Right now the only thing harder to get than a PlayStation 5, is the digital edition. With the rise of digital copies, a decrease in Blu-Ray/DVD purchases and overall versatility, it makes sense players would consider the cheaper console. With an immediate $100 savings it seems like an easy choice, except Sony, is making it hard. Right now fewer digital units are out in the wild, forcing players to ask if the extra $100 is worth being one of the first to enjoy it. For some this is obvious, but we wanted to touch on some things to consider.
You can never have too many options
All sales are hit and miss, so limiting yourself to one type can offer some distinct negatives. There are certain games that are far more likely to go on sale or be offered physically, to make room for higher sellers, leading to bigger savings. One example I found was Code Vein. There was a point where Target was selling it for $8, Walmart dropped it to $4 and even Best Buy offered it for $15. This is compared to the lowest digital sale price being $30. Anyone who was able to snag it for $4 basically got $26 towards the $100 difference, meaning you only really need four good purchases to close that gap.
Less risk overall
In the grand scheme of things, there are games that make more sense one way than another. Something like Destiny, Call of Duty, or anything vaguely similar makes a lot of sense as digital downloads, given their pick up and play titles. Other games, not too much. We won’t give any specific examples, but there are a lot of games that might look good but could go either way. Investing in digital without a massive sale is a big bet. Not only are you stuck with it, especially after a certain point, but physical games can also always be sold for a good bit back.
Movies are still the best way to watch 4K content
Streaming has made massive strides in delivering easily consumed content. This has also come at a price. Many services actually save money by simply not offering 4K or offering an inferior version of it. For some services the bitrate alone is pretty rough, leaving you in a situation where it will look okay but not particularly great. With physical movies, a lot more can be achieved, especially when the services offering things on par with it are not far off in overall cost.
Collector’s Editions
Another thing to consider is how this will impact the collector’s editions. Given the physical nature of the edition, it’s hard to say how companies will handle this potential hurdle. Right now Xbox Series S is in a bit of a niche and there are infinitely less PlayStation 5 digital consoles on the market. We might see a digital and physical game version of the edition, standalone content (you might be able to buy a figure separately) or most ideally get both, but this has not been established. If you’re someone who plans on purchasing even a few of these, I would strongly consider this potential limitation.
$100 isn’t much of a risk
If you’re still on the fence up to this point, I suggest remembering $100 isn’t much of a risk. With console generations lasting well over five years, you just need to save about $25 a year. This can get a single game from a friend, having someone loan you a movie, getting a great deal, or just reselling something for a decent return. Even casually looking at this it shouldn’t be too hard as long as you spend a decent bit on gaming. With just five or so games a year you should be able to get the value by the end of the generation.
Final things to consider
It’s easy to think it’s $100 saved, because for some select people that is honestly true. However, unless you have absolutely no interest in going physical, are in a situation where digital makes more sense, or don’t want to spend time trying to find the best deal, in a lot of cases you’ll make that investment back. It might take some time, but if you want the system, especially now when digital versions are especially hard to find, I would strongly consider picking up the PlayStation 5 with a disc drive.
