The End of Physical Media is Here…what’s next?

The world is changing for games..
#VideoGames #Games #gamestore

[@jonathanrainey1984]

As a best buy Supervisor, we had to pull all our games off the floor because of thieves stealing even in security cases. Our store still has an entire aisle dedicated to movies with a new release stand in the front. Physical media will never go fully away, video game companies will lose the older folks like myself If they went fully digital. Love the video dude!!

[@The_Arrowstream]

You must be the only best buy who has a full aisle dedicated to movies then. All best buy stores I've been seeing are similar to this video.

[@russellmania5349]

@@The_Arrowstream It probably depends on the best buy. If physical media is selling well then they aren't going to pull them.

[@redcrimson1028]

Love your comment. You'd be surprised ! they are a lot of us! Going fully digital will hurt the industry more than corporations will admit, regardless of what these new generation kids think. I have no beef with digital games, I actually like how digital is running concurrently along side physical games giving us an option, but I wouldn't it to be one sided, especially on the only digital side. Once video games go digital, that's when I completely stop buying games and consoles. I'm old school, I like owning my Gamez regardless of the space it takes up.

[@redcrimson1028]

​@@The_Arrowstreamlies! I live in Fairfax County VA, and the best buys here still have dvd and bluejays lol games too. I think this guy is right! Once we go into the all digital future, I think people are going to demand physical media more than ever! U never know what u have until its gone.

[@NaughtyJuri]

@@The_Arrowstream Play station users just lost discovery and half their purchases because of digital. The physical market is not going anywhere. It’s just these American companies just wanna push digital and it’s not going to work these companies can’t be trusted especially with censorship on high now

[@astroferret4700]

I’m a big supporter of Physical games, buying digital isn’t the same, I took the family out to target shopping and my eldest boy really wanted Super Mario wonder, the look on his face while holding it was so priceless, him in the back seat reading the box, kids won’t have that anymore and I remember as kid doing the same on the way home, reading the back dreaming of how it would be

[@pryan609]

I operated well over a dozen game stores across 5 states for over 20+ years. Due to digital sales killing us, we became a two store operation by early 2020. I stepped away in January of 2023 because the money was no longer there. With myself, that made 4 partners and employees to pay. I just couldn't justify it. I left, created my own new business removed from gaming, and have a new day job until I can turn my my new business into something full time. It's crazy though, that almost overnight, I went from being a big account that traveled to E3 and other places to have face to face meetings to plan for midnight launches and even negotiate pre-order bonuses. I remember leaving E3 2019 knowing it would be our last year attending because we were hit so hard and shrinking in size. Who knew the industry would change so much that in just a short period of time that that would even be the last in-person E3. Wild wild times indeed.

[@IowaRetroGamerDad]

Now is the time to hit up some of those retail stores. They gonna stop selling these games and probably gonna do a sale or clearance them.

[@pwcorgi2000]

Anyone who supports Digital Only should face heavy repercussions.

[@Laguna_Lad79]

Im still a physical media person. I get why some want the convenience of going digital but I have 2 issues with that. 1- a digital copy of a game, specially a “triple a” title cost the same. This has never made sense to me. A company is saving some money on physical packaging and having to ship the game to a brick and mortar store. Why the same cost if I buy it digitally? 2 - people tend to forget that when you buy a game digitally, your paying for the license only. PS Store or Live can take that away from you as we have seen Sony do recently with media people had paid for. I like owning my games. I have full control of what I do with my game after I am done playing it.

[@catserver8577]

They've been saying that for decades. Every time there is any new tech, people are convinced it's all over for physical items. You just have to wait for the next group of nostalgic people to have disposable income.

[@GomuRoux]

Digital was never as pushed as now, specially with digital only console being sold. Very curious to see what’s next gen will be, wouldn’t be surprised to see only digital 🤷‍♀️

[@joshstephens413]

@@GomuRoux And that is where I stop buying new games. I may pirate them but I will never buy them.

