I recently pre-ordered a Switch 2 and will get it end of this week and now is the time for getting games.
However, I noticed that digital is overall more expensive than physical even when the games are new from retail stores. For example;
- Mario Kart World is €72 digitally, €68 physically.
- Tears of The Kingdom €78 digitally, €70 physically.
- Ocarina Remake €70 digitally, €65 physically.
Might be a stupid question but is this a normal thing for consoles? I have not purchased any games for consoles since I went over to PC gaming in 2019-2020. Can’t remember anymore how it was on PS4/5.
I like having the game physically, sort of owning it (if it still can be called owning). But the loss of easily switching games will be a sad ‘loss’ lol.
The games I’m planning to purchase in the long run are:
- Mario Kart World.
- Tears of The Kingdom.
- Some Yoshi games.
- Breath of The Wild (already played though)
- Newer Kirby game (2027 one).
Even though physical cartridges are tiny, retail stores still have to manage them as part of inventory. I think the retail margins are relatively tiny on those (25% or less), but there is still room for a retailer to reduce price and still make a profit, particularly to clear out inventory. But, if some games are distributed to retailers by allotment, I can see a retailer reducing their price to increase volume and qualify to get more games in the next allotment.
OTOH, digital titles are sold directly by the console manufacturer in their online store. Yes, you can buy a code at the retailer, but I bet those pieces of cardboard have an entirely different distribution agreement. With less effective competition (since there isn’t really any functional distribution to speak of), digital stores don’t need to discount.