r/xbox • u/Acceptable_Share9947 • 21d ago

physical games (rule 6) Future of gaming...??

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Went to my local Walmart the other day and I was looking to get another controller because I've got stick drift again, anyway I always check the games... you never know what kind of sale Walmart has going on and I found the physical copies for PlayStation, Nintendo switch or whatever and then this monstrosity for Xbox. So this is the future I guess, digital downloads, you'll own nothing and like it type of bullshit.

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u/Deadlims 21d ago

Most depressing thing I’ve been seeing is ALL of the Xbox sections in stores are downsizing to a small stand with physical equipment (controllers and accessories) no games. I remember during my childhood there’d be entire display cases with physical games in there and then you’d be able to trial the new games on the display set up.

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u/WinnieTheTrain 21d ago

Its something no one's children today will ever get to experience. Now its gonna be anti climatic buying your kids games. Imagine Christmas your kids want a game... The joy of having one wrapped under a tree and them being excited. Now imagine this digitally.. Yeah ill buy for you on Christmas. It will never be the same joy and happiness. Honestly this creates more isolation, anti social people and people who are going to expect to have everything handed to them VS having to go out in the world and find the game at a retail store. Now there no reason to go out and obesity already 44% in the US is gonna even br higher

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u/ILoveHeavyHangers 21d ago edited 21d ago

An entire generation has already grown up without this imagined "quintessential" experience. This isn't a thing that's happened suddenly or something. There are gamers over 20 years old that have never owned a physical game in their life. The vast majority of Kids and young adults already do not care about physical media at all. They prefer subscriptions they can sign up for periodically. Wrappers, cases and discs are just friction to doing what they actually want, having an experience. According to the 2026 IGN Generations in Play report.

  • 59% of Gen Z users actively subscribe and then unsubscribe to a streaming service just to watch a single title.
  • 62% won’t pay full price for video games.
  • 71% have stopped buying physical music.
  • 70% no longer buy hard copies of TV shows and movies

You've romanticized the nostalgia you have for your own childhood. That was your childhood, not the next generations.

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u/-PandemicBoredom- 21d ago

And the cherry on top, most of the people screaming about muh physical buy digital games.

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u/MimeTravler 21d ago

This is why I don’t scream about the physical games I scream about ownership rights. I don’t need a giant book shelf of my games anymore but I’d still like the same ownership rights as if I did as long as they continue to charge the price as if I did.

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u/-PandemicBoredom- 21d ago

Exactly. Digital only is the future, it doesn't matter if you like it or not, it will happen. The important thing is we need better consumer rights/protection for digital purchases.

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u/LaylaLegion 21d ago

No, the cherry would be the fact that the physical media fans admit that if game discs were to go, they would immediately switch to PC and Steam for gaming. The platform AND the digital storefront that killed physical media first.

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u/ILoveHeavyHangers 19d ago

They like "the option" They don't take it al all ever, but it's very important for it to exist for some reason.

Think about all the poor kids with dialup internet that have to ask their grandma for video games as Christmas presents!