[@80sNinjas]

There’s a more malicious intent that it seems noones realizing with this digital doomsday. They can remove any and everything you own at the click of a mouse. No matter if you own it or not. It’s already been done to people before

[@jetman80pops]

Yeah but now everything is digital so there's a difference from decades ago. I believe the number last year of games but digitally was like something just under 90%. New physical media is dying and been dying. What is the point of going out buying a new game only to download it anyway?

[@HoLeeFuk317]

Future generations won't have nostalgia when everything is going digital.

[@BananaGeekLord]

At this point I have more or less stopped with physical media for a lot of things. I tried to hold on, but as far as games go, I just buy Switch games. As we can see in the video, its so hard to find a lot of stuff for other consoles. Theres still GameStop, but even their game selection has dropped over the years. The best I have is our local retro game store, who does sell newer games, but for the PS5 its still not a huge selection. I mostly still go for Switch games because their selection for that is pretty large. Bigger than some other consoles. But if it wasnt for that, at this point I would likely have given up. I just dont feel like spending this much time having to hunt down each and every individual game. It sucks, but at this point its where the market is heading, and it will only go deeper and deeper into digital only. EDIT: Also, I dont think that it helps that more and more of us are living in apartments. I dont have the room for all the games, movies, CDs, books, and comics I want. Most people I know who collect physical media collect maybe 2 of those, and the rest just need to be digital. Like I love reading, but having moved a lot over the years, thats just a ton of heavy books to move. Many of which i will never read again. So at this point I am just moving on. I will collect for the Switch, but this might be the last new console I buy physical games for.

[@mfinite689]

The magic of going to your local Toys R Us and seeing the latest selection of NES and SNES games there is something today's kids just don't experience and that's sad. Thankfully I'm old enough that if we really do go to a digital future, there's enough physical stuff still out there that I can continue to collect for the rest of my life.

[@crono_8398]

Hopefully collectors editions keep it alive til ppl realize how much this sucks. When gen z is older and wants to replay something they cant redownload, maybe things will change. 🤷‍♂️digital is cool for some purposes for sure. Everyone doesnt have a game room to store almost 40 years of physical media. Hope a balance can be found. Both beat streaming

[@ChampionOfSkyrim]

I think physical is going to become a niche product for enthusiasts. We've seen the final tier of physical music media (CDs), then film (Blu-Rays). There won't ever be anything past these formats. I think the next generation will be the last "jump" and at that point we're going to see mostly or all digital, but we may be seeing a console generation last 10+ years. So I think new physical games will still come out but only for enthusiasts of physical media. I think the new wave of new releases for old consoles will end up giving us physical media for years to come.

[@Dazedgames4201]

As a GameStop employee over here. We mostly make money on used items. They want us to try and change people's minds from new to used as much as possible. Now we are taking in retro stuff. I think GameStop will stop selling new physical games in the future. All speculation but it's my prediction

[@enthused7591]

When a $60 used game goes to $40, that beats the absolute s**t out of the digital copy that was only $40 new and is worth zero instantaneously. I'd never in 1000 years ever consider buying a digital copy of a game unless it was like 90% off the physical price.

[@trueaudiofiles8453]

They also said records and CDs were dead and they are getting a resurgence (records more so). 4k Blu-Ray Oppenheimer sold out at several stores. It will never be what it was but it will not go away. Even the Atari 2600 is making a comeback with the 2600+. Atari is making physical cartridges for it again and they are selling out.

[@brandonlewis3379]

All digital can go somewhere, as a mid 70's kid who grew up with games my whole life physical at that I will never go digital it's just not my style. Sad to see this happen the future looks horrid as it stands currently. Also I do have an Atari 2600 new and unopened in the box and still have it to this day. Funny thing about it was my father got me one and then my uncle got me one as well lol.

[@Adventures_Gardening1990]

I've been hearing this over and over I've talked to people at Walmart Target and GameStop where I live and they say that they don't think that physical media will go away anytime soon they are always getting new copies of stuff all the time at those stores

[@denvernaicker8250]

I would like if game developers turned the tide and produced physical only games with great box art and manuals. To resist putting their games on game pass, apple arcade, or cloud streaming networks. To create something truly worth owning as a physical asset that turns the cultural momentum, that confronts censorship and stands the test of time.

