Phil Spencer said this but honestly, "losing" a digital library by switching platforms is no different than losing a physical library by doing the same thing.
I feel it joins with the points of many just not wanting multiple systems set up when the could be condensed into a handful, especially when they're backwards compatible and literally play the exact same versions. Convenience, basically, alongside having less clutter.
As with the longer cross generational support, the convenience comes back in. Rather than hopping between Xbox One and PS5, just have the Series X/S. Or whatever combination.
Convenience and less clutter are bigger selling points than people might realise, especially in a gaming sub-reddit where people are probably more likely to keep hold of older consoles and have 10 systems to hand. That's not the average customer, though, and to them, it'll feel like losing a library rather than just needing to have the system to hand.
But the digital library being stuck on a physical system is mentally a whole different thing. The major part being that you can't recoup any of those digital game purchases if you wanted to. If you're somebody who replaces rather than upgrading when you get the chance, there's absolutely a difference at that point.
Switching platforms when you can sell or trade your console and most or all of your existing collection is way easier than when you have to start from scratch without the starting funds from cashing in your old platform. You aren't just losing your physical collection and calling it a day. You're losing it because you exchanged it for money to buy stuff on the new platform. With digital, you just lost it.
This is a big part of why I was adamant about getting a disc PS5. I've never been a day 1 guy for most games so the resale market is very important to me, regardless of if I'm switching consoles. I like getting my games cheaper and trading them in when I'm done or if I dislike it. Then when I am upgrading I definitely take advantage of that extra funding from selling my games.
Plus it's becoming more widespread general knowledge that no one owns their digital library. They can and will rip those games from us when they feel like so since I don't actually own my digital library, that is not something that will play into my decision on a new console
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u/Reasonable_Deer_1710 14h ago
Phil Spencer said this but honestly, "losing" a digital library by switching platforms is no different than losing a physical library by doing the same thing.