Sony ending physical disc production in 2028, going digital only

[Jeff]

This market is an oligopoly. Nintendo and Microsoft will do the same thing

I can clearly see that with Microsoft, but Nintendo won't. They figure out ways on their own and will try their best to fix this mess.

 

[KamakoKamako's icon]

Wow. I knew it was coming, but it still feels strange to hear it from the horse's mouth, y'know?

January 2028 is when it stops. Damn.

 

[SamanthaSamantha's icon]

Remember when Sony were hailed as the saviors of gaming? Not greedy and backwards like Nintendo, not edgy for the sake of it like SEGA, putting Microsoft in their place when they announced user-hostile shit as the new normal.

I barely even recognize them anymore...

 

[ShinnAsukaYESTaylorSwiftNO]

Just a couple days after deleting movies from costumes libraries, how nice.

The future is retro and the backlog is endless.

And this is why the only digital downloads I buy are PC games from Steam
(I would buy games from GOG but sadly, my mother and her fiancé think that it's a scam)

 

[PhaseJump]

Remember when Sony were hailed as the saviors of gaming? Not greedy and backwards like Nintendo, not edgy for the sake of it like SEGA, putting Microsoft in their place when they announced user-hostile shit as the new normal.

I barely even recognize them anymore...

Not really. Sony brought gaming to the mainstream, but they were always greedy, backwards, anti-consumer. They always had ad firms shitting out edgy marketing. Microsoft is a trillion dollar company that never took Xbox seriously as anything more than a skunkworks side project, until they bought Activision and had to justify the cost.

Sony destroyed online store Lik-Sang for globally selling PSP hardware. They imbedded root kit spyware into their published music CDs to infect customers who used Windows PCs to listen to them. They were worse than any of their competitors.

 

[Kovlak]

It's funny cos' most of my interest was due to the pandemic and the demand for the system, so it was a bit of fomo truth be told.
I did have my own personal reasons wanting one too but looking back, if all that what happened in the past was not a thing, maybe there was a wacky universe where i didn't bother and stuck to PC.

I never upgraded because there was never much reason to. Even 6 years into the gen, I only find 5 games I'd like to own the system for, and PlayStation is already preparing for the PS6...

But I do feel bad for everyone who bought into the system's promise.

 

[ZEGA ZONICZEGA ZONIC's icon]

I guess we just pirate everything now.

 

[Eduardo2010]

Sure i respect that, but either way for me it still feels like a key upon receiving the disc.
Imagine you don't have internet for sec, you buy let's say... PS4 physical of Cyberpunk, load whatever is there on the disc by inserting it into the drive. then what? 'oh i got the crappy, rushed, incomplete build' playable or not, it depends on circumstance and the game itself.
My stance is simply that what i have in-hand is not complete by default anyway and without internet the item is barebones, practically nothing.

Game of the year editions exist

Post automatically merged: Today at 7:13 PM

Not really. Sony brought gaming to the mainstream, but they were always greedy, backwards, anti-consumer. They always had ad firms shitting out edgy marketing. Microsoft is a trillion dollar company that never took Xbox seriously as anything more than a skunkworks side project, until they bought Activision and had to justify the cost.

Sony destroyed online store Lik-Sang for globally selling PSP hardware. They imbedded root kit spyware into their published music CDs to infect customers who used Windows PCs to listen to them. They were worse than any of their competitors.

Their first 3 consoles were fully backwards compatible with each other. They have changed...

 

[Guinea]

Crazy times we're living in now gamers. I lived through 'The Era of Physical Video Games'... good times, indeed.

Epic. But not good for people who prefer physical. I'm lazy and don't care, so I'm all digital anyway.

It's crazy that game collector's will soon have a finish line for physical AAA games.

I wonder what the final physical game will be

 

[Majormachina]

Not really. Sony brought gaming to the mainstream, but they were always greedy, backwards, anti-consumer. They always had ad firms shitting out edgy marketing. Microsoft is a trillion dollar company that never took Xbox seriously as anything more than a skunkworks side project, until they bought Activision and had to justify the cost.

