Highlights
- The GameStop CEO supports physical disk drives on consoles, arguing that consumers have invested their money in physical video games.
- The debate between digital and physical games has been ongoing, with digital games becoming more popular due to ease and affordability.
- Having the option for a disk drive on a console is important to many consumers, but the option to go fully digital should not be taken away.
GameStop's CEO recently tweeted in support of physical disk drives on consoles, speaking out against the industry's ostensible shift away from hard copies of games. Since GameStop is a leading vendor of consoles, it is closely connected to this issue.
The debate surrounding digital versus physical video games arguably began during the era of the Xbox 360 and PS3, ramping up over the course of the generation of the PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. As purchasing digital games becomes easier and more affordable, physical copies of games have started to appear less appealing to some gamers, who may view them as unnecessary or inconvenient. As players built their digital libraries during the last console generation, especially with games-on-demand services like Game Pass, physical games appeared to become less and less prominent. This seems more true than ever when considering the fact that new consoles like the PS5 Digital and Xbox Series S are launching without disk drives--which has sparked some controversy in the gaming community.
Tweeting in response to a Bloomberg article covering Apple's EU-forced shift away from Lightning ports in iPhones, GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen tied the hardware issue back to the world of gaming. He stated that "[d]isk drives should be required on consoles" because console owners have already invested their money in physical video games. Cohen called the iPhone charging port change a "win for consumers," suggesting that he would support similar legislation against console manufacturers shipping digital-only systems.
Physical video games in the modern era of gaming is a complex subject. With games like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor requiring additional downloads beyond what's included on the disk, some players may feel that having a hard copy of a game is the same as having a digital one, but with the added step and clutter of a physical object. Also, the digital-only versions of consoles are generally considerably cheaper, making them a smarter financial choice for gamers with a robust digital library and a modest or nonexistent physical one. It's important to note that, when it comes to the three leading consoles, versions with physical drives are still available.
As a major retailer of physical video games, GameStop certainly has a vested interest in keeping the practice of shipping physical games alive and well. As the new GameStop CEO, Cohen likely wants to ensure the longevity of the company in an increasingly digital world. Having the option for a disk drive on a console is a good thing in the eyes of many consumers, but having the option to go fully digital shouldn't be revoked.