When the Xbox One was revealed at E3 2013, it was one of the most controversial announcements in video game history with Microsoft initially making a very anti-consumer decision with a strong push towards DRM (as discussed in this Reddit post), heavily reducing the prospect of sharing games, both physical and digital.
Thankfully, Microsoft made a dramatic u-turn following mass fan backlash and now, the Xbox is arguably the most consumer-friendly console when it comes to game sharing, compared to its fierce rivals. In recent years, it's become apparent that we're well into the digital age with publishers such as Ubisoft, telling us not to get used to owning our games.
Yet, it seems that Microsoft may face another heavy backlash if reports are true that its next-gen Xbox console will be digital-only and eliminate the function of playing physical games. Video game industry analyst, Mat Piscatella has predicted that it's going to be an all-digital Xbox future, which will surprise no one.
When responding to a Twitter user stating that the Xbox Series X will be the last traditional Microsoft console, Piscatella said: "Folks should probably just get used to this (no physical Xbox versions) across the market sooner rather than later."
I think it's fair to say that we can all see the digital-only console age coming, especially when it comes to PlayStation and Xbox. If I was going to take a guess, while Nintendo shifts plenty of digital games, it always seems keen on delivering physical media, especially with its love for cartridges.
Digital video games have benefits such as instant delivery and they're easy to share in a household. For example, for every digital game I own, my son gets to play it too, simultaneously. Unlike physical copies, which will require a copy of the game each.
However, as convenient as digital video games are, it will be a sad day when physical games eventually die. Preserving video games, as well as movies is vital for the entertainment industry because we as consumers get to keep our copies and they can't be instantly deleted by the rights holder.
So if we are headed for an all-digital video game console age, it might be worth hanging on to your current and retro consoles, because you never know when you might want to revisit a beloved classic.
