The general sentiment surrounding PlayStation from hardcore players is at a real low point, spurred mostly by the firm's decision to stop making disc-based copies of PlayStation games from January 2028 onwards.

It has gotten to the point where fairly innocuous pieces of news, that would usually just come and go, are attracting the ire of PlayStation fans — the brand can't do anything right at the moment, in some people's eyes.

Ken Kutaragi, the man who oversaw the releases of the PS1, PS2, and PS3 consoles, has recognised this strong turn in mood and sentiment towards the company, suggesting there's now "friction" between Sony and long-time PlayStation fans.

Talking to VGC at a Game Republic New Horizons event, Kutaragi explained how he sees the argument over discs and game ownership from both sides. From his perspective as a former PlayStation executive, Kutaragi doesn't think it's "economically reasonable" for Sony to continue pressing physical discs, as digital purchases increase more and more.

However, he also understands a physical disc has become a kind of "metaphor" for owning a game. "I really understand that mentality... but nobody thinks [physical media] is necessary for a networked device like a smartphone, for example, because people feel that they will keep their content. So it’s a mentality."

Kutaragi continued by highlighting how Sony may not just see PlayStation consoles as games systems anymore, but as a "content terminal". On the topic, he finished: "Maybe that’s how those people are thinking. But this has caused some friction with game enthusiasts."

While the reaction isn't nearly as intense as it was when Sony announced it would be ditching discs, its social media posts continue to attract criticism over the move, with the "No Disc, No Buy" slogan often seen in responses. A recent investigation found almost half of the accounts making these posts to be fake, but there's still a very real frustration amongst PlayStation fans as a result of the decision.

Sony has shown absolutely no public hint of reversing the move, however.

[source videogameschronicle.com]