Modern-day gaming has come a long way from CD and DVD to Digital Downloads. You may notice most mid-tier to high-end PC cases don’t even offer an external optical drive option.
However, confusion arises if the Optical Driver is vital or if it just adds benefits for gaming. So, to clear your doubt, I will discuss with you the most optimized reasons why you need an optical drive and why not.
So, bear with me to make your verdict.
Go through our epic guide on are Motherboard Drivers necessary?
Are Optical Drives Required For Gaming?
In general, you can download most games from the web these days. That means you don’t need a DVD drive to play any title. But that’s a comprehensive answer to the topic, and using a built-in optical drive is always advantageous for you.
So, this query may pop up, what is an optical or DVD drive, and why should you get it?
Optical Drive uses laser technology to read from the disk drives. Also, can write new data on disks. The quality depends on the purpose itself, like most other hardware on the market. Present-day Optical Drives use SATA connection technology for modern motherboards, and you can still purchase DVD drives from vendors.
Maybe you think optical drives are not adding value to your quest. That may be true, but it may come in handy many times with a more extended usage period.
Also, if you devote time to the web, you can perform all disk drive functions without using an optical drive. That’s why in the modern day, most pc users don’t use optical drives.
Below, I’ll explain why it’s unnecessary for you and how an optical drive can improve your gaming experience.
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Is an Optical Driver Necessary for Gaming?
You won’t need an optical drive if you are proficient at using the internet. And as time goes on, more and more games are being played online, and disk drives are soon to become completely obsolete.
Here are the crucial reasons why you don’t need an optical drive for gaming:
1. Digital Downloads Have Grow Usual
You can download anything with or without meeting your computer’s requirements. Any kind of software or media can now be downloaded quickly. Any program or piece of media can be downloaded from enough resource providers.
In recent years, you may buy practically any game from a digital marketplace, no matter how big or tiny. Nowadays, buying games online is also quite simple, and the after-service for license issuance for digital download is even better than previously.
Linux and Windows operating systems can both be downloaded from service providers.
And if you run into any problems, they can even assist you with further support.
Undoubtedly, it is one of the main reasons why people switch from DVDs to digital games. People have a natural tendency to take the most straightforward and convenient path.
2. Old Game No Longer Supported by The Operating System
Suppose you want to play an old game despite having an optical drive and installing the game on your operating system. Most older games will not run on modern operating systems. That is why having an optical drive may not be beneficial if you only play games on a PC.
This also applies to apps. The only benefit you can count on is the media files you can get online. Overall, if you use Windows 10 or 11, then just for the old app, you don’t need an Optical Drive.
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3. Enormous Availability
Any game released after 2005 is available as a digital download. You can obtain all versions of the game. Even the game’s perks and bonuses are available as digital downloads.
Each app, extension, and the plug-in is available as a digital download. Furthermore, all possible options can be found on the internet. And grabbing this option is also straightforward most of the time.
In general, all games and apps published by any gaming or app organization today are available as digital downloads. That is why having an Optical Drive sometimes makes no sense because it just sits there and does nothing.
4. Streaming Platforms
Many popular games are now available on the internet. Also, with the decline in the popularity of physical games, game streaming services are rapidly increasing. Some game publishers developed their own online archives, such as game data, and everything is still accessible online.
Also, you can access those games using a web browser. Nowadays, you don’t even need to populate your physical storage for the game.
As a result, for serious gamers, optical drives remain unused PC components. You can even get better gaming equipment for the price of an optical drive. This also improves your gaming experience in most ways.
And this online platform is growing in size and popularity by the day. This also leads people to believe that this is the gaming of the future.
All you require is a steady internet connection. Furthermore, you can access this game from another computer or from anywhere; all you need is a good internet connection to play.
Follow our guide to fix Windows can’t access Network Drive on Windows 11.
5. Unnecessary Expense
True, disk drive games are less expensive than digital copies. However, digital copies are vast because they now include so much more support and bonuses. That’s why, whenever possible, it’s best to play an online game.
Most old games retain emotional attachments. However, the developers republish the game with some changes for the digital platform.
The game will eventually become available as a digital download. In addition, some older games do not run on modern computers. So it ends up being a tragedy in both situations.
There are some additional reasons that will help you understand why you do not require an optical drive for gaming:
Environmental Implications: A good Disk Drive requires a lot of resources to build. It also takes up space in your home and has a positive impact if you trash it.
