The digital future is here. You can now go on the internet and more or less buy any piece of media you want with the touch of a button. This has been huge in the gaming world, and digital purchases are slowly gaining a lot of ground.

To illustrate that point, it turns out that Fallout 4 sold more digitally than physically. That’s according to the game’s director Todd Howard, who spoke with GameInformer recently.  He said:

I think you lose a little perspective when making games, and you’re happy that it got done. You hope that when it comes out, it’s really good, and sells like crazy. That’s what’s in your head. One of the things that is amazing: Fallout 4 sold more day one digitally than at retail. That’s a big change.

That is a big change, indeed. And I expect that number will only get higher, as convenience slowly wins out. I wonder what that ratio will look when Fallout 5 comes out.

Source: http://www.bleedingcool.com/2016/02/23/fallout-4-sold-better-digitally-than-physically-on-day-one/

So the tide continues to shift to the digital future...

Not to step on the achievement or anything but so? PC sales would have been huge and through steam. If this was Xbox and PS4 sales only, that it would be something.

The dev mentions that the more digital than physical is a "big change" meaning that even previous versions which released both PC and console were not seeing that same situation.  While the console side was most likely more physical than digital, the shift there was apparently high enough to push the overall number despite PC continuing to be much more digital friendly.

I really have no idea why people are trying to downplay this, especially on a sales site. It's a significant event. This clearly means that digital sales on the XO and PS4 are still climbing upward. PC digital sales usually build up over time as opposed to Day One, as well.

That is.. surprising.

Well even with pc only being digital it is amazing, the sales on xone/PS4 are higher than on pc.

People will downplay the significance of it the same way they downplay any trend that doesn't fit their desired model.  It is natural to resist and oppose change.

No matter what I never intend on leaning digital, but even if I wanted to I wouldn't plan on doing so until laws are in place allowing people to pass on digital catalogs just as they could physical media in their wills. Discs are licenses just as much as downloads are, yes, but if I die I could give my collection of discs to my kids or something.

I know that's not directly related to the OP but PC gamers have effectively caved as time's gone on because steam is convenient to them, not thinking about what happens to those thousands of dollars they've spent if something goes wrong.

I think that we as the hardcore gaming community look at this from a very different perspective than that of the casual gamer.  I would say the majority of people play their game and then forget it exists.  They either trade in their disc to get the next game, or leave it on their hard drive until they need space, and it never really goes any deeper than that. 

As collectors we are in the minority.  The value for most people with regard to most anything is in their initial experience.  I pay 60 bucks for a 10 hour game, I am satisfied with my 10 hours, as an example.   The convenience of digital just allows them to get their 10 hours in a faster more direct way.

I am sure people on consoles and of course PC took advantage of downloading it before it released to play it exactly the moment it goes online.
Digital just makes sense over physical for most cases.