The recent reports regarding Microsoft are getting more and more interesting by the minute. If murmurs in the industry are to be trusted, the company is currently engaged in designing not one, but two next gen conoles - a stand-alone box as well as a dedicated cloud-based console codenamed "Scarlett". Certain aspects of gameplay such as the controls, collision detection and simple game logic could be processed locally while the bulk of the processing would be offloaded to Microsoft's servers, enabling end-users to purchase a significantly cheaper system at the cost of being always online. Rumour has it that Microsoft has been working hard to diminish the obvious problems springing from lag and managed to provide an acceptable player experience on their new low-power hardware, similarly to how Sony delivers PS3 games over their PS Now streaming service. While not necessarily appealing to hardcore gamers, such a low-cost alternative would provide an entry level gaming device for those who only play a handful of games.

What are your thoughts? Would you trade your stand-alone box for an online only console provided it gave you the same experience at a fraction of the price? Have you ever used any game streaming services? Discuss!

Source

 

[Deleted User]

I prefer pizza baked to order, but I'll buy a frozen pie in a pinch. Your insinuation that PC culture was never attached to physical copies is uninformed and untrue, people are still collecting "big box" games to this day. I know this because I was one of those PC gamers and I still have my "big box" games. Some PC games came packed with trinkets in packaging so ornate console titles could only dream of a similar release. They've moved on, and so will consoles, in no small part due to the fact that physical media in general are reaching the point of obsolescence.

Please care to explain why a physical media is obsolete? please enlighten me

 

[Foxi4]

Please care to explain why a physical media is obsolete? please enlighten me

Because you can no longer directly stream from it as the read speeds are insufficient and we're quickly reaching a point at which capacity will once again become an issue. There isn't a single console game out there I can think of that can function without a lengthy installation and an even lengthier Day 1 patch. This is particularly obvious on the Switch which uses solid state storage, a much more expensive solution than optical media, and although it is significantly faster, there are games on the market right now that *require* an SD card installation as well as Internet access during their first boot to even run at all because storing them on a cartridge would not be cost-effective. CD's have gone the way of the dodo bird, they're nothing more than collectibles now, and DVD's and BluRays will follow suit as the online-based alternatives are just as good without the hassle. Games are no different, they are not an exemption from the general market trend. A single-layer BluRay is 25GB, I have games on my PS4 right now that are nearly a 100GB. The largest current BD iteration, BDXL, has a maximum capacity of 300GB. We're venturing into the era of 4K and we're already looking beyond at 8K, how long do you think it wI'll take before it's simply a waste of time to press discs at all and everything goes online? Because it will happen, sooner than you think.

EDIT: I tell a lie, the largest game I have on my drive right now is Elder Scrolls Online which, with the 4K PS4 Pro update, all the patches and all the expansions weighs in at 102.9GB, or over 4 standard BD discs.

 

[Deleted User]

Well that's filth! Wonder how they plan on solving button press latency when it has to travel back and forth over typical shit tier overpriced internet. Disney Magic can't even make this shine.

 

[Deleted User]

Because you can no longer directly stream from it as the read speeds are insufficient and we're quickly reaching a point at which capacity will once again become an issue. There isn't a single console game out there I can think of that can function without a lengthy installation and an even lengthier Day 1 patch. This is particularly obvious on the Switch which uses solid state storage, a much more expensive solution than optical media, and although it is significantly faster, there are games on the market right now that *require* an SD card installation as well as Internet access during their first boot to even run at all because storing them on a cartridge would not be cost-effective. CD's have gone the way of the dodo bird, they're nothing more than collectibles now, and DVD's and BluRays will follow suit as the online-based alternatives are just as good without the hassle. Games are no different, they are not an exemption from the general market trend. A single-layer BluRay is 25GB, I have games on my PS4 right now that are nearly a 100GB. The largest current BD iteration, BDXL, has a maximum capacity of 300GB. We're venturing into the era of 4K and we're already looking beyond at 8K, how long do you think it wI'll take before it's simply a waste of time to press discs at all and everything goes online? Because it will happen, sooner than you think.

None of the nonsense you wrote here proves physical games are obsolete, I sense a lot of emotion in the argument. I buy a ps4 game, put the game in my console it installs, which in turn prevents excess usage of blue ray drive which means the console will last longer LOL at read speeds you don't even know how it works do you. Games 100Gb+ will be a bigger deterrent to digital then to physical, they will make two discs or find another medium like they always have intact MS has already spoken about this.

 

[sarkwalvein]

Please care to explain why a physical media is obsolete? please enlighten me

1. Obsolescence as a mean of additional storage
In the past physical media was needed as an extension of the available storage.
Consoles just didn't have enough internal storage to hold games, so they read them directly from physical media.
This has changed considerably in modern times, where consoles not only have enough internal storage, but they also very often copy the games into it to make them run faster.
Games sold on physical media doubling as additional storage is obsolete due to this.

