Sony and its artificial stopping point of 2028 should get them all the vitriol that deserves for a company selling an$800 console with the disc drive sold separately. To me it’s not about going digital, I’ve assumed the PS6 would be all digital for years now, but you can’t give people the option of buying a physical or digital PS5 and then after they spend more for physical you tell them, sorry we’re not making discs for that drive anymore.
So, if Intergalactic slips into 2028, like big AAA video games have tended to do for like the last decade now, is Sony guaranteed to release it on disc? I do think they owe their paying customers that much. Not their Stan fans, they can die on whatever hill they want, but paying customers should get what they paid for.
So if Sony ever expects this backlash to go away, just announce all first party PS5 games will release on disc. And if not, they very well should expect a lawsuit.
I really just want to continue to borrow games from my library, and I can’t do that with digital. Though if Sony wants to give my library codes that expire in 2 weeks, like some demos expire, that I could live with.
So many things Sony could, and probably should, have done for their paying customers, besides telling them to suck it. 🤬
Trying to do your job while your company is telling you 1,600 more layoffs are coming over the next few months means I’m trying to get my boss to give me a severance package now so I can look for work elsewhere.
I haven’t seen a single mention of severance yet. MS is mainly in the US so I’m guessing most of them got something. But it’s also 2026 so maybe not. 🤑
@UltimateOtaku91 Hadn’t even thought of that. I guess Sony will have to address that at some point. I’d guess they drop it rather than remodel it, if there is a portable handheld PS6 coming next year or in 2028. I mean how many Portal can they be selling just in the EU?
@RoomWithaMoose I’m not surprised Nintendo will be dropping the Switch and OLED in the EU, though they’ve said the rest of the world will keep getting them, but I am kind of surprised they’re also dropping the Lite before they launched, or even announced, a Switch 2 Lite. A big difference in price between Lite and 2.
I do think a Switch Lite 2 could and probably should be launched alongside the new Pokémon games but that’s not up to me.
I could see Sony calling their bluff. Well if it is a bluff, mostly just sounds like good common sense to me.
But I believe MS threatened to stop selling Xbox in England if their purchase of Activision didn’t go through. (In hindsight it definitely should not have) and similarly it looks like Nintendo is telling the EU “no Switch for you” over its replaceable battery law. You’ll still be able to get a new Switch 2, just not any of the 3 older models, OG, Lite and OLED.
This might be the first Pokemon game I’ve ever played. 😂
Ok joking aside I am considering it. The $30 price is nice. Probably the main thing stopping me is the 4 free to start games I’m playing so I really don’t have the time. Or the need to spend the money. Getting $50 Splatoon Raiders for my birthday in a couple weeks, so that will do me for awhile, when I have the time.
That looks, kinda rough. Reminds me of a DBZ game my kids used to play on GameCube all the time, DBZ Sagas. And even for a GameCube game it looked rough.
I don't even play Monster Hunter and I thought this article was about MH.
Well first I thought it was about that Chinese game ripping off Horizon b/c apparently I have reading compression issues.
OK let's face it, we're at 40 years of home video games now so there is bound to be similar games. Just look at all the Kart racers not Mario - Shrek, Sonic, probably every Nicjtoons tv show - but there is a difference between "this is my monster hunting game" and "this is me selling my own version of Monster Hunter". This is too much MH.
And really at this point any Chinese company copying and pasting their own version of an established video game franchise should just own it and stop beating around the bush with the corporate speak gobeldy guk. "Yes, this is our version of... thanks for noticing." Then hire some good lawyers. Or don't b/c China. 🤷♂️
Thanks. I read it the same way, but I wasn't sure why. The name did set off alarms and the whole post felt off but my memory only works like a fading dream these days so I'm never sure what's what. Reading your comment at least made me realize I was on to something more than my dislike of the word "Stan". 😂
@Oram77 Thanks. I was actually just looking it up. 😁
I think the math formula is a little more
Zenimax = Bethesda + ID + Arkane
And of course MS owns Zenimax. Not sure if Xbox owns Zenimax on paper, maybe if MS spins Xbox off. Which it feels to me like all these firings are leading too. MS needs the money for AI. 🤑
Update reply: So, if the original article said around 90 employees were let go representing about 50% of the company, and the update from the Texas WARN article says about 150 employees were let go, does that mean about 75% of ID was let go? 75% is a lot. Like, a lot a lot.
OK I'm confused, would appreciate a little help.
I think Bethesda is now named Zenimax, or Bethesda is a part of Zenimax, but where does ID software fit in? The article title says ID software.
@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.
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.
@Bizzy "who left the DOOM & Quake studio back in 1996"
Ah, John Romero and the 1990s, those were the days. Building PCs from scratch buying parts from shows in hotel lobbies. Messing around with Redhat Linux. Having to install Windows anyway to play video games.😝
Anyway that's probably the last time Quake was relevant to me. 😂
jk, couldn't resist.😁
30 years since JR left ID, not founded it, left it, is kinda crazy though. 😱
I was going to pick 2030 b/c that's still 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 years away which seems about right for a fame they said would be out in 2-3 years, but I voted 2031+ b/c of the +, increases my odds of getting it correct by multiple years.😁
When will Beyond Good and Evil 2 release though? 🤪
@SegaBlueSky I still think a boycott could help a little in delaying the inevitable, though it is inevitable.
