When you buy your PS4 games, you may find yourself in the midst of a dilemma— what we call the “Disc or Digital Dilemma.” Should you go out to a store and purchase a disc copy of the game, one that you can hold in your hand? Or should you opt for the convenience of a digital purchase? There’s no right or wrong way— but here are a few considerations on both sides of the question.
The Digital Way
Some gamers like to buy all their PS4 games online. They don’t have to store physical copies of the games. They don’t have to go out to a store to hunt down a game that they really want to try, and neither do they have to wait for a disc that they ordered online to arrive in the mail. Instead, they can hop over the online store anytime, select a game, and own it within minutes.
The Disc Avenue
Some people prefer to purchase all their PS4 games as physical disc copies. Gamers in this category like the security of having the game in their hands. They don’t have to worry about hard drive failure or server closure causing potential loss of files.
The Hybrid Path
There’s another, more strategic class of PS4 gamer that buys certain games as discs and others as digital versions. A longer, more complex game that takes dozens of hours works better as a digital purchase. Its replay value is high, and the experience is ongoing, so the hybrid gamer prefers to keep it as a digital copy. For other games that are quick to finish, or games that someone would only play once, these hybrid gamers buy the disc. Why? Because they can resell it once they are done and recoup some of the original cost.
How Do I Find Out How Much Space a Game Needs?
Check the back of the disc case if it’s a physical copy of the game. There should be information about various technical requirements, including the minimum hard drive space that you need to be able to play the game. Of course, the game may take up a bit more than that, especially once you start saving a lot of extra files related to it. For a digital copy, you’ll see the space information listed on your screen along with the rest of the game’s details.
Where Can I See How Much Space Is Left on My PS4 Hard Drive?
Since each game takes up space, whether it’s disc or digital, it’s a good idea to check how much space you have left before you buy a game. From your home screen, go to Settings, then select “Storage Management.” Here, you should see “Free Space,” and you’ll be able to gauge how much room you have left on the PS4 hard drive. If you’re more indulged with digital content, then you should consider upgrading your PS4 HDD.
Is There Another Option?
If you don’t want to buy a physical copy of the game or purchase the digital copy, you could try renting PS4 games instead. Many movie rental stores and kiosks also have games available for a variety of consoles. You won’t be able to play the game on your PS4 once you return it to the rental venue, but you’ll be able to give it a test drive to see if it’s really something that you want to buy with your hard-earned money. If you find yourself wanting to rent a particular game again and again, it’s probably a good sign that you should buy it outright.
How do you buy your games? Disc, digital, or a little of both?
My favourite gaming console is the PS4, of course, and in my spare time I love to write.