[@derekw83]

My local Best Buy is fully stocked with games and has all the newest released games. Same with target Walmart ect.

[@potendogamer]

I preordered Metroid Prime 4 from Best Buy years ago (paid in full), and my order isn’t showing up now… might have to get store credit, since they probably won’t fulfill that order by then… stinks, because I pre-ordered right before they discontinued the Gamers Club membership. Incredibly sad to see physical media disappear from stores. I hope retro game stores can stick around, so kids can have the physical shopping experience we all had as kids.

[@RABSTRAINS]

It will cause a major desire to have physical media. Once you can’t have something you want it even more. There are a ton of people who grew up with the physical items and who want to experience those feelings again as they have become older. They also want to introduce the physical media to their children and grand children. I think the resale business of the old school games and consoles as well as hand-helds will increase as physical media disappears in the big box retailers.

[@Gasol247]

I don’t trust corporations. It’s why I have went back to buying Blu Rays and DVDs. Digital is basically renting. They can take it back at any point.

[@KnucklestheEcidna]

they are either gonna have to replace all of the gaming sections with gaming merchandise like funko pops. or just have a bunch of games with digital download codes for said games. but the games themselves are definitely going to cease to exist at some point.

[@aceyotoko123]

Not everybody has access to fast internet. Asia will still have physical copies I think. Businesses like limited run will also be the future of how we buy our physical media.

[@jerminator0688]

The Best Buy I work at threw their Switch kiosk away. I tried to grab it but it wouldn’t fit in my SUV. The next day, someone snagged it.

[@ThufirHarrison]

Ok so I ran physical video game stores for 12 years and the new game price thing is unavoidable so don’t sell them. Have a wipe clean white board behind the counter with your most desirable title new or old and offer attractive trades for them beating the completion for your trade in prices but drop that price once you have enough or you think the new price is dropping so this need to be updates daily. Then pivot and have pokemon and magic the gathering weekly tournaments with a section of your vast store with room for 24 card players. Friday night magic and Sunday lunch Pokémon both events should bring in around 1k each per week. You charge maybe 7/10 bucks each player and they buy stuff. There are whole communities wishing they had places to play with cash on hand. Also don’t stock Pokémon from other stores if possible find your areas official supplier they do discounts and other products you will like. Then find homewares and clothing with the brands and games you stock and open a larger clothing section and a homeward section with like Mario plates and bowls, marvel clocks and towels etc. A books and graphic novel section can start just as one bookcase. Have a designated drinks and snacks section that you monitor to make sure your stocking what your customers like best. On the counter or in a counter glass display are you want impulse purchases to increase per basket spend like keyrings, badges and wallets on brand of course so like Batman wallets find a supplier for them for example. You want the customers to keep seeing things they want. What do they want? Stuff that supports their interest not just the game itself but a matching set of coffee mugs, a sonic bathrobe, a Pokémon bag, a Nintendo cap, a street fighter quilt cover etc, Don’t be rigid and turn away cash flow. Be like water my friend.

[@chadjustice8560]

Sony announced a good while back that physical media from them is not going anywhere.

[@mtbelley]

All I want to point out is you see vinyl records in stores again.

[@ryanelkins9682]

Digital media will never go down in price, COD digital is always 70$ This ,in turn, will make physical more valuable but that also means the price will increase.

[@PikachuLover0927]

I think it’s extremely sad to see physical media dying out. I prefer to see, feel and funny enough smell the new games and movies whenever they are opened and it’s starting to seem like that is going away. And what I’m afraid of is like what is happening to the 3DS and Wii U. The Eshop shut down and now all of the games digitally are gone. If we are going to the digital only era, all the games you want to buy will now have a time bomb attached to them and if the digital shops shut down at any point or the games get removed, they are completely gone forever. I had a friend that bought something on their ps4 and for some reason, it was gone. It was completely deleted when they didn’t delete it and they had to buy it again so even if you buy the games there are a chance that you could lose it

[@Tom-vt5bf]

I have 8 nephews and none of them care about physical media. They rather have it digitally. I tried showing them retro games with very little success. I grew up loving big box PC games and we all know how that went.

