The future of gaming is digital and you’ll pay the price

It all started with Steam. In 2004, Valve released Half-Life 2, which could only be played via the digital distribution platform. It meant you’d never be able to resell the game – it’d be bound to your account forever. The outcry was massive, but the consequences weren’t. Steam currently has over 130 million active users, making it probably the largest gaming platform in the world.

Console gamers were laughing from the sidelines. While the course for the digital future was set 20 years ago on PC, you can still buy and resell practically any physical game copy for Switch, Xbox or PlayStation today. The question is, for how much longer?

Physical games cost extra

On Tuesday, Sony unveiled the new PS5 Pro. It’ll cost a hefty 799 euros, but has a generous 2 terabytes of memory. Plenty of space for game downloads. Only one thing’s missing: a Blu-ray drive. As with the PS5 Slim, it’s only available for a surcharge of 120 francs/euros. The intention behind this is clear: Sony is making the disc version less attractive both in terms of price and appearance. With a drive, the console looks chunkier and asymmetrical. The more gamers switch to the digital version, the easier it’ll be to completely dispense with a disc drive on the upcoming PlayStation 6. It’s not certain yet, but physical games are definitely on the decline.

As a die-hard PC gamer, I’ve long since come to terms with the fact that I can only access my games digitally. At most, I’ll buy a special physical copy of a game that means a lot to me. Otherwise, my shelf thanks me for not burying it in hundreds of plastic covers. Pretty cardboard sleeves are a thing of the past. I usually go for the digital version on consoles too, unless it’s significantly more expensive than the physical version. I like having all the games in my digital library and not having to search for and insert a disc first.

Digital games are more convenient than physical copies. However, some essential points have to be fulfilled in order to give cases up for good:

• Reliable and fast servers for downloads
• An unlimited and fast internet connection at home
• All games available for resale
• All games available for exchange

Even Sony has now largely met the first point. Unlimited internet connections are also standard in Switzerland, with an average speed of 200 Mbit/s. Mind you, it’s 90 Mbit/s in Germany. However, as games are getting bigger and bigger, you’ll have to be patient. A game like EA FC 24 requires around 50 GB of storage space. Downloading it takes 33 or 75 minutes respectively.

Joking around before putting the brakes on resale themselves

The comments on the announcement of the PS5 Pro seem to agree: by doing away with a disc drive, the two most important advantages of physical games disappear – selling and trading. If you buy digital games on consoles, they’re tied to your account, just like with Steam. The problem is that you don’t actually own the games, you just buy a licence to play them. The Steam terms and conditions also refer to a subscription agreement. A French court already ruled that these conditions violate EU law five years ago (article in German). As far as I know, there wasn’t any follow-up. Still, at least there are no console generations on the PC that massively restrict backwards compatibility.

Nevertheless, since the launch of Steam, the fact that I don’t have the same rights with digital games as I do with a physical version has been a thorn in my side. Swapping and reselling was and is an important part of how games are consumed. Sony made fun of the Xbox One at its PS4 launch for moving into the digital one-way street. As is well known, Microsoft reversed this decision shortly thereafter. In the meantime, Sony and Microsoft, and to a lesser extent Nintendo, are increasingly moving away from physical games. Much to the chagrin of consumers. I can now share my games with my friends on Steam, but other platforms don’t offer this feature. Manufacturers are still united in their opposition to digital resale.

Will GTA 6 finally end the debate?

The PS5 Pro isn’t out yet. It’ll hit store shelves on 7 November 2021 However, the launch of GTA 6 next year could finally seal our digital fates. According to rumours, Sony snatched up the exclusive marketing rights. This means Rockstar’s upcoming crime epic will be marketed with the PS5 and in particular the more powerful PS5 Pro. In the comments under our reaction to the console announcement, some users seem ready to smash their piggy bank just for that. And once you’ve converted to digital games, it’s hard to go back.