The disc is dying: from PC to streaming, consoles hold out

The optical disc is dying: from PC to streaming, the console is the last stronghold

Physical formats in gaming and film are in retreat, not because of a conspiracy but due to a combination of costs, technical obsolescence and changing consumer habits. On PC the transition was completed more than a decade ago: according to one participant, since 2012 it has been rare for a PC built from parts or bought at a big-box store to include a disc drive. Steam took over, with aggressive pricing that meant almost nobody missed the boxes. On consoles the process is slower, but the direction is the same: Sony and Microsoft launched cheaper digital-only versions, and the PS5 Pro doesn't even offer a drive in its standard configuration.

From the floppy drive to the drive that no longer reads

Optical discs stopped making practical sense when games grew bigger than the medium itself. Already in the previous generation, many titles required a mandatory installation to the hard drive. In the eighth generation, which began in 2013, the disc became a mere activator: you inserted the Blu-ray and the console downloaded and installed the game. Day-one updates, multi-gigabyte patches and the need for an internet connection sealed the deal. Even the disc didn't spare you from being online.

On top of that comes the cheapening of the boxes. They no longer include a manual, often not even a poster, and Blu-rays fall short of today's file sizes. The result: the physical disc has ceased to be a standalone product and has become a licence with wrapping.

The stores that close and the market that endures

The impact on retail is visible. Gamestop has gone bankrupt and Game has been closing stores across Europe. In an average city, what used to be two Game shops, several neighbourhood stores and hypermarkets with a video game section has shrunk to one Game, one Cex and the local Media Markt. The old neighbourhood shops are now like video rental stores: a memory.

What keeps the business alive is the second-hand market. That market, which publishers look down on, allows people to pawn old games and buy used ones at bargain prices. It's the argument most repeated by those who still buy physical: a second-hand disc costs a fraction of what the digital store charges, and the game is identical apart from the shrink wrap.

Streaming devoured cinema and collecting shrank

In film, the leap was straight to streaming, with no digital intermediate step. Blu-rays never caught on like DVDs: players were expensive, not all TVs were 1080p, and many people had already spent years collecting VHS and DVDs with the feeling of having accumulated junk. With the arrival of 4K, even 1080p started to feel lacking. Collecting remained a minority hobby.

Some argue that ownership-based digital — files you can copy and store on a hard drive — is the reasonable path. Others warn of the opposite: if the platform shuts down or removes the title, you're left with nothing. The case of The Crew, which Ubisoft made unplayable, is cited as an example of what can happen when the server says enough is enough.

Nintendo, the exception that proves the rule

Nintendo keeps the cartridge and physical formats stronger than its competitors. Its younger audience, the console's portability and flash cards have reinforced this. But even there the trend points the same way. The Switch 2 accepts cartridges, but nobody guarantees that will last forever.

The preservation argument runs through the whole discussion. Without internet for months, much of the digital catalogue disappears. Hence the case for ever more capacious hard drives and platforms that allow copies to be kept. The question is not whether physical media will disappear for the general public, but whether a niche willing to pay for it will survive.

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The trend is clear: fewer stores, fewer drives, more digital catalogues. But it's worth not closing the forecast just yet. As long as there's a buyer willing to pay for a box with cover art, there will be someone willing to sell it. What isn't written is how long that buyer will hold out.