Update: Best Buy has since confirmed that physical movies and TV shows will be affected, but fortunately video games won't be! The company will continue to sell games, as revealed in a statement to Variety earlier today.
Original story: With the advent of digital-only home consoles like the Xbox Series S, the move to game downloads is becoming more pronounced, and that digital-focused future looks like it's here to stay. A new report from film & TV outlet The Digital Bits is claiming that US retail giant Best Buy is planning to stop selling all physical media next year.
According to the report, multiple sources have claimed that the retailer has "plans to exit the physical media business for good", potentially as soon as the end of Q1 2024. The site doesn't mention games specifically, but given this appears to include all physical media, it's assumed that games would be included.
The report also mentions that if this move comes to pass, it'll include both online and instore sales, which is perhaps a bit of a surprise given Best Buy has a pretty big online presence when it comes to physical media. We frequently see gamers taking advantage of the company's 'Buy 2 Get 1 Free' offer when some desirable new releases come around.
Anyway, it's worth taking this with a big ol' pinch of salt for now - it's just a report and the retailer has not confirmed any such plans yet. In the gaming world it's starting to make sense though, with the popularity of Xbox Series S, and Sony announcing yet another digital PS5 console just this week.
Would you be disappointed to see Best Buy leave the physical games business? Let us know in the comments.
[source thedigitalbits.com]
Comments 38
Not surprised. Their game shelves have been a wasteland for a while now.
While many will see this as evidence of the death of physical, I think it's more evidence of death of the high street stores for this sort of thing. People buy games online, not just digitally, but physically from Amazon and more.
In the UK at least the second hand market still seems to be going strong, something platforms holders don't account for when they tell us their physical v digital game sales as they don't get a cut. It is in their best interests to tell us physical is dying, don't let it!
Not shocked.
Amazon has become my place to buy pretty much most of my physical media - especially UHD Blu-ray, as, unless it is a brand new release, stores don't carry them.
Honestly, the Switch is the only place I care about physical media as storage space is an issue and it's the only system that doesn't necessarily require anything to be downloaded or installed (especially first-party titles) - yes, I know there are exceptions.
@GamingFan4Lyf absolutely. Amazon is the best place for 4K Blu-ray, also in Germany. Retailers are joke.
Amazon has the biggest choice and sometimes awesome deals.
@GamingFan4Lyf The only reason I care about physical media on Switch is cuz I can sell the games for almost as much as I bought them for.
Grainger games, Blockbuster, EB, Gamestop have all closed for good near(ish) to me.
5 GAME stores have closed within 45minutes and we are left with 2 completely pointless tiny satellite shops in Sports Direct stores that sell more Funko pops than games.
Tesco, Sainsburys etc no longer sell games in store
The only brick and mortar stores i can think of that still sell games are Currys and Smyths and the sections are not good
As someone who still buys and prefers physical media, the writing is sadly on the wall. Its going to end up like PC gaming in the not too distant future
Barely any games being made + free mobile games + gamepass + cloud + space isp reaching 100gbs = GG physical
Good! About time physical media needs to die
I’m all digital already with music, video and games. It’s so convenient and simple in my entertainment centre and even the car.
What a wonderful world. ABK.
There gaming section hasn’t been good for a number of years…And it hasn’t been great since Gen 5 or 6 imho.
Still, it was probably the last reason to actually go to Best Buy…
Definitely a shame. The "deals" on the Xbox marketplace are a joke. 99.9% of the time you find better deals on physical media.
If they don't make them better, seems one more reason to go PC. Free multiplayer AND amazing deals via Steam.
I have been watching this happen slowly. I go to Best Buy a lot. Even more so when me and the wife bought a new house. We needed new washer/ Dryer, fridge and i snuck in a new LG Oled for downstairs. So to say in the last 18 months I’ve been to a Best Buy and even target a time or two is fair. The games are not stocked, the aisle’s are mainly accessories. Take GameStop for an example, it’s more used games and T shirts than anything. This was always going to happen as I’ve been saying, but i thought the announcement would come in late 2024 or early 2025. This hit faster than i would have guessed.
