Random: Eco-Friendly PS5 Cases Are Cute and Could Save the Planet

Sega Saturn games were in a hybrid plastic/cardboard case and held up reasonably well. Dont see why it can't work now.

I actually like it more than ps2, ps3, ps4, and psvita plastic case, as long as the cardboard is sturdy. Psone, psp, and switch case is better than this though.

Just do digital, save the planet further . I have not bought a physical game in over 4 years.

Most CDs now come in cardboard now, so i dont see why these couldnt work. Would be good for reducing storage space needed for games too - depending on thickness of the cardboard

Not for me, cardboard boxes are trash.
There is already a full plastic-free option, digital games. So keep the normal plastic boxes for physical games and let the customer decide.

I'm fine with them using smaller boxes, but they need something that will actually protect the disc inside. Especially since most people buy online nowadays, it's very important to have a case and disc that will survive shipping. If these are too fragile, then shippers will just end up using more material to ship them, resulting in the same waste issues.

Been buying games recently that come in the metal boxes. They look great, especially the Death Stranding one. I certainly wouldn't complain if Sony were to cut down on plastic usage and used more recyclable products.

Yeah like @Rob_230 said, the music industry has been using similar for years. Now we don’t get instruction manuals etc in game cases why not go the same route?

Yeah... no. Environmentally friendly perhaps, but not the most practical when it comes to protecting the disc. For me personally as well, would not look as satisfying to display/store. I know cartridges came in cardboard (NES, SNES, N64), but I tend to find that they are more sturdy than discs.

Edit: Good examples of what could be done is cutting down the size of the boxes, and adopting similar designs to something like a 3DS case, where there are holes that make a nice pattern whilst saving materials.

@BusyOlf. I myself like to collect Steelbooks. If the game has a steelbook option, I usually end up buy that version. On a side note, I remember the old Nintendo days when their games came in cardboard boxes and never had an issue with any damaged games

I hope they do make a big effort to be eco-friendly, a new generation is a good opportunity to do that.

Plenty CDs use cardboard now so it’s not a big deal. Every little helps.

Eh, I understand the sentiment, but video games aren't single use items. You don't throw it away after playing. I do try to cut down my plastic waste as much as possible, but for stuff like video games, I don't mind it as much, because I intend to keep them anyway.

@winnipegborn1984 same here my gaming collection is all digital. no plastic boxes anywhere

Cardboard, why not! If it's transport safety you're concerned about, I'm sure they'll still be foil wrapped when new. I had some new games in a plastic box where the disc was being knocked around the case and scratched because it was loosed from the centre.
And I guess the crowd just propagating digital never had to resell to make ends meet.
Yakuza 6 had a nice cardboard box combined with a artbook.

Screw the environment give me proper plastic cases instead of crappy cardboard that will look tatty before long 🤨

Cases could be smaller at least. I am fan of steelbooks but dont think that could work for every title

Not gonna lie, these are pretty sweet.

@winnipegborn1984

And effectively kill the point and appeal of consoles? You do realize that marketing and sales happened predominantly through stores selling their stuff, right? Why would you kill off stores and the means of making money through fuether commission? You also realise that steam, for exanple, isn't a hardware retailer and does so through selling only games and their store commission. Sony, xbox (to a lesser extent) and Nintendo still have to inevitably sell hardware and thing for their hardware otherwise you'd argue what's the point in a console, as is the case with windows and xbox. Again, streaming is anti consumer and nobody is willing to part with actually owning something in some way, shape or form and rightly so. Lastly, aside from being a means of promotion, the second hand market is booming in gaming with CEX in England and other equivalent stores in US and Europe. As it stands the digital store is a waste of money and has no signs of changing tactic with the usual 50 pound subscription just to be online, which again is dumb and anti consumer. This would be business suicide and the SAD xbox pretty much instantaneously flopped for this reason.

I'd say tin 'steel' books are more eco-friendly and can legitimately be recycled if need be opposed to plastick which can't melt or really be used for much after forming. heck, I'd even say algae-based plastics woukd be better, but not this mess.

Ink-printed/ laminated and/ cardboard just tend to be thrown in land fill and used to clog drains and don't really degrade that fast. Maybe if they reduced the size a tad and used something more durable as a substitute, perhaps. But this looks cheap and horrendous, not to mention nowhere near as satisfying as traditional cases that don't tend to be thrown a way and are hugley reused in second hand stores or kept as collectors items eventually.

I just like something to keep safe and which is visually pleasing, especially steel books. Besides, this just looks like some illegal 2000s videogame copy hoarder who just keeps things lying around haphazardly in obviously fake pouches to sell at a yard sale barf.

I still primarily buy physical, and look to save space where I can. With nearly 100 physical PS4 cases taking up space in my cabinet along with my other platforms I'd be in favour of these. Or bringing back the smaller, slimmer CD jewel cases.

I'd rather have a plastic case, cardboard cases are not all that secure.

Looks kind of like mini vinyl covers. I'd prefer the plastic though, but wouldn't mind a return to a more jewel case esque design.

