'They Wait for This Storm to Pass': No Chance of Sony Walking Back Its Decision to Kill Discs, Warns Analyst

Then it’s up to us to make is as financially painful for them as possible.

Bottom line, it's the bottom line. Profit and control. Shareholders are #1 for any big biz.

No! All the people looking at this realistically with numbers and data are wrong! Keep fighting !

Think the chances of them reversing course are near zero.

I refuse to take a defeatist attitude towards this. Either they reverse this decision and continue to support physical media beyond 2028, or I'll move elsewhere next gen.

PS is all about the almighty dollar now - strange how they've gone down in everyone's view in just 1 generation. Can't see this iteration going back on their profits forecasts.

I won't be buying any more consoles, controllers or any PS+ subs from Fony in future. If the PS5 dies, I'll boot up the trusty old PS4 and go out and buy a Switch 2.

If they don’t back down, then I’m grateful that I won’t be spending money for the PS6 or future PS games after the first part of 2028.

If enough people vote with their wallets there's an outside chance of a U turn.

The problem is that not enough people will!!

In a way, it was quite clever of Sony to tell us now that it will be happening in 18 months time.

By that point most people will have calmed down and will just get on with it.

I also thought it was quite clever to announce it on the heels of Rockstar getting in there first with GTA 6 being digital only

I've said it on a different article last week and I'll say it again; Sony only cares about their shareholders and their bottom line. They have to lose a ton of money for it to be felt.

Yeah I have 0 desire to own a closed platform that's digital only. Sorry Sony.

I don't think there is any chance of a reverse of decision by Sony.
They really don't need too it would take millions of people hell bent against it for them to even consider it!

"Digital is just too lucrative."....I'd wager around 8bn people will disagree 🤔🙂

Well, obviously I'm a Sony main, but i still have a mix of 125 xbox one and x360 discs if Xbox were to include a separate drive on the Helix... though that's unlikely of course. Switch 2 anyone?

I can see them offering a disc drive for PS4/PS5 games but they are fully locked to digital going forward and know full well gamers love talking the talk but never actually walking the walk.

I mean like some of us said, Sony sure has its own analysts that have already done the homework on this. There's no serious competition in the Console market, that's why they've left the TVs to TCL and not pushing in the other electronics market, so they can focus on this Console business where they're the boss.

I said it before. Sony doesn't care if the money intake pipe is happy, sad, or angry. They only care about the flow. And $1,000 discless PS6 consoles will still fly off the shelves and even make scalpers lots of money. Expecting things to change in that reality is just unrealistic.

Another one who makes his decisions based on the spreadsheets.

Even if we were the minority, the backlash is so great that politicians will interfere.

Plus a lot of digital only players are against this as well, they aren't only the "this doesn't affect me" crowd.

Also if Project Helix will have a disc drive as it is rumoured now, SONY will reverse its decision.

I don't think there's a chance. Sony has the arrogance that they had at the start of the PS3 generation, but are in a much more financially stable position. Talk is cheap. Some people will be gone for good, but I'd wager the vast majority of people currently protesting will eventually acquiesce.

@IronCrow86 Sony make most of their money with gaming from digital sales so....

Playstation isnt the "cool" PS4 company anymore the people like Shawn Layden are long gone, the personality free money men in suits are fully in control of Playstation so of course they wont reverse track, now more than ever all they care about is how to make as much money as possible in whatever they can.

A fully digital era wouldn't be so terrible if led to the reduced costs of digital games, after all theres no discs, no plastics, no shops etc and better protection for digital games, but there wont be a chance in hell any of that will ever happen.

I'll be around until my Ps5 Pro with disc drive dies and thats it for me, i've basically checked out of this terrible gen long ago anyway and I wont ever be back for the PS6.

@Member_the_game “ The problem is that not enough people will!!” and that’s it in a nutshell. They’ve done the analysis and it’s the most cost effective way forward.

And to everyone saying Sony just cares about maximising profits.. well of course, it’s a business what do you expect.

Personally, using a discs is a pain in the arse which is why I only have one, given to me as a gift. Can’t wait for this to all die down.

I know greed guides companies. But, you will see even if it looks good on the short term, it will not on the long term.
I am certain this will cost a lot of PS6 sales. Yes, it will sell out at release, but there is no chance it will sell as much as PS4 and PS5. More on the PS3 lines. That will be the real cost. Consoles sales lost, games sales lost, subs sold reduction, reputation lost. The hatred will be repeated constantly on every announcement they make. It will take many years for this to "storm to pass". Real damage to the brand is being done here.
I hope it will be worth it for them, cause it will be harder to regain the lost trust. Ask Xbox.

@Zuljaras that would actually be the best free market solution. Unfortunately, I think it undercuts Sony's aim of putting people in their digital storefront.

That said, I also don't think it will mean discounts and sales will disappear. Most companies don't have the patience of a Nintendo and just wait people out on purchasing.

@DennisReynolds So that would mean there's no mass outcry to retain physical media...Oh wait, there is...So there's that 🙂

Not sure I care whether they back down or not at this point. I am already starting to expand my Switch library instead now. Sony have made clear they don't need the physical crowd so heck if I am waiting around for them.

The thing is, the PS6 is gonna have a VERY difficult launch year. If angry customers like myself and others abandon them and the vast majority don't have the money to upgrade to PS6 or see value in it (so far it does not seem like a generational leap to me) then Sony's business will hurt. Then thebPS Plus cancellations and the tide turning where people who abandoned Playstation to go to PC proselytize their new platform.