I'm wondering if they thought announcing it 18 months in advance would give them some cover? Like the plan was to announce it as " Hey,guess what kids, we're going to give you access to physical media for another 18 months, a whole year and a half, before we stop putting our new games on physical, though we'll continue restocking older games, isn't that great." But instead of making any attempts at a positive spin they were just like "Physical media is dead. Hard stop."
Words matter, but presentation matters too. Like maybe this should have been done in a live video by a very apologetic CEO. Every Nintendo Direct has to have at least 1 "Please understand". Guy could have been all - "Gamers, you've been gaming on Sony consoles for 30 years now, and we hope you continue for another 30 more. But times change, and we have to change along with them. We are going to stop making physical discs next gen. Most of our sales are digital now. The games have spoken, and they prefer the ease of digital downloads. It's no longer financially viable for us to continue making physical discs for our next geberatiogaming system. I understand some of you will be saddened at this, but I want you to know we gave it a lot of thought, and we are sorry, but this is our plan going forward."
Not those exact words,that free flowing off the top of my head, I'm no writer. But you should get the idea. More Please Understand, less, suck it. 😝
@Bizzy I'm old, as I've mentioned 😂, so I wasn't really planning on getting a next gen console anyway, Switch 2 should last me a decade, but it's really depressing watching the industry death throes, it's been my whole life. 😢
Gaming will continue, phones aren't going anywhere, but consoles are done, finite, kaput. 😩
If you ever find Rare I wouldn't mind Starfox Adventures Remastered being 1 of the last games I play. 😁
An announcement of a $70 disc version of this free game right now is the most "overturn this" release Sony could have done in response to all the hate they've been getting about no more physical releases. 😂
It is insane they apparently didn't have a plan to deal with the backlash though. A trade-in program, a price cut on all duscs the next 18 months, a promise to continue to put all PS5 1st party games on disc, especially in case Intergalactic slips into 2028.
I mean how do you not have something, anything, prepared?
@Bizzy Unreal Tournament would be fine, I own it on Dreamcast. (Not a joke 😁.) At least people regularly talk about Unreal b/c of the popularity of the game engine. I'm assuming gamers make the connection but I could be wrong. I own the original Unreal on disc. The PC box was really cool.
The Commodore 64 thing was obviously a joke. I seriously doubt that system, I never owned one, could run Quake. I'm also pretty sure the original Quake game is after that. 😁
If you want to keep talking about it though the very 1st comment on this same article on NL mentions Quake. I thought that was funny and thought of you. 😂
@Bizzy "Quake Champions was released in 2017. Quake Live in 2010"
2010 or is that a typo? And 2017 is still 9 years ago.
"Quake Remastered was released in 2021 and Quake II Remastered was released in 2023."
I've been not playing remasters of decades old games.
The fact that QuakeCon is still a thing has me thinking you are half making all of this stuff up.😂
Seriously though, thanks for all the dates and games, but that hardly seems like an ongoing endeavor to me when the previous new games were a decade ago and I haven't heard anything about a new new game in like ever.
I'm old. I know Quake. I've played Quake. I might even still own a few Quake games. But if my company is dependent on Quake for survival then it's already dead.😩
"ZeniMax's teams will be realigned to focus on the company's biggest franchises, including The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, DOOM, Wolfenstein, and Quake."
"Elder Scrolls and Fallout series, which have not received major new titles for a long time."
OK those 2 I get, but Quake? When the heck was the last Quake game, the Commodore 64? 😂
"Microsoft "hasn't fully finalised whether Project Helix will ship with a built-in disc drive"."
I interpreted that sentence as much shorter:
"Microsoft "hasn't fully finalised whether Project Helix will ship."
If they are going for 1 billion app sign in a day then 35 mil or even 50 mil consoles are completely meaningless. They're a rounding error. Like a really small rounding error of what, like .005%?
After today MS should just sell the entire Xbox division to PIF, in the processing of buying EA who would then just own EVERYTHING and continue their focus on AI (which will hopefully blow up in their face).
My best guess is Microsoft's plan is cloud streaming X-box games to Xbox accounts on smart tvs. Smart tvs are expected to be in 1.1B homes by 2027. I'm betting the similarity between those 2 numbers, X-box and smart tvs in homes, isn't simply a coincidence.
"This percentage is projected to exceed 50% by 2026, with 1.1 billion households having a smart TV."
If not cloud streaming to accounts on smart tvs then mobile. Are Xbox accounts on iPhones yet? I suppose they could simply be counting Xbox accounts on PC, feels like it's basically built into Windows 11 at this point, but there's really no growth there.
Either way Xbox hardware is done, with or without Helix. Xbox is the next Sega, simply a matter of time. And perhaps not much time at that.
If I'm Sony I wait it out for a few more days, at which point Microsoft is set to announce the end of Xbox, or all game development by humans being replaced by AI, or our sun is going supernova, or something.
