Walmart & Best Buy-No more DVDs, No more Physical Games!!

[retro junkie]

Both Walmart and Best Buy are going to eliminate physical copies of games and movies from their stores in 2024. I am thinking that this will impact and change the gaming industry in a big way. Game stores struggle to keep the doors open by carrying merchandise like figurines, stuffed things, DVDs, t-shirts, boardgames, buying and selling electronics, used games, etc. Not sure how this would affect them unless the game industry went full digital download.
I don't purchase new games anymore. I look for used stuff, usually on eBay, or a local game store. So I am not supporting the system, I guess. So how is this my fault? There are those "collector stuff" that I have stepped up to the plate to obtain, usually stuff that I was really into. Like the Lunar series on the PS1. Got both one and two collector's editions. Most everything else has been used and I have not been too picky on whether it was in the original case. But being a retro gamer most of my interests have been in the used market anyway. But where I do care is my Nintendo Switch. I want hard copies.

When it comes to movies, I do purchase new, hard copies, DVDs. Has this generation switched to streaming only?

So where do you think we are going with physical games at this point? Post up!

[Grindspine]

If I am already on Disney Plus or Netflix and rewatch a move, I may stream it. However, if the movie is on Hulu, I'd rather ditch the commercials and watch a physical DVD.

Physical games have resale value, downloads absolutely do not.

I have a mix of old CD-roms, cartridge games, and various (Playstation, PS2, PS3, Xbox, 360) game discs along with a few downloaded console games and a pretty large Steam library.

I will say, since we use the Switch mostly in TV mode, fidgeting with the little door to put in a new game cart is more of a pain than on older systems. I have considered sticking with download games with that system. But I will also be selling Breath of the Wild since I have that on hard copy.

[CreepinDeth]

I've read that Best Buy clarified this does not include physical games, so they should still be there. It's just physical movies they're phasing out.

Either way, this is not surprising. People who still want physical media are a rare people these days. If Best Buy wants to continue as a business, then they can't be spending money holding on to media that doesn't sell anymore.

It sucks, I still collect blu-rays and I do like to get my favorite games on physical, but it's unfortunately what it is.

Physical games have resale value.

I mean, kind of. It's definitely a limited time value these days. A lot of these newer games need patches to be complete, or in some cases, functional. Eventually servers get shut down. Sure, you do at least have most of the data there but it's generally an inferior experience. Not to mention there are now consoles that have no disc drives and they are fairly popular. Physical games have no value to those who own these consoles.

Also, with digital taking over, the demand for even used physical copies will drop and game stores that take trade-ins might not be able to do it anymore. It's a crappy cycle. In order for the used game market to thrive, there needs to be new physical games sold in the first place.

It's mainly just Nintendo 1st party games these days that generally come complete. They'll probably be the games that hold their value the most.

[BLUEVOODU]

It's not surprising in some aspects.  I am surprised it took until 2024 for this to happened. I was talking digital distribution taking over way back when I was running my store, on our podcasts, etc. 

However, a lot of people are suckers for the steel book releases including me.  There is money to be made there. I still buy blu-ray movies.  I guess I don't care that others want just digital. I have digital copies but I've been in many scenarios where we internet was toast and we have relied on physical copies.  It essentially leaves you with 2 choices:
1.) buy digital - live with limited licenses and potentially required data connections
2.) pirate - which I don't do but I see why it's increasing now... and the greed of companies is the motivation.

It's ridiculously expensive now to roll with a few streaming services. It's really becoming like or worse to how cable tv was.

However, people don't care ... it's not the popular way to do things anymore.  People are downsizing and owning smaller places. It's very expensive to have space to store... and it can be tough taking care of all those physical possessions. Materialism has been strong in the world for a long time.

Here's another problem. Companies can decide to disappear whatever they want whenever they want as shown by Disney. Will the shows resurface?  Who knows. If a companies dies, those (games, shows) could be gone.

In addition to the above - Time - people are not replaying as much anymore. They are using and moving on. It's a trend that is filtering into all facets of people's lives. Jobs (though I don't blame people on this one), relationships, friends, etc. It's one of the biggest trends I've notice over the last several years.
 
There is value in physical movies and games. But... that's only with demand. If demand ever drops out, That value goes away.  This is the danger of inventory. Prices don't stay up forever.  Sometimes they fluctuate and then increase.  Other times, they fluctuate and drop... or drop out all-together.  I'd rather had a blu-ray worth $3 I can reclaim if necessary.

