Gaming is becoming more and more digital only as the years go by, but do PS4 discs take up less space than digital? I’ll explain everything in this post.
Digital games take up more space than disc games. When a disc is played the PS4 is reading information off the disc, and the system partially downloads the game to read it faster. With digital games all the information is read from the hard drive which takes up more space.
Red Dead Redemption 2 requires 99GB of space with the disc, while the digital version needs 149GB! Keep reading to know if it’s better to digitally download games, and why are digital games more expensive.
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Is it Better to Digitally Download Games?
Buying digital gives is convenient as you always have access to them, they can never be lost damaged or stolen and are better for the environment. They stay on your consoles ecosystem and at launch their the same price as physical.
I discuss the debate between physical and digital games in my post but in this article, I will explain the benefits of digital gaming.
Digital Games Are More Convenient
Having the ability to buy console or PC games without ever leaving your couch/sofa is a big plus for digital gaming, never needing to travel to your local gaming shop and waiting in line with the masses saves you both time and money.
When you download you get the games instantly to your hard drive, it does need to be downloaded which depending on your internet can take a long time, but with physical games, you also need to download updates before you play.
All consoles include a future called pre-loading when you preorder a game you have an option to pre-load the game so all the files are actually on your console so the game is ready to play as soon as it’s released.
If your itching to play a new release this is the fastest option available as even with Amazon prime you wouldn’t get the game at midnight release perfect for when you can’t wait to play the new release.
When the game is preloading or when you download a game simply do something else or play another game or watch a movie and your game will be downloaded in no time. Trust me, you don’t want to wait for the lengthy Red Red Redemption 2 install when you can do something better with your life.
Does PS Plus apply to all accounts? Learn the facts in my post.
Digital Games Are More Accessible
If you upgrade to a PS5 tomorrow, all your digital games will be ready and waiting for to download, it’s super convenient.
I’m planning to move to Thailand soon, if I had tons of physical games imagine how awkward transporting all those cases would be in my suitcase? Having a digital library removes this problem.
Digital Games Can Never Be Lost Damaged Or Stolen
Digital games don’t physically exist, so they don’t take up space. Do you have boxes and boxes of old PS2 games like I do? Storage space is important, especially if you live in an apartment.
Digital games cannot be lost or stolen which happened to me a few times, or more commonly misplaced. I can guaratee you as a gamer have opened a game case expecting to find one game to be sadly dissapointed when it’s notthe game you wanted.
Knowing where you have the game you want to play, and opening all your game cases to find it is a pain, digital gaming solves this problem.
Physical games have the potential to be damaged or wear out over time, there’s always a risk your console will accidentally scratch your disc or your dog or siblings breaks the disc. As digital gaming lives on the cloud, damaging a digital copy is not possible.
Digital Games Are Better For The Environment
We should all do our best to help protect the Earth, and digital downloads sharply cut down the enviormental footprint of the gaming industry.
Think about greenhouse reduction in all the plastics and materials is used to create discs/cartridges and game cases, and the plastic game packaging. Also, the carbon footprint of the vehicles transporting physical games.
Digital games are just 1s and 0s and are the most Earth friendly way to consume your gaming media.
Should you buy the PS5 or wait for the PS5 pro, learn if the PS5 will even get a pro version in my article.
Why Are Digital Games More Expensive?
The price of digital games on the Microsoft and PlayStation store is controlled by Sony and Microsoft as there is no competition and high demand they can charge a higher price than other retailers.
Sonys PlayStation network made over 12 billion in 2019 including the sales from PSN and digital downloads and games. With around 4 billion from PSN revenue that is more money than Nintendo made as an entire company!
Sony has an incentive to create first-party Sony games like God Of War or Ghosts Of Tsushima, as any gaming publisher that wants to have their game on a console actually has to pay the console developer money! Crazy right? It’s like paying an art gallery money to show your painting.
It is estimated that roughly $7-$12 is paid to the game developer per $60 game sold, when you realize the PS4 1 billion games as of January 2020 that is 7 billion dollars in revenue! CRAZY right?
The PS4 got off to a great start with fantastic exclusives but Microsoft always lagged behind, it is so important for gaming publishers to secure third party rights for popular games like Call Of Duty otherwise they would lose so much money.
Microsoft spent a ridiculous $2.5 billion on acquiring the rights to Minecraft as well in acquiring numerous first-party studios like Obsidian entertainment and inXile in order to compete with Sony in the next generation. Microsoft knows the only way to compete with Sony’s next-generation is to improve its lacking first-party games.
To see why PS4 was so successful and why the Xbox One failed, please check out my post here I put a lot of effort into it.
This jacks up the price, as the only way to buy digitial first party Sony games is through their own store making them more expensive than physical editions that lower in price over time.
Unlike Sony, you can buy Xbox game keys which are digital games at a reduced price, the best place to buy game keys is from CDKeys check their website here.
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