Study shows massive sales lead for disc-based PS5 compared to digital

You know how it seems like every console maker wants us to go all-in on digital games? Well, it looks like they might want to pump the brakes on that idea. Why? Because the gamers have spoken, and they're shouting, “We love our disc drives!”

Data analyst firm, Circana, just dropped some numbers that are turning heads. In a study of the US console market and lifetime PS5 sales, they found that over 80 percent of all US PS5 sales have been for the disc-drive version. Only 18 percent of buyers opted for the cheaper digital-only console.

This kind of flips the script on the whole “digital future” narrative, doesn't it? It's like, hold up—people are still here for physical games. And with the PS5 Pro hitting the shelves without a disc drive and a price tag that makes your wallet weep (£700, really?), there has been a bit of an uproar.

So, what does this mean for the PlayStation 6 and beyond? Are we ready to say goodbye to disc drives, or is it too soon? We're already hearing rumours that the next generation Xbox and the PS6 are due to launch without disc drives, but if the sales split is so heavily skewed towards disc-based consoles, the folks at Sony and Microsoft may want to reconsider.

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KitGuru Says: While console sales my skew heavily towards disc-based models, actual game sales often see digital purchases vastly outweighing physical discs, although that in part could be down to the industry's insistence on day-one patches, incomplete disc builds and in certain cases, an online connection in order to play. 

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