[CreepinDeth]

This is one of the reasons why I'm such an advocate for emulation and archiving games digitally. Will it ever be the same as playing with cart on a CRT? No. But for me that's okay. I just care that I can still play it because I already paid for it.

There are emulation projects out there that are trying to preserve PS3/360 games and beyond. That's really the only way to do this. Switch already has a decent amount of games that have been dumped. It makes no sense to leave these games behind just because they are digital.

I hope more gamers jump on the archiving train.

[retro junkie]

I am glad to have the physical games that are in my collection of retro stuff. I plan on collecting more Switch games. I have somewhat neglected this console for some reason. I need to increase the library of my DS, 3DS, GBA, and my Switch. I have recently been purchasing just NES and Famicom. I have been dabbling in the emulation stuff by purchasing some of the handhelds from Ali Express. Some of them are not that bad. If you are interested in old 16 bit gaming the stick with the wireless controller works well for Genesis and SNES games, and the NES too if you would like to try that route. It is very convenient, just hook the HDMI end to your flat screen, plug the power cord into the usb and play. I have several of these so I label them.
With these sticks Mame is a bit touch and go, some games have a horrible lag. Some games just do not work.

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[BLUEVOODU]

I will say, since we use the Switch mostly in TV mode, fidgeting with the little door to put in a new game cart is more of a pain than on older systems. I have considered sticking with download games with that system. But I will also be selling Breath of the Wild since I have that on hard copy.

@Grindspine I noticed this... why are you or would you sell Breath of the Wild?

This is one of the reasons why I'm such an advocate for emulation and archiving games digitally. Will it ever be the same as playing with cart on a CRT? No. But for me that's okay. I just care that I can still play it because I already paid for it.

There are emulation projects out there that are trying to preserve PS3/360 games and beyond. That's really the only way to do this. Switch already has a decent amount of games that have been dumped. It makes no sense to leave these games behind just because they are digital.

I hope more gamers jump on the archiving train.

@CreepinDeth I really get this more and more.  Like I mentioned, I used to be heavily against emulation.  But once companies made it impossible (and sometimes the market) for people to acquire / procure games, even killing them off, it started turning my opinion.  I'm not all the way there yet... but it's getting closer.

Steam is another one.  I have several Steam games that you can no longer procure.  They have been canned for one reason or another.  However, they're AT LEAST still available on my account to play.

[CreepinDeth]

Steam is another one.  I have several Steam games that you can no longer procure.  They have been canned for one reason or another.  However, they're AT LEAST still available on my account to play.

That's where GOG comes in. Unfortunately not everything is available there but that seems to be changing. Even Sony published games like God of War, Uncharted, Days Gone and Horizon Zero Dawn are on there. They just need to bring Spider-Man and Ratchet and Clank. I still get games on Steam but I'll double dip (or only get them on GOG) if it's a game I want to preserve myself.

[BLUEVOODU]

@CreepinDeth I'll have to check that out and review what is offered...etc.   That does look interesting.


And ... the name on the controller @retro junkie showed above.  LOL... NubSup.   Sup, Nub??

[Mai Valentine]

Walmart hasn't stopped yet. Those articles were a weird misrepresented response to Walmart pulling (only) Starfield and that was more to do with Starfield being a Game Pass title than anything as far as I know.

They did cut down the amount of games we carry for each platform, with Xbox taking the biggest hit (from 90 down to 49), but there's nothing in our current floor plans to suggest we're getting rid of any of them altogether.

Personally for myself I like physical copies, although like Grindspine said, trading out the cartridges on the Switch is a little on the inconvenient side.

[BLUEVOODU]

@Mai Valentine  Thank you for the heads up on Walmart.   I was just in our Best Buy... and they still have a game section.  It is reduced more after their last remodel.   Movies... Either I missed them or they are completely gone.

I do miss seeing the steel books... I am a sucker for steel books.   I know @Snatcher_L and @targetrasp are both suckers for steel books as well 

[retro junkie]

Our local Walmart, which I might go into every few years, has drastically reduced their game area. The game rack is maybe four feet wide and shoulder height. It is dominated by Nintendo Switch games. I am not sure if there are DVDs on the shelf, but there are those box displays in the isle that you can dig into.
My Family and I are going back to seeking out hard copies of tv shows and movies. And I think there is a surge of interest out there for wanting DVD collecting again. We have unknowingly gone from ownership to access. It is nice and convenient to stream but you lose control. With having the advantage of the DVD I can watch my favorites when I want. No looking for it and the streaming service has taken it off issues.