[@Security848]

that is why retro prices are dropping cause younger generation are not interested.

[@Xtrafix2015]

Why don’t you open an ARCADE ROOM like Nathan’s famous in the old days

[@douglasjarnagan3835]

The game companies were never fans of the used game market. See Nintendo vs Blockbuster. I suspect the move to end physical media was in part meant to get rid of the second hand market.

[@kbramlett6877]

I have recently read that Best Buy is in financial trouble.

[@nortoro1]

Ask everyone that was hit with the removal of their purchased digital products through Sony

[@14Tamayo]

I think physical games and movies will be like vinyl records, they used to be the main form of media then they were replaced, years later returned as a niche market.

[@justimagine2403]

When they pull down your DIGITAL OWNED content and tell you it isn't offered by their servers anymore. That is when you freak out about the digital dark age.

[@Animedia87]

Those people are so addictive on digital media. I’m still buying physical games, CDs and movies. I like to whole things and insert it in machine instead of sit and click all day Those people forgot how much Nintendo games worth few years ago?

[@elmechetv3093]

Never bought a digital game. Video game companies aren’t stealing my money. I have all physical

[@techep3]

Digital is trash and has zero value. If they move to all Digital, games better be $5 new because even that hurts to spend an invisible product with no value at all.

[@alexandrevigneault2155]

Rick is right. The price of video games are increasing every years by around 1-3% per year. I remember that Western Digital or in french version Solution Digital are planning to make a new Campaign to make old video game with better color, save setting and on the go!!!

[@KniewEntertainment]

Yeah haven't been to target in years, went a few days ago and the movie section was only new movies and displayed on two endcaps. I also haven't bought a physical movie since 2019. SOOOOO...

[@KniewEntertainment]

Oh, same with games. Haven't bought a physical game in years.

[@therealfodder]

I'm just hoping the indie scene keeps physical alive. I mean - look at the Evercade/Super Pocket - new indie games and retro collections on physical cartridges!

[@artminusme]

I feel like we are ones telling the average non-collector Streaming can… - Censor/Change media - Take media away on a dime - Next minute it’s on Netflix, Next minute it’s on Disney+ I saw the writing on the wall 2014 so I decided to collect my Top 100 Video Games, Albums, Films, & TV Shows of all time then call it a day. And with Sony coming out just taking folks purchased digital assets because of licensing reasons without giving them a refund, they want you to own nothing and like it. The only thing I worry about as a physical collector is that Limited Run Games would have a monopoly… LRG can do one

[@parsonk4041]

I'm so over physical media.

[@AjSeabern-hk6yp]

I mean, look at records. VHS CDs tapes and other physical media it's only got more and more collectible throughout the years.

[@bored2323]

The future is the prices skyrocketing as there will be less supplies and more demand as years go on , this has been proven with rare games that are extremely expensive because they are so rare , eventually even sports games will cost $500 when there’s no copies of any games anywhere

[@Staymadbitch25]

If big box stores are getting rid of physical media, this is a good thing for the “smaller” video game stores. Less competition

[@YoungMakaveli07]

We need to do all we can to make these companies stay with having physical media. The recent thing with Sony getting rid of the discovery stuff that people had bought and now have no access to anymore should have been an eye opener for everyone on what the future can have in store for all of us. If that can happen then what's to keep these companies from doing the same to games. Imagine buying a brand new game and all the DLC and putting in the money and hours into it then all of a sudden Sony or Microsoft lose a license for it and now they pull the game and the ability to play the game anymore. All that money and work you put into the game is just gone and they don't have to issue a refund at all for it. Same goes for these need to be online at all times to play stuff. If one of these game companies goes under and they shut down their services, all those games are no good either. Your entire collection becomes worthless at that point.