Sony destroyed online store Lik-Sang for globally selling PSP hardware. They imbedded root kit spyware into their published music CDs to infect customers who used Windows PCs to listen to them. They were worse than any of their competitors.

Sony even tried to ban used games in japan during the 90s. Japanese game companies in general just seem to be massive control freaks

 

[Sanomoe]

And this is why the only digital downloads I buy are PC games from Steam
(I would buy games from GOG but sadly, my mother and her fiancé think that it's a scam)

Wha... What kind of logic is that, being one good and other don't?

 

[Juiceala]

Remember when Sony were hailed as the saviors of gaming? Not greedy and backwards like Nintendo, not edgy for the sake of it like SEGA, putting Microsoft in their place when they announced user-hostile shit as the new normal.

I barely even recognize them anymore...

When was SEGA edgy for the sake of it? If anything I'd argue in the 1990s that was Sony's marketing, they saw how SEGA was targeting an older audience and pushed it all the way that it became their main marketing in the 90s.

 

[BrawlMan]

View attachment 204637

" Consumer preference" my ass. Corporate preference is more like it.

With the way these prices are going, I doubt you're going to find many people buying a PS6, unless they're high, the financially well off or super rich. This is a sony shooting themselves more in the foot with a rocket launcher full of acid.

I am serious. It's more than just emotion for a lot of people. I've already been talking with my older brother, and at this point, we're gonna stick with our emulation devices, or the Ally model my brother has. He still has his PS5 og too, so he's fine on that end as well, but he also games on PC.

Really, nobody wins in this scenario. Even when they think they are winning. This will hurt them financially by a lot, and it won't be a "minor setback". They keep putting money into live service and have not learned a single thing. They'll start making physical discs again the moment it really hits their little piggy banks.

 

[Majormachina]

When was SEGA edgy for the sake of it? If anything I'd argue in the 1990s that was Sony's marketing, they saw how SEGA was targeting an older audience and pushed it all the way that it became their main marketing in the 90s.

Sega was VERY in your face and over the top in its marketing back in the day. although they were just simply giving what people wanted. they were edgy but they were the kind of edgy 90's kids liked

 

[SamanthaSamantha's icon]

When was SEGA edgy for the sake of it? If anything I'd argue in the 1990s that was Sony's marketing, they saw how SEGA was targeting an older audience and pushed it all the way that it became their main marketing in the 90s.

Uuuhh... the entirety of the 90s? xD

Their ads were something else entirely, from celebrity endorsements to mocking the competition, to trying to coin catchphrases like Schwarzenegger on a bender xD

 

[extermist]

Crazy times we're living in now gamers. I lived through 'The Era of Physical Video Games'... good times, indeed.

Epic. But not good for people who prefer physical. I'm lazy and don't care, so I'm all digital anyway.

It's crazy that game collector's will soon have a finish line for physical AAA games.

I wonder what the final physical game will be

It probably won't stop indie or other devs from still making physical stuff just for the sake of collector's edition, special edition, etc.

I can see some publishers doing that as a "look how based I am" kind of statement.

 

[Juiceala]

Uuuhh... the entirety of the 90s? xD

Their ads were something else entirely, from celebrity endorsements to mocking the competition, to trying to coin catchphrases like Schwarzenegger on a bender xD

Maybe in the US, I dunno, I grew up in Asia, the marketing was not so in your face.

 

[BrawlMan]

Remember when Sony were hailed as the saviors of gaming? Not greedy and backwards like Nintendo, not edgy for the sake of it like SEGA, putting Microsoft in their place when they announced user-hostile shit as the new normal.

I barely even recognize them anymore...

Any fool that hailed Sony as saviors were only duping themselves, and those around them just feel special, or that they made the "right choice" and therefore are "the good guys". people really need to learn that corporations aren't your friends, let alone your supposed 'family'. Arrogant Sony was always there. It’s just full mask offs with them learning nothing.

