The 9th Generation is still going to feature physical media. Perhaps the 10th Generation after is when we'll start having serious conversations and than the 11th Generation (If we're still doing generations by then) will be when physical media is outed entirely.

I really can't say if they'll go fully digital or not. Last gen, a console that was fully digital didn't seem feasible due to limitations. Now seeing how digital sales have increased for certain games, I feel like digital right now would seem achievable rather than streaming, which still hasn't reached maturity.

I also believe the great majority won't like the sudden shift to digital and streaming. But it's something most, if not all, publishers, developers, and hardware manufacturers will have to agree on. They also need to make it highly attractive to the masses, like including full backwards compatibility of massive game libraries throughout future console iterations.

There will be some resistance, but companies will most likely take Henry Ford's "two horses" philosophy and ease us into digital.

I still hang to my phisical collection.

You might get the option of buying one with no disc drive but they will still offer them with drives. Adopton should be around 50% for digital software. Maybe the PS6. We shall see.

I expect them to phase out the normal/barebone retail editions of some AAA and a lot AA games over the next years, but keep the pricier "special editions" and of course the expensive "collector's/limited editions" of these games. When that is accepted, perhaps the "special editions" will disappear, too and the "collector's editions" will include a download key instead of a disc.

Even 10% additional profit is enough to justify the driver, the cost is almost neglible and long run even the royalties of the 10% would make sense to have.

Even though digital is replacing physical at a rapid pace, physical is still to big to ignore.

I expect disk drives for sure for the main next gen console. The gen after that though (2025-2026), they will be complete gone.

No. But it won't surprise me if there are two SKUs offered. One with a disc drive and one without but with a bigger hard drive.

Well if any of the big 3 decide to do it, then they better start working on their next console. Because that aint selling much.

We won't see physical media disappear next gen, but we'll see a whole lot more of things like half the game not being on disc. A good example of this happening already is Spyro. EA, Activision, Ubisoft, and WB will all do that with their games next gen.