Sakai wrote:
You can still buy physical media online though right? Amazon, Smyths, Currys etc. and dozens more all sell physical games. This is more about the death of the high street retailer than the death of physical media. At least for now.
Say what!? Thats insane. I always do the price match at best buy.
@themightyant for now yes, but not for long I worry
Article has been updated! Best Buy has confirmed video games won't be affected, but physical TV shows and movies will be.
"The company will continue to sell games, as revealed in a statement to Variety."
Terrible news. Completely terrible news. Physical media is best experience possible. Especially for people like myself that have fatantistic home theater setup.
Streaming is incredibly inferior to physical media, without question. And if day comes that games are full digital the price gouging will begin. People think $70 games are bad? LMAO!!! You've not seen anything yet folks.
@ZuneTattooGuy You must have an incredibly poor home theater setup?
Sounds like Best Buy wants to reopen the debate: are games media? 😀
Just saw the updated report, and like what always happens Best Buy may have walked it back but that just means it’ll happen later than planned.
@GuyinPA75
If by terrible you mean I don't have a bunch of worthless plastic cases taking up real estate sure
@ZuneTattooGuy By terrible I mean, higher end 4K TV, Dolby Atmos/DTS:X surround sound, higher end Blu-ray 4K player, Valencia Theater Seats, high end cables for connections, etc.
You know those worthless plastic type cases and kinda things.
@GuyinPA75
I don't understand by me embracing the digital future equates to me having a bad home theater setup
@ZuneTattooGuy Apparently you are struggling to comprehend my prior posts on the subject. Allow me to summarize for sake of simplicity.
Digital is incredibly inferior experience due to drops, compression, etc. Physical media is information straight from hard copy for a superior experience and performance. Especially for people that have an exceptional home theater setup. You want physical media to die like yesterday. Therefore my conclusion is you have lacking or no theater setup at all.
And for bonus detractor to digital, if want to watch a movie or show you have to search all over to see what service it is on. If have physical media can walk over, pick it up, insert, play, and watch.
@GuyinPA75
When it comes to video games my digital copy is identical to your disc copy. Also an audio CD is not of better audio quality than many audio streaming services, I use YouTube Music Premium. Also I buy my movies through Vudu so no I don't have to search through streaming services and my movies are in UHD with Dolby Atmos Audio, HDR and Dolby Vision. But nice try for getting to give a reason for physical media tired existence
@ZuneTattooGuy You're welcome. And thank you for demonstration you're quite familiar with the name of that river in Egypt.
Amazon ONLY matches Best Buy, Walmart and Target for movie/tv DVD/Blu-ray/4kUHD prices.
Now that Best Buy is bowing out (which really sucks) all that's left is Target and Walmart.
Once those two stop, don't expect decent prices at Amazon.
I am a 100% physical media dude.
I don't stream anything.
I'd rather OWN than rent!
If I want to watch something, I don't want to be dependent on an internet connection.
Physical movies/shows have better video and audio than any streaming service.
Also with physical, you get alternate cuts of movies and episodes that never show up on streaming sites.
@ZuneTattooGuy It's great until it doesn't work. Then you just have an expensive paperweight. It's possible you don't live in the same world as the rest of us. I mean COVID wasn't that long ago an isp's had to downgrade video because of network traffic. Sites and servers go down all the time. We have had large parts of the internet go down. Natural disasters can destroy infrastructure meaning no internet. I guess you don't have friends or family that you visit. I could never game on my grandmother's internet. It's always fun to watch something go down. There's always people that put too much faith in tech and "progress". Then they can't figure out what to do and you have to explain to them how it was originally done because they are completely clueless. lol
@Raw_Dawg
I pay for my Internet providers top 2 gbps fiber so no they don't downgrade me because I pay extra for them not to. Also if the Internet goes down many game discs don't have the entire game on them, and many games are always online
@ZuneTattooGuy I try to stay away from games that need a day one update. Although my remarks were about your cloud based media. While you might not be throttled. My remarks on natural disasters, server and internet crashes still hold true. As we have already seen. Servers for the game stores will shut down. While you can try to download everything before they do. If those drives ever become corrupted. You lose everything with no way to get it back. At least with a disc you still have some of the game. Then there is always the fact that anyone of these companies can choose to lock you out of your account and there is absolutely nothing you can do about it.
