No they can’t

Not next gen. The gen afterwards will probably have at least a discless option. Personally, I haven't used a disc since the 360 started it's Games On Demand service. If I still used discs today, I'd have nowhere to put all of these games.

No. End of.

Too many places in the world with atrocious internet speeds, plus physical still has many benefits that people like over digital. I prefer physical for several reasons like having something physical, to receive something in the mail and unpack it, to store it somewhere, to physically collect something, etc. Others might like the idea of selling their physical copies. I also really, really like the fact that new games go for around €50-55 physical and digital they go for €70.

The physical stuff they could change by selling boxes at retail shops with a download code, you still have the benefits of lower prices, having something to show off, etc. If they add re-selling of digital games they solve the other issues people might have with them.

But, the slow internet in certain areas is here to stay for a bit longer and let's not forget the idea that a disc can be played again in 20 years, sorta (without patches) if the servers go down...

No. Even though I prefer digital....I don't want all digital future.

Could see MS and Sony both offering discless/cheaper versions of their new consoles, because they're likely to need to be expensive.

I would like to see 2 sku's from both Sony and MS. One offering a disc drive and a cheaper option without. #choices

I dont see disc-less happening this console generation coming, possibly the one after.

I prefer digital now, especially since I travel a lot for work. I bring one of my consoles with me and a hard drive full of games. Even with discs now there're always huge patches on day 1. Some games I buy physical because I want the case especially for RPGs. I'd love to have a display of game cases but I really don't have the space anyway. I'm just glad that the option of having either is available.

No - next obvious question.

Not gonna happen as long as the demand for physical and brick and mortar stores are still a thing.

I don't want an only digital console. I'm not trying to pay $40 for a 4 year old game

*cough* Far Cry 4 on the PS Store.

I hope not because I tend to forget about the digital games I have but when they are on a shelf I see them when I'm not gaming and it's in my head to play them.

Nope, lots of issues with that.

No they can't, and they won't be. I can maybe see a cheaper discless option but even that Is pretty unlikely

As a seperate sku 50$ less price than base unit? Sure why not. As a main unit? Hell no

I won't buy them if that's the case.

Uh...no! Now, offering a disc less version to ppl is a GREAT ideas and a way to ease ppl in, but it would be suicide to eliminate the version altogether. I’m 95% discless bit would still buy disc version b/c I find deals and stuff. Hell, my disc drive broke on 1st PS4 and I played it for 6 months b4 buying the Pro.

I think they can offer a cheaper diskdrive-less device

As long the internet to be slow for even 30-40 percent, then no they can't afford to discless

its too early for that kinda talk, maybe in 3 generations after this one. You have to take into account the global population. If Microsoft learned anything from the start of this generation, they won't make a disc-less mistake.

They will ha e disc drives

I can only speak fo myself but the only disc I have from this generation is a pre-release copy of driveclub that I got from a friend that worked on it at Evolution. I have purchased all 27 games I own this generation electronically and it’s been fine. I actually hate how slow and cumbersome discs are.

For people with crap internet connections that might be a different story but even using SD cards or something would be better than discs. Discs are the slowest, most delicate and most cumbersome of physical media. The only reason we started using them was because they were the only medium at the time that could store enough data for a low cost. Today that isn’t even remotely a problem.

Call me old fashioned, but when i purchase something, i like to given the option of re-selling thus item at a later date.

They won't be unless the are multiple SKU's.

o thought it read d!ckless

No, whoever does this will lose marketshare at this time

No, its to soon. The majority of the world cant handle a discless console!

In this case its good to have options. Recently I have been downloading more games on psn, especially vr titles, because of ease. But not everyone has a fiber optic line to their place etc.. so their is a need for many to have the option to go and buy a physical copy

I'm sure there'll be a discless variant, maybe even at launch for both, but I don't expect them to just drop discs altogether.

Personally I’d love the console to go discless. Less space, less pointless hardware to put in it (for me at least). I haven’t purchased a physical disk on the PS4, Xbox one or Switch since the day those consoles came out. So much more convinent having my full library saved and accessible without having to put the disc in the tray.

That being said, there’s loads of people hanging onto physical media and it would be suicide if Sony or Microsoft went full digital. So I’m sure they will both have it, can’t force digital on a consumer base that isn’t ready for it.

Still.. days are numbered on Physical releases, the future is digital, it’s just a question of when that future will get here.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Sony or Microsoft pulled a ‘psp go’ situation and released a version of the console without a disc, in addition to a disc version. Options never hurt right?

I prefer most of my AAA titles on disc and my indies and a few others to be digital. I’m in the group of people that’s internet is terrible! I only have one option and that’s hughesnet! I could put a trash can on my roof and get the same service as they offer! I think the market is fine like it is. There should be options for both.

I can see MS making a move like that, but not Sony. I think there's a possibility of both companies releasing slightly cheaper SKUs for their new consoles that don't have disc drives, but I'm positive Sony will still allow consumers the option of physical media. For all their talk against physical games I think MS will continue to have that option too, albeit while marketing the heck out of their discless SKU.

A blu ray player is necessary if only for movies. All my games are digital but all my movies are on disc.

Eventually, it will happen. Still too early.

They wont be. Maybe the following generation but thats the earliest.

