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@jerrylongbones Look at that wall of text and not even a semblance of an answer! I asked for sales stats which you obviously don’t have or didn’t bother to look up. Look, I don’t pretend physical is in a great place. But if people are given a choice when it comes to single player games between physical and digital I still believe physical is in a better place than Sony and company wants to admit. Oh, how they love to drag us to that digital utopia.
But looking at the games I mentioned there are of course no official data in most cases. It’s all guesswork. The physical proportion of sales for the ps5 games range from 55-60% (Astro bot) to 20% for yotei.
I don’t know why it’s funny to mention Nintendo. Yes, I also hate game key carts but at least their first party games are still regular carts. Still, they are the only console where physical sales still dominate for first party titles (65-70%).
But even when looking at games like yotei 20% is still a lot of money. And I still believe Rockstar wants to sell their game to absolutely everyone. It’s not like they can’t afford a physical release. It’s not like they will lose money. Sure, we who refuse the digital release might not be many but combine them with double dippers and it’s still like printing money for rockstar

@jerrylongbones great, you seem like a guy with access to sales statistics. I’m not talking about those stats Sony loves to send out where they put all games (including tons of games with no physical edition), subscription fees, dlc and micro transactions in one big bucket and declare 90% of their revenue is digital. Those numbers say nothing. Instead, look at AA and AAA single player only games (ghost of yotei, Astro bot, god of war ragnarok, death stranding 2, Elden ring, super Mario odyssey, breath of the wild and so on). Find out how many percent are physical sales and how many are digital for each title. When you have those numbers we can resume the discussion, otherwise you’re just shouting into the void. Good luck!

Oh, there will be a disc version down the road. R* knows it’s leaving money on the table and a 2 disc “definitive edition” with the classic R* map would capture both the physical purists (that’s me) and a whole lot of double dippers.
I haven’t even played GTA V yet, autumn is stacked with releases and my backlog is huge. I can wait…

Is anyone actually surprised? We all know the deal: any game from Microsoft that doesn’t fit on a single layer blu ray will require a download. Fortunately for me we’ve been drowning in announcements the last week. I won’t miss Microsoft, plenty of companies still offer full games on disc. Sony is one among them.

@twitchtvpat You did read the line about miniaturizing them, right? I’m not suggesting PlayStation should just release a £2000 system unchanged. But they should use that technology, placing 4 speakers wherever you want and they’ll automatically adjust the soundscape. And yes, they are already wireless…

Why release a pair of crappy mini speakers? Sony already has a pretty cool surround system (Sony Bravia Theatre Quad). Why not miniaturize those and flog them to PS5 users? It would be better than this.

It’s a shame it’s a coaster, i was actually looking forward to this. Oh well, with my backlog it’s hardly a catastrophe.

@TrollOfWar Looking at the list Swandivetotheasphalt kindly provided there are zero new IP in the top 10. There are 3 new IP in the top 20. And one of those games has Marvel branding and another one is a gacha game which is hardly what Sony is trying to make. But sure, let’s say 15% new IP in the top 20.
Which of course doesn’t mean Sony has a 15% chance of releasing a live service game that doesn’t crash and burn. That chance is much, much lower.
So that’s 5-10 years development for a game you then need to either give away for free or sell for a paltry sum. If the game flops it’s an enormous amount of money in the drain. Versus their single player games which are basically sure things. If one should flop (which almost never happens) they would probably make back the development cost at least.
I’m not gonna argue against your claims regarding God of War or Spider-Man since I have no idea how you got the data. This list from Sony is brand new so the only way you could know how GoW or Spider-Man fared on this list back when they were released is if you’re working at Sony. Which I doubt you are.

I’ve been playing Crimson Desert ever since it came out and I’m only on chapter 7 or 8 and at least 50% of the map unexplored. I’m still having a real good time. Sure, the story is far from greatness and I hate the equipment system (“look at this cool sword I found after trekking across half the map. Oh, it’s exactly the same as my starting sword…”)
Still, there’s so much to do and explore and the combat system is great. But I do feel a twinge of sadness that both Saros and Pragmata are still waiting in my backlog….

