The PS5 Digital Edition Might Be in Super Short Supply

Either Sony was not too confident on an all digital future, or they can't afford the loss they taking on that model on large numbers just yet.

They are not saving 100 on the drive alone, and it would take years for them to make back the money on digital sales alone, given most users buy one or two games a year, and this Gen some might just play f2p games.

I would think even with the rise of digital, that the majority still want a disc based PS5 (if only to have a choice) so it doesn't surprise me.

I don't think we can take the fact that Digital only also sold out everywhere as an indicator on the demand of that unit, because many might have just settled for it because it was the only one they could order. We won't know the actual demand for that unit until stock is plentiful for each.

I think they probably got the balance right in terms of overall demand. When I went into my local game to try and pre-order a PS5 they had 1 digital edition left and no physical editions. They failed to sell that digital editions to both the person in front of me in the queue and me.

Given your recent poll established that a good 75% or so want the disc version, it makes complete sense that fewer digital were initially made. Can you imagine the faux controversy had Sony been seen to try to manipulate people towards the overall more costly digital version instead!

@thefourfoldroot I’m not sure that would be a faux controversy, that would be a genuine mess if they funnelled people into being locked into their digital store while raising prices.

It makes sense. They will adapt to the demand but with disk IS the standard after all.

From the interactions and polls I've seen, most people wanted the disc version. Me I think i want digital.... but I'm not in the majority.

@nessisonett
Sorry, bad phrasing. That indeed would be legitimate controversy if true, I actually meant the controversy would be faux (manufactured by people still entrenched in the “console wars”), if the situation had been reversed because it still would not be Sony manipulation, but rather just misjudging demand in the various SKUs. As it is, thankfully, there is no logical reason to think Sony prefer to sell disc capable machines over the digital only model.

@thefourfoldroot Ahh of course, yep I know what you mean.

@Cutmastavictory I can relate to wanting the Digital Edition, 100% of my library is Digital on the PS4 and although I will miss reselling games to put towards new releases, I just find that ease of being able to switch games on the fly and play titles the second they release without having to worry about delivery problems in this current COVID climate a great luxury.

I suspect that Digital could perhaps go slightly lower than Physical this gen for First Party Titles to keep customers in that marketspace for the long run, and with myself being able to get PS Top Up Cards for dirt cheap (eg. £72 for £100), I find it a good deal to make the full leap. Plus that £90 you initially save is tempting enough to feel even better about the switch, that £90 saving bags me Cyberpunk and Miles Morales for example in a busy Christmas period so that will be helpful.

I'm definitely going with the all digital edition myself, so I'll have to wait a bit till all the pre release hype dies down so I can find one. I haven't purchased a disc in years, and don't plan on doing it again.

I got the Disc version of the console.

I'll buy 3-4 physical games, trade them in or sell them after I beat them and I will have made probably more than that $100 back.

After that I can simply decide if I want physical/digital for each game and it won't have cost me any extra money.

They probably did enough market research to decide that only about 25% would want the digital only version.

I'd be pretty mad if it was the other way around and I could only find digital editions at launch.

25% is roughly about what brand new AAA games sell digitally in the UK (though it can be more or less depending on the type of game and its content delivery method), and with £60-£70 games, the option to trade-in will still be attractive to some. most polls i saw suggested 70-80% would prefer the flexibility of having a disc-drive, though that was before any prices were announced, and whether the £90 difference would persuade people to change their mind..

@Tharsman or they just have limited number like they said from the beginning

This is just companies realizing that the disk version will sell more. This has nothing to do with actual production numbers.

@Tharsman Not that long. I bought UFC4 from CeX the other Day for £4 with two trade ins. That game's £60 on PSN and the digital edition PS5 is £90 cheaper. So if I'd got the digital version for PS5, in a single purchase I'd have cancelled out over 60% of the savings I'd have made by buying a digital edition PS5.

I saved £56 and Sony and EA got nothing. Don't underestimated lending too. I've already lent TLOU2 to two people, so that's ~£120 Sony have missed out on. I could lend out any of the games below numerous times and save my friends £100s and cost Sony the same. Then multiply that by millions of other gamers doing the same. The digital edition is great for Sony, but bad for us.

I suspect they know their market. Early adopters are likely to be enthusiasts, and enthusiasts have been the hardest to convince to go 100% digital, so the initial shipments needed to be skewed towards the disc version. I expect the ratio will skew more digital as the generation progresses.

Think about this way: PS5 Digital is only half compatible with PS4 since you can't use your disc

Sony. Buy a PS5 for $399... (but you cant find one to buy). I ended up pre ordering the disc version, though I wanted digital version.

Went digital mainly because on the PS4 I went all digital. If Sony want all digital to work though they need to make the digital copy slightly cheaper than the disc version. For some reason on the PS4 the digital games were exactly the same price as the retailers.

@Cutmastavictory correction

Not most people. Most people who frequent video game websites and forums.

@naruball yeah....i said that. Do you know how sample size works?

I didn't want a digital one anyway, so that's fine with me. Got my disc drive model locked in.

I am going with standard...wait to come back on stock as soon as possible. Enough time to grab one so no problem.

I managed to get a digi edition on amazon and have hopefully got a pre order at shop to but I've heard nothing from them in regards to which model it is and if I'm definitely getting it.