The death of physical media

[WhiningKhan]

Digital audio is basically a perfect source now, the only issues are when they compress the dynamic range down to be played in cars and stuff like that

Which is basically how 99% of music today listened over streaming services, since nobody uses CDs anymore...

Ackschually just this week I bought a couple of Rush CDs just as a matter of principle, realizing I have never listened them completely. But I only opened the cases to rip them into files on my NAS and on SD card of my phone...

 

[dobwal]

Thank you for proving my point

Then like my post. jj

On a more serious note. Games are cheaper now relative to decades ago in terms of inflation.

Atari launched in 1977 at $199 with games going for $40. In today’s dollars that’s like launching a $1000 console with $200 games.

NES would be better with a $570 console and $126 games, PS1 would be $600 with $100 games, PS2 would be $530 with $85 games and the PS3 would be $756 with $89 games in today’s dollars.

Market expansion and digital distribution have allowed retail prices to remain far lower than inflation would have allowed.

Disclaimer: if my #s are off then blame it on this site, https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/

And DD games being priced the same as physical data isn’t simply pubs taking advantage of cost saving. Brick and mortars stores forced price parity on pubs to keep physical games as competitive as possible with DD games. As much as some gamers tout about the importance of ownership and secondhand sales, it meant little to nothing to the majority of the market. An actual price difference in favor of DD would have lead to an earlier death for physical sales.

 

[Nesh]

Sure, but the console market isn't 20x larger.

PS2 + DC + GCN + Xbox = 215 million units

PS4 + Switch + Xbox One = 305 million units (and I'm being pretty generous to include the Switch here since it's mainly a portable system).

So the console market has grown 40% and AAA game budgets have grown 2000%. AAA games could easily be $200 by now. After all, it costs me 3x what it did 20 years ago to eat at McDonald's now.

There are tiny details that actually make the difference larger than what numbers suggest.
The DC didnt exist once PS2 was released. Console exclusives were much more prevalent too most often by dev choice, not even by deals. So a lot more games had access to a smaller customer base. For example the PS2 ended with around 150 million sales. A game such as Okami had access to the potential customers that had a PS2 at that point. A game such as Blinx had access only to the potential customers that had an XBOX at that point. A game such as Resi Remake had access only to the potential customers that had a GC.

Currently, almost every game is released on pretty much every platform, including PC. Games have access to a larger pool of customers, they are available digitally, sold at full Retail price, even though they dont have the costs assosciated with physical releases (see logistics, prints, materials, Retailer margin) and they include post-purchase sales too.
I think the games that reach hundreds of millions to make are not common either, and those that do, usually sell significantly more than a blockbaster used to sell during the PS1 and PS2 times.

 

[Davros]

 

[WhiningKhan]

Davros, you necrophiliac.

 

[Cyan]

well, for anyone who doesn't mind Diogenes syndrome when it comes to physical media, the death of physical media is bad news, but nowadays it's not necessary.

Actually, what I don't want to lose are the employees of videogames' stores. I remember falling in love with that gorgeous girl in a Game's store. I used to go there 'cos I live in a rural area and the store was -still is- in the closest small city.

 

[Nesh]

Well as everything becomes digitized, cloud based and AI generated, the more we are losing connection with ourselves and each other and the point of existing. Humanity has never been so much alienated and it is gonna get worse for the future generations, where the only introduction to a lot of aspects of life, will be digital and AI generated. Mere consumers of the digital products

 

[eastmen]

So recent big news is that Gamestop is canceling the collector's edition of Starfield on users because they allowed too many preorders vs the stock they were promised.

Also if you preorder MK1 in store you need to take your reciept and call up gamestop customer service and send them a picture of your reciept for them to give you a beta code.

 

[orangpelupa]

Beta code?

 

[eastmen]

Beta code?

yea open beta I believe so you can play the game early

according to BING AI

Yes, Mortal Kombat 1 is available for pre-order in three different versions: Standard Edition, Premium Edition and Kollector’s Edition. Regardless of which version you pre-order, you will receive a special pre-order bonus which is access to the playable character Shang Tsung1234. Pre-ordering the game on Xbox Series X|S or PS5 unlocks access to an exclusive beta sometime in August 20232.
I hope that helps!

 

[Silent_Buddha]

Then like my post. jj

On a more serious note. Games are cheaper now relative to decades ago in terms of inflation.

Atari launched in 1977 at $199 with games going for $40. In today’s dollars that’s like launching a $1000 console with $200 games.

NES would be better with a $570 console and $126 games, PS1 would be $600 with $100 games, PS2 would be $530 with $85 games and the PS3 would be $756 with $89 games in today’s dollars.

Market expansion and digital distribution have allowed retail prices to remain far lower than inflation would have allowed.

Disclaimer: if my #s are off then blame it on this site, https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/

And DD games being priced the same as physical data isn’t simply pubs taking advantage of cost saving. Brick and mortars stores forced price parity on pubs to keep physical games as competitive as possible with DD games. As much as some gamers tout about the importance of ownership and secondhand sales, it meant little to nothing to the majority of the market. An actual price difference in favor of DD would have lead to an earlier death for physical sales.

This was easily seen back in the 2000's when consoles moved to 60 USD pricing but PC versions of the same AAA games remained 50 USD or in some cases dropped to 40 USD. Of course some have gone up to match console pricing now.

Do forget in addition to games being far cheaper now than they used to be, they also include far less stuff. Cost cutting measures have seen the removal of past staples of gaming (20-100+ page manuals, maps, boxes, knick knacks). However, some of that stuff is now used for collectors editions of games.

