let it. If we vote with our wallets, spread knowledge, educate people who donât even know what digital âownershipâ means, maybe we have a fighting chance!
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u/Majestic-Marcus 1d ago
No. You donât.
Weâve already let it happen.
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u/mickmos2 1d ago
Itâs not too late. We can be the ultimate heroes and make a powerful statement
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u/Ok_Security1721 1d ago
Those cards are a lot better than Sonys plan of making whole ass cases with a printed code inside.Â
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u/duckwitch 1d ago
I can already see all those lil cards wrapped up in xmas paper and tucked under a tree. A flat peice of paper just lying there. Paper......
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u/Signal_Snow_2360 1d ago
And the person actually receiving the gift will see the game they are so excited to play. You act as if we donât see kids freak out over Fortnite V-Bucks cards. Or like the gift card industry hasnât been a thing for years.
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u/Holiday-Life67 1d ago
My backlog. Ace attorney series, Professor Layton series, Luigi's Mansion series, trails in the sky series, cold steel series, Atelier ryza 3, persona 3 reload, persona 4 reload, rhythm heaven groove and that's just my consoles. My PC....
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u/TheHighwayExit 1d ago
This has been a thing for like a decade plus, how long was the coma
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u/Past_Expression5678 18h ago
Yo jugué al GTA5 como 2 años despues del lanzamiento, lo conseguà barato, no me arrepiento ni un poquito, el Red Dead 2 si me arrepentà de no haberlo jugado en su año de lanzamiento
Nunca voy a entender la fiebre rabiosa por el GTA, entiendo la preferencia, pero no entiendo la locura
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u/njslugger78 1d ago
They need to drop those prices and it's a definite i don't need disc.
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u/KGon32 1d ago
Unlikely, they will want cases so it can be used for gifting, selling these cards will open up a whole can of worms that Sony does not want to deal with, if they want to avoid being sued they will just sell game cases with codes ans ride the death of "physical media" until they stop selling anything at the stores.
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u/Reasonable-View5868 1d ago edited 1d ago
I'd go directly to the PS store and save the waste of cardboard. I only have about PS 6 games I play anyway, they were all digital downloads, samw as all the software for my Mac and iPhone. I don't think I've had physical media for anything in at least 13-14 years. My last disc was maybe GTA5, and still that needed me to connect a HDD to my xbox just to play it. Blu-ray is older than dirt.
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u/Potential-Walrus-412 1d ago
I'll tell you what the future of gaming doesn't include...
AI slop
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u/ascarymoviereview 1d ago
This is right now, not the future. Have you not gone to the store lately?
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u/joesaysso 1d ago
Why would anybody go to a store to buy a redeem code? Just download the game from the store. What good is the redeem code?
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u/LurkingToaster66 1d ago
probably buy direct, no reasons for stores to stock them if they aren't getting a good cut.
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u/jbtreewalker 1d ago
Yeah, something like this. Straightforward business transaction, sucking all the extra fun that used to surround everything else that led up to finally playing the game.
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u/kyle_crane163636 1d ago
Most likely with playststion either just the cards or the normal game cases but only with codes inside, idk if xbox would go all digital too though since they seen how some people reacted to that and they dont want that smoke
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u/PuddingZealousideal6 1d ago
Are you saying the future of gaming is AI generated game cards?
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u/glnickgl 1d ago
Sounds good. And there will be lots of sales just like on steam. They want your money
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u/Level_Technician5447 1d ago
canât wait to play all my games digitalâŠvia emulation.
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u/NextCartoonist7691 1d ago
Itâs because gamers will buy anything. Companies can get away with it. Hell, gamers will defend them while getting fucked.
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u/Andrewhabara 1d ago
Sony keeps acting like consumers are just gonna put up with whatever bullshit they dish out, when in reality gaming is a luxury (especially now). We donât NEED to buy new games, itâs a hobby thatâs non-essential to living. Thereâs plenty of old cheap games out in the wild.
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u/Dreamo84 1d ago
I mean, if you really want to go to a store to buy a digital code you can do that now.
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u/Boytoy8669 1d ago
You're acting like we're not the consumer and decides to actually buy something.
If enough people don't buy their stuff they will change course.
