game seems Destined to move towards a fully digital futureBut even though gamers overwhelmingly buy games digitally, they still seem to choose consoles with disc drives over those without. According to the latest data on the state of console competition, the digital-only PlayStation 5 appears to be the least popular piece of hardware of this generation.
On Wednesday, market research firm Circana released a breakdown of lifetime sales for the regular PS5 and the PS5 without a disc drive, as well as the Xbox Series X and S. Xbox Series devices sold (51%),” Mat Piscatella, industry analyst and executive director of Circana written on the blue sky. “40% of total PlayStation 5 hardware sales in September came from digital PS5 consoles. Digital consoles currently account for 18% of total PS5 hardware sales to date.
Sony’s latest reported PS5 sales data as of August showed total sales of 61.7 million units. This means that about 50.6 million of them were optical disc models and only 11.1 were all-digital models. Microsoft has not released official figures for Xbox sales, but data companies Aldora Intelligence told wall street journal Last month, it was estimated that Xbox Series X and S console sales to date were about 28.3 million units, which is consistent with other reports that PS5 sales are outnumbered by about two to one. According to Circana’s percentage calculations, there are approximately 13.9 million fully digital S-series consoles and 14.4 million X-series consoles.
Why? One reason could be that, unlike the Series S, which typically sells for just $300 and often goes on sale for less, the digital-only PS5 starts at $400 and is actually priced Increased to $450 When the new ultra-thin model replaces the first edition. The console is even more expensive in Japan, with Sony recently raising the price even further. The disc drive is sold separately for $80, more expensive than the $500 PS5 with the disc drive installed, for those who decide to upgrade later.
Another reason could be that while most gamers purchase games digitally, many of them still own older games from the PS4 generation or would like the option to watch Blu-ray discs with a PS5. Even if they never actually put a disc into the console, the habit of doing so in the past may prompt players to choose a console with a disc drive, at least for now. It’s also worth noting that certain games, especially first-party Sony titles, e.g. god of war ragnarokactually sold more copies than digitalization.
Perhaps this proves that even as gamers continue to opt for the convenience of digital downloads, they will still keep the dream of physical gaming alive by continuing to choose consoles with disc drives. Based on the numbers above, the all-digital PS5 and Series S combined only account for 27% of the current high-end console installed base, and we’re already nearing the end of this generation’s four-year mark. Then again, maybe this data is just a lagging indicator, showing the last gasps of old gaming habits rather than a lasting preference. Of course this is the story The gaming section of your local big box store will tell you.
There are already concerns that Sony and Microsoft may move to all-digital consoles only A choice at some point in the future. Some analysts predict Microsoft will make that leap with its next generation of consoles, while Sony will have to wait another generation to make it happen. Meanwhile, physical games continue to account for a shrinking share of the market, but still sell tens of millions of copies each year. As long as there is at least some diehard fans By purchasing them, perhaps console manufacturers will be motivated to continue offering disc drive options.
