Disc editions of the PlayStation 5 (PS5) make up a majority of its console sales in the United States.
According to the latest data from Circana, 82% of the lifetime sales of the PS5 are those with a disc drive. That puts digital-only consoles at just 18% of the total sales.
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Sony has made a push in recent years for players to move to the digital-only version of its system. Not only does the company charge less for the digital-only PS5, but the new PS5 Pro only comes in a digital version. In order to play discs, you’ll have to buy a disc drive separately, adding more to your cost.
That said, it appears that, so far at least, players are ok with spending a little extra for the option to play physical media on their console. And while a digital-only future seems likely for games, it doesn’t look like gamers are ready to fully go that route yet,
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For what it’s worth, September 2024 saw digital PS5 sales make up 40% of new sales for the month.
On the Xbox side of things, the Xbox Series X just surpassed the Xbox Series S in terms of total unit sales. As of September 2024, the Series X has a slim 51% majority over the cheaper Series S in the US.
What do you think of the PS5 sales being mostly consoles with disc drives? Let us know down below, or in the official Insider Gaming Forum.
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But digital sales make up the majority
Which is exactly why I’m pushing that this shift to disc-less but modular systems isn’t because of a shift to all digital, but because they can nickel and dime us with extra parts and the illusion of control
It’s a result of how they price their games. The extensive market of used game discs is the only reason I’ve finally purchased a console after being a lifelong pc user. If they’re serious about being digital only, they’ve got to be competitive with steam. And that seems unlikely with the pricing choices they’ve been making in recent months.
PlayStation and PC user here. I got a digital PS5, having my entire library in one spot is a no brainer. Us PC users ditched disk drives over 10 years ago. I get the value of owning physical games and being able to sell or trade them . I feel like digital copies should be half the price of a physical game for that reason. There’s also the question of what happens if Steam shuts down one day, what happens to the game license we purchased? I’m happy not having disks and most games I buy I wouldn’t sell or trade anyway. Next generation will probably all be digital consoles with separate disk drives for backwards compatibility.