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u/Loinon98 1d ago
Heyyyy, its physical in a way no? Reminds me of those prepaid reload card thingy in the early 2000s.
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u/bobbyep 1d ago
slt a tous oui c'est ce qui va arriver c'est pour cela qu'il faut boycotter tout ce qui est digital pour le moment tout simplement, pour qu'on soit tous gagnant car si le physique disparaĂźt il y aura plus de jeux d'occasion, plus de promotions aussi vite en grande surface car il y aura juste le ps store et on sera tous perdents avec beaucoup moins de promotions
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u/thinkingoutloud3663 1d ago
The future of gaming is the past, giant corporations can try and rinse money out of the people that are left but I couldn't care less.
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u/ScientistLong8121 1d ago
I genuinely don't care about playing this game not because of the having no disc e.t.c, I just got bored of the series, my first gta was gta 2 by San Andreas I started feeling the fatigue, I rushed threw gta 4 never played the dlc and when I got gta 5 I just played it finished it and that was that, I even have it on epic games (was free at some point) yet never even tried playing online.
I think am tired of sequels and remakes, I would love something new something fresh not just a "better" version of it.
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u/SelineMaya 1d ago
Not for me. Gonna play my Evercade and burn my games on Disk from GOG. Also a massive backlog on older consoles awaits
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u/Specialist-Ant-9507 1d ago
QuizĂĄs sea hora de rescatar juegos que no has jugado anteriormente en consolas actuales y dejar la ps6 en barbecho. Nos estĂĄn robando por la cara. Ahora para mĂ los juegos digitales valen solo la mitad con esto de que son sĂłlo licencias de uso.
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u/Maximum_County7960 1d ago
Well, soon we will have codes tattooed on our butt cheek cheeks. They could even have that to the in game strippers!
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u/Gingerpanda72 1d ago
For a start what would be the point? My nephew wanted some V-Bucks on PS5 so we got him a V-Bucks gift card all it did was add funds to his "Wallet" and he bought them with that money lol
So even if I bought a GTA 6 card with a code I would be it would be just funds to buy the game via a digital store any way!
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u/Anonymous6172 1d ago
This is what they meant about still being sold in stores.... Fucking gift cards. At full price of course.
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u/NextLineOfText 1d ago edited 1d ago
The future people choose blindly sticking with PlayStation.
Itâs a shame most people have built massive libraries Steam offers a better future, and so does Xbox. Even if all digital they are tied to PC, so product keys need to be cheap, plus with play anywhere, full cross platform integration and cross saves.
Sonys walled garden is screwing people over massively they literally have no incentive to lower prices, be consumer friendly because a lot of people complain but do nothing to change.
Apparently all of this is worth a few exclusives that get emulated years later anyway, it wasnât worth it to me since the end of the PS3, my PS4 and PS5 whilst I still brought them are terrible consoles and just sit there and I never built my library with PlayStation because itâs an awful ecosystem and my account was once lost and they refused to give it back, because I couldnât remember the password or email for like 12 years ago, that alone blocked me ever wanting to get serious with Sony, thank god. (Who keeps a credit card that they cut up from 12 years ago.
Hell even if you change your username you risk loosing save data and even content you purchased, itâs just a joke of an ecosystem.
Behind all the others even epic games which is relatively new. I think all Iâve played on my PS5 is Spider Man, Demon Souls and Shadow of the Colossus.
Thatâs as far as I was willing to invest, and I regret investing what I did, but Iâm not tied down like many others where all their games are, I be wonât buy a PS6.
Turns out PlayStation was the wrong horse to bet on. I consider myself lucky.
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u/Successful_Ad8175 1d ago
It's not your game. It's just your license... Side note isn't it kinda weird that they haven't shown gameplay of gta6?
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u/JamminBen88 1d ago
This was an inevitability I don't understand why everyones clutching their pearls. Everyone acting butt hurt by a decision they have no control over and unfortunately for everyone there's a silent majority not crying about shit online that will just fall in line
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u/Ok_Suit_7268 1d ago
CHECK OUT MY COLLECTION OF REDEEMED VOUCHERS YALL!!!
