You indeed failed to see the issue.
It is not really wise to compare Steam with the console ecosystem, especially when there exists several alternatives to obtain games on PC.
Physical discs matter more on consoles than on PCs, given that there is not a whole lot one can do if their account gets banned for the silliest of reasons, or if one wants to share a game.
Also, have you thought that you might be referring to two different sets of customers: one that is fine with digital purchases on Steam/PSN, and the other that strongly supports physical purchases?
Using a single example of GT is insufficient to make a broad statement like the one you made.
mechoman444@lemmy.world 1 week ago
Not really sure what you mean here. Do you have a disk drive installed on your PC? If so how old is your case? Or when was the last time you had a car with a cd player in it? Or are you talking about any other store front like epic or battle.net? Because they’re all in competition with one another.
This is categorically and objectively not true. Bans on consoles are few and far between and many times they actually brick the console itself. You’re not sharing games. No one is sharing games. The extreme vast majority of games are digital downloads. You’re not passing around your cartridge of super smash bros 64 between school mates in 2026.
No. Why would I do that? I don’t care. I own a PS4, a Steam Deck, and a gaming PC. They’re all fundamentally the same customer experience built on similar architecture. This is just a ridiculous argument.
In fact, I feel like, deep down, you generally agree with my original comment but didn’t want to say so for fear of being ostracized by the community in this thread. It feels like you picked the most ridiculous, indefensible arguments against what I was saying and just ran with them.
AusatKeyboardPremi@lemmy.world 1 week ago
You are arguing against points I did not make. Do not confuse consumer preference with consumer rights.
The fact that most people buy digitally does not magically eliminate the benefits of physical media: resale, lending, collecting, and not tying every purchase to a single account or storefront. That is especially relevant on consoles, where you don’t have the competitive marketplace that exists on PC. Comparing Steam to PlayStation as though they are equivalent ecosystems ignores the very thing being discussed.
You went from making weak arguments to inventing facts. “No one is sharing games” goes against the used games market as well as game lending. As earlier, your point about Gran Turismo is just an anecdote dressed up as a general principle.
And your last paragraph is a joke. If you have to speculate and invent my position instead of addressing it, that is a sign your rebuttal is weak, just like your original comment.
mechoman444@lemmy.world 1 week ago
Dude, I literally quoted what I was responding to. I don’t think you actually understand what you’re talking about.
You made a few weak points that don’t amount to a hill of beans, then acted as though my argument was the weak one.
The Gran Turismo example still stands because it’s a well-known issue, not just an anecdote. Gran Turismo is notorious for taking an extremely long time to install even with the physical disc inserted.
And bringing up niche markets like collectors who want the box art is irrelevant. They make up a tiny fraction of the people who actually buy and play these games.
The reality is that physical media generates far less revenue than digital sales through online storefronts.
It’s a business. You understand that, right?
AusatKeyboardPremi@lemmy.world 1 week ago
You are still arguing against a position I never took.
I never disputed why companies are pushing digital. I disputed the idea that losing physical media is not a loss for consumers. Rights like resale, lending, ownership independent of a single account, and preservation do not stop to matter because digital is more popular.
That is an explanation for why companies make these decisions, not a defence of them. By that logic, any reduction in consumer rights would be acceptable so long as it increases profits. I don’t think that is a particularly compelling standard.
We are discussing two different questions: you are defending the business incentive, while I am discussing the consumer trade-offs. There is nothing more to add, so I will leave it at that.