With the console market evolving in new and different ways (becoming a multimedia center, streaming, unified handheld-home console...), the digital media is going to overtake the phisical market in an undefined future. However, most of us wouldn't accept a full digital-only console right away. But what if someone makes a digital only console next gen? What if someone makes a model without DVD reader at a price 100€ cheaper? Would that be interesting to the consumer? Which company would try it first?

EDIT: What I meant was some company releasing their console as usual but, alongside the regular machine, releases one model without DVD reader that is 100€ less or cheaper. A digital only console is too far away in the future.

It is possible.

It's possible, but I wouldn't be very up for it. I prefer my goods to be physical.

who ever tries will flop, the original Xbox One was basically trying that. MS tried to make digital only but they realized that the internet connections arent ready yet to download 50GB games so they offered their DRM physical versions as an alternative

I can happen but there needs to be competition and decent prices in the stores. When you can buy Bloodborne new for £40 (and if preordering sometimes get it early) in shops yet it cost £50 on the PSN store, people will never adopt digital only.

I think next gen will have a none disc version plus a disc version of consoles.

Too many places don't even have the internet capabilities to go digital only last gen let alone next gen. I just don't see it happening

Whilst a digital console will come (I mean, its digital now in regards to the fact that all the disc does is copy the entirety of its contents to the hard drive) it won't happen until prices stop being utterly ridiculous. I'd have gone all digital this generation in fairness if prices reflected the difference between retail and digital. But more often that not, digital is STILL more expensive.

What I'd like to see, is some kind of program put in place for digital, whereby when you buy something digitally, there is an option to "sell it back".

For instance, say a game comes out on the store for £39.99. If you decide to give up the rights to that game within 30 days, you get say 25% rebate back into your account to go towards the next game. Between 1 and 3 months, it might drop to 15% back, so on and so forth.

They also need to get prices right for older titles. I'm all for digital prices being full RRP for 3 months or so, but then prices really need to start coming down to reflect the age of the product and the fact that in all likeliness, the game has peaked and is massively on the slide sales wise by this point. This is when a game that is 39.99 needs to reflect this and take a permanent drop to say 24.99. 3 months later? 19.99. A whole year after release? 14.99. Still with the rebate options intact from your day of purchase.

This for me, would make me go all digital, would give me money back from completed titles so therefore I wouldn't be bothered about not being able to go used. And a game I might like the look of but don't want to pay full price for at the start, I know 3 months down the line, or 6, or indeed 12, there will be a price break which will tempt me.

Yes, I can see that happening, but I think the model with an optical drive will get the majority of the sales. And that's because games will get only bigger and take longer to download and because, unless the price difference is too high, people will go for the "complete" package.

What's more, I could see someone trying to do that by the end of this gen with a new, smaller and super cheap drive-less model to test the waters.

I'm surprised Microsoft hasn't done this already this gen. But yeah, I'm definitely expecting a digital-only option for consoles besides your regular console.

You mean like the PSP Go?