[@wafflybag]

Unfortunately, going towards all digital means, these companies will be able to control their own markets. Especially when the big three, Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft’s next upcoming systems are rumored to be digital only. You can call it a great deal, but Nintendo Online is exactly what Nintendo wants, sure people will still pirate their games, but people are less likely to due to a good amount of their legacy titles being available through the service. Having all these games available to you is great, but thats the issue, you cant buy any of them like Wii U/3DS. I want to hold my breath when i say this, but I feel sometime down the road Microsoft might start doing gamepass exclusives for their service, kind of like Netflix Originals. But once they dont feel like updating the license for it, then it’s gone. Don’t believe I’m too crazy saying this, my biggest example would be Netflix having a movie titled Hush, which came exclusively to the service early 2016. It had no theatrical or physical release. As I type this, it is no longer available to watch on the service. So the only way to watch it is piracy. These companies are really trying to crackdown on piracy now, whether its making games need a Internet download “update” in order to play the game even if you own it as a cartridge, i.e. the new Star Ocean remake that came out recently. Or requiring the game to be 100% online the whole time, again i.e. Diablo 4, once it’s offline, it’s gone forever. And how most Xbox exclusives titles as of the last 2 years dont even have a final build worked into the disc anymore. The games have been great, but seeing where not only the gaming industry is heading but entertainment in general is heading is frightening. We have CEO’s of companies (Strauss Zelnick) talking about charging players on an hourly basis for how long they play. He did retract his statement about it, but the fact that was even an concept from someone that big, is scary enough. I guess we will all just have to wait and see how everything turns out. Keep up the great work Rick, you are truly doing god’s work. Happy Holidays Everyone.

[@martinojeda7956]

Physical media is pointless for current gen systems because you still have to download the game after putting the disc in. Also, digital games are always on sale and your digital library grows faster than physical. Also, systems have game pass both PlayStation and Xbox that gives you a massive library of digital games for a monthly fee which is cheaper than buying physical games.

[@tylerbennett5989]

While opting for a digital copy has its advantages, there is one significant drawback that cannot be ignored. In order to access digital games, an internet connection is imperative for downloads. This dependency on connectivity renders the digital copy useless for those without access to the online world. Conversely, the tangible pleasure of owning a physical copy lies in the ability to swiftly open the packaging, immediately indulging in gameplay without any required waiting period. The sheer joy of unfolding a brand-new game and diving into the experience is truly unrivaled.

[@twig-e6431]

Nah...I'd think there might be even more people selling and buying physical mediums at retro stores if there are less at stores. We will see though.

[@kyleandow4844]

I think in the long term it will be less niche cause there will be more people looking for physical media when it is obsolete

[@Theausamerican]

you have so many boxed Amiibos! Love to see it!!!

[@Jehayland]

Who knows, Vinyl’s making a comeback, maybe physical game media will go away for a while and then resurge.

[@jetman80pops]

It's funny the writing on the wall for physical media dying has been there for years. Just look at what is happening to GameStop they are a dinosaur that's on the brink of death. Only video game stores that will survive are the mom and pop ones who sell games from cartridge through disc.

[@Pocket_Fox]

Amazon and Ebay. Physical media will be fine. This is a brick and mortar issue.

[@MF-zh4ig]

From a eco-friendly perspective, physical media probably is more harmful to the environment, however digital media lacks multiple elements that physical media has; 1. resale value (once the end user has redeemed the code, the game is essentially 'worthless' in terms of resale, unless it can be transferred with the console to a new user), physical media will always have some kind of resale value. 2. The physical feeling of not only being able to present it, feel it and enjoy the design of the box and the inlay, manual, disc/cartridge and the art on it. 3. You actually own the physical media, with digital media, all it takes is for a company to close a server that prevents you from being able to download updates or if your account gets banned, it may prevent you from downloading updates, you never really 'own' it. 4. Digital media is normally more expensive than physical media and is usually sold by less platforms so the depreciation is slower (look at steam and epic for example). The main benefits of digital media would be: 1. The convenience when on the move to download a game and it's updates from probably anywhere in the world, whereas if you forget your physical media, it's forgotten until you get home or you buy another copy. 2. Every piece of physical media that you want to take with you will take up space. People have rooms worth of physical media that could all fit on a pen drive. 3. Digital media will essentially always remain in 'mint' condition. 4. Arguably more eco friendly, although the cost of the servers to hold the data from a financial and carbon cost perspective isn't low. 5. No postage cost and if you buy it, you can easily gift it to someone almost anywhere in the world within minutes. 6. Fast delivery time. I personally have a mix and I prefer to play on original hardware where possible, but I can see games likely going down the route of the Xbox game pass and everything being on a subscription model- "You'll own nothing. And you'll be happy". In terms of store experience, it's a mix of the layout, what is available and how it's presented, the friendliness and knowledge of the staff as well as the music being played. Something that bigger stores do well is having a greeter. Now this may not work so well with a game store but people want to feel valued as a customer and welcomed into the store.

