14 DAY TRIAL // Sony Computer Entertainment Europe President Andrew House has just revealed that digital media still has quite a lot of challenges before it can earn the trust of regular consumers, so the physical one is still going to be popular.
With digital distribution becoming more and more important for companies like Valve, thanks to its Steam service, or EA, thanks to the quality downloadable content for the Ultimate Team modes, many people are saying that physical media is going the way of the dinosaurs in the near future.
That's not exactly true, as House has revealed that physical media is still top dog, and will continue to dominate the digital one for quite some time in the future.
"The reason retail has been around for thousands of years is because it works really well at showing you a range of content, having experienced store staff that can find the game you are looking for, tailor choices to your needs and up-sell you something you hadn't thought of," House revealed to MCV.
"Digital, for me," he added, "still has a challenge in that it doesn't have the equivalent of that. Browsing is a little overwhelming and too confusing, and that's the challenge that makes me think there's a strong role for physical media for years to come."
You can't say Sony hasn't experimented with digital distribution up until now, as last year it released the first handheld console based on just digital media, the PSP Go.
The device, sadly, wasn't that successful, but Sony is bent on making its online service, the PlayStation Network, an integral part of future devices, ranging from the all-but-confirmed PSP2 to Bravia TV sets or, at least according to previous leaks, a PlayStation Phone.
Do you agree with House? Is physical media still dominating the digital one or are people learning more and more about the advantages of digital distribution?