Don't forget that if a console PS6 is about $1000 (or more) to get access to their "innovation" of a Portable unit what is that gonna cost?

The portable unit won't have cartridges or discs so it is all digital. Will they require constant online access to play games on your portable device?

What is the value proposition (cost, performance and utility) between a PS6 + PS6 Portable vs. just a Switch 2?

I await to hear more. This all digital future could be OK - not my preference but just OK - for me personally if a few things change on the PSN, like being able to easily refund within 2 hours or what have you. Ideally there'd be a way to loan or gift licences to friends, something I do quite often when I'm done with a game on disc, but I appreciate that's pie in the sky.
If not, I'll stick with PS5, play through my backlog - big enough to last a generation at least - and start saving for a PC. If the future is all digital, I may as well be somewhere where the digital experience is the best it can be.

The only way they will notice is if you guys stop buying games on PSN store. Stop buying games & they will issue an apology to you guys

No I don't think they will but in turn I think it will only make PS6 a harder sell, it's already going to be ludicrously expensive for a console (a market which isn't growing) and now they've removed consoles 1 major advantage over PC.

I already expected PS5 and possibly Switch 2 to be the last consoles to hit 100 million and this move is only going to shrink that market further

I would be OK with them committing to physical releases until the end of the PS5, but I think the main reason for doing it now is that they hope to condition a few more thousand people to digital by the time the PS6 comes along. If they were to continue printing discs for the PS5 throughout the inevitable cross-gen overlap I'm sure way more people would not even bother with PS6, which actually shows that more people are committed to physical than they'd like to admit.

I really hope that there are enough people who think like I do, and do not give in to buying digital games for the extortionate prices already in place, and also only set to get worse. It's really important that Sony move aside and allow a more consumer focused company that actually gives a damn about making great games to step in. Playstation will just become a subscription casino eventually, that takes a cut of the money flowing through. They've long lost interest in making proper games anymore.

I think Sony's fanbase is gonna shrink and more people are going to game on PC and Nintendo.

Sony will respond by fleecing their remaining fans even more.

@Balaam_ Yep, nothing changes with them. Only thing they care about is money. We have to vote with our wallets on this stuff. No to 80 euro digital games, no to the ps6 etc etc etc

They'll just keep trucking. The ship has sailed; if they're already retraining staff, they're not going to switch back. The best thing that they can do is make buying digital more appealing: better pricing, more security of ownership, the ability to gift games, not making them disappear if your membership has lapsed, etc. I doubt they will, but that's really the best that they can do now. And they HAVE to offer an optional disc drive for PS6, or they'll definitely lose even more customers.

@IronCrow86 Yeah a small minority online. Vast majority don't know or care.

Well Sony a lot of people buy a ps6 and sticking to what they say also.simple as that son.word up son

Serkan Toto is one of the better business analysts in the game. Far more realistic and the only one who realises Social Media is not a real place.

As @StrickenBiged said for a digital only store, Playstation needs to at least have a Family setting where members of up to 3 or 4 can share games and definitely needs a MUCH better refund policy but one that also prevents people from taking advantage of indie devs who make 2 hour passion projects. What would be a really killer move is taking the prices back down to 60 like how Nintendo did by basically charging users more for physical.

It's alright, when sales are 99% disc based this month and for the rest of the year, Sony will fold.

Starting with Assassin's Creed tomorrow!

It's a done deal.

As with most social media outcry, it gets very tense for a short burst, then eventually most of the noise goes away as people find the next thing to be mad about. Sony almost certainly knows this and made the announcement far in advance of the digital -only future. Some people will still make their voices heard as this goes forward, but going by past patterns, most will accept it and go on; whether that means buying PS games digitally, or leaving the platform. Remember, Apple never gave us the headphone jack back on the iPhone. Sony is on a similar path.

@DennisReynolds I think you and me are reading from different hymn sheets, coz that's not the impression I've been getting these last few days 🤔😐...Still, if that's your opinion, who am I to change your mind 🙂

Is it that hard for Sony to make limited copies? Just say we will keeps producing physical games for PS5 & PS6 but with limited quantity and they would avoid this backlash.

But oh well, i guess the ship has sailed...

@jolteon23 There isn't enough of you to make it "matter" to them enough. That's the unfortunate reality. They're a corporation who's intention is to make money hand over fist. That's why being a fanboy is a slippery slope. They don't care about you, they never have. They care about your money.

Another story. Another x hundred posts whining.

Yet Digital media will still be dead in ten years.

It's not even up to Sony.

I knew this was coming years ago, which is why just like Sony, I went on my own accord before the baseball bat of reality slammed me around the head and made me do it.

Take your pick. Switch willingly now, or take the baseball bat when the time comes.

The longer you delay, the more it will hurt when reality decides for you.

@wildcat_kickz Also, Sony does this at a time where most people have weaker PCs than the PS5 and with PC prices being insane cannot keep up with upgrades.

For all the screaming about people leaving to pc to play indies and AA. That is a minority. For every meccachameleon there are a 1000 games that never recoup the steam fee. Most want the AAAs or the GAAS.

@cainhurst94 Is the “console sharing and offline play” setting not an option for your family? Works just fine for me and the kids.

I’m still so disappointed. I guess I’m beginning my retro gamer phase where I harp about the good ol’ days and only play old consoles. I won’t be buying the PS6 with its ridiculous price and no disc drive.