[@zoreyaswain1133]

If I recall right, it’s always this way after Christmas no?

[@3OH3Wes]

Personally I won’t buy a game if it doesn’t come in a physical copy. Call me old school, but I enjoy taking a game out of a case on my shelf. I imagine there are a lot of people just like me. Go Broncos!!

[@lorenzodemedici1]

Like it or not, it's the consumers' fault for choosing digital over physical for the sake of convenience as people below me have commented. They wanted that convenience, but there is a heavy price to pay for that convenience. Nintendo just got done shutting down their digital store and the server for the 3ds games. Don't be surprised if they do this for their Switch section in 10 to 15 years from now, and there is nothing you can do about it. The consumers wanted digital right? Just know the full consequences.

[@ECTOERICSARCADE]

The old heads like us are always going to want physical media because it is nostalgic for us but these young kids are not going to know any better. They won't know what a disc or a cart is. Physical media will probably seem pretty silly and inconvenient to them, so they will not care. It's sad and I hate how the world is changing, the magic is gone to the IA virtual world. As long as our generation is still alive there will be a market for physical media and it will be filled by small independent companies still making and selling it. People hate when I say this but the internet ruined the world.😢 🤘😁👍

[@sweetfeathery]

I've been buying more movies and shows I watch in a panic now that the end is near for physical.

[@williams6334]

There will always be some market for physical console games. Obviously PC games is a completely different story. I personally refuse to buy digital on console games that have a physical option because they're actually more expensive here in Australia at least.

[@Playerz714]

Im going to be honest its crazy no one has brought it up but you should of checked in the front thats where they keep all their games I dont understand why best buy hides

[@DaCynn91]

How do I get one of those stickers?

[@nostros26]

On a sidenote I heard Walmart is joining target as well in 2024 with media.

[@volenteertjm7373]

Will it reduce? Yes But everything comes back around. Look at vinyl records. Same thing is happening with check outs. 10 years ago everyone was like ugh I hate waiting for someone to check me out- now half of people hate checking themselves out because the experience is trash. Being in retro is a way better play than being like GameStop

[@Tom-vt5bf]

I am sad say it but video games stores are just going to continue to decline. I am 40 and its been crazy to watch the rise and fall.

[@awogbob]

Epic Games and More in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada (My home town) boasts about having on of the largest collections of switch games in Canada. They have a hybrid store of wargaming, some anime figurines but mostly bread and butter vintage games. The switch section seems to drive LOTS of popularity especially with special edition physical releases on the switch (Shovel knight comes to mind idk, I am not a switch collector) Either way nintendo and switch specifically seems like the last bastion of physical cartridge collecting. Antidotally my wife really cherishes her 7 or so physical switch games and keeps them in her switch lite carrying case. I think for high sentiment franchises there will always be a desire to buy physical and 'collect' the item... Idk let me know your thoughts mr rick

[@paulwilliams5500]

I’m one of the evil watchers of your channel that appreciates seeing all of the old stuff but don’t want it in my house. I’m glad people enjoy it, but I don’t need to own it. I’ve also completely moved to digital only, and I think the bigger issue is going to be the hardware holding up and the ability for those systems to be played on new TVs. Audio/video converters are going to be pricey, and how long will the purists put up with the hassle? I love the digital future, but it is sad to see the realities of failing/aging tech. BUT… if I’m ever looking for retro stuff for me or a friend, it’s places like yours that I go to. Beyond the retro product, it’s the retro SERVICE like it used to be that would keep me coming in!

