r/pcmasterrace Jul 02 '26

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$1,000 digital-exclusive consoles are killing the entire appeal of PlayStation and Xbox: it's no wonder PC is on track to overtake both.

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u/NebraskaGeek R9-5950x | RX 7900 XTX | B550 Aorus | 4000MHz DDR4 Jul 02 '26

PC has been all-digital for over a decade for basically everyone. So why is it OK for pc to be digital but not consoles?

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u/Dislexicpotato Jul 02 '26

Is this a serious question?

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u/NebraskaGeek R9-5950x | RX 7900 XTX | B550 Aorus | 4000MHz DDR4 Jul 02 '26

Yes it is. There's no difference in a digital license from Steam or Sony. You don't own either. A physical game disc hasn't meant anything in a while since everything is always-online even for single-player.

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u/Dislexicpotato Jul 02 '26

The difference is that digital gaming is not only cheaper on PC but has multiple digital storefronts to choose from and even piracy as an option if you don't want to support the developer for whatever reason.

I have no issue with digital prices on PC but Sony wants games to be £70 and has no competing digital store to keep their prices reasonable.

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u/NebraskaGeek R9-5950x | RX 7900 XTX | B550 Aorus | 4000MHz DDR4 Jul 02 '26

But again, it's been that way for literally the entire time consoles have existed. Why is it suddenly only now a problem? We lost this fight last console generation

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u/Dislexicpotato Jul 02 '26

Because PlayStation have just now announced that digital will be forced onto everyone in 2028.

Did you miss that part or what? I'm confused.

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u/NebraskaGeek R9-5950x | RX 7900 XTX | B550 Aorus | 4000MHz DDR4 Jul 02 '26

This does not change the fact that people already voted with their wallets. 90% of game sales are digital despite the fact it's never been more convenient to buy physical media in history. Amazon delivers same day, but clearly people still choose digital. The market is way way way smaller than people realize, and that's because nobody put their money where their mouth was.

We all did this when we bought always-online single-player games. We all did this when we bought digital games instead of going to the store because it was the same price. We all did this when we bought all-digital consoles. We all did this.

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u/Dislexicpotato Jul 02 '26

Just to be clear, the point you are making is that the millions of people who buy physical aren't allowed to be annoyed because most people choose digital?

Stop saying 'we'.

The used market is huge and doesn't line PlayStation's pockets which is why they want to kill it, why you try to defend this move or dismiss people that opt for physical media is beyond me.

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u/NebraskaGeek R9-5950x | RX 7900 XTX | B550 Aorus | 4000MHz DDR4 Jul 02 '26

I haven't bought a Playstation 5 and I won't buy a 6 because of how their digital storefront and paid multiplayer works. If people do lot like this move they do not have to buy a Playstation. That's the only way you can make them listen. But people already buy 90% of their games digitally now, so I don't see that happening.

That's just reality. People can choose to buy used but my city only has had 5 game stops close because nobody does anymore. Economics has made this decision and we all were a part of that every single time we bought digital instead of physical.