The rate of decline in US physical video game software spending accelerated in 2024.
Spending on physical video game software in the US has been cut in more than half since 2021 and is now more than 85% below its 2008 peak.
We'll see if Switch 2 can help slow/reverse this trend in 2025.
No, that is generally what we refer to as hardware. Arguably the whole point of the term software is to refer to the bits that aren’t physical in the overall system.
Everyone’s in here acting like this is happening because they’re getting rid of shops. The shops wouldn’t be going anywhere if people were using them.
People use digital media because it’s so much more convenient. I’ve moved house three times in the past four years and it was so much easier just having to move my console rather than lug a bunch of games with it. Plus I can buy them while I’m sitting on my arse and I don’t have to go to a shop or wait until the next day for a delivery.
People are using digital media because it’s convenient, not because the shops are closing.
I still buy physical copies for most PS4/5 and Switch titles because I’m worried about the possibility of losing access to digital copies in the future. I can also resell them, or loan them to friends. But I understand why most people have gone completely digital. I’m running out of shelf space.
I love both formats. But I’m a collector. Any big games or anything I’m buying at full price, I’m buying it physical. Baulder’s Gate 3 kinda left my radar early because it was digital only (at release).
I also like the ability to loan out those types of games.
Yeah, who the fuck wants to deal with discs and shit like that? I moved to all digital before you could legally do it for basically all my media. It takes physical space and why the hell would you put up with switching discs and stuff? Just make sure you have enough storage for your shit and done.
This is mainly why I quit. And it especially used to piss me off cause it’ll still demand you put in the disc to play even though the whole fucking thing installed and downloaded patches larger than the game. Might as well be all digital with oversize hard drives and be lazy with swapping games. I know still having to put a disc in for a fully installed game is a long time PC thing, but it really frustrated me.
I also went more Steam and cheaper sale games or key sites. Saw a game for like $3 on Steam and $30 on PSN too many times.
Aside from a few PS4/PS5 games I love or are rare, I’m only really physically keeping older stuff and have actually been playing a lot of older stuff.
Should been made illegal to ship massively flawed games that needed 0 day patches, but our system is corrupt and businesses are allowed to run the world.
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I am honestly surprised about this. I sort of assumed that whole sector had been at zero for at least a decade.
Lmao what is “physical software”?
Physical software lmao
Is a robot physical software?
No, that is generally what we refer to as hardware. Arguably the whole point of the term software is to refer to the bits that aren’t physical in the overall system.
Everyone’s in here acting like this is happening because they’re getting rid of shops. The shops wouldn’t be going anywhere if people were using them.
People use digital media because it’s so much more convenient. I’ve moved house three times in the past four years and it was so much easier just having to move my console rather than lug a bunch of games with it. Plus I can buy them while I’m sitting on my arse and I don’t have to go to a shop or wait until the next day for a delivery.
People are using digital media because it’s convenient, not because the shops are closing.
I still buy physical copies for most PS4/5 and Switch titles because I’m worried about the possibility of losing access to digital copies in the future. I can also resell them, or loan them to friends. But I understand why most people have gone completely digital. I’m running out of shelf space.
I love both formats. But I’m a collector. Any big games or anything I’m buying at full price, I’m buying it physical. Baulder’s Gate 3 kinda left my radar early because it was digital only (at release).
I also like the ability to loan out those types of games.
deleted by creator
Spot on. I’m digital only.
Yeah, who the fuck wants to deal with discs and shit like that? I moved to all digital before you could legally do it for basically all my media. It takes physical space and why the hell would you put up with switching discs and stuff? Just make sure you have enough storage for your shit and done.
I realized recently that the only dvd drive that I still own is in an old laptop that hasn’t been used for years.
This is partially cause there’s less physical media and if you don’t buy it immediately on release it’ll probably cost more
People are struggling to pay rent and buy groceries. Entertainment will always be the first thing to cut.
This isn’t all software, this is physical media. No surprises here.
Right, and you can easily monitor sales and specials on Steam.
Turns out when you stop selling something and close the stores people could buy them in, they dont sell as much.
Manufactured decrease in demand.
Don’t forget the rise of the 60+ GB “Day 0 Patch”. You buy any physical game and you have to download the whole thing anyways when you get home.
This is mainly why I quit. And it especially used to piss me off cause it’ll still demand you put in the disc to play even though the whole fucking thing installed and downloaded patches larger than the game. Might as well be all digital with oversize hard drives and be lazy with swapping games. I know still having to put a disc in for a fully installed game is a long time PC thing, but it really frustrated me.
I also went more Steam and cheaper sale games or key sites. Saw a game for like $3 on Steam and $30 on PSN too many times.
Aside from a few PS4/PS5 games I love or are rare, I’m only really physically keeping older stuff and have actually been playing a lot of older stuff.
Should been made illegal to ship massively flawed games that needed 0 day patches, but our system is corrupt and businesses are allowed to run the world.
Exactly according to plan.
When someone buys a used physical game, publishers don’t get any of that money, and the publishers want that money.
Digital-only is how they get it.
Exactly, when people are given the choice, most of them prefer physical media
https://insider-gaming.com/disc-editions-make-up-82-of-all-ps5-console-sales/
What do you expect when there’s no physical media to buy anymore?