xCloud is the shittest thing Microsoft has ever created, i tried playing Starfield on xCloud the other day, 80m wait time lol. Next gen gonna be power of the cloud the sequel.

Tesco!

Yeah...Physical is basically dead in the UK.

Almost 90% of Games Sold in UK in 2022 Were Digital - ERA - BBC News

Can't blame em, Game is fucking trash and a rip-off with shitty practices. Grocery stores are dropping them, I think people just don't go to grocery stores to buy a videogame, Lol. You can order from Amazon but you'll always get your game faster digitally than Amazon, obviously.

On the digital bit

People have different preferences and different lines in the sand for what they're okay. And that's to be expected.

I'm personally not a fan of subscription services, I've actually gone back to buying blu-ray discs for movies. (And I rip all my movies onto my computer and stream them elsewhere; so I kind of get the best of both worlds. I own all of my movies and tv shows; and they're still available everywhere I would watch Netflix.) It's not a perfect solution, there's still lots that is exclusively streaming. But I still own a lot of my media. 

I think the digital stuff is a bit concerning long term. If Netflix were to go out in 20 years, there would be a lot of great shows that would probably be lost. 

But I personally feel relatively secure with current Xbox, Valve and PlayStation. You can still download games from the Xbox era and you can still download PS1 classics from the PS3 era (even though Sony's PS3 support is lacking). Things could absolutely change, but I think the past few years things have largely trended towards getting better. Microsoft has good support for decades of PC software. Valve has built up a ton of good will over decades. Sony has a lot of competition and a lot of vocal fans to keep pushing them to do better.

But I sympathize with people that are concerned. The industry is changing much more rapidly than it probably ever has; there are some aspects about it that I'm concerned about right now. But if nothing else, I'm pretty confident in MS, Sony and Nintendo still doing most of the same things 10 years from now as they are doing right now. 20 years from now, I'm a lot less confident.  But that's another story.

It’s funny coz Game in Wales is a relic, I went to the capital last year and the two stores they had were practically non existent. Just use CD Keyes for your digital games and stop complaining.

https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/19/23881174/microsoft-xbox-leak-gaming-phil-spencer-memo

Team,

Today, several documents submitted in the court proceedings related to our proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard were unintentionally disclosed. I know this is disappointing, even if many of the documents are well over a year old and our plans have evolved.

I also know we all take the confidentiality of our plans and our partners’ information very seriously. This leak obviously is not us living up to that expectation. We will learn from what happened and be better going forward. We all put incredible amounts of passion and energy into our work, and this is never how we want that hard work to be shared with the community. That said, there’s so much more to be excited about, and when we’re ready, we’ll share the real plans with our players.

In closing, I appreciate all of the work that you pour into Team Xbox to surprise and delight our players. In the days and weeks ahead, let’s stay focused on what we can control: continuing the amazing success of Starfield, the upcoming launch of the incredible and accessible Forza Motorsport, and continuing to build games, services and devices that millions of players can enjoy.

Phil

There's something hilarious about a leaked email where Phil is responding about the confidential information getting leaked.

As long as there is enough demand out there for physical games, there will be options to buy them.  Games like Mario Kart have sold 5.5 million physical games in Japan alone.

Tbf, you tried streaming the hypest Xbox game in over a decade lol

If that were the case, then 2 major AAA releases this year alone wouldn't be digital-only. All 3 major console platform holders have revealed that more than half of all game purchases on their platforms have been digital. The more that number goes up, the less physical releases there will be. 

I don't blame MS or anyone else for going digital next gen, I just hope they at least sell some drive attachment separately for BC support (one of xbox's biggest strengths imo) lol For now i'll continue to buy physical when I can

That's just what Bethesda games are like!  /just kidding.

But this is clearly decreasing. 

I think Nintendo will stay physical for a while. Sony is still having some launches where their big exclusives are like 50% physical, I think Sony will be selling physical games for another gen. MS is primarily selling a digital only console though, and has a greater digital share than either.