But whatever it is, it might just make physical going away seem like an afterthought.
I can't recall ever seeing 1 of these sales that Catherine isn't in. They might as well just call it a $10 Greatest Hits game at this point. Has Sony had any of those since the PS3? I can't recall people complaining about the red boxes in awhile.🤷♂️
Edit: OK I stand corrected. Sony did have a GH line for PS4. It was announced in 2018. That was 8 years ago, and pre-Covid, so I'm not faulting myself for forgetting, that's like ancient times.😂
I've been playing nearly every day on every Sony home console since 1997 and I still only have 1 plat, Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, and I still don't feel bad about that at all. 😂
Figured something like this was bound to happen. It was basically the first thing my wife said. 18 months to go.
The clock is ticking, it is over, it's just a matter of the date. I mean what if Intergalactic gets delayed to February 2028, are the just gonna go all digital with the last big PS5 game?
PS6 is a non-starter, I'm not even sure it will get a drive for bc.
Maybe AI can make a program to play old Sony discs on PC. If we can find any drives for those these days.
When you read the word "politician" and you just know the photo is going to look just like that. 😂
He has a good point and maybe some new laws will get passed in the EU about words like "sold" and "ownership" when all we're really getting is a lease or rental with a TBD end date. I still don't know how they get away with calling anything cloud streaming a purchase. Cloud streaming is as rental as rental can be. 🤑
Are they including in the 40mil the number of PS4 copies sold that were refunded on PS4? I mean there's no real reason for them not too, and its possible Sony themselves refunded the $ so they don't even know how many copies were refunded, but at the time it sounded like a lot.
40 mil for a new IP still seems like a ton to me so congrats to them.
@GreenyD Now that is some serious "back in the day" info right there. I had no idea. But if it could happen then,why not now? Surely discs are easier to manufacture than carts?
I'm no fan of EA and I'm not saying all of the game will be on the disc, maybe just a code in a box on a disc, but I have to think if only for it's yearly sports games alone they'd want the shelf space in places like Walmart in the US.
OK, I had forgotten about the PIF deal, so, all bets are off. It's a leveraged buyout, PIF is as likely to shut the whole thing down as make discs. Crazy how much is going on in gaming that I completely forgot all about this. 😩
I still think PS5 games get physical releases - PS6 is a done deal - for an extra year or so, my wife thinks a company as big as EA might want to manufacture their own, but maybe not. Which is just wrong. I mean they are selling physical drives now for like what, $100, how can they keep doing that while saying no more discs? 🤑
But it's over, I'm not debating that, just the hard stopping point. I feel like there is ALWAYS a little wiggle room built into decisions this far out. Like Cohens Mets winning a World Series in 5 years.😝
@get2sammyb You kind of started to touch on this in your article, but this really seemed like an unnecessary self own by Sony.
Most of us have realized for years all digital was the future, just look at PC and mobile, so not really surprised it's going to happen to consoles as well. But announcing a blanket no physical starting January 2028 just out of the blue like this, why?
Had they announce the PS6 as all digital that might have been bad,but surely not unexpected. And with PS5 probably getting games alongside it for a few years, just keep making those physical. What harm would that have done? A few more games for a few more years. But no PS6 announcement yet, and now no PS5 games physical in 18 months, why do that to themselves? What did they think would happen?
Must be a reason, but it better be a pretty good one to not wait for the PS6 announcement and keep making PS5 games physical. Which they probably will backtrack and keep doing anyway until 2029, just wait.
Anyone new here who wants to read up on what happened the last time Sony made a digital only handheld, the PSP Go, back in 2009, which I know is before a lot of you were here, there's a whole bunch of good articles about retailer blowback, the UMD to digital transition process or lack thereof, and how Sammy really liked it for what it was, which was a future most people weren't ready for, but it's here now.
@get2sammyb You own a Switch. If you've owned a Wii U you know what's going to happen, no physical BC, they just tell people to buy digital. I own more Wii U games in 4 years than Switch in 8 b/c I don't double dip and already owned most of the Switch games on Wii U. I'm probably the only Switch owner who doesn't own either MK8 or BotW b/c I already owned them.
So no, no disc drive for PS6. It's why they're telling people now, as a warning shot. "Stop buying physical media, you won't be able to play them on PS6." 18 months is a long warning.
Also, I haven't seen anyone besides me mention PSP Pro, despite several articles about this now. So I suspect you're currently writing one, about how Sony had a digital only handheld 15 or so years ago, so a digital only PS6 wouldn't be uncharted territory for them. I think it failed b/c the store went down for 28 days, you can write again about that as well. And if you haven't started writing it yet, you're welcome.😁
Predictable. It's been heading this way for years. But it still sucks for people like me who prefer physical.
I borrow a lot of games from my library. My library actually has 3 different game sections - adult, teen, kid - located far apart in the library, and each has dozens of games. And I just bought Ghost of Yotei on disc this weekend (had $20 of Target credit from shopping). Doesn't mean I don't buy digital games, I do, a lot, but I borrow and buy physical as well.
