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The story
A thread on 5ch’s Hardware/Industry (Geha) board kicked off with the question, “I want to ask people who buy digital versions — why?” The original poster pointed to downsides like losing your data and not being able to resell used copies, but people who actually use digital versions pushed back, saying things like “even if your data disappears, you can just re-download it” and “swapping discs in and out is a hassle.” At the same time, there’s a persistent crowd who buy cheap used copies or collect physical editions, showing that how people choose to buy games isn’t one-size-fits-all. The conversation also touched on the industry’s broader shift toward digital, from Nintendo’s game-key cards to the PS5 dropping its disc drive.
What people said
I think the push toward key cards and dropping discs in favor of digital is being driven by how many digital buyers there are, but seriously, why?
Never sold anything used.
No downsides, then.
And if we're talking about data disappearing — physical discs/cartridges can straight-up get lost, which is way scarier.
If your data vanishes, you just re-download it.
Even Switch dropped the account-linking requirement, too.
Loading's faster, and it's easier on heat buildup.
I only buy games I really love anyway, so spending a few thousand yen extra isn't a big deal.
And bothering to haul games to a used shop to sell them is just wasted effort.
You can tell from earnings reports that digital has become the mainstream.
Steam's convenient, it's great.
If anything, it's discs that are done for once they crack or get lost.
Also it saves space.
If it's fun, I rebuy it digitally.
If it's garbage, I just leave it sold.
Don't tell me Re: #1 actually thinks that once you download something and delete it, you have to buy it again?
Seriously, that's just the era we're in now 😅
Buy used and resell on Yahoo Auctions and you can play for under 1,000 yen.
If you're lucky, you might even come out ahead.
But with Nintendo moving to key cards and Sony (SIE) dropping discs, is it all headed toward digital-only after all?
Also, if you're hardcore about it and want to start playing right at midnight release, digital's the way to go.
I do have some worry that re-downloads might become unavailable someday, but even the Wii still lets you re-download stuff, so I figure there's not much point worrying about it.
They cost money to make, get discounted as a matter of course, and then used copies flood the market and cut into sales — there's basically nothing good in it for the maker.
If you factor in cashing in on physical sales, I'd think physical actually makes more profit.
Say a game ships 100,000 units but only sells through 50,000 — with digital, that's just 50,000 and done, but with physical, isn't it effectively selling twice as much?
Plus there's a pattern where people who sold their used copy end up buying it again during a digital sale, so from the maker's perspective, that's selling the same game twice — pretty sweet, no?
Stuff like Puzzle & Dragons or Monster Strike — once the servers shut down, nothing you paid for remains at all. Why do people even spend money on that? Are they corporate drones or something?
But it's selling well, which is exactly why it hasn't been shut down.
Also it keeps your room tidier.
The DVDs I burned myself about 20 years ago are basically all dead now lol.
Guess cheap overseas-made discs really are no good lol.
I'm the opposite.
For amazing games, I buy the physical version (ideally one with bonus extras) and keep it.
Plenty of them are still around, actually.
The problem is always the hardware side, not the games.
Is it some kind of template?
It's probably all automated at this point 😅
Even the posts aren't from humans anymore 😓
Background and Key Points of This Debate
The split between buying digital and physical games is tied to a broader generational shift in hardware. It’s true that manufacturers are pushing toward digital — Nintendo’s game-key card format and the PS5’s disc-less design are real moves in that direction — and the thread’s view that “physical copies don’t funnel much money back to the publisher once they hit the used market” captures part of that reality. Where the thread split, though, was over long-term data preservation. Comments like “it’s fine, you can just re-download it” and worries like “what if it becomes unobtainable once the service shuts down” are both unverified assumptions — what actually happens when a service ends varies by title and platform. Physical media has its own limits too, from disc degradation over time to being stuck relying on the used market once production ends, so neither format can be called unconditionally superior. The trap readers tend to fall into is thinking in extremes — “digital is gone forever once it’s gone” versus “physical lets you play forever” — when in reality, every format has its own particular limitations.
※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry [Geha]) thread “I want to ask people who buy digital versions — why do you buy digital?“
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