The PS5 is coming out soon and you’re trying to decide if you want the digital or disc version. You might be thinking that it doesn’t really matter, but we’ve got 9 reasons why the digital version will be a huge mistake for you!
There are many reasons to avoid the digital version of PS5. Although it may be tempting to purchase a game on your Playstation 4 or Xbox One, you should consider some of the following points before making that decision.
The PS5 Disc Edition is superior to the PS5 Digital Edition because of the smaller storage capacity of the PlayStation 5. Furthermore, as a result of this, people may resell PS5 discs and save a lot of money, which is not possible with digitally purchased PS5 games.
Why Buying The PS5 Disc Edition Is better: 10 Reasons
The Digital PS5 (without disc option) appears to be a good bargain with a price difference of just $100 USD. Save money by going digital because it’s the future? At first glance, it appears to be a fantastic bargain. But it will ultimately cost you much more than you save. Here’s why.
1. Digital Has MASSIVE Storage Problems
The PS5’s storage capacity is the same for both the Digital and Standard (disc) versions. An 825 GB solid-state drive, of which 667 GB can be used owing to system files.
Although the PS5 Digital only requires 50 GB of storage, some require as much as 100 GB. As a result, your PS5 Digital can hold just 13 games at a time. And this is the best-case scenario since Black Ops needs approximately 136 GB to install.
And I haven’t even mentioned the extra storage required for game add-ons and updates.
If you want to keep your games, there’s no way around it. You’ll have to buy a PS5-friendly external SSD sooner or later in order to store more games. That’s a lot of money out of your pocket when you could’ve saved $100 by putting the bulk of your data on a disc instead.
2. Your Internet Speed Needs To Be FAST For A Digital PS5
Another issue that often goes unmentioned is that you must have a strong and stable internet connection to be able to download games digitally. If your internet speed drops below the required level, your game will stop downloading in the middle of it – resulting in an incomplete game and hours wasted.
In addition, if there are any problems with Sony’s servers, you aren’t going to be able to play your games. This has been a complaint of many gamers who have tried playing ‘The Last Of Us’ on their PS Vita while not being connected by WiFi due to the lack of an internet connection in some areas.
3. Digital Kills Your Ability To Resell Old Games
With the Digital no-disc version of the PS5, a popular technique for gamers to play the newest PlayStation games cheaply is no longer accessible:
- Purchase a new full-priced game.
- Play it through in weeks
- Re-sell it for $10 USD less than retail.
- You save tons of dollars!
This is no longer feasible when you don’t have physical copies of the game. And it doesn’t even need to be profitable.
4. Say Goodbye To Borrowing Games From Friend
A physical disc also means that you can lend it to a friend or even trade it in at a game store for credit. This is not possible with the digital version, meaning that you’re stuck with whatever games you purchase.
This might not be too much of an issue if you only buy a few games a year, but what if your friend buys the game you want to play first? Or if your internet connection cuts out mid-gameplay and you have to take it back for a refund?
5. No More Bargain Buys At Video Game Stores
When you go into a video game store to buy games, there are usually racks and tables of games that have been used, but are still in good condition, for much less than the retail price.
This is no longer possible when all games are digital, as the stores will not be able to return any unsold or damaged copies.
You’ll also miss out on the pre-owned game discounts that many stores offer.
Digital games are always full price.
The PSN store sells digital copies of old PlayStation games for $14.99 USD each, which is more expensive than buying a physical copy from a secondhand store.
You can’t resell digital games, so you’re stuck with the game forever.
When a new PlayStation game is released, the price of all other games on the PSN store goes up by $14.99 USD.
This means that if you buy four new PlayStation games in a year, you’ve already spent more than what you would have if you had bought the physical version of all four games.
In addition, there’s a higher risk that you’ll have to pay more for your PlayStation games when they’re digital. Digital retailers sometimes change their prices without warning and aren’t always transparent about why this is done. This can result in unexpected price changes on pre-owned copies of new releases.
6. No Point In Buying PS5 Collector’s Edition
If you’re planning on buying the Collector’s Edition of a game, make sure that it comes with a physical disc and not just a digital code.
The reason for this is because Collector’s Editions usually come with extra in-game content or physical items such as art books and statues. If the game is only available as a digital download, you can’t access these items.
For example, ‘Shadow Of The Tomb Raider’ Collector’s Editions come with an artbook and steel case; but if the game is only available digitally, this content will be inaccessible to you.
A physical disc also lets you sell it for credit at GameStop or sell it online.
Buying digital copies of video games is a bad idea because they have no resale value and you can’t share them with friends or family members. In contrast, physical discs work as well as ever for playing PlayStation games on the PSN store .
7. Say Goodbye To Blu-Ray And DVD Movies
You already considered it, since the PlayStation is frequently used as a Blu-Ray or DVD player. If your console doesn’t have a disc drive, though, that’s no longer an option.
The PSN store has a variety of movies and TV shows available for purchase, but this is extremely expensive when compared to purchasing physical copies at your local video game store.
Digital movies cost about $20-$25 USD each or more; whereas you can buy Blu-Ray discs in bulk for much less than that .
For example, you can purchase five Blu-Rays for the same price as one digital copy of a movie.
Digital movies are also not available in any physical format, meaning that they’re only accessible when you have internet access. This is no good if your PSN connection cuts out mid-way through watching something or if there’s some kind of emergency and you need to leave your house.
In contrast, physical discs are as reliable as ever. You can watch them without an internet connection or interruptions from service providers if you have a PS5 Disc hooked up to the TV in your living room.
8. Can’t Play Your Old PS4 Games
The ability to play PS4 games on the PS5 Disc is one of its most appealing features, in contrast to the lack of such a feature on the PS5 Digital.
Unless you have an internet connection, you can’t play any of your digital games.
This is a huge inconvenience because it means that you’re unable to play your favorite games if there’s an outage or if you’re traveling and don’t have access to Wi-Fi .
In contrast, physical discs work without fail every time.
The PlayStation’s backwards compatibility feature lets you play all your favorite PS games from previous generations, but only if they’re physical discs.
You can’t do this with the digital version of ‘Dark Souls’ or any other game that doesn’t have a disc drive .
Physical copies are also better for playing multi-disc games because you can swap out discs without having to restart the game or find a save point.
Not all games have this feature, but most of them do and it’s useful if you’re low on battery life while playing in handheld mode .
9. Can’t Display Your Physical PS5 Collection you
The wet dream of every gamer, young and old, is a dedicated game room. Some people might be content with only a few video games on their shelves. It’s an incredible feeling to show off your merchandise for everyone to see!
When it comes to displaying your video game collection, however, there’s something intangible about it that doesn’t feel the same.
It’s like if you converted all of your bookcase shelves into a single Kindle ebook. Sure, it’s handy. And you’ll save room in the process. But where is the game room atmosphere? That sense of accomplishment after purchasing a game is gone forever. Games on the shelves won’t be the same again without books to detract from their glory!
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