Analyst: next-gen Xbox to go full digital, PlayStation and Nintendo a few generations later

Microsoft is cooking up its next-generation Xbox console, with industry analyst Mat Piscatella saying that it'll be all-digital and that Microsoft will walk away from physical copies of next-gen Xbox games.

This isn't too much of a surprise, where earlier this year we reported that Microsoft had huge Xbox layoffs as the industry was moving (full steam ahead) into an all-digital gaming world. In a new post on X, Piscatella said that Xbox gamers should expect to see physical games leaving shelves sooner, rather than later.

Piscatella expects Sony and Nintendo to do something similar, but it will be a couple of generations from now. Piscatella said PlayStation should go full digital with the PlayStation 7 (so expect physical PlayStation 6 games) while Nintendo will be another two generations of physical games before moving to all-digital with the Switch (or whatever comes after the Switch 2 or Super Switch, whatever Nintendo ends up calling its next-gen platform).

• Read more: Xbox layoffs move industry closer to an all-digital future
• Read more: Digital Xbox Series X spotted, no disc drive and all white like the Series S

In his post on X, Piscatella said: "Folks should probably just get used to this (no physical Xbox versions) across the market sooner rather than later". In a follow-up post, Piscatella replied to "Falcon" on X, who said: "It already happened in other market. No retail copies of Xbox games here in Brazil. Nintendo and PlayStation still sell them, though". Piscatella replied: "Yep, give PS another gen, Nintendo another 2".