Fundamentally, I agree with you. I pay a premium to game on PC because I care about digital persistence and refuse to accept a world where Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo ultimately draw the line on my usage of their software. That being said, I would comfortably wager that the majority of console owners aren't concerned with whether they will be able to play Star Wars: Outlaws and Far Cry 6 in 2035. Most of them aren't even thinking as far ahead as next month, if Game Pass and Playstation+ subscriptions are anything to go off of. Hell, the PS5 Pro just got announced with no disc drive - the Xbox Series S has shipped without physical media for years now. Millions of console gamers have accepted their fate as digital-only households, for better or worse.
Betting on the frugality and apathy of console owners is an incredibly smart bet on Microsoft's behalf, and I say that as someone that considers the Xbox a failed product. Microsoft spent the past 10 years trying to promote a vertical integration of Windows and Xbox services, something which almost nobody cares about. Betting against next-gen demand for new console hardware is a move that only seems smarter as the economy gets worse.
I’d be curious to know what percentage of PS5 Pro buyers end up installing an optical drive. I would assume the Pro buyers are less price sensitive and more demanding customers, who would be more likely to opt for the drive, even if they need to install it themselves.
Frankly, I think it’s insane they can release something called the “Pro” with fewer features than a version of the normal console.
It’s clear the consoles are pushing to remove physical media (at least Microsoft and Sony). But I don’t think we should pretend for a second it’s anything more than a way to increase profits. A digital only console effectively kills the second hand market. Like you said, I don’t think these people are thinking ahead, and they just take what they can afford. Sony can price the optical drive version at a premium and put up additional barrier, then report how customers prefer the digital only version, when the price is all they like.
Betting on the frugality and apathy of console owners is an incredibly smart bet on Microsoft's behalf, and I say that as someone that considers the Xbox a failed product. Microsoft spent the past 10 years trying to promote a vertical integration of Windows and Xbox services, something which almost nobody cares about. Betting against next-gen demand for new console hardware is a move that only seems smarter as the economy gets worse.