Physical deterioration is another reason to focus on DRM free rather than physical for the sake of physical.

Classic ROM-based cartridges have proved pretty resilient so far, but older games on CD are experiencing a culling due to disk rot. Lots of folks with PS1 collections will already have a few unplayable games, even if they don’t realise yet.

Thankfully almost all of them are backed up somewhere, but those backups are in a precarious legal position and could be lost.