@Mr_B021 I currently use that myself as my brother has a Portal and uses my account but I think it could do with some improvements and become smoother.

“Digital is just too lucrative”, “Live service and MTX are just too lucrative”.. See where this is going?

I agree with him, slim chance that Sony backtracks this decision. And they knew there was going to be a backlash, it was just inevitable.

People need to understand that Sony will likely bring back third party key sellers, to increase competition and keep prices in check, if that’s what people are worried about. They will have to, they’re already slammed with so many monopoly lawsuits as it is right now.

To all the fans and collectors, i feel for you, i’m a collector myself, just not necessarily of games. But i have come to terms that the world is increasingly going digital. PC has been digital for ages now.

And personally, i don’t see Sony as having the sole responsibility to keep physical alive, especially if it doesnt really make sense financially anymore. Not that i care that they are making money, i just understand the reality of a company not doing anything out of pure altruism, that’s just not how companies work

@MasterChiefWiggum this is pretty much where I'm at. I've been ready to buy exclusively digital since the early PS4 days, they just need to protect us better. My confidence in the PSN is shaky. I need to see solid strides from Sony to ensure our accounts are safe and our licences for games turn into ownership of games.

@Dogbreath Congratulations, you are a prophet.

@Dogbreath For me a big physical guy during the early PS4 era two games made me switch to digital:
1. The Witcher 3: when the DLC came out, the game got overhauled to such an extent that it was unrecognisable. It felt like I was a beta tester for buying the game at launch
2. Spyro trilogy: One game on disk, 2&3 need to be downloaded. That was the big one where I realised there was no more purpose for physical.

I think there's only one way Sony will actually feel the heat, and that will be from how few people will move from the PS5 to the PS6.

I'm also waiting for this storm to pass so we can talk about the games again.

@Mr_B021 The PlayStation 4 alone drove 46.8% of Fortnite's total revenues. These kinds of figures are what makes all the online chatter soften for Sony. They have a nice comfy cushion to fall on.

They have to view every disc sold as revenue left on the table. Even if they make a couple dollars off of each one (speaking of third party games), they could be making so much more if they're the ones who get to sell them - they get a much bigger slice of the revenue. There is no financial benefit to continue printing discs. Sucks, but it is what it is.

@WhoderMan exactly this, they're preparing to hunt digital whales. I feel sorry for the people who have invested heavily into a digital library on Playstation. They will be held hostage as the good single player games dwindle and disappear, because there's no market for them anymore after half the punters migrated to PC.

I think the people in this chat forget that we are the very vocal minority. The majority of gamers probably have no clue this is even happening.

@Acquiescence Sure, you can leave. The point the analyst is making is that Sony is okay with that. If everybody commenting on PushSquare left, they'll still make MORE money this way. Because the overwhelming majority of players were buying digital anyway, and most of the people who were buying physical will switch to digital when the discs disappear. And Sony will make more than enough extra money from those sales to make up for the few hardcore fans who leave.

@PuppetMaster limited quantity will be prohibitively expensive.

All the fixed costs (e.g. the cost of renting the factory, machinery, labour costs etc) are spread over a smaller quantity of produce/consumers.

That's why physical media is inevitably dead. As the market for discs shrinks, so the cost of manufacturing each disc increases such that it will cease to be economically viable.

This affects everything, not just discs.

In the high tech industry I work in, we require a material with very specific properties. The firm who manufacture it have found that other industries have moved away from that material, leaving us as the only customer and we were say 10% of demand originally.

For our supplier, it's not worth them producing just a couple of batches a year and would cost us tens of millions if we wanted them to.

They can retool and produce fibre optic cable for drones and AI data centres instead and make greater profits. So I'm hung out to dry, trying to find an alternative material that is produced in higher volumes but meets our very precise spec.

Sony need to move away from discs now, as one day drives and discs will be far too expensive to ship games on. Plus R&D has dried up in terms of developing future formats. No one will invest in it as its a shrinking market.

I don't think these people understand the internet very well.

He concludes: "Digital is just too lucrative."

Might not be so lucrative if the storm doesn't pass as hoped and the brand gradually goes to crap because of greed and arrogance.

And we’re supposed to believe they aren’t making profit on 60 million plus physical sales? I don’t buy that one bit. Whatever Sony you are making your bed and you can lie in it

Maybe going forward it would make sense for Sony to make the Physical Disks Digital for free a small gesture a giant leap for mankind.

Sony is a merc! The worst company ever! Thats why microsoft is continue using fisic midia. Respect with consumers! The prices too are way better, low than sonys console..(ps store) i have both consoles butbwhat matters to me is the Games! I play games! Not console! Im not a stupid fanboy!

They won’t be changing their minds unfortunately, it’s been coming and GTA6 was the big nail in the coffin and the fact they have the marketing rights to it suggest it was planned along…..and you know what I’m super p***ed at Sony for being such sly dogs but I have made my peace with it and it’s been an amazing journey as a gamer from the saga to the ps5 but this is one low I won’t be coming from and I’m out, thankfully I see it coming so I have been picking up loads of cheap dames for the ps2 up to the ps5 here and there so have a backlog that will last me forever.