So I don't know what I'll do now. Not get a PS6 was always tyhe plan, seems unnecessary as games will still get PS5 versions for years. Just got a Switch 2, which for me almost has better 3rd than 1st party support, so that could pick up some slack. I think the library has every Switch 2 game.
But it's still a sad day, even if it was inevitable. Pour 1 out for discs. It's PSP Go from here on out. Kids ask your parents.
I don't recall anything the past 6 or 7 years. I've been tested for dementia but I passed b/c I learned farm animal names in school and that's where all the points are, 1 per animal I kid you not, but anything the past few years is like a dream I know I've had but can't quite recall. I wouldn't have remembered you at all if I weren't an Oasis fan. No offense. 😁
Metric measurement - CM, mili, meter - makes way more sense than inches, feet, yards and miles, but the temps I like in farhenheit b/c there's more of them so I can measure by base 10.
Comments 14,058
Re: Don't Worry, You'll Get to Own God of War Laufey on a PS5 Disc
@CheesyOatcake “Aiming”
What if they miss though?
Sony and its artificial stopping point of 2028 should get them all the vitriol that deserves for a company selling an$800 console with the disc drive sold separately. To me it’s not about going digital, I’ve assumed the PS6 would be all digital for years now, but you can’t give people the option of buying a physical or digital PS5 and then after they spend more for physical you tell them, sorry we’re not making discs for that drive anymore.
So, if Intergalactic slips into 2028, like big AAA video games have tended to do for like the last decade now, is Sony guaranteed to release it on disc? I do think they owe their paying customers that much. Not their Stan fans, they can die on whatever hill they want, but paying customers should get what they paid for.
So if Sony ever expects this backlash to go away, just announce all first party PS5 games will release on disc. And if not, they very well should expect a lawsuit.
I really just want to continue to borrow games from my library, and I can’t do that with digital. Though if Sony wants to give my library codes that expire in 2 weeks, like some demos expire, that I could live with.
So many things Sony could, and probably should, have done for their paying customers, besides telling them to suck it. 🤬
Re: Don't Worry, You'll Get to Own God of War Laufey on a PS5 Disc
Any word from the Intergalactic peeps? 🤷🏻♂️
Re: 'Staff Are Being Asked to Do More with Less': Brutal Xbox Layoffs Leave Those Spared in Limbo
Trying to do your job while your company is telling you 1,600 more layoffs are coming over the next few months means I’m trying to get my boss to give me a severance package now so I can look for work elsewhere.
I haven’t seen a single mention of severance yet. MS is mainly in the US so I’m guessing most of them got something. But it’s also 2026 so maybe not. 🤑
Re: Brazil Is Taking On Digital Games Ownership and Preservation After Sony Says No More Discs
@UltimateOtaku91 Hadn’t even thought of that. I guess Sony will have to address that at some point. I’d guess they drop it rather than remodel it, if there is a portable handheld PS6 coming next year or in 2028. I mean how many Portal can they be selling just in the EU?
Re: Brazil Is Taking On Digital Games Ownership and Preservation After Sony Says No More Discs
@RoomWithaMoose I’m not surprised Nintendo will be dropping the Switch and OLED in the EU, though they’ve said the rest of the world will keep getting them, but I am kind of surprised they’re also dropping the Lite before they launched, or even announced, a Switch 2 Lite. A big difference in price between Lite and 2.
I do think a Switch Lite 2 could and probably should be launched alongside the new Pokémon games but that’s not up to me.
Re: Brazil Is Taking On Digital Games Ownership and Preservation After Sony Says No More Discs
I could see Sony calling their bluff. Well if it is a bluff, mostly just sounds like good common sense to me.
But I believe MS threatened to stop selling Xbox in England if their purchase of Activision didn’t go through. (In hindsight it definitely should not have) and similarly it looks like Nintendo is telling the EU “no Switch for you” over its replaceable battery law. You’ll still be able to get a new Switch 2, just not any of the 3 older models, OG, Lite and OLED.
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2026/07/nintendo-will-stop-selling-the-original-switch-from-february-2027
So maybe no PS6 in Brazil?
Re: Palworld Finally Launches in Full Today on PS5, and the Patch Notes are Colossal
This might be the first Pokemon game I’ve ever played. 😂
Ok joking aside I am considering it. The $30 price is nice. Probably the main thing stopping me is the 4 free to start games I’m playing so I really don’t have the time. Or the need to spend the money. Getting $50 Splatoon Raiders for my birthday in a couple weeks, so that will do me for awhile, when I have the time.
Re: It's Time to See if Disgaea's Action RPG Spin-Off Holds Up in PS5 Demo, Out Now
That looks, kinda rough. Reminds me of a DBZ game my kids used to play on GameCube all the time, DBZ Sagas. And even for a GameCube game it looked rough.
I think even the grunting is the same. 😂
https://youtu.be/ASIdjIqDwTs?si=DTFDW2vrhUpsaqQK
Re: Dev Accused of Ripping Off Monster Hunter Speaks Out, Says Capcom's Series Is an 'Inspiration'
I don't even play Monster Hunter and I thought this article was about MH.
Well first I thought it was about that Chinese game ripping off Horizon b/c apparently I have reading compression issues.
