New video game consoles are coming. Microsoft`s Project Scarlett platform is scheduled for release in Holiday 2020, while Sony`s next-generation PlayStation system is rumoured to release around that time as well. Both Scarlett and the PS5 will have disc drives, and retailer GameStop is pleased about that following some ongoing turmoil related to the all-digital Xbox One S model.The retailer`s chief customer officer, Frank Hamlin, told GameSpot that both Microsoft and Sony are `keenly aware` that people want to have the option to play a disc if they want. Digital game sales and the popularity and prevalence of digital services like streaming and subscription programs are growing year-over-year, but at the end of the day, giving people the option to play physical media is important, Hamlin says.Not only that, but unlike TV, movies, and music--industries that have all adopted a digital-first approach--the file sizes for games are generally much larger. And they`re growing all the time as games become more and more content-rich and graphically impressive. As such, discs will continue to be important for some portion of the gaming audience for a long time to come, according to Hamlin.`I think both Microsoft and Sony are keenly aware that the consumer needs that optionality,` he said. `We`re very much a believer in helping our customers sell them a physical game when they want it.`Hamlin went on to say that people still enjoy buying physical games because they enjoy owning something tangible when they pay $60 USD or more.`I think both Microsoft and Sony are keenly aware that the consumer needs that optionality` -- Frank Hamlin on PS5 and Xbox Scarlett having disc drives`It`s much like a collectable. They like the collecitibility and trophy on the shelf,` Hamlin said. `That tangibility is something that`s extremely important for the right game experience. Not giving the customers the privilege of having that is something I think both Sony and Microsoft are aware would ...
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