2. Obsolescence due to the current continuous game development model
In the past games were often developed and released, and that was it, the games didn't change further.
Nowadays it is quite common to release patches frequently, adding plenty of content be it by free updated or by purchased DLCs.
This has been progressively phasing out the concept of a static physical media as a relevant mean to sell a game.
Games sold on physical media are also obsolete due to the continuous development model

3. Obsolescence due to manufacturing costs
The cost of manufacturing a physical game and putting it in stores is to be considered.
In the one hand you have to pay for the production (that may not be so costly), but you also have to give the share to the shop that is selling it.
The need for reduction of those costs is making physical media obsolete.

4. Obsolescence due to logistics
When you produce physical media you never know how much you will sell (you try to predict it nonetheless).
This could result in situations of overproduction (like Atari's ET) or subproduction (like e.g. the recent case with Octopath Traveler, but I think that is a publicity stunt as my local Saturn store is full of physical copies of that game).
In order to avoid this logistics problem you can just publish the game in your digital store, copies are automatically "produced" as needed.
Also you don't have to pay the additional cost of sharing the profits with the shop owner as in when you sell physical media.
The necessity to avoid logistic problems and maximize profits is making physical media obsolete.

5. Obsolescence due to wide availability of high speed internet
In the past the lack of wide availability of high speed internet was a cause against digital downloads.
The situation has changed drastically in the last ten years, with high speed internet available almost anywhere.
The availability of high speed internet is making physical media obsolete.

6. There are many other reasons
Like for example streaming services that depend on NOT using physical media.
Many people has been exposed to many streaming services and subscription plans and their advantages and due to this they are now familiar with them.
This familiarity and will to use such services is also making physical media obsolete.

 

[Deleted User]

Because you can no longer directly stream from it as the read speeds are insufficient and we're quickly reaching a point at which capacity will once again become an issue. There isn't a single console game out there I can think of that can function without a lengthy installation and an even lengthier Day 1 patch. This is particularly obvious on the Switch which uses solid state storage, a much more expensive solution than optical media, and although it is significantly faster, there are games on the market right now that *require* an SD card installation as well as Internet access during their first boot to even run at all because storing them on a cartridge would not be cost-effective. CD's have gone the way of the dodo bird, they're nothing more than collectibles now, and DVD's and BluRays will follow suit as the online-based alternatives are just as good without the hassle. Games are no different, they are not an exemption from the general market trend. A single-layer BluRay is 25GB, I have games on my PS4 right now that are nearly a 100GB. The largest current BD iteration, BDXL, has a maximum capacity of 300GB. We're venturing into the era of 4K and we're already looking beyond at 8K, how long do you think it wI'll take before it's simply a waste of time to press discs at all and everything goes online? Because it will happen, sooner than you think.

EDIT: I tell a lie, the largest game I have on my drive right now is Elder Scrolls Online which, with the 4K PS4 Pro update, all the patches and all the expansions weighs in at 102.9GB, or over 4 standard BD discs.

A PS4/XB1 blueray maxes out at 50GB.

Again you don't know what you are talking about. There are no single player games without multiplayer updates that are over 50GB currently.

 

[Foxi4]

None of the nonsense you wrote here proves physical games are obsolete, I sense a lot of emotion in the argument. I buy a ps4 game, put the game in my console it installs, which in turn prevents access usage of blue ray drive which means the console will last longer LOL at read speeds you don't even know how it works do you. Games 100Gb+ will be a bigger deterrent to digital then to physical, they will make two discs or find another medium like they always have intact MS has already spoken about this.

A deterrent to digital? In the age of fiber? Okay. Whether you like it or not, consoles will move to digital distribution just like everything else has because you can't beat the convenience of pressing a button instead of going through the whole ordeal of pressing discs, distributing them to stores and having the customers queue up for them. I'm sure some form of physical releases will persist if only for the collectible factor, but overall the market will most certainly shift as we're reaching a point in technology where developing a newer, better optical drive just doesn't make sense when you can deliver the same content to customers over the Internet.

 

[Deleted User]

A deterrent to digital? In the age of fiber? Okay. Whether you like it or not, consoles will move to digital distribution just like everything else has because you can't beat the convenience of pressing a button instead of going through the whole ordeal of pressing discs, distributing them to stores and having the customers queue up for them. I'm sure some form of physical releases will persist if only for the collectible factor, but overall the market will most certainly shift as we're reaching a point in technology where developing a newer, better optical drive just doesn't make sense when you can deliver the same content to customers over the Internet.