OK let's face it, we're at 40 years of home video games now so there is bound to be similar games. Just look at all the Kart racers not Mario - Shrek, Sonic, probably every Nicjtoons tv show - but there is a difference between "this is my monster hunting game" and "this is me selling my own version of Monster Hunter". This is too much MH.
And really at this point any Chinese company copying and pasting their own version of an established video game franchise should just own it and stop beating around the bush with the corporate speak gobeldy guk. "Yes, this is our version of... thanks for noticing." Then hire some good lawyers. Or don't b/c China. 🤷♂️
Re: 'A Little More Fitting for the World We Live in Now': Persona 4 Revival Rethinks Key Character Yosuke
@RedRiot193 "The irony of this comment."
Thanks. I read it the same way, but I wasn't sure why. The name did set off alarms and the whole post felt off but my memory only works like a fading dream these days so I'm never sure what's what. Reading your comment at least made me realize I was on to something more than my dislike of the word "Stan". 😂
Re: 136 Jobs Lost at Legendary Dev id Software After Xbox Layoffs
@Oram77 Thanks. I was actually just looking it up. 😁
I think the math formula is a little more
Zenimax = Bethesda + ID + Arkane
And of course MS owns Zenimax. Not sure if Xbox owns Zenimax on paper, maybe if MS spins Xbox off. Which it feels to me like all these firings are leading too. MS needs the money for AI. 🤑
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/02/microsoft-commits-2point5-billion-6000-employees-ai-implementation-unit.html?&qsearchterm=Microsoft%20ai
I was thinking MiHoYo > Hoyoverse for Zeni > Bet
Re: 136 Jobs Lost at Legendary Dev id Software After Xbox Layoffs
Update reply: So, if the original article said around 90 employees were let go representing about 50% of the company, and the update from the Texas WARN article says about 150 employees were let go, does that mean about 75% of ID was let go? 75% is a lot. Like, a lot a lot.
OK I'm confused, would appreciate a little help.
I think Bethesda is now named Zenimax, or Bethesda is a part of Zenimax, but where does ID software fit in? The article title says ID software.
You know what, I'm just gonna go look it up.😁
Re: 'They Wait for This Storm to Pass': No Chance of Sony Walking Back Its Decision to Kill Discs, Warns Analyst
@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.
Re: Legendary Dev id Software Allegedly Hit Extremely Hard by Xbox Layoffs
@Bizzy "who left the DOOM & Quake studio back in 1996"
Ah, John Romero and the 1990s, those were the days. Building PCs from scratch buying parts from shows in hotel lobbies. Messing around with Redhat Linux. Having to install Windows anyway to play video games.😝
Anyway that's probably the last time Quake was relevant to me. 😂
jk, couldn't resist.😁
30 years since JR left ID, not founded it, left it, is kinda crazy though. 😱
Re: The Elder Scrolls 6 Is Reportedly Still Years Away from Release
I was going to pick 2030 b/c that's still 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 years away which seems about right for a fame they said would be out in 2-3 years, but I voted 2031+ b/c of the +, increases my odds of getting it correct by multiple years.😁
When will Beyond Good and Evil 2 release though? 🤪
Re: Sony Ignores the Backlash and Returns to Social Media Almost a Week After Killing Physical Games
@SegaBlueSky I still think a boycott could help a little in delaying the inevitable, though it is inevitable.
I'm wondering if they thought announcing it 18 months in advance would give them some cover? Like the plan was to announce it as " Hey,guess what kids, we're going to give you access to physical media for another 18 months, a whole year and a half, before we stop putting our new games on physical, though we'll continue restocking older games, isn't that great." But instead of making any attempts at a positive spin they were just like "Physical media is dead. Hard stop."
Words matter, but presentation matters too. Like maybe this should have been done in a live video by a very apologetic CEO. Every Nintendo Direct has to have at least 1 "Please understand". Guy could have been all - "Gamers, you've been gaming on Sony consoles for 30 years now, and we hope you continue for another 30 more. But times change, and we have to change along with them. We are going to stop making physical discs next gen. Most of our sales are digital now. The games have spoken, and they prefer the ease of digital downloads. It's no longer financially viable for us to continue making physical discs for our next geberatiogaming system. I understand some of you will be saddened at this, but I want you to know we gave it a lot of thought, and we are sorry, but this is our plan going forward."
Not those exact words,that free flowing off the top of my head, I'm no writer. But you should get the idea. More Please Understand, less, suck it. 😝
Re: Enjoying the World Cup? This Anime Soccer Game Looks Like a PS5 Must Play
95% of the world's population is enjoying it today. 🤪
Re: Legendary Dev id Software Allegedly Hit Extremely Hard by Xbox Layoffs
@Bizzy I'm old, as I've mentioned 😂, so I wasn't really planning on getting a next gen console anyway, Switch 2 should last me a decade, but it's really depressing watching the industry death throes, it's been my whole life. 😢
Gaming will continue, phones aren't going anywhere, but consoles are done, finite, kaput. 😩
If you ever find Rare I wouldn't mind Starfox Adventures Remastered being 1 of the last games I play. 😁
Re: Originally Free, You Can Now Pay $70 to Own the Worst Silent Hill Game
An announcement of a $70 disc version of this free game right now is the most "overturn this" release Sony could have done in response to all the hate they've been getting about no more physical releases. 😂
Re: Sony Ignores the Backlash and Returns to Social Media Almost a Week After Killing Physical Games
Update 4 reply
You post on Twitter, you get what you get. 🤣
It is insane they apparently didn't have a plan to deal with the backlash though. A trade-in program, a price cut on all duscs the next 18 months, a promise to continue to put all PS5 1st party games on disc, especially in case Intergalactic slips into 2028.
