4 ms·

Anyone bemoaning the loss of the disc drive hasn't used a recent gen console with a disc drive. If you buy a game on disc you still have to install it to the in

Anyone bemoaning the loss of the disc drive hasn't used a recent gen console with a disc drive. If you buy a game on disc you still have to install it to the internal storage because the disc drive is incredibly slow. But you also have the downside of having to swap the disc when you want to change games. It's completely pointless unless you have super slow internet speeds.

jahnu 2y ago
You can resell the disc.
- greenthrow 2y ago
  I don't care about that vs the super slow install time and having to swap the disc to switch games. My time is worth more than $30. That's barely 2 fast food meals anymore.
slothtrop 2y ago
It's useful in one way: used game purchases, re-selling, and trading with friends. Digital console purchases go on sale too but not (often) for the prices you'll sometimes see on Steam, Gamestop and elsewhere. You can't resell for a few bucks and lend to a friend. There are sometimes features to "play together" but that's it. In a market of $60-90 new games that makes a big difference. Since consoles are glorified locked-down PCs at this point, and because server-side support eventually ends (which renders units useless for anything that isn't already installed), the market appeal may diminish in the face of an increasingly flexible PC market which has (basically) limitless backwards compatibility. Hardcore gamers this past decade have repurchased some titles multiple times, with PC usually being the last one. I expect Nintendo will take less of a hit from that than Sony/MSFT, though MSFT has its gamepass and leverages overreliance on Windows. Sony is in a spot. There was speculation that it would style itself as the boutique/high-quality option. I don't think that would be enough, in the end consoles are both more affordable and approachable for average consumers, that is where most of the appeal lies.
tpl 2y ago
I use mine all the time to watch movies.
bqmjjx0kac 2y ago
It's not pointless, the disc drive is necessary for a resale market. I buy game discs on eBay for $30 instead of $70+ on the PlayStation store. And in theory I could also sell them for roughly the same amount when I'm done!

jahnu 2y ago

You can resell the disc.

greenthrow 2y ago
I don't care about that vs the super slow install time and having to swap the disc to switch games. My time is worth more than $30. That's barely 2 fast food meals anymore.

slothtrop 2y ago

It's useful in one way: used game purchases, re-selling, and trading with friends. Digital console purchases go on sale too but not (often) for the prices you'll sometimes see on Steam, Gamestop and elsewhere. You can't resell for a few bucks and lend to a friend. There are sometimes features to "play together" but that's it. In a market of $60-90 new games that makes a big difference. Since consoles are glorified locked-down PCs at this point, and because server-side support eventually ends (which renders units useless for anything that isn't already installed), the market appeal may diminish in the face of an increasingly flexible PC market which has (basically) limitless backwards compatibility. Hardcore gamers this past decade have repurchased some titles multiple times, with PC usually being the last one. I expect Nintendo will take less of a hit from that than Sony/MSFT, though MSFT has its gamepass and leverages overreliance on Windows. Sony is in a spot. There was speculation that it would style itself as the boutique/high-quality option. I don't think that would be enough, in the end consoles are both more affordable and approachable for average consumers, that is where most of the appeal lies.

tpl 2y ago

I use mine all the time to watch movies.

bqmjjx0kac 2y ago

It's not pointless, the disc drive is necessary for a resale market. I buy game discs on eBay for $30 instead of $70+ on the PlayStation store. And in theory I could also sell them for roughly the same amount when I'm done!