It just seems redundant in the most cases. The only place where I got annoyed was with Pokemon X. The new PSS system and adding friends to it got me confused without the manual. Besides, how many times do you just go online to look for info then read the manual. Manuals just kept getting pointless. They explain stuff the game told you and not the stuff you wanted to know.

Somehow i read this as "Car removing the manual (transmission) really worth it". Since it is barely ever offered on new cars anymore.

Manual's gave the box a nice solid feel. Also they were really good read back in the days as first thing i did when i got the game was read the manual or at least skim though it. Recently though i've not been using them as much. It was still nice to get them. The companies probably save a few cents and also market the lack of physical manuals as an environmentally positive move.

Also some of the plastic is just cut out of the game cases. Just feels so cheap and flimsy. Why not just make a smaller case in the first place. I am talking about Wii U & 360 game cases here.

This. Most games include an in-game tutorial or training stage anyway. Manuals made more sense back in the day when games threw you right in the action with no exposition and the only backstory you got was at the "Press Start" screen. They're just a waste of paper nowadays.

Is this a US thing?
Because here I don't think I ever bought a retail game without manual. I check TLoU, Beyond and a bunch others, all have a manual. Didn't check GoW:A because I can't find it atm.
Also game retailers here don't accept used games without the manual as far as I know

In-game manuals and forced tutorials have pretty much made paper manuals obselete. Some people still find them convenient or like them for nostalgic reasons but that group isn't large enough for companies to keep making them.

Yeah, I remember like Street Fighter and Final Fantasy 7 had like character bios in the manual and they were fun

your asking the game industry.. the same ones that nowadays ask money for alternate costumes as dlc.. every penny not spend on something for you is good for them.. and if you look at the year reports.. they need those pennies to stay alive

Game manual DLC incoming...

i can't even remember the last time i opened a game manual. it was probably a snes game...

i made some cd releases a few years ago, the biggest one was limited to 1000 cds. the prices for b/w booklets in this unit range is ridicolous enough, i can't recall exactly but i think for a game booklet in the millions of units... maximum 1 cent per unit. assembling even less.

a normal full coloured 16 page booklet, music cd, jewel case, batch of 500 costs like 4$ per cd.

leaving out the booklet is nothing more than bullying the customer because the publishers sold their souls to investors.