Next Xbox Xbox 720 launch will "reverse" troubling NPD figures

[Lethal_NFS]

I was talking music CD industry in response to Vincent's post. Games is a different beast. Right now its hard to tell whats gonna happen with that. I guess it depends how long the next gen lasts.

But music is not comparable to video games. Music takes up hardly any space at all, and takes just minutes to download. Games are quite the opposite.

[keefy]

It is comparable because both are digital and can be downloaded. If people have the speed and the storage space (which is rapidly getting cheaper since the floods) they will download because its more convenient.

[F34R]

It is comparable because both are digital and can be downloaded. If people have the speed and the storage space (which is rapidly getting cheaper since the floods) they will download because its more convenient.

CD's can be downloaded in a quick moment with ANY connection to the internet. Games, no. The reason CD's/music has taken off so much is because the file sizes are so small. You can't compare how they've had such a digital success with what would be necessary for games to have that same promise.

[radgamer420]

Physical media isnt going away anytime soon. We'll just see DD options for all retail games. And trying to compare music downloads to full game downloads is ridiculous. Look at the size of a game file and then look at the size of a full game file. And lets not forget about the bandwidth caps that some US IPs impose on their customers.

[Soldier 95B]

I remember when people said music would never digitally beat out cd's back in the day when we had 56 modems. That changed and changed fast. I remember when DVDs and Blu-rays were the rage and digital would NEVER come close, but now that video stores are closing due to the on demand/streaming/download videos (millions are 10gb in size), digital video is taking over.

Here we are again, with digital video game sales increasing every year, over year while physical sales drop. PC sales of games are mostly digital. Music devices, phones, iPods, iPads, all digital sales. Vita is now 50/50. Digital is the future and it isn't that far away.

[F34R]

That shows the wrong thing though for your expectations... the digital sales are increasing because of the smaller arcade, etc., type games. The digital sales of the same retail games aren't passing them.

[Soldier 95B]

That shows the wrong thing though for your expectations... the digital sales are increasing because of the smaller arcade, etc., type games. The digital sales of the same retail games aren't passing them.

Not sure if you are serious? Games on Demand is growing on Xbox (and is retail games). PSN is now getting games on release day, retail, that are digital. Steam, Origin all dominate the PC RETAIL digital space as well. Nintendo announced that Wii-U is also offering digital retail, same day.

Digital is indeed taking over. I think it is funny when everyone was saying that would never happen with music and video, and it did. Now it's happening with games.

[Soldier 95B]

Here is more interesting info:

http://www.slashgear.com/npd-calculates-3-3-billion-in-digital-game-sales-in-us-and-europe-in-q4-2011-22219701/

The numbers we’re talking about here focus exclusively on content that was distributed 100% digitally. They include full PC/console game downloads, game rentals, smartphone and mobile games, as well as any and all downloadable content or in-app purchases within video game apps. In the US, retail game software sales were $4.5 billion, which is actually a 3% decline from the previous year. So there’s no doubt where the industry is trending right now, and it’s not the best news in the world for traditional retailers.

The trend is clear.

[DarkVincent07]

Soldier you make some good points and it's true, probably not for everywhere in the world. But you still don't understand what I'm trying to say. Just because digital is a huge potentially bigger presence than games sold at retail, doesn't mean that games at retail are going away. They can both exist. Like there is no reason to panic either way


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[Pez_555]

there will always be a need/market for physical copies.

5 years, no way.

[keefy]

I don't think anyone in this thread said physical copies are going anywhere.

[Soldier 95B]

Soldier you make some good points and it's true, probably not for everywhere in the world. But you still don't understand what I'm trying to say. Just because digital is a huge potentially bigger presence than games sold at retail, doesn't mean that games at retail are going away. They can both exist. Like there is no reason to panic either way


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As keefy noted. I never said retail was going anywhere. I said digital was going to take over. To me, take over would equate to 51% or more of the revenue.

[sainraja]

Not sure if you are serious? Games on Demand is growing on Xbox (and is retail games). PSN is now getting games on release day, retail, that are digital. Steam, Origin all dominate the PC RETAIL digital space as well. Nintendo announced that Wii-U is also offering digital retail, same day.

Digital is indeed taking over. I think it is funny when everyone was saying that would never happen with music and video, and it did. Now it's happening with games.

It's not replacing physical media though...

EDIT

Just saw your above post...

[A7MAD]

Though I'm not fond of DD only, it works well for STEAM.

[radgamer420]

I don't think anyone in this thread said physical copies are going anywhere.

And I dont think anybody in this thread said that there wouldn't be a DD option for every game. So maybe both sides just misunderstood each other.