It’s easy to argue against the general idea since this list is basically 7-17 year old IP. It’s basically set in stone by now. The fact that 2 more recent games, Arc Raiders and Marvel Rivals, are on the list does not prove much. They are at the bottom of the list with player counts far below the juggernauts and I bet they are replaced by single player games from time to time. Since we only see the top 10 from one single country here it’s hard to draw any conclusions from the bottom of the list. The top 5-6 games are probably the same everywhere but it wouldn’t surprise me if single player games feature further down on the list.
A global top 100 list would put any debate to rest but with only the list in the article I could argue against the general idea of Sony trying to replace Fortnite all day long.

Why does PushSquare keep spreading the lie that Crimson Desert was too big for one disc? It’s around 80gb, it could’ve easily fit on one disc. There was zero reason for the internet requirement (no, I don’t count “preventing spoilers” as a legitimate reason)

Shame, I quite enjoyed this one. Far more than Black Myth Wukong. But yeah, it’s a tough genre, the competition is fierce.

Yes, it released in an unfinished state. You see, the whole game was not on the disc. I’d call that unfinished.

@BAMozzy I don’t have time for another essay. But congratulations, you are one of the few defenders of game key cards I’ve ever bumped into. I care if I can install the game when internet/servers are down, you don’t. Nothing more to say.

@BAMozzy “ Whether all the content is supplied or not, you still have to download it so it doesn't matter how you get the content on to your device to play it...”
This is a straight up lie. If you unhook your console from the internet most games will install just fine from disc. Not so with these incomplete games.
Look dude, we obviously feel different regarding this question. I do care about complete games, so do many others. And it’s not like anyone believes the game is played from the disc. This is strictly a matter of principle/preservation/getting what you pay for. Without internet or without servers these games are useless, complete games on disc are not.
You are not gonna change my opinion, I’m not gonna change yours. And I can’t waste more work hours writing replies….
So let’s put an end to this debate now.

@BAMozzy are you denying that a book, a vinyl record or a blu ray movie are distribution methods for media? Of course these are methods of distribution and of course you don’t really own them. Like so many others in this thread we just want a complete product. When (and let’s face it, nothing lasts forever) Sonys servers eventually go down I would at least like the option to install from disc. Sure, it might be a buggy version but at least it’s something. I don’t know why you have this fixation on denying us physical enthusiasts a complete game on disc, just like most games already are? I sure don’t deny you your digital downloads.
And the “main purpose” of physical media since the start of the 1980's have been to provide complete games. This idiocy of suddenly requiring internet access even though the game fits on one disc (crimson desert) or being too cheap to provide a second disc (Microsoft) is a new invention and strictly anti-consumer. Just like a book or music buyer I don’t care that I’m buying a license, I still expect the full contents on disc/cartridge. You might love the idea of game key carts and pretty coasters but many hate it. Please let us scream into the wind in peace!

@SuntannedDuck2 you’re forgetting Baldurs gate 3!

@BAMozzy discs are like all physical media: a license. If I buy a book I don’t own the actual content buy I do own the physical book. Same if I buy a vinyl record. Now if someone sold me a book with the last 30 pages missing and a download code where I could read the rest I would be pissed. Same if someone sold me a vinyl album with half the songs missing and a download code for the rest. Or for that matter a Blu-ray movie with half the movie online.
You argue that that’s okay since I don’t really own the contents anyway, a book/vinyl/movie is just a license.
I argue that if you sell physical media the full contents should be there. Otherwise you’re selling me a coaster with a pretty cover.
So, yes, I do worry about the contents on disc. How you think selling coasters is okay is beyond me.

Crimson Desert was actually worse because that game only takes up around 80gb. The whole game would’ve easily fit on a single disc. Starfield at least has an excuse, even if the “excuse” is moronic.

And could all you digital fans stop spreading lies annd strawman arguments. Physical fans just want the whole game on disc. Basically we want what you pay for, not a pretty coaster.

• No one believes the game is running from the disc. A poster here above me wrote a whole dissertation on why games don’t run off the disc. Which is something everyone already knows. It has nothing to do with wanting the full game on disc.
• Another poster claims a majority of third party games are already incomplete and requires downloads. This is a straight up lie. Just look at the statistics on doesitplay. Something like 90% of ps5 games are playable off disc.

Well, I would rather have a groveling excuse for not including the whole game on disc. Before release everyone was saying “this game is huge, easily 150gb, it doesn’t fit on a single disc”.
I said “well, release it on 2 discs”. After installing the game and downloading the compulsory update, it only takes up 85gb! It would’ve easily fit on 1 disc.
So the only reason left is this “anti-spoiler” nonsense. I believe ownership rights are more important than someone finding out the name of the third boss.