They won’t back down on this, so neither will I. I point blankly refuse to support a digital only games industry where ownership of a game will be non existent after 2028. I have around 800 games in my physical backlog and given the fact I probably do around 40 platinums a year, I think it’s safe to assume I will have years of gaming ahead of me without a new generation of control. I won’t buy a new console after the PS5, it’s just not worth it anymore. Gaming has become so stale anyway and with beloved studios getting closed or gutted of all their creative people, I honestly can’t see anything to look forward to, besides Capcom!

GTA6 will smooth this all over. As people are gonna buy it.

Sony would have calculated acceptable loss and will likely pivot with some service to make a little goodwill back, but give them about 3-4 years and the brand loyalty will shine through. People are consumers and they consume without thought or morality. We all do it as we sit on our phones and keyboards lamenting about our pixel box collection. This is interesting to watch though.

@Acquiescence And where exactly are you going to go if you care about physical media? PC is all digital, and while third parties on Xbox might have physical, Xbox themselves are essentially code in a box at this point, with the illusion of a physical disc. There are also rumors that Project Helix, the next console from them, won't have a physical drive either. The same is true for Switch 2, as the Game Key Card is pretty much similar.

@Old-Red I feel sorry for the writers of this site when you all get a pc next gen. As there will no longer be a point to their job.

I don't like this decision but Sony don't care. Just another ***** decision in a long line of ***** decisions. I've decided to move on from PlayStation after being a day one owner of every console they've made. They won't miss me but ultimately I'll be happier without their continued *****.

They’ll get a decent bump from gta 6 but after that, I see PlayStation tanking. They’re going to have a $750 or more machine with no disc drive, no way to buy games cheaper from other distributors, higher subscription prices, and less games releasing than ever. I have trouble seeing who will want to pay into that.

They can stick to their guns if they want. But me and many others are done. I’m sticking with PC and Nintendo.

There’s a Shawn Layden interview out there that touches on this, and even though he calls Sony’s move “dramatic”, he also notes the following:

“I’ve been asked this question every year for the last 20 years. When are you guys going to just give up on the disc drive? My feeling with that was always: well, when I get to a place where I’m comfortable enough to believe that worldwide, broadband throughput is good enough to support that download experience, good enough to reach the majority of customers.”

“Majority does not mean entirety, so there is a point, a tipping point, where if I have 80 percent of the opportunity, which represents 95 percent of the revenue source, what’s my incentive to keep the lights on for the other 20 percent if it’s effectively only 5 percent of the business? See what I’m saying? At some point it just becomes obvious that we can’t keep this whole thing running just for this very small slice of opportunity.”

Everyones concern is what anti consumer regulators were designed for. Yes Sony may not reverse it's decision. But if you want to change what's coming to be more consumer friendly. Get complaining to the proper authorities!!!!

I've been saying that all along as well. I just don't see them backing down from this. They know they'll make more money even if they lose all the physical-only fans. They've done the numbers internally regarding if they lose that market, and they don't care.

I think if they can have a compromise of changing the Terms so it's not just a licence (or the EU etc step in) then people will be more content. I love physical media but my main issue is that it's all tied to one account and like the PS3 store being taken down and the Sony movies disappearing recently it's all too much in their control when paying £70 a pop.

If Xbox can do what was done to them in 2013 it may make an impact but this Sony is just too successful on the money terms and arrogant to back down. We're in a different time to Jack Tretton etc .

I do hope they lose a lot of money. But maybe it won't affect them much. I know I'll Holdback for a long time on PS6 and if possible get it 2nd hand 😂

Sony knows what gamers are like. Most say they will leave or not buy anything but as soon as the PS6 rolls around watch it break sales numbers or whatever.

Now I hate that we won't get any cool Japaneses collectors editions anymore, but it is what it is. I'm more concerned that Sony will have a complete monopoly and make the deals worse on PSN. They aren't even that good anymore as it is.

I mean obviously they won't go back, there is so much organisation behind all of it, there has to be so much lost money so that would happen.

But the "storm" shoud still continue, i see better chances that sony says some ***** like "we hear you we aknowledge your concernes and feelings (of course they don't they are just a company devil like every other big company), so we do something for more quality of life stuff with our digital store, like refunds just as steam it does or the ability to "lend" your digital games like nintendo it does. Something like that i could imagine more then going back the physical route

@cainhurst94 There are an awful lot of people like me who have a Mac as their PC, so PC gaming is pretty much a nonstarter.

If they don't walk this back, they are giving a lot of ground to Xbox (if they keep disks going, especially if they introduce the rumored digital entitlement feature) OR cementing Nintendo's dominance of the entire gaming industry for the next two generations. Raw horsepower be damned, between ridiculously lower console prices AND physical media, Nintendo whould swallow the industry whole.

They aren't going to reverse course on this. Sure I could see them maybe trying some sort of appeasement but the ship has already left the harbor.

Like it or not this is the way things are going. What we need now is better digital ownership protections than the fight for physical releases to return. Sony was just the first one to totally rip off the band-aid. Microsoft has been going this route somewhat anyway and Nintendo isn't exactly championing physical media either. PC has been digital only for decades now.

It sucks but this where we are at.

I don't like it at all, however since my initial outrage, I feel a bit better about it all now. As long as I can still play my current ps4 and ps5 disks on ps6 either with a external disk drive connected and or some kind of free digital copy of physical games we already own then that at least will be something.