I mean how do you not have something, anything, prepared?
What a bunch of maroons.😝
Re: Legendary Dev id Software Allegedly Hit Extremely Hard by Xbox Layoffs
@Bizzy "This years Quakecon is August 6th to 9th."
Wear all black, seems like it's going to be a wake. 😩
Re: There's a Reason Persona 4 Revival's Animated Cutscenes Look So Good
@Drago201 @McBurn Considering how many times they released the P3 game I don't have any problem with them releasing more than 1 anime per game. 😂
Re: Sony Quits Social Media for 5 Days After Killing Physical Games, Earns Multiple Community Notes
@ShadowRJ Doesn't have to be the same affect, just a distraction.
The 3,200 people who lost their jobs today through no fault of their own may feel differently though. 😢
Re: 'State of Decay 3 Is Still Coming': Undead Labs Commits to PS5 Survival Game As It Exits Xbox
Not releasing the game on Xbox would be the kind of spite I'm looking for.😎
Re: Bethesda Reducing Workforce, Refocusing on Its Biggest Franchises Amid Xbox Layoffs
@Bizzy Unreal Tournament would be fine, I own it on Dreamcast. (Not a joke 😁.) At least people regularly talk about Unreal b/c of the popularity of the game engine. I'm assuming gamers make the connection but I could be wrong. I own the original Unreal on disc. The PC box was really cool.
The Commodore 64 thing was obviously a joke. I seriously doubt that system, I never owned one, could run Quake. I'm also pretty sure the original Quake game is after that. 😁
If you want to keep talking about it though the very 1st comment on this same article on NL mentions Quake. I thought that was funny and thought of you. 😂
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2026/07/bethesda-will-reportedly-shift-focus-over-to-its-biggest-franchises
Re: Reaction: Sony Needs to Start Speaking to Us Again
What if Sony's only explanation is:
Greed, for lack of a better word, is good.
Re: Bethesda Reducing Workforce, Refocusing on Its Biggest Franchises Amid Xbox Layoffs
@Bizzy "Quake Champions was released in 2017. Quake Live in 2010"
2010 or is that a typo? And 2017 is still 9 years ago.
"Quake Remastered was released in 2021 and Quake II Remastered was released in 2023."
I've been not playing remasters of decades old games.
The fact that QuakeCon is still a thing has me thinking you are half making all of this stuff up.😂
Seriously though, thanks for all the dates and games, but that hardly seems like an ongoing endeavor to me when the previous new games were a decade ago and I haven't heard anything about a new new game in like ever.
I'm old. I know Quake. I've played Quake. I might even still own a few Quake games. But if my company is dependent on Quake for survival then it's already dead.😩
Re: Sony Quits Social Media for 5 Days After Killing Physical Games, Earns Multiple Community Notes
@ShadowRJ "What can Xbox announce that will make them bigger targets than Sony at this point?"
Do you still need me to answer that for you or has @wildcat_kickz got it covered, along w/ the half dozen articles on PS this morning?
Re: Bethesda Reducing Workforce, Refocusing on Its Biggest Franchises Amid Xbox Layoffs
"ZeniMax's teams will be realigned to focus on the company's biggest franchises, including The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, DOOM, Wolfenstein, and Quake."
"Elder Scrolls and Fallout series, which have not received major new titles for a long time."
OK those 2 I get, but Quake? When the heck was the last Quake game, the Commodore 64? 😂
Re: Ghost of Tsushima's Upcoming Crunchyroll Anime Is Shaping Up to Be Something Special
@get2sammyb My wife says "Thank you." for the Green Yuri news. 👍
Re: There's a Reason Persona 4 Revival's Animated Cutscenes Look So Good
I've never played any Persona game but would probably watch an anime, which I thought this article was about.😁
Anyway just posting so Shogun didn't waste his time, and people don't look at the 0 comments on the front page and think they were closed.😂
Re: Rumour: Xbox Still Weighing Up Physical Disc Support for Project Helix After Sony Bombshell
"Microsoft "hasn't fully finalised whether Project Helix will ship with a built-in disc drive"."
I interpreted that sentence as much shorter:
"Microsoft "hasn't fully finalised whether Project Helix will ship."
If they are going for 1 billion app sign in a day then 35 mil or even 50 mil consoles are completely meaningless. They're a rounding error. Like a really small rounding error of what, like .005%?