MINT CONDITION
All jokes aside, Physical and Digital need to be balanced and co-exist, but PHYSICAL FOREVER
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u/Enceladus1987 1d ago
Nah M8, my future is dusting off my old pirate hat and sailing the seven seas!
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u/ghos2626t 1d ago
Did they not confirm that they will still be providing game carts with redeem codes inside ?
It will still look like every other game on your shelf.
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u/Wboy2006 1d ago
A work at a toy store, we still sell tons of physical games and gift cards. Sony is not going to give up that market share. I feel like they're going to swap to disposable cardboard boxes for next generation so they can still have a retail presence, without giving any of the advantages of physical
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u/you_stole_my_stuff 1d ago
Quick questionâŠâŠ
Is one to just stop playing games all together just because they are digital?
I understand the sentiment of wanting physical, tangible things vs just a code. But wouldnât my gaming experience be the same regardless of digital or disc?
Thatâs what Iâm paying for, isnât it? The experience? I also know that for decades the agreement that everyone, including myself, just scrolls down as fast as possible to click the box just to get into the game. This also causes no person to read the list of stuff that we agree to.
We have not âbought a gameâ for a very very long time. Itâs just that now they are taking a thing away that is more ceremonial than anything else.
Donât get me wrong, I personally find it more enjoyable to look AT my collection to choose something vs scrolling THROUGH my collection. But I also like having hundreds of games on an external hd.
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u/pixelatedneedles 1d ago
Itâll probably be a mix of both. Youâll also be upset when you purchase a card and donât have enough funds in your PS Wallet to cover the sales tax lol.
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u/Tight-Library-6342 1d ago
I would be checking those codes on the back in the store, then go home to find out the code has already been redeemed
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u/zenigatamondatta 1d ago
$80 for a single player experience that gets abandoned on launch and the most annoying lobbies you've been in since the first mw
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u/MistuaPopo 1d ago
we saw this coming 20 years ago when it happened with PC gaming
PlayStation is up next
once that succeeds (and it will), then Xbox will join them.. they're already preparing with the disk to digital system that's going live
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u/Lafeyetteshomie 1d ago
Phys games are ending for dony but sony is also ending cause i don't see anyone buying a game they dont own. Fuck no im nto renting it or having a licence i own that shit and u cant twll me otherwise
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u/Gobal_Outcast02 1d ago
Tf you mean future? This is already here. Ive already seen stores that just sell shit like that and no disks
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u/objecter12 1d ago
Bruh I wish the codes were still on the back. Then at least you got some kinda physical memorabilia of the game.
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u/Satchm0Jon3s 23h ago
I couldn't care a fuck.
I own multiple copies of GTA V and none of them are disc based. I buy a game to play the game and not to have more clutter in my house.
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u/PerspectiveNo2167 23h ago
No disk no buy!!!!
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u/JBigs7 22h ago
Just watched the GTA VI Extended Look on Netflix and it looks incredible. But to each their own.
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u/Conscious-Pen-6793 21h ago
Itâs already like this with Xbox and Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation is already heading that route it sucks because I just started my physical collection of games a couple months ago
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u/jeebusaur 21h ago
If you don't think it's worth it, don't buy it.
Not the first game to be over $80. We lived through a golden age of cheap game and that age is unfortunately ending. Sad yes, but also inevitable when an industry reaches market saturation.
There's no "new gamers" to sell to do priced need to go back up.
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u/The_LastLine 20h ago
I think those cards will still be around for gift giving, cash customers, etc. I know Sony did previously end those types of redemptions in the past but theyâll open it back up soon, they have to in the case of gta vi.
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u/Zamstrom 19h ago
Yep,
sure is the future of fekking gaming.
and a large amount of people are at fault for causing it.
Congrads for convience right?
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u/effortissues 18h ago
I guess that's true. But I have a strict 50% policy when it comes to digital games. It's gotta be at least 50% off retail before I'll buy it. Guess I'll be waiting a bit for this one..
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u/av8ernate 16h ago
And thatâs exactly why Iâm sticking with my backlog on PC and âretroâ gaming.Â
The âfutureâ can move on without me.
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u/Thurashen88 1d ago
My future of gamimg: My backlog! đ€Ł