"If recent Xbox 720 rumors are to be believed Microsoft's next console will support Blu-ray and finally catch up to its PlayStation counterpart.
Speculation has suggested that it also may not support the use of pre-owned games. We've think the ramifications of discarding used games would be pretty serious for the industry and deadly for a console pursuing that path if a rival decides against it. However, the trend towards digital distribution on the other hand might help in the long term.
Swedish developer Paradox Interactive's boss Fredrik Wester believes the next generation will be the last one before all-digital methods take over, and said he'll be 'surprised if we see another generation after that'.
Wester, like many forward-thinking minds, predicts the ongoing decline of boxed products and the rise of what he calls 'open' platforms like phones and PCs. This doesn't come as much of a surprise considering his company saw a record 97% of revenue from digital means in 2011.
It's a sentiment echoed by Obsidian man Chris Avellone, albeit in much stronger terms. "I hope digital distribution stabs the used game market in the heart," he remarked, explaining that it was so much easier to develop for a digital-only release; excuses for a buggy New Vegas release perhaps?
It would certainly alleviate the argument about used games being ditched somewhat, with the costs of boxing a game being cut hopefully leading to cheaper prices. However, long-established games retailers like HMV and GAME will suffer no end, and that's before you factor in the old fashioned people that just like having that game stacked on the shelf for access whenever.
Amidst claims in November of GTA V being exclusively digital, industry analyst Michael Pachter said there was 'ZERO probability', as "Rockstar in business to sell a lot of copies, and won't do anything that compromises that goal."
The big money is still clearly made in physical copies, Pachter believes. Besides, how many games have you seen developed with XBLA or PSN specifically in mind that offer the scope of GTA or Skyrim? It could be a death knell for the grand gaming experience if you have to download for a day to access it.
The question for you guys is, do you think the new generation of consoles should focus solely on digital downloads and ditch costly Blu-rays and other disc media?
Give us your opinions on digital distribution, and next-gen consoles in general in the comments below."