[@alphaj9]

I haven’t purchased a physical game in years

[@HorrorGamerOG]

This is why I collected games my whole life. No need for best buy......I have always had more games then them anyway 😂

[@boo1_gaming927]

Cloud technology has to advance much more than it is now to be truly all digital. Movies, shows, and music aren't as fragile as a game. Any kind of lag could make or break the gaming experience, and with how games keep getting bigger and bigger in file size, especially AAA games, physical media is still the best way to play games. The way Nintendo handles physical media is top notch. No installs unless if there's a patch, and even then, you're playing within 5 minutes unless they have you download part of the game or download a game or two in a compilation. For the PS4, it takes at least 10 minutes to install the game onto the hard drive and another 10 minutes to install the patch. It's ridiculous. It takes just as long to download a game than to install it from a disc. It maybe convenient, but you can't resell them even if you wanted to. At least you can resell physical games, whether console makers want you to or not. Also, you're seeing a resurgence of VHS and Vinyl, especially Vinyl. Never did I think that I see the day that there would be more records at Walmart than CD's.

[@WolfoxPhantomX]

I have a CIB SNES. Alas I live in Wisconsin :(

[@jacobg6528]

Rick. I have a really really cool 14k gold Toys R Us ring. Only given to employees in the late 80s or 90s. I can't remember the exact year.(iv never seen another one)Id love to send you a picture of it!!.

[@Kozmo-Kamuy]

Wow what happened to buy 2 get 1 free or 50% off worse than game stop

[@ZacharyGalloway]

I just grabbed a few of those heavy hitters Pokémon boxes today while out of town for work. We really missed out on the box before the current update a few months ago that had Evolving skies, Chilling reign and fusion strike packs for the same price. I'm not a member but lucky one of the guys working for me was a local and let me use his. I grabbed 4 for myself but boy they take up a lot of space for a sealed collection.

[@Tmnt_TCG]

The people at the top consider this a good idea because they make a lot more money but the truth is all the people will reject this

[@jamesdean9957]

With Alan wake 2 going full digital… my wife and I agreed the ps5 will be our last console purchase.

[@EdoJp]

Whenever the consoles become digital only, I will make the jump to 💯 pc.

[@powang59]

I wont buy the console if I cant get the physical game. Tell me how im going to buy a digital only game for a switch(or any system) which has limited space so i cant' have them all on my system...and 15 years from now i want to go back and play a game i bought but its 2 generations old and no longer supported..And theres no way to "connect" to download the game i already bought back to my system? Think of wii games which were bought if there not on your system now..sometime in the future they wont be available to you anymore....I should get my money back, honestly. Only way i do it is...if every game i bought starting on the ps5 (or whenever physical games do go away if they do) are always available to me to re download on the next gen console, ps6, ps7 etc..This is why I never buy movies online, there have been multiple sites to purchase online movies and now no longer exist.

[@BASHEM72]

How can resale digital? Physical is the only way to go. Old school is the only way. All the 20 and 30 something’s think they know what’s best for games. I’m a 52 yr old school gamer that has a collection of over 1000 physical copies. My man cave is no more than a glorified game room. Do what’s best for everyone and buy physical. Get out of your house and go on your own adventure. Buy physical. Sad to see dust at Best Buy in game selection

[@BASHEM72]

Send me a sticker ❤to put in my Gameroom, please ?

[@nauls82]

I always liked physical media because when you buy a DVD or a Game disc or cartridge or an album it feels like you actually own them, instead of the feeling of rental when you pay for digital media.

[@Dreadnaught1070]

It may become a situation where the physical copy will be old hard drives from the console itself. You would just rip it off the hard drive and sell the copy with an activation code and delete the original.

[@BeeRumblin13]

I don't about anyone else but where i live physical media isn't dead. Guesd it depends where you shop.

[@TheMetaform01]

Even physical currency is out the door digital will be the future

[@JadenHybrid]

Not Cod, they keep that full price even after next one, goes on sale more.

[@user-cl5kj7oq6y]

Sucks to be a working class gamer and defo makes entertainment a lot harder for people in poverty to access.

[@babygravey]

The future is retro

[@gamerbents215]

You went at Christmas time, what do you expect.