I prefer physical over digital some of the collectors editions for the games are great to collect like say the Spiderman PS4 or the RE2 collectors edition that has a figure of Leon. I find physical copies of games tend to be cheaper at the store then what Sony or Microsoft put the digital versions at when they do their own sales. I like having a library of games in my eyes it like a trophy just sitting on my shelf of that game. I don't want a library of hard drives sitting on my shelf with games on them. Plus I can take my disc to a friends house to play the game and see if he likes it before he buys it great advantage to physical. Digital he has to buy the game or I gotta game share. I like sitting with friends playing games drinking beer.

Plus as a gamer I tend to research a game before I tend to by it now been let down a couple of times on day one purchases but I know if the game sucks I can trade the game towards another title. I can't trade in a shitty digital games plus over the years companies lose the license to certain titles and they tend to get yanked off sites or places like Xbox and Playstation who sell digital games. I know Activision lost the license to Transformers and yanked the PS4 version and Xbox version of Fall for Cybertron off the stores. I have the discs I just put them into my PS3 and away I play.

The thing I hate about digital versus physical is that it costs more money to make the disc version but yet digital games sell at the same price as physical. If you want to get people hooked on digital you gotta make the game cheaper then their physical cousins. Plus like other people I get lazy and sometimes I will load a movie into the Xbox and watch it that way so digital only also cuts out people who like to collect physical copies of movies as well. And plus with digital you don't always get the game at midnight you have to wait a day before the game drops. I did a digital copy of Far Cry 5 because I was to tired to do a midnight launch and the other console tends to make you wait an extra day. If PS5 and XB2 go digital only I am done with video games.

The Broadband coverage across the world that games isn't good enough to go completely Digital, plus the cost isn't that low on Digital until you get good sales to justify Digital only.

I'll always buy physical where possible, digital if I find games in sales that are drastically lower than physical at the time I'm looking around for new stuff to add to my collections.

Next Gen should continue to give people options, no point in limiting things by only going the digital direction.

And here we go with another one of these articles. If you want physical buy physical if yoi want digital buy digital. Stop making these articles they’re getting annoying.

My digital downloads consist of add-ons & free games

No.

Im pretty much digital only now anyway. No more disc swapping omg thats So last gen, and being able to gameshare my digital games is awesome, and its clearly better for the environment, def time to more to a discless generation.

If your only choice is digital, you wake up one day and puff the price for digital games are now 80€ per game not 60€, there is no competition its some kind of monopol. At least retailers have competition and they need to adjust prices acording to market. Imagine the Psn and Xbox live is your only source for games,and now imagine the prices for that games. And with Ps plus and all that other shit that we need to pay just to play online...gamers need as many choices we can get...no disc no buy for me...

I don't want to be diskless don't touch my disc it's personal and mine.

If digital prices fall to the point that Steam seem to offer then I'm game for it. Some digital sales are way over the costs than what a brick and mortar store sell a physical copy.

For me it's cost > physical > digital. But the two aren't far apart. Just I tend to complete and resell. But now aday's I'm just buying bargain bin games instead of the latest releases.

They could, but only in a few specific markets. I’d take buying a USB with a game pre-downloaded over slow ass discs any day. Games are so large that installing from a disc is nearing the speeds of installing 5 discs in 2004. Which is terrible.

Future will be discless. Faster internet. larger and faster SSD storage. Removing the disc parts makes the console run cooler with less noise. Plus the money saved on removing the drive and electronics could be put to better use on a better GPU/CPU

No and it would be idiotic for them to make it discless.

Ok...So lets go with this.. call it context.......
Can PS5 and Xbox Scarlett Truly Afford to be ONLINE ONLY?
This, itself, was the foot in the mouth of Xbox One.... So, if people think next gen, it is the answer?
Ok.. Thats want you want, but there are as many people out there that don't want this....
Remember the option, as dickwad stated ...to play games on your console while in a submarine, buy a 360... Oh..its not just a switch and we can't change it.... (Is that why nintendo called it that?)
XDDDDDDDD
Thats worse than "Get another Job"....

Physical is a must or no buy. I am not going to let companies control how long or how short of time I own a game I have purchased from them because when they turn the servers off or remove that game for download then I cant get it anymore.

Console makers still need retailers to sell their consoles. They won't do that if they can't sell their games too.

What is N4G obsession with PS5 and the next Xbox. There is nothing wrong with what there is now.

I think if one company opts for the discless option (Sony or MS) and the other doesn't, I think you'll see the former one lose a good chunk of the market. They would both have to do it, or neither one. Otherwise the company who keeps the disc drive will basically keep/take that entire market of people who still buy physical.

make the console diskless (which also should make it cheaper) an sell a plug and play diskdrive extra for those who want one.

They can be, but they won't be.

There's a third reason he didn't cover: playing existing game collections. Sony and MS would be stupid not to make the next gen compatible with this one. People are going to want to keep playing their games, and a new gen gets an instant game library if it's backward compatible. Without disc readers, that can't happen.

Whe digital allows 100% ownership of games, call me.

I want a discless option that costs less. It makes too much sense.

if gaming goes discless - i quit gaming. and i'm sure i won't be the only one.

I like having both. I guess I’m bi.

It's coming.

It's 10% faster cpu overclock that also drops GPU clock by 1% when boosted. This is on a bigger GPU and with AMD new setups it equates to 45% faster rendering. Strange set up but could offer great boosts

Worst kept secret in the industry right now. Hopefully they’ll be officially announcing it soon.

We're in the endgame now

I don't really understand the incentive to get a PS5 Pro where the base console has felt like it has yet to fire on all cylinders.

The PS4 was absolutely stretched to the limit by the time PS4 Pro dropped.

I thought this was already out and the fanfare had died, is there no hype for this game?