And in regards to ps6 games, perhaps we will be able to buy the codes in different stores again and not just on the playstation store. Perhaps like the Gta6 situation where the game can still be bought in store in a physical case with code inside, that way people still have a bit of choice where to buy it and can still have a physical box library, just without actually disks lol

Don't get me wrong I'm not making excuses for Sony. But I think we just need to be realistic of what to expect at this point. Also perhaps sony will be able to offset the ps6 price a little better with going all digital, but obviously i Don't expect them to take a massive loss on each unit like they did with ps3 for example.

@ShogunRok "to end support for all game discs in 2028."

Didn't Sony already say they'd continue to make copies of games that have already released before 2028? This other article says they do 600,000 discs a year and will be down to 10% of that, which would still be 60,000 discs a year.

https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2026/07/sony-already-retraining-staff-at-ps5-game-disc-manufacturing-facility

Not saying it isn't going away, it is. And the PS6 will be digital only. But I still think you'll be able to buy a few select game discs throughout 2028. I'm not buying the hard cutoff deadline. Too much time between now and then. Too many other big companies to get involved. Too many world governments to get involved.

You're correct overall, it's coming, but I'm not sold on the inevitability of the hard "all" deadline you've laid out. If you want to say "all NEW games beginning at some point in 2028" then I'd be on board. I think Sony has left itself enough wiggle room in the background, they just don't want to talk about it to get people's hopes up, b/c the end is indeed high. I'm just not sold on the date yet. Not 100% anyway.

There’s no way they’re going to reverse the decision; I say this because that’s how deluded they are.

They honestly believe that they can do whatever they want and their consumer base has to accept it.

Not happening, Sony. For far too long you have been getting away with daylight robbery.

That ends from now on. Keep this up and you will literally undo everything you have built.

I cancelled my PS Plus, which I have had since inception. I have a big family and have purchased games, played games, sold games, to keep my hobby money separate from household money. Many of us do this but with no options, only the PlayStation store, I will never be able to play the games and buy all of them at full price. Time to move on and say goodbye to Sony. I have owned every console, but I have also done so while not breaking my bank.

I can’t see them reversing this. I also can’t see me buying a ps6 or any games with them after 2028 either.

@IronCrow86 Where is that mass outcry you are talking about? The petition with the most signatures doesnt even represent 0,2% of the installed base on PS5. And thats me being generous bc if you take the ppl who havent made the switch from PS4 to PS5 into account it becomes even lower. Not exactly a mass outcry is it?

@wildcat_kickz I have a Mac and have never used or wanted to use it for gaming but now I might reconsider. Isn’t steam available at least?

This backlash will not go away anytime soon.

A lot of people here are underestimating how much gamers still want physical media. Especially you @DennisReynolds

They won't back down, and I won't be buying a PS6. shrugs I'll put the money towards getting my hands (literally) on the hard to find PS2 games that I have been searching for.

I say bash them at every turn you get. Why feel pity for a multi billion dollar company. This analyst might be right, but the vocal minority can continue to make Sony press negative and there advertisements a living hell indefinitely, by never letting up on the flood of toxic comments.

Greed > common sense.

Investors push towards short term ROI, even if it destroys a brand in the long run.

@PuppetMaster do you not understand how fixed and marginal costs work, and how economies of scale work in reverse as a market shrinks dramatically?

As a market declines and volumes shrink, the share of fixed costs on each unit of output increases.

This is week one of a business studies course.

The market is shrinking, and this will lead to unit costs increasing from a level that is already higher than the cost of distributing digitally. Sony and other industry players are not going to subsidise this for you.

You can make as many offensive posts as you like and you will not change this reality.

Producing physical copies for a small number of customers as you suggested, will not be economically viable. The customers won’t want to pay the cost, given their increased share of the fixed costs.

It will lead to a vicious circle where as the price rises, more and more of those physical media fanatics will call it a day and make the switch. As they do that, the unit cost will only increase further.

Vote with your wallet.

Thats the only thing they care about.

Get your games in physical format where you can. Get Sony exclusives 2nd hand physical to prevent as much money as possible going back to Sony.

Don't buy the PS6 at $1000+

@StrickenBiged I think the biggest issue is that they've done this backwards; they've announced this (and killed PS3 and Vita), and then we have to hope the changes happen. If they had already implemented codes in stores, better refund policy, family plan, gifting; maybe everyone would have more confidence in this. They also need to talk about how they will ensure access to digital libraries going forwards, not just for the 'foreseeable future', like PS3 and Vita.
Until things improve - backlog and skip the PS6.

@datamonkey There is a Mac version of Steam, but most games don't work. There are a small handful of games that work, but the general library of available games are VERY limited. I think Apple has been quietly working on improving gaming through a translation layer, but there hasn't really been a big push.

For example, the only games that I have on my Mac are the Riven remake and the Witcher 2 and even the Witcher 2 struggles on high settings.

I love a home console and PlayStation was my preferred console. I was day one with the ps5 after a great generation in the ps4 cycle. However it seems PlayStation has changed with the amount of single player exclusives they released this gen compared to ps4. They’ve focused on live service which is such a stupid business decision it’s like hoping for a golden ticket in a bazillion wonka bars when they could have spent that money on new IP. Shutting down developers and wasting their talent on these live service games and now no more physical games… I’m not even excited for ps6. The good thing is developers are now releasing on more systems than doing the whole “exclusive thing” like square enix.

