EA Origin is Phasing Out Physical Media on April 4th

EA has announced that it will no longer sell physical games through its digital distribution channel, Origin. This is further new news to me because I wasn't even aware that Origin sold physical games.

A statement on the official website wished a fond farewell to discs, and Origin states that you have until April 4 to order any physical media you want before it disappears.

Starting April 4th Origin will be going all digital. This means the entire Origin game store will be entirely digital downloads for PC and Mac.

What does this mean for you? If you're among 99% of our users, absolutely nothing. Your shopping experience hasn't changed one single bit.

But if you're that 1% who still desires a physical collection, we want to let you know that Origin won't be able to fulfill that need beginning April 4th. We'll still be here when you transition your gaming habits to the wonders of digital downloads.

Digital is fast and convenient. Origin's focus is to give gamers the best experience, and going all-digital will make that possible.

Sounds more like a punch in the gut than a helping hand, but they are correct. PC gaming has reached a point where physical media has become a hindrance, and installing files through a disc rather than digital channels is just plain cumbersome. Maybe I don't mind so much because I've been a console gamer my whole life and just popping in a cartridge or a disc to play has never been an issue.

Digital games on PCs I can understand because the disc becomes useless after one use, and digital games on handhelds I can understand because nobody wants to carry around DS carts or UMDs anymore. When the time comes for console games to give up on physical media, though, Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft are going to have to physically pry my games from my cold dead hands. It'll have to because they'll be physical objects lodged in my actual hands.

Maxis PR Manager confirmed that EA would still be making physical games though, just not selling them through Origin.

Any thoughts? Will you embrace an empty shelf where your towering and proud video game collection once stood, or will you sacrifice years of collecting for the sake of convenience? Your time to decide is running out.