Personally, I went all-digital beginning with the PS4. I also have a Switch (all digital purchases) and PS5 (again, only digital games). In the case of the PS4, it has a 1TB 2.5" SSD in it; my Switch has a 512GB microSD; and the PS5 has a 2TB M.2 SSD (in addition to its built-in 825GB of storage). I have TONS of space on the Switch still, I did have to delete some PS4 titles, and so far, my PS5 has my entire collection on it still (though, I am sure I will eventually have to delete a few games to make room for others).
I love being digital. Being able to boot up a system and select any game is nice, without switching discs or cartridges. I rarely if ever borrowed games to friends before, so that isn't an issue to me.
That said, I fully understand and am still cautious about the perils of digital. I have never had this happen to me, but I know it is possible to have titles licenses revoked and the game deleted from your own console. So far, every game I own I can still re-download without a problem, but that might not always be so. It's why I always keep my favorites installed.
Buying physical eliminates that problem, but at the same time, every physical disc is going to have tons and tons of patches and other possible enhancements/expansions/free items and modes added to it over time. I will use Stellar Blade as an example:
1) Disc does not have New Game Plus mode on it
2) Disc is missing, at this time, at least 12+ new outfits and other items added freely to it since launch
3) Disc is missing Boss Rush Challenge mode
4) Of course, there are the usual 100's of bug fixes, balance updates, and visual and performance enhancements made to it over time
5) Photomode will be added in Sep
6) Other possible expansions later on
Now, the disc does still let you play the game, for sure. But - if Sony ever turned off the servers allowing you to re-download the digital copy, that same principal would also mean the physical copy can't redownload all those updates I just described. In that sense, yes the physical copy does lose a lot of its appeal.
This just the nature of today's gaming landscape though. I have my PSone and my original copy of Silent Hill that I am playing through. But that physical CD is the entire game, because the game never changed or had anything added to it or fixed. What you got is what you got haha