Sony has just pushed me back to more PS3/PS4/PS5/Vita games .... the backlog is awesome with tons of hidden gems ... Used game market will explode and all those sales Sony will lose out on ... Long live physical

@Barzenak

Well done. You did the right thing imho. Wherever you decide to game next, I hope you have a good time

If they’ll not reverse course and physical media is dead can’t they at the very least upgrade their digital ecosystem to not be as archaic as it currently is?

That’s what the corporate bootlickers are missing, they’re very quick to dismiss any argument only to defend Sony’s decision completely missing the fact that they have LOTS of room for improvement or many countermeasures they could have to make the only-digital future less jarring, like having a decent refund policy, regionalize pricing, expand into more territories, sell digital games at other retailers, come up with something, anything, even Nintendo is looking much better with the eShop compared to the PS Store, yet if you keep bootlicking they’ll have no pressure to do anything which is what’s going on.

No chance I buy a ps6

@Netret0120 "vote with your wallet"

I seem to recall that being suggested with day one DLC, micro transactions, loot boxes etc.

Everyone waved placards on the forums, but as soon as they logged off, they sneakily went out and bought the games, expecting someone else to do the boycott whilst they were not prepared to miss out personally.

Everyone claiming to vote with their wallet will be there on PS6 pre-order day, with 10 browsers and 200 tabs open, slamming that F5 button for all their life is worth. You better believe it!

If sony is convinced they can bully us then we respond to bully by standing up to them. It is simple, vote with your wallet. Nishino Hideaki, Hiroki Totoki, Herman Hulst are the greedy exec responsible for this ***** show and the strategic direction of the company. They do not care about customers and see all of you as walking wallets. Blame them

Seriously shocked that people didnt see this inevitablity. Who owned xbox 360 at all.. like everything that happened at end of ps4 era was literally same ***** that happened to xbox 360 before the eventual xbone. People and kids were buying xbox live in drove and kids spent their money buying digital game (seriously this was a whole debated topic in 360 era). Sony has simply now seen the maths that made xbox make the stupid decision it did in xbone and they too want to make that decision (minus thr kinetic). Not shocking.. just prophetic. You all better get a pc ready cus the consoles are aiming for a mini pc underneath your tv even if they have a discs drive

@Vyse_the_Legend I think the internet is suffering from severe main character energy with this news. I go by facts and logic not my emotions and own needs. I can tell you most of the people crying over this will be there day 1 for GTA VI and will cave and buy a PS6 once they get a sale or discount.

Hello all, first time commenting on here. I've visited this site for years but never made an account till now.

I agree with everyone on here who support physical media as I also collect games, blu-rays, etc. as well. It does suck to have the option being taken away from us. There are few points I wanted to make.

1) I wish the current Sony disc drive that I've hooked up to my Pro works on the PS6 which would allow us to play our PS4 and PS5 library. Not sure if they would do that.

2) If Sony wants to mandate digital only, they should do that for Sony first party exclusive games and not every third party. So if my first point becomes true then at least it allows everyone except Sony to still publish the game on a Blu-ray.

3) I don't play on PC so not sure how steam store or any other store works. But what is the main difference between how you "own" PS store digital games vs steam store digital games. Is the "ownership" better on the steam store and if yes, if Sony does implement everything that steam does when it comes to downloading digital games on the PSN store, does that change the minds of people regarding digital only push from Sony?

Again, all this sucks but if Sony can implement some QOL improvements regarding external disc drives I think they would go a long way.

Just like the DRM discussions on steam, that are driven primarily by pirates, the people complaining and driving this discussion are the people that probably buy their games from CEX and sell them on when they're done.

Sony will not even notice when they're gone.

I feel a little sorry for the autistic people that just like to collect their little boxes, but it is what it is(also, the boxes might still exist)

@wildcat_kickz ah ok doesn’t sound great lol

How about using parallels to boot windows and play from there? I used to use that on my mac over 10 years ago and it ran windows better than any windows machine I had! 🤣

@Acquiescence OH NO! They are trembling.

None of you are going anywhere. You can't survive without your pretend world and your toys.

@DennisReynolds You might cave in, but I guarantee you, the number of people who will not buy a PS6 will be significant.

And you are not using logic, it's not true that only 15% of physical games are sold, the split is closer.

I feel like the games will sell the system , if they come out with some great games , then i think you'll see a good amount of people not hold their word and buy a ps6.

Sony doesn't understand this yet, but either they do continue to support physical media, or playstation is as good as dead.

Console gaming business is in a challenging situation atm and they think ditching physical is the answer, when in fact the opposite is true.

The "vocal minority" are the most loyal and lucrative segment of their customers, they are the reason console gaming has not already died. Ditch physical media, you ditch them. See what happens.

The simple fact of the matter is that Gaming as a whole has slowly been inching towards a digital only format. PC gaming dropped physical media a long time ago, and consoles have been dragging their feet on the matter. At this point all Sony is doing is ripping the bandage off and forcing the matter. Physical media is slowly going obsolete as even with what you get now, it's never the full experience. Patches and updates means that the game you're playing now, is not what it was upon release. You pop that disc in fresh when the servers are long since shut down, and you're not playing the complete experience. This is the inevitable reality of modern gaming. It's not like the old days where what you bought is what you got, and everything was already there. You're buying at best a mostly complete version that they will be tinkering with for however long until they decide they're done with it. The last time physical media truly meant the full experience was the PS2/Xbox days, after that it became irrelevant.

@datamonkey I've honestly never tried. I hate Windows so much lol.

Then I guess PS5 will be my last Playstation

@dskatter saying you'll be 'grateful' come 2028 is a logic fail, because no-one is making you buy games now.

