Does the choice to stay or go make a difference?

Question

At the end of the game, the character has a choice; stay or leave.

I've picked both, and it doesn't seem to matter.

What does seem to matter is whether or not your follow the other pods instructions when there's noise in the data stream. That seems to be the difference between ending D and ending E.

So, does it really matter what answer you pick for that question? What changes?

Given the options for 9S' ending, there could have been four outcomes, but since staying on earth or leaving with the machine's ark doesn't seem to matter, I'm not sure what the point is.

Answer 1

According to the wiki, only choosing to stay causes you to get ending D. However, this is false. You will get ending D either way (I chose to go on the ark, I believe).

The choice doesn't really make any real difference in the end, though. As you've mentioned, the real choice presented is the one that sets you on track for ending E.