Sony’s all-digital PlayStation 5 may be the least popular console ever
By ForGeeks Despite the growing trend toward digital distribution of games, the fully digital PlayStation 5 remains the least popular console of the current generation. While players are increasingly buying games digitally, they seem to continue to favor models with floppy disks.
However, the PlayStation 5 remains the least popular console of the current generation.
Sales of digital versions of consoles
According to research firm Circana, PlayStation 5 digital consoles account for just 18% of all units sold. That means that of the 61.7 million PS5s sold, only 11.1 million are digital versions, while 50.6 million are floppy disk drive models. By comparison, the Xbox Series X and S consoles have more balanced numbers: the digital Xbox Series S makes up about 49% of all Xbox sales, but even that still sells better than the digital version of the PS5.
The digital version of the PS5 is the only one that sells better than the digital version.
Why do gamers prefer consoles with floppy disks?”
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One reason for the low popularity of the digital version of the PS5 may be price. At the time of release, the all-digital PS5 cost $400, but the price was later raised to $450, just $50 less than the floppy disk version. In Japan, the price was raised even higher, making buying the digital version less favorable for users. In addition, if players want to purchase a separate floppy drive later, it will cost them another $80, making the upgrade even less attractive.
Another reason could be that players have a physical collection of games from the last generation PS4. Many people prefer to be able to run their old games or use the console to watch Blu-ray disks, even if they don’t use physical media very often.
Interestingly, even some big projects from Sony, such as God of War Ragnarök, have sold better in physical format than digital.
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The Future of Digital Consoles
Although digitally distributed consoles are booming, their share is still relatively small, with fully digital versions of the PS5 and Xbox Series S accounting for just 27% of total consoles sold. This may indicate that the physical media-centric habits of gamers have not yet disappeared.
There is a possibility, however, that both Sony and Microsoft will switch to digital versions of their consoles entirely in the future. Some analysts believe Microsoft could make the move as soon as the next generation comes out, while Sony will probably wait for another iteration. But as long as physical games continue to sell millions of copies each year, console makers can maintain interest in floppy-drive models, catering to those who still prefer physical media.