After today MS should just sell the entire Xbox division to PIF, in the processing of buying EA who would then just own EVERYTHING and continue their focus on AI (which will hopefully blow up in their face).
https://news.ea.com/press-releases/press-releases-details/2025/EA-Announces-Agreement-to-be-Acquired-by-PIF-Silver-Lake-and-Affinity-Partners-for-55-Billion/default.aspx
In case you missed the Microsoft AI news last week
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/02/microsoft-commits-2point5-billion-6000-employees-ai-implementation-unit.html
Re: Despite Eliminating 15% of Its Workforce, Xbox Wants a Billion Players Per Day
My best guess is Microsoft's plan is cloud streaming X-box games to Xbox accounts on smart tvs. Smart tvs are expected to be in 1.1B homes by 2027. I'm betting the similarity between those 2 numbers, X-box and smart tvs in homes, isn't simply a coincidence.
"This percentage is projected to exceed 50% by 2026, with 1.1 billion households having a smart TV."
https://scoop.market.us/smart-tv-statistics/
If not cloud streaming to accounts on smart tvs then mobile. Are Xbox accounts on iPhones yet? I suppose they could simply be counting Xbox accounts on PC, feels like it's basically built into Windows 11 at this point, but there's really no growth there.
Either way Xbox hardware is done, with or without Helix. Xbox is the next Sega, simply a matter of time. And perhaps not much time at that.
Re: 'I Know This Is Painful': Xbox Confirms 3,200 Job Losses in Industry Bloodbath
Well I guess it's safe for Sony to be active on it's social media accounts again. 😩
Re: Sony Quits Social Media for 5 Days After Killing Physical Games, Earns Multiple Community Notes
Update 3 reply:
If I'm Sony I wait it out for a few more days, at which point Microsoft is set to announce the end of Xbox, or all game development by humans being replaced by AI, or our sun is going supernova, or something.
But whatever it is, it might just make physical going away seem like an afterthought.
Then it will be OK to come back.😁
Re: 50+ PS5, PS4 Games to Buy in PS Store's July Savings Sale (North America/Europe)
I can't recall ever seeing 1 of these sales that Catherine isn't in. They might as well just call it a $10 Greatest Hits game at this point. Has Sony had any of those since the PS3? I can't recall people complaining about the red boxes in awhile.🤷♂️
Edit: OK I stand corrected. Sony did have a GH line for PS4. It was announced in 2018. That was 8 years ago, and pre-Covid, so I'm not faulting myself for forgetting, that's like ancient times.😂
https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/sony-revives-greatest-hits-program-for-ps4-games-as-playstation-hits
Re: Going Platinum: Yeah, I Kinda Cheated to Get the Hardest Trophy in Kena: Bridge of Spirits
I've been playing nearly every day on every Sony home console since 1997 and I still only have 1 plat, Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, and I still don't feel bad about that at all. 😂
Re: Sony Will Have Capacity to Continue Manufacturing Some Game Discs Beyond 2028 Cut-Off Date
Figured something like this was bound to happen. It was basically the first thing my wife said. 18 months to go.
The clock is ticking, it is over, it's just a matter of the date. I mean what if Intergalactic gets delayed to February 2028, are the just gonna go all digital with the last big PS5 game?
PS6 is a non-starter, I'm not even sure it will get a drive for bc.
Maybe AI can make a program to play old Sony discs on PC. If we can find any drives for those these days.
Re: Even Politicians Are Commenting on Sony's Decision to Stop Making Physical Games
When you read the word "politician" and you just know the photo is going to look just like that. 😂
He has a good point and maybe some new laws will get passed in the EU about words like "sold" and "ownership" when all we're really getting is a lease or rental with a TBD end date. I still don't know how they get away with calling anything cloud streaming a purchase. Cloud streaming is as rental as rental can be. 🤑
Re: Cyberpunk 2077 Now an Indisputable Success at 40 Million Units Sold
Are they including in the 40mil the number of PS4 copies sold that were refunded on PS4? I mean there's no real reason for them not too, and its possible Sony themselves refunded the $ so they don't even know how many copies were refunded, but at the time it sounded like a lot.
40 mil for a new IP still seems like a ton to me so congrats to them.
Re: 'You Will Own Nothing and Be Happy': PlayStation's YouTube Comments Are a Horror Show
@get2sammyb Speaking of Marvel Tokon, why haven't you written an article about the Captain America summer skin in Rivals?
I mean I still think it's fake, but it's funny. And who can't use a little, or a whole lot, of fun right now? 😂
https://kotaku.com/marvel-rivals-captain-america-summer-skin-physics-2000712337
Re: Sony Already Retraining Staff at PS5 Game Disc Manufacturing Facility
@GreenyD Now that is some serious "back in the day" info right there. I had no idea. But if it could happen then,why not now? Surely discs are easier to manufacture than carts?
I'm no fan of EA and I'm not saying all of the game will be on the disc, maybe just a code in a box on a disc, but I have to think if only for it's yearly sports games alone they'd want the shelf space in places like Walmart in the US.