People like you are too selfish to even consider the fact that some people still have basic dial up type speeds. North America is VAST. How is my dude in Alaska going to download 100GB in under a week? you live too far in the future, you watch to many moves.

Sony and MS are not giving up that much sales until high speed is EVERYWHERE

 

[Foxi4]

A PS4/XB1 blueray maxes out at 50GB.

Again you don't know what you are talking about. There are no single player games without multiplayer updates that are over 50GB currently.

Which part of "standard BD" was confusing? There's obviously dual layer discs and BDXL, that's not the point. The point is that resolutions will only go higher, game sizes will grow exponentially and they will outgrow the medium, whether you like it or not. There's a million reasons why digital is more convenient for both publishers and customers, you just choose to ignore the pros because you really, really want to hold that disc. I do too, but the world around you doesn't care all that much.

 

[Deleted User]

Which part of "standard BD" was confusing? There's obviously dual layer discs and BDXL, that's not the point. The point is that resolutions will only go higher, game sizes will grow exponentially and they will outgrow the medium, whether you like it or not. There's a million reasons why digital is more convenient for both publishers and customers, you just choose to ignore the pros because you really, really want to hold that disc. I do too, but the world around you doesn't care all that much.

Yes because bluerays that go much higher than 100GB don't already exist.'

Of course it's more convent to publishes and MS/Sony they would have full monopoly then digital games would be full price for ever as they already are. Bioshock collection $79.99 still that made me laugh.

 

[Foxi4]

People like you are too selfish to even consider the fact that some people still have basic dial up type speeds. North America is VAST. How is my dude in Alaska going to download 100GB in under a week? you live too far in the future, you watch to many moves.

Sony and MS are not giving up that much sales until high speed is EVERYWHERE

How many physical sales do you think they make in Alaska? Probably not a whole lot, buddy.

 

[sarkwalvein]

1. This doesn't devalue physical at all. Intact it makes physical better because disk drives will last longer.

This doesn't devalue physical, it just makes it obsolete.
Also disk drives won't last longer, because they will ultimately be completely removed to cut down costs.
It is not in the interest of companies to make physical media anymore, and they have come with plans to make the consumers happy enough with that.
They have given them the additional benefit of higher speeds, higher convenience at the time of purchase, higher convenience through subscriptions, etc.
They have also made physical media less appealing through the continuous development model.
Right now, they just only need to phase it out completely, and that is it's ultimate fate, they will go to heaven together with the floppy disk.

 

[Deleted User]

How many physical sales do you think they make in Alaska? Probably not a whole lot, buddy.

Alaska is a placeholder for every place in NA or worldwide that has awful internet. They will not literally abandon sales of those places.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

This doesn't devalue physical, it just makes it obsolete.
Also disk drives won't last longer, because they will ultimately be completely removed to cut down costs.
It is not in the interest of companies to make physical media anymore, and they have come with plans to make the consumers happy enough with that.
They have given them the additional benefit of higher speeds, higher convenience at the time of purchase, higher convenience through subscriptions, etc.
They have also made physical media less appealing through the continuous development model.
Right now, they just only need to phase it out completely, and that is it's ultimate fate, they will go to heaven together with the floppy disk.

I told you not to reply to me I've already disproven everyone you have too say.

 

[sarkwalvein]

Alaska is a placeholder for every place in NA or worldwide that has awful internet. They will not literally abandon sales of those places.

Places with awful internet usually also has an awful small amount of consumers.
They wouldn't sacrifice profit for a few consumers.
For those "they already have a product, the Xbox 360" /s

 

[Foxi4]

Yes because bluerays that go much higher than 100GB don't already exist.

Sure they do, but there's an upper limit to what a laser can do and no new revolutionary technology is on the horizon because there's literally no demand for it. These days computers don't even come with a disc drive at all and a BluRay player is like a novelty under a TV set. Soon enough consoles will be the only devices out there with optical drives, that'll mark the end of the medium.

 

[Deleted User]

Places with awful internet usually also has an awful small amount of consumers.
They wouldn't sacrifice profit for a few consumers.
For those "they already have a product, the Xbox 360" /s

Yes MS is doing SO well.

Anyway Im arguing with walls here.

 

[LuigiXL]

Just saying..

 

[sarkwalvein]

I told you not to reply to me I've already disproven everyone you have too say.

Oh, sorry daddy /s
You haven't proven shit, other than you are stubborn.

 

[xIce101x]

People act like this is going to be the only one they’re releasing. It says right in the article that they’re working on 2 consoles. One being a standalone box and the other one being a streaming box. They’re catering to everyone.

 

[Foxi4]

People act like this is going to be the only one they’re releasing. It says right in the article that they’re working on 2 consoles. One being a standalone box and the other one being a streaming box. They’re catering to everyone.

The voice of reason comes at last.