The disc-as-coaster release made me cancel.
It’s the same reason I won’t buy Starfield (well, I’m not sure if I would’ve bought Starfield anyway but Microsoft’s coaster strategy definitely made up my mind for me)

I already have the Wii remake which had most of the features this ps5 remake has, including 30fps. But I’m a sucker for good survival horror so I do have it ordered. But like others here I’ll probably wait for a 60fps patch before playing

This is actually one of the busiest weeks for me: Monster Hunter Stories 3, Greedfall II and Fatal Frame 2 Remake.
I already have the Wii remake of Fatal Frame 2 but Resident Evil 9 put me in the mood for more survival horror. Plus, I need a short game I can finish before Crimson Desert next week….

Nearing the end in Code Vein 2. It’s not a masterpiece but I still think it’s a bit underrated (just like the first game). The story is the usual anime silliness but the gameplay holds up. Huge build variety and zero random loot, each weapon having unique move sets.
I’ll be finished right in time for resident evil: requiem!

For me personally every extra year of ps5 is an extra year of physical game support. The ps6 will probably only have an optional drive, further incentivizing publishers to skip physical release.

I’d rather have the ps3 version fund my pension in 25 years. Oh well, I’ll still have my copy of The Twin Snakes and that one will probably stay in GameCube prison.

Code vein 2 for me. If Elden Ring is heroin, Code Vein 2 is like a weak dose of methadone. No euphoria but it does the job. And if I want a higher dose, Nioh 3 just arrived…

Already had it pre-ordered. Expecting a solid 7/10 soulslike, just like the first one. I just finished First Berserker: Khazan which I really enjoyed, except for the Nioh-like loot system. I have always preferred the FromSofts loot system where every weapon, piece of armor and accessory feels unique instead of this endless flood of randomized loot.
And if I remember correctly Code Vein features a loot system more to my taste. Lack of multiplayer is no big loss personally, I always go for AI companions in soulslikes anyway.
Even though we didn’t get a FromSoft game last year I managed to squeeze in First Berserker, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, Lies of P: Overture, Blades of Fire and Wukong between my usual RPG’s and survival horrors.
What a time to be alive!

Sure, if this manages to get a physical release where the whole game is actually on the disc, sign me up.
The probability is low….

Isn’t this the remake that’s capped at 30fps? Which is unforgivable, I’ll stick to my Wii version if that’s the case.

Maybe Helen Lovejoy escaped her Fortnite prison to remind us all of the poor children.

Yes, it’s horrible with online grooming but I can’t help but feel a bit cynical towards grand statements from multinational corporations.

No physical=no deal

Actually playing Atomfall, a nice little “immersive sim”. Took it up this week after finishing Metroid Prime 4. I needed something relatively short before taking on the next massive RPG from the backlog. The choice was between Atomfall and Berserker of Khazan. But since soulslikes have a tendency to drag on I went with the former.

How could you miss the new Lords of the Fallen 2 trailer?
I really liked the first one (the 2023 one…), looking forward to some extra gory soulslike action.

Continuing my Dragon Age: The Veilguard playthrough, currently on chapter 10. Would I have liked a game more in line with the first Dragon Age? Of course, but I’m still enjoying this take on the franchise. At least the gameplay. The story is a bit too much unicorn and rainbows for my taste, I like my fantasy dark and gritty. The cartoony art style doesn’t help and Taash’s personal quest feels a bit too on the nose.

Oh well, it still scratches that RPG itch. Hopefully I’m finished in a month so I’m ready when Metroid Prime 4 drops!

@LordOfTurnips what I’m debating isn’t whether physical media is obsolete or not. For you, it’s obviously obsolete. But not for me and not for all the companies still releasing physical games. And it doesn’t matter if sales make up 2% or 40%, it’s still tons of money.

I’m also not debating the pros of physical media. Preservation, fear of server closure or company bankruptcies, cheaper price, ability to resell, ownership vs renting. I agree with all of these points but it’s not what I’m arguing for here.

What I am debating is at what point physical media ceases being physical media. For me, physical media consists of the media itself (the text in a book, the music on a vinyl/cd, the game or movie on a blu-ray) and some kind of artistic packaging housing the physical media.
If you somehow make the media part incomplete (blank pages in a book, download codes for missing tracks on a vinyl and, of course, putting 1gb of data on a blu ray) it is no longer physical media. It’s just a coaster in a box.

