Neither one has downloadable retail games that you can't get by simply walking into a store and buying the disc.
This is incorrect... I think it's pretty safe to say that Xbox's Shadow Complex is a retail level game and there are others. I also think that PSN has retail level games that are download only like Wipeout HD. You should stick to PC games, it's apparent you are guessing in console issues.
I don't know why you think Sony wouldn't do it too, they are hurting just as much from used game sales as Microsoft is. It makes great business sense to get rid of your middleman, especially when he's eating your profits by reselling your products.
Of course Sony wants to do it but it would be foolish to go as far as Xbox will have to... Sony doesn't have to because they have Blu-ray which allows them a lot of time to be patient. There is a very good chance the PS3 will never see any kind of majority download only content because of Blu-ray.
Xbox on the other hand has a 2 fold problem, no large portable media system, and a need to try and retain all the gamers they have now by any means they can before the PS3 gets them (which has been happening over time already). This will most likely be attempted with a large hard drive release at some point, and the current big "Games on Demand" push. MS will most likely be the most agressive out of reasonable understanding of past business practices, and their need to do so lacking large scale portable media solutions (to sell at retail).
Why spend money for Xbox to basically have it turn in to a Steam-like console? They are both prisons, no matter how nice the decor is. I would jsut assume stay on PC at that point but niether is a better option. I think it's a pretty safe bet that the PS3 will have physical media a lot longer than Xbox.
I do appreciate you agreeing it's going to happen by providing further supportive facts of why it should.
Sony made claims about physical media at E3. It was there for anyone to hear in the big press conference.
I see the PSPGo is a first run at Apple's Iphone. Expect the phone part soonish. In that market digital only distribution is already established. As for PSP 2000,3000 and soon to be 4000 users, the UMD will be continued.
This comment was edited on Aug 27, 2009, 17:27.
PS3 resurgance by GOW3 - Check! Mass Effect for PS3 - Check! Diablo 3 for consoles? I say "For sure"!