- 82% of PS5 sales are for the disk drive version, showing strong demand for physical games.
- The PS5 leads in units sold and revenue, but all major consoles are experiencing declining sales.
- Gamers are hesitant to switch to digital-only consoles, valuing the ability to resell physical games.
According to the most recent study from market research firm Circana, 82% of PS5 console sales in the US are currently from the disk drive version, with only 18% coming from the digital version.
Why it matters: The strong preference for physical media indicates that many gamers still value ownership and the ability to resell games.
Despite Sony’s efforts to increase the popularity of digital versions, such as reducing the cost and releasing a PS5 Pro that is exclusively available digitally, gamers are still more inclined to spend more for the opportunity to play physical games.
The results show that customers still favour physical games, and the convenience of reselling physical games may be a factor in this choice.
Data from analyst Mat Piscatella shows that in September of this year, the digital version of the PS5 sold 40%. However, the percentage of total PS5 sales was still only 18%, while the disk drive version continued to have an 82% share.
In September, the PS5 maintained its dual dominance in the US market in terms of units sold and overall revenue. The Nintendo Switch took second place in sales revenue, while the Xbox Series took second place in sales volume.
With Xbox sales down 54% year over year, PS5 sales down 45% year over year, and Switch sales down 23%, the US gaming hardware market did exhibit a notable downward trend in September.
Overall, gaming console sales fell 30% compared to the same time last year. Nevertheless, gamers are willing to pay more for the ability to play actual media on their console, at least for the time being.
Furthermore, although it appears likely that games will only be available digitally in the future, players don’t seem to be prepared to make the switch just yet.
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[News Reporter]
Malik Usman is student of Computer Science focused on using his knowledge to produce detailed and informative articles covering the latest findings from the tech industry. His expertise allows him to cover subjects like processors, graphics cards, and more. In addition to the latest hardware, Malik can be found writing about the gaming industry from time to time. He is fond of games like God of War, and his work has been mentioned on websites like Whatculture, VG247, IGN, and Eurogamer.
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