Nintendo are not saviors, all of sudden either. People should do well to remember that, and stop looking for saviors. Any type of arrogant company is bad for the industry, and people as a whole.

 

[Git]

Remember when Sony were hailed as the saviors of gaming? Not greedy and backwards like Nintendo, not edgy for the sake of it like SEGA, putting Microsoft in their place when they announced user-hostile shit as the new normal.

I barely even recognize them anymore...

The only good thing from today is that no one will consider Sony as saviors of gaming anymore (and that discourse was already hilarious years ago btw)

 

[SamanthaSamantha's icon]

Maybe in the US, I dunno, I grew up in Asia, the marketing was not so in your face.

That makes sense — they seemed to want to tone down the home market.

really need to learn that corporations aren't your friends

That's true.

Any type of american company is bad for the industry

Well, they are both Japanese — but I do see your point.

 

[BrawlMan]

Maybe in the US, I dunno, I grew up in Asia, the marketing was not so in your face.

In the USA, EUROPE, & UK, THE MARKETING WAS VERY IN YOUR FACE. The same applies to nintendo, as well back in those days.

 

[extermist]

" Consumer preference" my ass. Corporate preference is more like it.

With the way these prices are going, I doubt you're going to find many people buying a PS6, unless they're high, the financially well off or super rich. This is a sony shooting themselves more in the foot with a rocket launcher full of acid.

I am serious. It's more than just emotion for a lot of people. I've already been talking with my older brother, and at this point, we're gonna stick with our emulation devices, or the Ally model my brother has. He still has his PS5 og, so he's final that end as well, but he also games on PC.

Really, nobody wins in this scenario. Even when they think they are winning. This will hurt them financially by a lot, and it won't be a "minor setback". They keep putting money into live service and have not learned a single thing. They'll start making physical discs again the moment it really hits their little piggy banks.

I know you say all this from a position of disappointment at sony.

But I'd be lying if I said I didn't want sony to royally fuck themselves over along with any and all good will towards them.

 

[What's His Face]

Breaking point for what though? Next to nobody even used their optical drives for multiple hardware generations. Physical games are now just annoying trash, with no benefit.

Normies are just downloading updates and playing Fortnite or Call of Duty, while subscribing to online features that also offer digital downloads and the convenience of not needing to swap plastic.

The writing is on the wall alright. Good riddance to physical media.

Your statement made me recall something. Gaming is about to do what music did 20-years ago and movies have tried to do for maybe 15-years - go all digital. However, in the last few years consumers as a whole have been reducing their expenses on said streaming services and have gone back to physical media. Not, perhaps, in droves. But enough for even the newsies to report on it back in '24 or '25. Why? Some of it is cost. Some of it is consumers getting sick of their favorite movies and shows that they want to (re)watch getting de-listed. Some of it is quality (especially music on vinyl).

I'm willing to wager that the same will happen with video games. Perhaps it'll be in the "next gen" or even the gen after that (whatever we'll call it by then if gaming does go streaming as I fear). But so long as there is a market for it, someone will make it. My bet would go to Nintendo, as their mindset has always been that of a toy company rather than a tech company. Or, hell, maybe the world ends and in the surviving world it's SEGA who releases the Neptune.

 

[BrawlMan]

That makes sense — they seemed to want to tone down the home market.


That's true.


Well, they are both Japanese — but I do see your point.

Google speak messed up. I said, arrogant and it auto corrected for some reason.

 

[PhaseJump]

Sega went under, and everybody lost their BFF childhood comfort blanket corporate brand.

OG Nintendo fans still have that psychotic day dream, as they approach 50 years old and try to force feed their idiotic children and grandchildren more mushroom kingdom slop.

Sony was edgy from day one. They had "Xtreme" bullshit like Sega hyping up their Jet Moto style crap. They had Crash Bandicoot on a bullhorn yelling at Nintendo HQ