While physical video games continue to be a thing, the experience of buying a game on disc continues to be more and more painful. For instance, most Xbox video games are rather hard to find physically, if a copy exists at all. In the case of Gears of War: Reloaded, there wasn't a physical copy for Xbox.
Elsewhere, the Nintendo Switch 2 has introduced Game-Key Cards, something so egregious that even Japan's National Diet Library has stated they're not eligible for preservation due to not having the full license on them.
The experience is fading, but I’ll keep living it as best I can.
Beyond the pain of either not finding specific copies or having to deal with copies that don't actually have any content on them, there's also the element of just how shoddy these games are.
One of the biggest reasons I am excited for Grand Theft Auto 6 is to see if Rockstar continues its history of having a stuffed physical copy, complete with a map and other little pamphlets. If it doesn't, then I will be extremely sad.
Long gone are the maps, posters and manuals, and receiving something as simple as reversible cover art...
