I don't think the mentality of the Game Companies are focused on the fact that we want to keep our games for our whole lifetime. I am used to picking up most of my gaming library after the end of a console's lifespan. I am a cheap gamer. I like picking up bargains in that special section of a game store. I like to touch and hold onto my games.
But I do think we are headed in the direction of digital media only. It is just how and when. There are a lot of issues that I think they will have to come to grips with before it is accepted by the gaming community. Then again it might be cloud gaming that takes the place of the present media.
Bear with me,
At my age, in my sixties, I have changed over the years in my perspective regarding how I view entertainment. I have went from TV antenna to cable and now back to antenna. But there are such a difference in the tech and the way I view TV. I went through all the Betamax and VHS archiving craze. Had a brief taste of the CED video records. Plunged into the DVDs and eventually Blu Ray. Now I have the HD antenna reception of around 50 channels, better quality than cable or dish. But the internet has affected my viewing habits. My Family and I spend more viewing time on our Roku TV with youtube, Netflix, and Vudo, and a few other apps. Our archiving is centered around purchasing, for example, a complete set of a certain TV series that we would like to keep for repeated viewing, favorites. Movies are no longer purchased on DVD because we did not see it at theater, but we rent it on Vudo. And as for some things that we find ourselves watching, you could never tell me years ago that I would be just setting and watching something like Metal Jesus Rocks, live webcam of a feline rescue centre, some amateur showing me how to do something, people doing stupid things, or binge watching a TV series that just released on Netflix, etc, etc, etc. I could go on. We only occasionally reference the TV antenna programming. I don’t think our Family is alone in this. I have people that I am working around seeking a way to cut the cord.
That is why I think DVD and Blu Ray are at the end of their lifespan. I feel that the gaming console manufacturers know this. The media is just not capable of handling the new console technology. That is why we are waiting to load up everything before we can play a new game. The drives just cannot keep up with the demand of the games. That is why they keep nudging on digital as a viable media for gaming, that and it gives them more control. It is interesting to note that there is no new replacement tech being offered as an alternative for the present media. The sure sign evidence of its demise is in the bargain bins and cheap players on the shelves. In the past any outdated media always went this route before fading from the store shelves. And usually you have Sony throwing out there something new like 8mm video tapes. Wow that did not last long. Remember CED and laser disc? Watching things progress from Betamax to Blu Ray has been a bumpy road. I think the media issue is why we see Nintendo, at the moment, going back to carts. If anyone is successful in pulling off a plan that the consumer will bite into everyone in the gaming industry will jump on board, immediately. The question is, who will lead the way, Microsoft? Whoever does will set standards.