Aesthetics of Personal Computers: Today’s PC aesthetics are important to many computer users. Everyone does their best to make it look the best they can. Furthermore, most modern cases have a clean appearance for improved airflow. If you want to get an Optical Drive, you need to get a PC case with an older look, which does not fit modern tastes.
External Disk Drives: You can get a USB–powered external optical drive. That is why, in the first place, an optical drive is not required. If you need an optical drive in the future for any reason, you can always get an external disk drive for the job.
Why Getting an Optical Drive is Beneficial For Gaming?
In the mid-generation, physical DVDs made some of the most revolutionary advances in data mobility and storage. Maybe we don’t use DVDs much nowadays, but it’s still not faded away from our memory. Most video games start their arrival with a CD or DVD.
Here are the benefits of having an optical drive:
Playing Old Games
Sometimes, you may love to play some old game to bring back memories. Or maybe you meet with your old game buddy and like to play some old game. In these moments, an optical drive comes really handy. Also, sometimes you don’t find old games from downloadable digital sites.
So for this type of situation, having an Optical Drive saves you from much unnecessary trouble and makes it more convenient.
If your PC doesn’t have an optical drive in the first place, you can still use an external solution for that matter. Without question, most gamers favor having a digital soft copy of their game cause it takes less space and is convenient.
Also, there are other reasons to have an optical drive to run a CD or DVD. Please read the following.
Everlasting Property
When you get a CD or DVD of any game, you have permanent ownership of that title. And as long as you have the copy, you will always be its owner.
This was the most desirable way to grab the title, and the best thing is, disk drives don’t ruin that easily. Just by storing the disk drives, you can keep the title and play whenever you wish.
Despite the fact that buying a digital copy of the game is much more accessible than a disk drive nowadays and purchasing is easy and simple in every possible way. But sometimes, you may lose the digital copy. Yes, you can get it, but things might get a bit complicated as there are so many steps to take, like-contact with the support, showing the authorization, and more.
But having a DVD means plug and play. That’s why, when talking about ownership, having a CD or DVD gives you some edge and relief over a greater period of time.
Also, check out our separate post on how to format a Drive in Windows 11?
Blu-ray Potential
In the competition, modern Blu-ray has come a long way. Yes, optical drives and DVDs are rare nowadays, but in the past, if you wanted blu-ray content, you needed a disk drive.
For most of the big titles, Disk Drive games also offer some best quality games on Blu-Ray. And if you have connectivity issues like slow internet, it’s better to have Optical Drives cause its hard for pc to load Blu-ray content under a slow connection.
That’s why under some circumstances, Optical Drive still holds some good value to provide to the user.
Cheaper Than Digital Copy
Most of the time, buying a game with a disk drive will cost less than buying digital games. Both digital and physical costs are the same at the time of release, but after a few months, the physical games can be found at a significantly lower price.
And occasionally, numerous people sold out of original game copies. If you discover that, it becomes even more cost-effective for you because you are paying nearly half the price.
This allows you to obtain many games at a much lower cost than digital copies. Many people still use Optical Drives as their primary game-collecting solution for this reason.
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Additional Bonuses
When you buy a digital game, you almost always get some sort of bonus with it. The same can be said for Disk Drive games. When you bring a DVD for gaming, you will always receive a special bonus.
So, when combined with other benefits such as low cost and perpetual ownership, this adds up to a better value for optical drive games.
Some other benefits that come with Optical Drive:
Making Money: If you have gaming DVDs, you can even sell them after some time. Also, after a while, some game even values more than usual. So you can get some money from selling the disk drives.
Capability to Write Devices: Optical Drive has the ability to write on DVDs. It always comes in handy if you want to write some game on your disk for future use.
Effortless Driver Installing: If you have an Optical Drive included in your rig, you can easily install the drivers from the provided DVD.
Installing Windows: You can install windows from the official windows’ disk, which you can buy easily from the vendor.
Uncomplicated Solution: If you use a computer infrequently but are unfamiliar with the internet or digital marketplace. For gaming, they must require an optical drive. Because optical drive is like plug and play. It makes their daily lives easier.
Final Verdict
In the above sections, I discuss various scenarios and real-world examples to help you decide whether you need an optical drive for gaming.
It’s entirely up to you. Without a Disk Drive, you can still perform all the functions. You can also put that money towards other computer components.
So, is an optical drive just for show? No, it has some benefits, such as playing old games, having everlasting property, being easy for non-techie people to install, and so on. Also, having a choice is always advantageous.
The final verdict is that optical drives have some advantages for gaming, but in this day and age, those advantages can be obtained by utilizing digital locations.
