Sony recently revealed its latest console, the PlayStation 5 Pro, without a disk drive. While players have the option to attach an external disk drive, Sony has made it clear that it won’t provide the option in the PS5 Pro. There has been some criticism about Sony’s decision, but it’s no secret that physical copies of video games are a thing of the past now.
In many parts of the world, particularly the UK, physical game sales have gone down significantly in the past 3 years. Another recent report has revealed that 3/4th of the games sold in the UK last month were sold digitally. This just proves that Sony didn’t make a mistake with the decision to release the PS5 Pro without a disk drive.
Gamers Around The World Now Prefer Digital Copies Of Video Games
Sony faced a lot of criticism recently when it announced that the new PlayStation 5 Pro would be released without a disk drive. Many claimed that Sony would struggle to sell the digital-only console because many gamers still prefer to buy physical copies, however, the statistics say otherwise.
In just the month of August, 75% of the games sold in the UK were sold digitally, which was 65% in August 2023. In general, the console gaming industry has been slow, but it seems like many gamers around the world now prefer digital copies over physical ones. No matter how much gamers defend physical copies online, the statistics constantly prove that digital copies are the future.
Disk Drive Complaints Will Not Slow Down The Sales Of PS5 Pro
Sony’s decision to remove the disk drive from PS5 Pro will definitely not affect its sales and players who wish to use the disk drive can get it separately. By providing it as an option, Sony can definitely churn out some extra profit.
The Digital Entertainment and Retail Association (ERA) estimated that 89.5% of games sold in 2022 were digital downloads and only 10.5% of copies sold were physical disks or cartridges. Physical copies are dying, especially with many video game studios like Remedy Entertainment releasing only digital copies of their video games.
As for the PS5 Pro, the console will take console gaming to the next level as it prioritizes smoother gameplay with high-fidelity graphics thanks to a better GPU, improved ray tracing, and AI-driven upscaling. The console will launch on November 7, 2024, with a hefty price tag of $699.99.
Do you think digital-only is the future? Share your views in the comments!
