Digital Game Sales Are Becoming More and More Important to Sony

I like digital, especially since the wife got her own PS4, means I only need to buy one copy if we're planning to play something together. Even if it's a bit more expensive, it's still cheaper than two different copies. Add to the fact that Sony is absolutely killing it with sales the last couple of years, I'll very rarely get physical these days. Probably a 90-10 split as it is.

I never thought I'd say this. But I'm buying more and more digital, I'm still getting my new games boxed but haven't bought a second hand game this gen. I used to buy lots as I alway seem to be behind the curve. But the digital sales are make the likes of ebay, game, cex. Look so overpriced. And I'm enjoying not switching disc so much more than I thought. Lazy at heart I guess

Digital games you never really own and are just buying the rights to play them (for now). I like physical because I can own the game for life as well as lend them to friends and resell them if I want. I see the appeal of digital games but if the main reason is being too lazy to change a disc then maybe you have a problem.

Does that mean EU can get those sweet Flash Sales now?

I only own 2 physical copies of games...Robinson and Farpoint. Both because of substantial savings.

@gingerfrog it's not just you, changing discs feels like such a chore nowadays, especially with "live" games that you keep going back to. I'll still get a single player single playthrough game if I get a good deal on physical, but I'd never consider it for games like Destiny, Rocket League, Titanfall etc

Yes I like Digital for 1 reason disc swapping.

If you could buy a disc install it onto a harddrive and play without the disc in 100% of Playtation 4 users would be a lot happier, if Sony allowed that then I would not buy digital.

Sony know what they are doing.

Swapping discs is as old as getting up to change the channel on the Tele.

I still much prefer discs!!

Horizon may have sold 915k digitally - which is a sizeable chunk admittedly, it equates to around 27% of the sales - which seems to be around the average (+/-5%) where consoles are concerned. People keep citing that Digital equates to around 40% of ALL sales but that also factors in all those 'indie' games that cannot be purchased Physically so 100% of their sales are Digital. With games that also get a 'phyisical release - such as Horizon for example, the digital sales equate to around 25-30%.

Personally I will always buy Physical where possible BUT I do appreciate the fact that people are given the choice to buy in either format. I do NOT want to see that choice removed!

Think of it this way when is the last time you saw a ad for a PC game? How or when is PC gaming exposed to the general public? Where have you seen a poster hanging for a PC game? What store can you walk into and buy a PC Game? Where will PC gaming be at E3? Who has a E3 PC gaming booth?

I remember when it was not like that. PC gaming was huge in retail and magazines and trade shows. STEAM took all that away and I resent them for it. Yet when I went to the Steam store I saw mostly old and no name games.

So I am all about Retail disc Games! I switched from my $1,300 gaming PC in 2013 to PlayStation 4 to relive the glory and excitement of the old days on PC with the launch of PS4. I do not want console gaming to go to the digital underground of games only digital on PSN!! Like PC gaming is now on Steam.

Digital only will be my goodbye to games. Sadly.

if it's on disc, i'll buy it on disc. i paid £36 for horizon at release and got to play it a day early. also, i could theoretically have walked to the store, bought the disc, and walked home again, faster than i could download 43gb.

i also like have something tangible representation of what i own. it's the same with music. i'd quite easily forget what digital purchases i have made, so they'd be lost to the digital ether. my psn purchase history is already a complete mess that it's difficult to find something. and of course, at the (non) rate the UK's internet infrastructure is improving, advances in disc capacity and GPU rendering capabilities, could see 8K resolution games and 100+gb games within 5-10 years that outstrip the infrastructure's ability to provide them easily/cheaply.

I still prefer a good ol' fashioned physical disc but the digital sales have been really good lately and i've been unable to resist. I've just bought Batman Arkham Knight from the store sale.

For me, it's not even about this desire to "own" the product. It's more about the fact that, on PS4 specifically, it's much easier to re-install a game from a disc than it is to redownload it from the internet and, more importantly, I can always return or sell physical games that I end up disliking.

There's a big advantage to embracing digital media on portable consoles, where it's a convenient way to have your entire library (or a big portion of it, at least) with you at all times wherever you go, but my home console games are always going to be very close to my stationary home console. I can't imagine opting for a digital game over a physical equivalent if they're both priced the same.

Of course, price is queen: if a game is significantly cheaper as a download, I'm way more likely to go that route, which makes some of PSN's sales very attractive to me.

Digital would be ideal, but if the prices stay higher than discs, then not for me; I'm not that lazy

Also, games on disc are really cheap 2nd hand, and if games became only digital, I would just buy fewer games.

I love digital. It's without a doubt the future even if people refuse to admit it.

I buy digital a lot but normally only digital only or heavily discounted games. I still like physical. One thing I would say to people saying you own the game forever, that is true only if you want an unpatched version of the game. If you have day one copy of Assassins Creed Unity and you want to play from disc in 10 years, good luck if the patches have been removed!

I only buy digital copies of games so much more convenient than purchasing physical games.

I only buy digital games when they're dirt cheap. But figured watching 4k movie digital rents is cheaper than buying and then trading back. A bus costs £3 just to pop to town to buy a 2 hour movie. Car is even more expensive... parking, petrol, tax, etc

I seem to pick depending on the game, I don't seem to have strict criteria either, it almost seems to be whether I intend to keep the game. So Horizon I have digitally but I got Fallout 4 on disc for example, although I did buy Persona 5 and Yakuza 0 on disc and I'm keeping them so who know. I do buy all my VR stuff digitally as it doesn't make sense having discs for them.

For me I think it's mainly because we have to install them now anyway that I may as well just have them digital in the first place

I prefer downloads, love the easy switching, quieter console and lack of disc clutter. However, like said, discs are great for games I just want to play through once and sell back. Also space can become an issue with big digital games

Ever since I got a Pro I've been buying digital and I don't think I ever go back.

Do these numbers account for the huge, huge second hand physical sales market? I've always been stubborn about sticking with digital releases, but the last year or two, I've been slowly choosing digital over disc more and more. Half the reason is flash sales, and the other half is that it just feels nice having it all there on a dashboard waiting to go.

As someone who largely prefers physical it's a bit scary. I love having my collection on my shelf, not to mention it feels more secure, and saves having to download games. Though as long as physical is always available and effort is put in, I'm not too fussed if the market is digitally dominated.

I buy physical media whenever it is an option, and I always will. That way I know I will have the game as long as I have the hardware. Digital in its current form is no more than a glorified rental.

When usage restrictions via DRM are done away with, and I can back up my digital software wherever and however I choose, I might change my mind. Until then, I'll take physical whenever possible.

"People will get the digital copy because they don't want to get off the sofa and put a disc in the machine.” Frankly, yes.

Also, looking at the pile of old Xbox 360 and PS2 gathering dust in my father's attic, who needs all that clutter. I bought one disc on launch and it's been digital every since. It does bug me that it is more expensive, and re-installing is a pain, but the convenience and low-noise makes it worth it.