Seeing the picture first I thought that a Ghost of Tsushima vinyl had been announced. I'm all for cardboard boxes if they happened. Also cardboard has an old school feel to it as well so it would be nostalgic.

No. That’s looks horrible. They don’t stack well, don’t offer the same protection, and don’t look on the self (or off the shelf either). Get digital if you’re that worried about a small impact on the environment.

@winnipegborn1984so how do you get money back on games you no longer want?

I think its daft to not buy physical and then trade in when finished!

Im sure the games cost more digitally as well, overall very dumb idea!

@Mince If you're going to trade it in, why bother buying it anyway? Do yourself a favor and wait for any number of hugely discounted flash sales and get GOTY editions for under $10. Stop buying games at launch, save an enormous amount of time and money buying from flash sales, only buy the games you're 100% certain you're going to keep for years to come at full price. That's just me though, any game I'd have traded in (not many) wasn't even worth playing and no game I loved playing was worth getting rid of.

Well Cardboard would suck for us Collectors!!! Nothing worse than a crushed game box like back in the Atari/Nes days! So Plastic cases please!!

@Deljo agreed! Go Green my balls ⚽️

You gamers who are 100% digital are killing Gamestop and other chains both here in the US and the UK. Get in the car and go to the store?? When you’re done sell or trade it in? You Can’t trade in digital games. Zero value. Look what happened with the Wiishop...closed! Done! PS3 store probably won’t be too much longer either. I buy many digital games too yea but only if not available physically at all or dirt cheap like when I bought a digital copy of NFS Rivals for 5 bucks. And if you’re REALLY gonna consider throwing them in the trash (not sure why you even would) instead of trading them in, then most of us DO recycle today right?? Idk man Maybe I’m just too old school...lol

@Zachary_98 well said amen! Physical forever imo!

Nope!, there is no case end title to see what game it is. I bought a $39. media case that holds about 100 games. My games are in alphabetical order and its easy to find and read the titles.

With the world going all digital according to many gamers whats the point anyway. The real truth is many millions still purchase and love Physical games. Some to resale/trade-in some for collections. It's not like they are ending up in a landfill or ocean.

@winnipegborn1984 That must suck having to install everything and uninstall stuff for more space. This is why I still buy physical copies. Plus they look nice on my shelf and I feel like I "own" them

Hey let's all save the environment by going all digital all the time and use the store. Plugging your PS4 and 55 inch ultra luminous TV, psvr, wands, ds4 and extra hdd all run from gerbil power and are all made from branches.

This is a gimmick. We need to focus on food packaging, rather than game one off game cases with dwindling sales. Food packaging is a joke. Milk should be sold in cartons, fruit should be loose then weighed in paper bags, single use cutlery, straws and condiments sachets need to be replaced with either cardboard or not used at all. One trip to a tesco and it's half shopping, half plastic. Enough for 7 or 8 games.

Why not just make the boxes the size of ps1 cases.

Nope i dont like it got all my games nicely looking in a sleeve esspecially my steelcases. Cant they just make it PS sized gamecases we dont have anything coming with them anyway.

@joey302 Same here mate just make them PS1 sized and how are they going too seal them. I have all my games from the PS1 era up till the PS4.

@Nintyfan I like too reward my favorite developers and buy them at day one. I dont like too give all my money too one company so they get all the profit. Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo love too see it all fully digital only so they can keep the most profit. Games pulled from the stores because of pulled licenses.

@Churchy I get a cheap feeling its like buying a demodisc.

What ever they do if they go this route there’s gonna be tears and rips even from price stickers - sad times for collectors who want mint stuff

@joey302 solid points sir

@Zachary_98 very true in regards to coloured card board being land filled very true

@Unffclcntrllerpd well thank you very much. Hey Good point yourself in that PRICE STICKERS are the enemy of all us collectors! I Have experienced that countless times in the past.

@Deljo lol I’m 62 I probably don’t have to worry about it too much. I’m with you dude LOL

PS2 demo disc cases they look like. The postman loves to squeeze jiffy bags and would trash these very fast.

@joey302 my biggest bug bear is when they slap em on manuals too I mean wtf

Heh, Sony's at it again copying Nintendo Labo! 😂

(It's a joke)

@BarefootBowser Bet it doesnt look great though does it? If they were all like that it would look like you got your music collection free with the Sunday newspapers 🤔

This is a punch in the face to a collector, so no, jog on. These don't sit on a shelf in a line like proper cases.

@BarefootBowser which is fair enough, personally I like collecting and I think cardboard sleeves would look cheap apart from the fact that eventually they'll look a bit tatty... but each to their bud no offence meant 😉

@Nintyfan lol what that makes no sense! Also the games doesn't necessarily get traded in but at least the option to down the line is available.
Why wait for a year to play a game you want now?

I won't buy a single game that comes in this cardboard rubbish, I don't care what the game is. If I'm going to pay $60+ for what will undoubtedly be a barely finished product, they can offer a nice case.