OK, I had forgotten about the PIF deal, so, all bets are off. It's a leveraged buyout, PIF is as likely to shut the whole thing down as make discs. Crazy how much is going on in gaming that I completely forgot all about this. 😩
https://tech-insider.org/ea-goes-private-55-billion-buyout-2026/
Re: Sony's Been Planning All-Digital Future for 'Some Time', Unlikely to Reverse Decision on Game Discs
Oh, nice investigative reporting. 👍
I still think PS5 games get physical releases - PS6 is a done deal - for an extra year or so, my wife thinks a company as big as EA might want to manufacture their own, but maybe not. Which is just wrong. I mean they are selling physical drives now for like what, $100, how can they keep doing that while saying no more discs? 🤑
But it's over, I'm not debating that, just the hard stopping point. I feel like there is ALWAYS a little wiggle room built into decisions this far out. Like Cohens Mets winning a World Series in 5 years.😝
https://risingapple.com/ny-mets-steve-cohen-3-year-plan
Re: Reaction: PlayStation's Burned Through the Last Remaining Goodwill of Its Fans
@get2sammyb Good call on the legal ramifications, that could certainly be a thing in the US. GOOOAAALLLLL!! (Oops sorry, US game is on 😁)
Re: Reaction: PlayStation's Burned Through the Last Remaining Goodwill of Its Fans
@get2sammyb You kind of started to touch on this in your article, but this really seemed like an unnecessary self own by Sony.
Most of us have realized for years all digital was the future, just look at PC and mobile, so not really surprised it's going to happen to consoles as well. But announcing a blanket no physical starting January 2028 just out of the blue like this, why?
Had they announce the PS6 as all digital that might have been bad,but surely not unexpected. And with PS5 probably getting games alongside it for a few years, just keep making those physical. What harm would that have done? A few more games for a few more years. But no PS6 announcement yet, and now no PS5 games physical in 18 months, why do that to themselves? What did they think would happen?
Must be a reason, but it better be a pretty good one to not wait for the PS6 announcement and keep making PS5 games physical. Which they probably will backtrack and keep doing anyway until 2029, just wait.
Re: PS6 Will Be a Digital Console, And Sony Has Huge Questions to Answer About Backwards Compatibility
Anyone new here who wants to read up on what happened the last time Sony made a digital only handheld, the PSP Go, back in 2009, which I know is before a lot of you were here, there's a whole bunch of good articles about retailer blowback, the UMD to digital transition process or lack thereof, and how Sammy really liked it for what it was, which was a future most people weren't ready for, but it's here now.
https://www.pushsquare.com/tags/psp-go
Re: PS6 Will Be a Digital Console, And Sony Has Huge Questions to Answer About Backwards Compatibility
@get2sammyb You own a Switch. If you've owned a Wii U you know what's going to happen, no physical BC, they just tell people to buy digital. I own more Wii U games in 4 years than Switch in 8 b/c I don't double dip and already owned most of the Switch games on Wii U. I'm probably the only Switch owner who doesn't own either MK8 or BotW b/c I already owned them.
So no, no disc drive for PS6. It's why they're telling people now, as a warning shot. "Stop buying physical media, you won't be able to play them on PS6." 18 months is a long warning.
Also, I haven't seen anyone besides me mention PSP Pro, despite several articles about this now. So I suspect you're currently writing one, about how Sony had a digital only handheld 15 or so years ago, so a digital only PS6 wouldn't be uncharted territory for them. I think it failed b/c the store went down for 28 days, you can write again about that as well. And if you haven't started writing it yet, you're welcome.😁
Edit: Man, remember Twiggy? Good times.😂
https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2009/10/feature_why_is_everyone_so_angry_about_the_pspgo_twiggy_the_push_square_opinionator
Re: PlayStation Consoles to Stop Getting Disc-Based Physical Releases in 2028
Predictable. It's been heading this way for years. But it still sucks for people like me who prefer physical.
I borrow a lot of games from my library. My library actually has 3 different game sections - adult, teen, kid - located far apart in the library, and each has dozens of games. And I just bought Ghost of Yotei on disc this weekend (had $20 of Target credit from shopping). Doesn't mean I don't buy digital games, I do, a lot, but I borrow and buy physical as well.
So I don't know what I'll do now. Not get a PS6 was always tyhe plan, seems unnecessary as games will still get PS5 versions for years. Just got a Switch 2, which for me almost has better 3rd than 1st party support, so that could pick up some slack. I think the library has every Switch 2 game.
But it's still a sad day, even if it was inevitable. Pour 1 out for discs. It's PSP Go from here on out. Kids ask your parents.
Re: The Latest PS5 Firmware Update Is Available Now, Here's What It Does
Oh, sweet stability of life at last I've found you!!
Re: Where to Pre-Order GTA 6 on PS5
@Slideaway1983 "You don't recall that?"
I don't recall anything the past 6 or 7 years. I've been tested for dementia but I passed b/c I learned farm animal names in school and that's where all the points are, 1 per animal I kid you not, but anything the past few years is like a dream I know I've had but can't quite recall. I wouldn't have remembered you at all if I weren't an Oasis fan. No offense. 😁
Metric measurement - CM, mili, meter - makes way more sense than inches, feet, yards and miles, but the temps I like in farhenheit b/c there's more of them so I can measure by base 10.