[@williamgrandy698]

It is where it’s going. We need to hang on to our physical games for as long as we can. I think you will be fine business wise.

[@darrenhommell3414]

the digital copies have no soul!!!!! NOT A FAN!!!!

[@roherium]

give it 5 years and all the game stores are gone just like vhs stores

[@holeeshietpyro4072]

they'll have to figure out how to bring physical media back, i forsee video game data exceeding extremes that we see today into the 10's or 100's of terabytes.. noones gonna wanna download that for a game, or get flagged by their isp, or if they dont have internet how are they gonna play to begin with. we the people have to vote with our wallets and think about those without internet or fast unlimited internet. We cant let the power of gaming be in the hands of our isp's and internet providers.. they shouldnt be the ones to say yes or no to us playing games.

[@WalletMonkeys]

The push to digital isn't without flaws, they can ban your account at any point in time and you lose access to all your purchases, its all covered by their TOS. I will keep stacking physical games

[@TheZerokool187]

I used to work at Toys “R” Us back in 1999 and I remember that there was a separate section just for video games and console with their own check out section . What a great time it was so amazing

[@Berzerk_Fury]

I remember my supervisor from Toys R Us got arrested and later came out to be a sex offender. But yea the job was cool easy few hours low pay but had discounts.

[@michaeledwards1644]

Kaybee Toys and Toys R Us were the best along with Nobody Beats the Wiz

[@reneb5591]

Yes I remember the one in Los Angeles was like that . Good times

[@user-or6yn8pm3c]

Yeah they had those tickets where you pay for the game and then go to the back and pick it up.

[@Dcf9318]

It’s a real shame honestly. I remember so many memories growing up going to GameStop at midnight with my mom to get the newest release of certain games and how it meant so much more than just a game.

[@CaptainArmada]

I feel you Sometimes the experience is actually more impactful than playing the actual game

[@mgloco88]

A lot of it has to do with customer service now, back then people actually looked you in the eye and cared about what you had to say, currently these kids could care less, they cant wait to finish the conversation so they can look at their phones. I recently went in to a best buy and I felt invisible, granted I dont miss the days where you couldnt walk two feet without an employee asking if you need help, It is just such a different vibe now that you might as well buy online.

[@p.chuckmoralesesquire3965]

$130 for a super nintendo? PASS just download all the roms and play on your PC for free

[@user-or6yn8pm3c]

You can get a retro machine with thousands of games. Back then you would need to be Bill Gates to buy all those games.

[@user-or6yn8pm3c]

​@@p.chuckmoralesesquire3965Emulators were around since the 90s.

[@Shuntsalot]

The future is bright for you owning a retro game store.. #neverstopplaying ❤

[@haroldnelson3312]

The very first time the internet gets shut down or goes offline for any amount of time people will realize the power of physical media. Plus all the extras you get with physical media can't be beat. There's no soul in these corporations and that's why they are dying.

[@tonyp9313]

That only happens when I have a power outage. When the power goes off so does the tv. So I can't play physical games anyways. There's also power in Digital media as in there is a ton more selection of games, lower prices & you don't have to worry about a game being sold out in stores or through mailing services online like Amazon. I prefer digital, a lot more convenient. I don't have to worry about 100+ games sitting on my shelves not being played. Once I beat a game I delete it off my console for ever. So if they happen to take away those games I beat, it doesn't matter.

[@lifeisyours8250]

​@@tonyp9313So basically you prefer renting as opposed to owning.

[@skyecloud968]

@@lifeisyours8250 He forgets that there is handheld consoles like switch. If there is no internet there is no service and if you bought your games digital well than forget it. If you have generator you can play xbox console and he forgets too if there is a power outage and no internet you can't play games on psn plus too. I couldn't play my games that I bought on sale digital on the xbox one so I stopped buying them and same as for other games that require internet to play. The games I play needs to have SP so if I can't play MP than forget about it.

[@dauntless0711]

⁠@@tonyp9313your internet connection is not the only factor. See the 2011 PSN Outage. 23 days of not being able to download any of the games you bought from the Playstation Store. My disks were extremely useful at that time.