@JohnGrey Exactly 👍

@joey302 I have some snes and Atari boxed games and unfortunately a few aren't great with creases and curled corners so this would really be a step back in my opinion. Although at least they were still actually boxed and look good instead of some crappy sleeve 😐

@Unffclcntrllerpd omg that’s the worst! I don’t even make the purchase when I see that no way...at least you can get the sticker off the box verrry slowly...the instruction manual is just about impossible so again I don’t even make the purchase...that issue in my experience is a lot less common these past years. I hate the fact that Gamestop even guts the new games for display purposes- horrible!!

@Deljo I was a kid when I was buying Atari games and i don’t know what made me practice it, but I always kept the box and booklet! Good thing i did. That said I wasn’t as gentle taking care of them at 12 years old as I am today obviously at 53. And having 3 brothers that were animals didn’t help 🤣 as they were always breaking stuff. But I mean, who the hell was thinking video games could be worth any money?? Certainly Not me lol. It started to hit me when the nes and master system hit when a buddy who only had an nes flipped over the master system and offered me $300 for my master system and my 50 game mint library (obviously his offer wasn’t close to what I could get today) although I considered it in my mind, my response then was “no way jose” go get your own! 🤣🤣Lol

@joey302 gutting new games and robbing us from the unseal and sniff is just low

Think of the space they’d save too. It’s ridiculous how big current cases are compared to the discs inside.

I used to put all my games in a huge old-school CD book. I’d stick the cases in a drawer and never see them again until GameStop was getting my trade-in. Now I avoid all that by going digital. Anyway, whichever route they choose that’s the route we’ll have to live with.

This is a terrible idea...

Cardboard scratches optical discs & used copies would be trash.

I would prefer the normal plastic cases for maximum durability.

No, keep them in plastic. Not least because game discs are many times more valuable than music CDs and need protection for the second hand market, and for collectors. I'm all for making the cases a bit thinner though.

Media cases are an irrelevance in environmental terms. When Coca Cola and ready meal manufacturers stop pumping out hundreds of tonnes of PET a day, we can start worrying about game cases- which really aren't a litter issue anyway.

@Mince I do not trade in. I find the money I spent is more than justified, and goes towards the studio that worked so hard for the game to be finished. I buy a lot of games full price. I also do take advantage of digital sales and get some fantastic games for cheaper. So you can be a child and call it stupid but it is how I choose to fund the studios that make games.

@THGhost I have a 2TB SSD hard drive, I do not run into those issues. Plus I normally play one or 2 games at a time. I platinum them and then delete and install the next one.

You still won't have that sense of ownership though...

@Zachary_98 I am not sure how my buying digital "kills consoles". I only have a PS4 and fund them with digital purchases. Plus they make more money off of me with not selling through a (eb games, walmart, best buy). Eventually consoles will be digital only, its just the way the market will go. They will still support media drives but this will allow them to have much larger games with no "cap" for those media constraints. Plus this is just what I do, I am not trying to start a massive uproar for how people decide to spend their money. I just voiced how I decide to spend my hard earned money.

@THGhost but do own them, I have the rights to them digitally. I go through my PS4 library and see them all. Those will last far longer than any media disk (scratches, broken disk). But if for some reason I lost the access to my digital library tomorrow that is just a risk. Same with people who have Steam accounts.

Precisely. Digital games can suddenly disappear, unlike discs. Hopefully that won't happen to you though 🤞

@winnipegborn1984

So you're ok with the current state of affairs with gamers literally not being able to afford the dumb overpriced games advertised that have been out for months and are still advertised at almost launch retail price? I can get games like that for significantly less with 3 for 1 on certain games. Further, discs last as long as you take care of them the whole matter boils down to lazy People who cant bring themselves to walk less than a foot to out a game away or put one in the console.

Secondly, you have an SSD harddrive in the ps4 that is bound to fail as a ticking time bomb, much like most high capacity commercial harddrived, they're not infallible and physical games are guaranteed to be yours forever. Remeber how PT was pulled off the PS store? Think about it, so you actually keep your games? You don't because DRM submits you to the service providers terms, and if they decide they don't want you playing something then boom. Gone. That's the shitty dystopian future you imply.

Lastly, as I said about digital content ownership, the vast majority of people have data caps and ISP limits, or no wifi at all in parts of the world where that's a physical impossibility due to housing materials, congestion, lack of wifi infrastructure and downright scam wifi deals. As for game data caps, 4k Blu-rays would surprise you with how much data is crammed in there, but RDR2 has proven, and last gen to an extend, that a data disk and the game itself is a solution for all the aforementioned problems.

Do what you like with your money but digital only is a scam outside of steam. Also, as I said, the second hand gaming market is pro consumer and cheaper for people who can get multiple games while Sony and the store benefit from the distribution. Again, why would you mess over your first port of call for promo that results in sales and market reach for Sony?

@winnipegborn1984

It's all about balance and Sony not learning from the multiple mistakes Xbox have made, the SAD edition One S, would be a huge faux pas. That console bombed for a reason, dude.

@winnipegborn1984 Read the service agreement you will not be happy. 😆