phaolo: People say they prefer "physical" as if it granted more ownership than proper DRM-free digital files.
More ownership? No. Something on top? Definitely. You can make an ISO out of a disc (if the game is from times before discs also started getting DRMd). But the reverse process is pretty much impossible as you really can't make a pressed disc at home.
phaolo: But they usually just end up with semi-obsolete media supports\formats tied to proprietary hardware eventually doomed to fail\be abandoned.
I wouldn't consider DVD a "semi-obsolete medium". Doomed to fail depends on how you store them. They can last decades if you don't handle them terribly. I still have CDs from the early to late 90s that work without issues. Blu-Rays don't even have a set lifespan yet but the claims are anywhere in the 100+ years territory with proper storage. And disc drives are also backwards compatible. Even a Blu-Ray drive can still read CDs.
phaolo: Plus such games will often still require extra digital content, like patches, so they won't even be standalone.
I consider separately downloadable patches as an advantage. They can often bring undesirable changes, like changing balance in RTS or aRPG games or introduce new bugs (as is the case for a couple of games on GOG even). Makes me thankful I have Battle for Middle Earth games or Command & Conquers on discs and can play a different patch than the latest one which screws the single player campaign balance for the sake of multiplayer, which has been long dead.