What I miss the most are the often times well written and intelligently comedic writing in PC manuals. I still have my old Sir Tech manual for Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord. Excellent manual with just the right amount of comedic elements in it. The Fallout and Fallout 2 manuals are also classics of well written and amusing manuals.

I also have the blueprints of some of the ships that came with my copy of Wing Commander. The cloth maps that came with the Ultima games (the last one I got retailed for 90 USD for the standard version back in the first half of the 90's). So many cool things.

Regards,
SB

 

[Davros]

Just found this out :
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will launch for PlayStation 5 on February 29, 2024 and still have a physical version available

Physical – Across two game discs; includes a reversible cover, and the preorder incentive of the digital “Midgar Bangle Mk. II” armor at participating retailers

 

[eastmen]

This was easily seen back in the 2000's when consoles moved to 60 USD pricing but PC versions of the same AAA games remained 50 USD or in some cases dropped to 40 USD. Of course some have gone up to match console pricing now.

Do forget in addition to games being far cheaper now than they used to be, they also include far less stuff. Cost cutting measures have seen the removal of past staples of gaming (20-100+ page manuals, maps, boxes, knick knacks). However, some of that stuff is now used for collectors editions of games.

What I miss the most are the often times well written and intelligently comedic writing in PC manuals. I still have my old Sir Tech manual for Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord. Excellent manual with just the right amount of comedic elements in it. The Fallout and Fallout 2 manuals are also classics of well written and amusing manuals.

I also have the blueprints of some of the ships that came with my copy of WinWellg Commander. The cloth maps that came with the Ultima games (the last one I got retailed for 90 USD for the standard version back in the first half of the 90's). So many cool things.

Regards,
SB

Well remember Ultima 9 with the cloth map was actually a special/collectors edition and it came with the previous games http://www.ultimacollectors.info/u9_us_2.htm

That was an expensive year for me , dreamcast + ultima and a few other pc games broke the bank. My gf at the time was mad at me for dropping so much money. Dumping her was the best decision of senior year lol

 

[Theeoo]

I actually had that Ultima IX edition with the cloth map as well, though sold it years ago. Shame that EA rushed the game out the door, likely to have it released before Christmas, in such an unfinished state.

 

[eastmen]

MSN

Gamestop continues to decline

“As part of our efforts to achieve sustained profitability, we continue to evaluate our portfolio of assets to validate their strategic and financial fit and to eliminate redundancies,” the company said, in its 10-K filing, noting that GameStop exited its operations in Ireland, Switzerland, and Austria during fiscal 2023. As of Feb. 3, GameStop had a total of 4,169 retail stores, down from 4,413 on Jan. 28, 2023, the company said.

GameStop missed analysts’ top- and bottom-line estimates in its fourth-quarter results this week. During its 2023 fiscal year, GameStop’s net sales in the United States, Canada and Australia decreased by 16.2%, 15% and 11.2%, respectively, compared to the prior year. Net sales in Europe increased by 14.1%.

I think this is further evidence that retail and physical media is dying. The only market that sales increased in was europe.

 

[Seanspeed]

MSN

Gamestop continues to decline





I think this is further evidence that retail and physical media is dying. The only market that sales increased in was europe.

Few people will be sad to see Gamestop decline. Awful store, awful company.

I do still like having physical versions of big single player games for consoles, but nobody needs Gamestop for that.

 

[Nesh]

I have mixed feelings about digital. It's dreadful from a cultural preservation perspective.

On the other, I rare replay old games, I hate my house filling up with stuff and hate even more the amount of pointless landfill disc cases create.

For today's games, physical media is a rubbish solution to the preservation and ownership issues.

Retro stuff is a little different.

The good thing is having the option to either have physical or digital according to each person's needs which is what we have now. It is not like it's either one or the other.

 

[Karamazov]

Fear not, Asia is keeping copies of every game for preservation purposes (and retro consoles on Aliexpress).

 

[wco81]

Would be good to see some actual sales breakdown between physical and digital games sales this console generation.

Brick and mortar still seem to dedicate shelf space to console hardware and software.

I used to sell games through Craigslist but not sure if that's a thing any more.

 

[see colon]

Few people will be sad to see Gamestop decline. Awful store, awful company.

I do still like having physical versions of big single player games for consoles, but nobody needs Gamestop for that.

I respectfully disagree.
Gamestop, and the companies they absorbed (Babbages, Funcoland, EB Games, Software Etc, and so on) are part of the reasons we have video game preservation at all. Before that, we were burying Atari carts in the desert. And larger retailers like Walmart and Bestbuy are pulling out of the physical media market altogether. We need Gamestop now more than ever.

Even during their worst period, in terms of public opinion, Gamestop still offered the public more choices for games than any of the big box retailers. Those same large retailers, Best Buy and Walmart, were carrying new releases, greatest hits, and best sellers only. The only place you were walking into a store and picking up non-hits like Lollipop Chainsaw, Neverdead, or Binary Domain 6 months after release anywhere but a Gamestop. And games that get delisted, the used market, which at retail is essentially Gamestop, is the only way those games stay in circulation.

I know people complain about how much Gamestop wants to pay you for a used game. And I know people like to complain about how much they sell used games for. And I know people like to dunk on Gamestop when they lose money for years. But these points are contradictory. Of course they don't want to pay a lot for things is they aren't making money.

The fact of the matter is that the physical media market is in shambles right now. But if you care about physical media, I think you should care about Gamestop. They have a business model that keeps physical games in your local economy, and sell them with a fair return policy and warranty. I will miss them greatly when they are gone.