This is just a variation of the Sour Grapes fable - Aesop would love how that's been revived and repurposed by a certain tiny section of gamers all this time later.

@Vyse_the_Legend If people aren't buying a PS6 its because of the price. Fun fact the Series S has vastly outsold the Series X.

Wanna know something the vast majority of PS5 owners don't even know this news exists. They play COD, Fortnite and Minecraft and don't care about disc drives. You're under impression you know more and have more data then Sony on the matter 🙄

GTA6 will be Sony distraction and people
Will calm down.

I remember loads people said they were boycotting Hogwarts Legacy’s but it still sold loads.

People are upset about the discs but eventually they will accept digital format.

Our renting choice killed off blockbusters as we chose to stream.

@somnambulance I think you might be conflating physical media's hardcore fanbase with Sony's. A hardcore fanbase will go out their way to experience something they are passionate about by any means necessary, be it physical, digital, pirated, etc.

I don't disagree on Sony listening to their hardcore fanbase, just not over this topic, more so on the closures of studios like Bluepoint and the focus on live services, but this digital vs physical argument is aligning with market conditions.

Here is what I wrote here on this very subject yesterday. I want the analyst here to be wrong, but I don't think they are:

"Sony is betting that this will blow over. That there is a loud minority that really feel strongly about physical games, but that the vast majority of gamers will continue to buy digital without caring what is happening on PS Twitter.

I think that in the long run they are probably right.

I am not saying I agree with what they are doing (I don’t), but I look at the game purchasing numbers and I don’t think this hurts them in the long run. And I think in the future Microsoft and Nintendo will do the exact same thing Sony is doing right now."

Physical discs will soon be a thing of the past-I don't agree with is, but it is happening whether we like it or not. All we can do now is to push Sony to make digital buying more friendly. Good Sales on the PS Store. Digital codes available at major retailers. And a firm commitment that we get to keep the digital games we buy forever.

@TheSingularity I’m amused that you’re taking my statement seriously instead of treating it as the anti-Sony feeling it is. OF COURSE they’re not “saving me money,” only an idiot would think that.

If this was Sony against the world, they might back down. But it's not.

Publishers are happy to kill physical sales. They don't want to deal with the cost of physical distribution or the "loss of sales" to the used game market.

PC has already killed physical sales, and XBox is clearly very close to doing the same. Nintendo has largely joined them, though apparently with a nod to the used game market that lets (some?) codes be re-used...I'm not an expert on that.

The push back that MIGHT convince Sony to change could be push back from retailers. If Best Buy and Walmart and whoever else sells large quantities of Sony consoles and/or games pushes back hard enough, they might win some concessions. But don't bet on that. If they can replace locked cabinets full of games with a small display of game cards with codes that don't unlock until they're swiped at the point of sale, then they might be thrilled with continued sales AND smaller floor space requirements with smaller risk of loss from theft.

@Balaam_ That the point though they have a analyst looking at the fact and saying not enough people could ever support or maintain boycotting in a way that essentially hurts Sony more than the significant etc they are scheduled to make.

If they want to go all digital then do it. But I hate that they're twisting the numbers and acting like it's 85% of proper game releases are digital when it's nothing like that figure to make it sound like it's obvious they should

@ShogunRok When they announced the ending of physical media, did they specifically say discs or any physical media? Just curious about the semantics because if the Playstation is akin to a Switch, I can see them switching to some sort of keycard/cartridge system. Realistically, a chunk of the game would still have to be downloaded due to storage space restrictions on that media, but it would be interesting to how the vocal minority responds when it's confusion over semantics or clarity.

Like I said, the problem isn't Sony going full digital but rather how they decided to do it and how they decided to announce it.

They just went "We are going digital, it will be good for you. Also screw you and your collection".

@Dogbreath

You're sadly likely right. I myself don't play live service games, i don't do microtransactions and my PS5 (got it used) cost me £230 after trading in my PS4.

I thought £500 for the PS5 was a lot at launch. PS6 is likely pushing £1000 so I know there is zero chance I get that.

The sad thing is PS6 is likely to be cheapest at launch too

I make 100 blue blankets and 1 pink one, freak out over only selling a single pink blanket, decide the world hates pink and ban the colour. Not all games (is it even most anymore?) get a physical release and I very much doubt that statistic takes that into consideration. It's kinda like gushing over how all of GTA 6's sales are digital when disc was never even an option.

Anyway, wasn't there info about the disc factories re-assigning/laying off/whatever already? I don't think they'll change their mind.

I work with several guys in their 20's on my team, and none of them are gamers, and none of them were even aware of Sony announcing the end of support for physical games starting in 2028. It was news to all of them. So it's not like this a mainstream backlash or anything close to it. The truth is, 75% of you threatening to leave PlayStation over this won't, and Sony knows this.

@Dogbreath I like your name, and your takes. You're spot on.

@SeverTheWicked
Not really a layoff, they are being trained to handle the shiny new machines that will make microlenses or something like that.

Analysts have been making bad calls on the gaming industry for decades. They've been proclaiming either PC or consoles dead every couple of years.

We saw what happened to XBox, this could easily go really badly for Sony. Not right now but when the next console comes out and it's super expensive and digital-only. I expect a lot of people to not be interested due to the price and then even more people to be considering PC instead since Sony's policies regarding digital goods are terrible.

