Best buy has already dumped the DVDs. Many places also have a much smaller footprint when it comes to video games compared to the past. Most seem to not even care and are happy to go digital only.

Systems seem to have done well as Digital only so far as well.

Or do you think they will always make physical copies?

When kids stop getting Birthday and Xmas gifts?

You can't wrap a digital download.

CD's and records are still around soooo. I dunno

You can print a nice little thing with some images, a short message and a code though. I already did that once for my son when he wanted some PC game that wasn't available physically. He was quite happy about it. I mean people are already gifting gift cards left and right. I don't see a reason why that shouldn't work with codes for Steam, PSN and so on.

Physical media will probably be around forever, as there is a niche that quite enjoys it. Just look at the rise of vinyl. As for video games, stuff like Limited Run seems to enjoy quite a following. So if we include that, physical games will be around for quite some time. Sony and Microsoft could probably end their production of consoles with a disc drive as early as next gen. As for Nintendo, I fully expect the successor of the Switch to have physical media.

I expect official end of support from the big companies for physical media sometime in the next decade. But like I said, even when Nintendo, Sony and MS finally ditch that for good, physical media itself will still stick around in one way or another.

Ps6 and S3 will be digital only.

People use movies as example of physical hanging around, but the hardware is open source. Video games are different... once Sony and Nintendo launch hardware without media drives, it is done.

By the end of this generation for PS5 and Xbox. Switch 2 will hang on until the end of its life cycle. Maybe even longer. To be honest, if Sony and MS continue with their terrible decisions and lack of console price cuts I see PS6 and Series 2 tanking bad. It will be all PC and Switch 2 by then. Nintendo will be the only console game left in town and they will have the physical videogame aisle all to themselves at local stores.

It depends on how people perceive value. Having something tangible in your hands increases the perceived value. At least to me.

Myself, I would not pay the same amount for an e-book compared to a physical paper one. For games my limit is about EUR30 for digital. Above that I want physical.

If somewhere in the future Physical does not exist anymore, I don't see me buying that many full prized anymore. Max 1 a year. The rest then will be either heavily discounted or cheaper AA (Indy) games.

Perhaps I am the outlier, but if sufficient people like me exist, it's in the interest of publishers to have physical as an option to retain full prize level.

Ps6/Next Box will be digital only. Nextendo will be the last.

If anything, records actually got a recent boost in popularity and some high street shops are even sustained from their sales (especially in the UK). It's the idea of actually owning a physical object as part of a collection that is something that really appeals.

I hope physical games stay forever but considering we are getting less big budget games it seems or they are limited to certain publishers/studios, it's only those we will be getting unless a game has already done well and made a profit.

It'll probably be limited to certain games/special editions come the next generation (the disc drive itself becoming an optional add-on), but it could endure for a long time in that state.