@Raw_Dawg
When natural disasters occur the last thing on my mind is "Let me play my video games". Also if the game companies take servers down there are many games that don't put the whole game on a disc. Games like Mortal Kombat 1 is almost 150 gb do you think they did some black magic and crammed that on a 50 gb Blu-ray?
@ZuneTattooGuy Really, because I have played board games during a hurricane and after it. Would have played video games if I had a generator. Plan on getting one soon. My girlfriends place lost power for 24 hours which also means no internet. It's not always so much while it's occurring. I know you couldn't have missed the fires in Hawaii. Solar panels or generator would have you right back gaming as long as you had everything locally. Having disc would mean being able to swap them with other survivors. Blu-ray can go up to 128 GB. Also another thing I avoid. I hate bloated games.
@Raw_Dawg
No I have a family to take care of, during an emergency video games are the furthest thing from my mind. Also just because the Internet goes down doesn't mean my digital games stop working. Unless it's an always online title, but then the disc version would also not work. Yes theoretically a Blu-Ray disc could be manufactured to hold 128 gb but I promise you not a publisher out there that uses the highest capacity discs possible, so you are lucky if they even put 50 gb on those discs.
I guess a girlfriend her daughter, nephew and niece (she was working on adopting) isn't really a family. We were sitting around playing Monopoly. Again I was mostly talking about the cloud. As I said before your device breaks after they shut down the servers you might never play any of them again. I doubt that's true being Sony made the Blu-ray prototype. They are the whole reason we aren't using HD DVD. lol You did make me look. I have a physical copy of GTA V. Steam says 110 GB. There is definitely more than half a game on there. lol
@Raw_Dawg
You are right I am wrong. I will delete my digital account, cancel my Internet provider and go all physical. Thank you for keeping me stuck in the past and not living in the future
This has nothing to do with being stuck in the past. Change doesn't always mean progress. This is idiotic from a tech standpoint but what would I know I only went to college for networking technology. This also make no sense financially. Again what do I know I only retired before I was 40. Typically I would say you are free to do what you want. Although typically when I say that the other persons choices don't affect me. This starts with losing physical media and ends with everyone cloud gaming. Nintendo is already selling games full price that you can only play in the cloud. I guess you enjoy working and spending money with nothing to show for it.
@Raw_Dawg
I play games to enjoy them. I don't need to resell them, I don't need a pile of plastic discs to pump up my ego. If this all ends in cloud streaming great! Who cares as long as talented artists get to keep making games that I and others can enjoy.
@ZuneTattooGuy I have questioned whether you truly enjoy games from the start of our conversation. Most gamers have at least a handful of games they love and would be absolutely destroyed if they lost access to. I still have my PS3 mostly just for the Rock Band games. I think I have more than 500 hours in Stardew Valley. There is an older woman who has 3500 hour in Animal Crossing on the NDS. That's what someone that enjoys video games looks like. I think there is a reason you play but I don't think that is it. You are an odd one. Not sure how disc has anything to do with ego. I also don't typically resell them unless they are awful. I traded in Animal Crossing and Ark for the NSW. It's more fun to give them to someone. Gave my copy of Lego Worlds to my nephew. Thinking about giving my copy of SR3 to my friend's kid who keeps talking about GTA5 and RDR2. You still don't seem to get it. The console war will be over. Microsoft or Sony are unlikely to fare any better then Google Stadia. Their whole business model revolves around a device they created. What you will end up with is a $100-$150 Android box, Steam box, or NUC. The game store will fall somewhere between the Nintendo store and Google Play. Once developers start having problems selling games because most people are going to pay more than $40 for something they have no control over. AAA games will practically disappear. The ones that do survive will be littered with microtransactions and ads. The gaming industry has already talked about putting ads in console games over the last year. PC gaming might survive it. Although it has a higher level of entry that most people aren't going to afford. It's what I just came from. The only thing that would save gaming at that point would be someone releasing a console that relied on physical media. lol It's like Apple dropping the headphone jack just to end up making an adapter. A bunch of geniuses there /s lol
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...