Those left, able to afford a pricy console but not interested in PC - If XBox and Sony both go all in on digital so there's no other option... Won't be much of an install base for PS6.

@DennisReynolds "If people aren't buying a PS6 its because of the price"

It will be because of both, and companies can make mistakes even with data.

Also those players you mentioned play where their friends are and aren't as loyal as the ones that know about this news.

Again you are heavily underestimating how important SONY's most enthusiastic audience are.

@Titntin i'm guessing retailers will be able to sell codes again , like they used to , amazon , best buy , target , walmart ect. i'm sure amazon and best buy will get bonus stuff if you preorder from them.

LOL no. As the analyst points out, the amount of people who are all up in arms about this is such an infinitesimally small percentage of Sony's business, it just doesn't matter to them.

at this stage, sony has not confirmed if an (optional) optical drive will be available with the ps6. many people are assuming it won't be but i don't think it is beyond the realm of possibility.

sony will soften the blow somewhat by announcing the optical drive for backwards compatibility of ps4 and ps5 discs and it will gain back some customers on the fence. for me, that is merely manipulation and not a concession of any kind. the bare minimum. sure, it will create some confusion among the more casual customers since they will be looking around for ps6 discs to purchase which don't exist, but yea, they will get up to speed in no time

Sony is greedy now.
They want to monetize player base more.
Canceling discs and monopoly of PS Store is just the first step.

Next step after they take your discs and drive is increasing digital game prices in their Store.
That is so obvious.

Just google what Lin Tao, Sony Finance SVP said

Lucky I buy physical so that I can sell all my games when I go back to PC next gen.

There is no way I'm paying full price for new games.

@Vyse_the_Legend The majority of console owners just play a handful of live service games and the odd exclusive. People like us are a minority. Most PS5 players aren't even aware of this news nor care.

Yet again "hardcore" gamers thinking they're the main character. Honestly keep coping and trying to spin things but fact is the majority of console players are digital players. Physical gaming had been on its death bed for years.

49,999,999 subscribers now.

It's not exactly the size of this "vocal minority" that matters here.

If this minority is even 1-2% of Playstation users and if they are anything like me and the gamers I know, Sony is looking at 1 000 000 000 lost software sales on PS6, from this lost tiny minority alone. And if anything, 1% is underestimation.

More importantly, if console loses it's core audience they lose more than what is immediately apparent. They lose the culture which made them. They lose the favor of the masses bestowed upon them by the approval of this influential minority.

Disastrous short sighted greed.

@DennisReynolds You will see, you aren't thinking as logically as you think you are.

Already gone PC. Enjoying my PS5 pro, but I won’t be going Ps6

@dwayne91 as much as I am a physical only player, the petition just show how embarrassing the situation is for us... 200k signature, against 80 millions PS5.... most don't care...

I signed the petition but honestly don´t think Sony will reverse their decision, they´re too greedy and don´t listen to us for some time. but at least we need to try do something

@MasterVGuides that’s true but at least you can resell game key cards.

There’s a decent chance that the other market forces will do more than the petitions and boycotts. I expect (and hope for, honestly) pressure and competition from the PC storefronts, Xbox, and Nintendo, all of which already have things in place that are more attractive than Sony’s PS store and its lack of competition, lack refunds, poor security, glitchy network, and spotty customer service. If I were Xbox, I’d be smelling blood in the water and come up with a promotional video akin to the 2013 Shuhei Yoshida ad and show some kind of quick jab about the Xbox store that could go viral in a similar way. I don’t think Xbox will bring back discs but I think they have something already about an owned disc converting into an owned digital copy, or something like that. If Xbox were smart, they’d take advantage. Especially since it could take the eyes off if their poor PR currently due to layoffs

I don't think they'll reverse the decision, but, in a way, that's helpful for me. I wasn't seriously considering the PS6 as an option before they made the announcement, but the announcement itself sort of sealed it. It'll probably be PC for me, unless Xbox makes their platform more enticing...somehow...

So, whether it's a win or lose for Sony, it's a win for me. It just makes the decision-making process easier.

@DennisReynolds More than 80% of PS5s sold were the physical (disc-based) edition.

I don’t think they will reverse the full way to make it how it is now but they can do a little one to keep people happy and still try a new way to kill off physical. If handheld becomes a hybrid like the switch, maybe they will allow us to insert an external disc drive to that (when docked) and can only play physical when connected to it. They may even start doing codes in the box starting with 1-3 games and then expand over time for first party games and encourage developers to do the same

@CielloArc Oh I see, thanks for the clarification! I guess I just have lay offs on the brain...

Out of touch corpos making decisions. It's just so frustrating.

As much as I hate it, I don't see Sony backing down on this one, although I wish they would. I also think they'll just keep at bay until the storm slowly fades.

I've been seriously thinking about gaming as a hobby being to expensive for my tastes. I have other hobbies, guitars and pedals aren't cheap. I have an insurmountable backlog to keep me occupied and it seems as though all the BS in the game industry is finally forcing me to give it up.

I refuse to pay anywhere near $1,000 for a console. Add in game price increases, and now this, yeah, I may just be done.

@datamonkey About the only upside to them, IMO.

@MasterVGuides also loan them to friends. An upside is an upside.

@Mythologue that statistic doesn't really prove anything, though. I bought a disc edition at launch, and my entire library is digital and has been since the PS4 era began. So console sales with disc drives does not even guarantee one physical game sale necessarily.