And while I do love collecting physical games, for all the reasons mentioned above, for me this is not a physical game anymore. The “game” part is missing…

And some other nitpicks from your reply:

• Yeah, a book is a book. But just like a physical game it could just as well be digital. Even you would have to agree were we to remove half the pages and provide a download code for them it’s no longer a complete physical product. It’s a cover with empty pages, just like a physical game with only half the data on the disc. And if book publishers started doing this people would be up in arms.
• I don’t know which movies you are watching but a 4k uhd blu-ray is usually 60-100gb. You consider this small?
• “Games are simply too big”. In my whole collection I have maybe 5-10 games demanding more than 100gb (FF Rebirth, AC Shadows, Jedi Survivor, Baldurs Gate 3 and a few more). The vast majority are under 100gb. And in the event a game is over 100gb you could, oh I don’t know, spread the game over two discs. Just like Square and Larian did.
• Do you know how old books and vinyl are? It’s kinda insane we still use them…

@StitchJones So in your fantasy world, people who buy books and vinyl only buy them for their shelves? Just printing one chapter or pressing the first two songs would be totally OK for these people, as long as they’ve got the nice covers to show off?

I mean, you could just provide a download code for the missing 500 pages or 10 songs…

It should be mentioned that this is yet another worthless physical release requiring internet. How many gigabytes is on the disc is anyone’s guess. Physical enthusiasts, stay away!

I already knew I wasn’t touching this release with a ten foot pole because of the “internet required” box. But it still fills me with burning rage against Microsoft seeing this 1.3GB confirmation.
Get it through your thick skulls that physical enthusiasts won’t buy discs-as-coasters releases. And most of them would easily cough a couple of extra bucks to get a proper 2-disc release.

After finishing Cronos and Silent Hill f (both excellent games) I felt it was time for a meaty RPG. So I took out my backlog and pulled out Dragon Age: The Veilguard. So far I’m enjoying the game. Just got the necromancer to join my party so I’m not very far in the main story. But I am a completionist so I’m doing every side quest. Am I over the moon about the new “cartoony” art style? Not really, but it’s not like it’s preventing me from enjoying the game. Really happy with my choice!

@Zuljaras I agree that the text “ Physical base game included” seems to imply the base game is actually on the disc. Underneath it labels the two expansions as “Additional downloadable content” so that will probably require a download.
For me, this is fine. It’s also a big surprise considering Microsoft’s atrocious track record with physical releases.

Just finished Cronos: The New Dawn and started Silent Hill f which so far is excellent. The past few months and the coming ones have been a wet dream for a survival horror/soulslikes fan like me. Wukong, Cronos, Hell is Us, Silent Hill f, Resident Evil: Requiem, the list goes on.

I own a Switch 2 but only use it for Nintendo exclusives. There’s no way in h**l I’d play REIX on that machine. Not only does it look much worse than PS5 Pro, there’s also a 99% chance the physical version will be on a game key cart (something I will never support)

No, it did not take two decades for a remake. It was actually remade for the first time back in 2012: Project Zero 2 Wii Edition. It was actually a great remake but it was only released in EU, JP and AU, never in America.
I still have it but I guess it’s time to update to the PS5 version.

You’re missing Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D, releasing October 30th. I don’t know if this list is limited to physical releases only? If not, Silksong is missing…

I’m personally interested in Hell Is Us, Cronos, Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter, Silent Hill f, Final Fantasy Tactics, Ghost of Yotei, Ninja Gaiden 4 and Vampire Bloodlines 2. It’s gonna get expensive…

@PerpetualBoredom The only thing confirmed is that a download will be required. This is almost always code for “not entire game on disc”.
In a best case scenario (unlikely) the whole game except DLC could be on the disc, more likely is an arbitrary amount of the game present on disc.

Some people seem to believe it’s hip and cool to whine about soulslikes. It’s not.

As for “bring back epic single player” most people would rate games like Elden Ring and Dark Souls as just that. As for this game, it seems great, I’ll probably pick it up. Bring on the soulslikes.

Too bad it isn’t a soulslike, the genre is criminally underrepresented

I was interested but after learning a download is required that interest quickly faded. I won’t support Microsoft & Co’s ongoing war against physical media.

Good riddance, let Netflix keep this tween crap. I’d much prefer it if Sony is associated with hard R-rated franchises from real auteurs. Maybe they could produce an Ichi the Killer series and make that into a billion dollar franchise…