Many people raised their pitchforks believing that it would be Xbox that ultimately killed physical games. However, as Xbox and Sony continue to trade blows over who can make the most questionable decisions, Sony appears to have thrown Xbox a left hook.
In a new PlayStation Blog post, the company revealed that, and I quote, "physical disc production ending in January 2028 for new games releasing on PlayStation consoles."
Ah, it's nice being the market leader. When you're in that position, you can make what I'd consider anti-consumer decisions, and realistically, there's not much anyone can do about it. Within the blog post, Sony explained its reasoning, stating:
"This is a natural direction for Sony Interactive Entertainment to adapt to consumer trends as the general preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs. This transition will enable us to align more closely with how most of our community prefers to access and play games today."
Personally, I think the bigger motivation is that digital gives Sony far more control over how players buy and access games. If physical releases disappear, the second-hand market largely disappears with them. That means if you've been waiting months for a game to become affordable, you can no longer pick up a used copy from a retailer or even borrow a game from a friend. Instead, you're relying on Sony deciding when, or if, to discount it on the PlayStation Store.
To add insult to injury, however, Sony is also closing digital storefronts for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita in July 2027. Now, admittedly, Xbox had already closed the Xbox 360 store awhile back, and I was mad at that too.
All of this does raise the question of whether the next generation of consoles will even include a disc drive on the PlayStation 6, and I think it’s a pretty clear: no. As things stand, I'd be surprised if Sony even offered an optional external disc drive. As for Project Helix, our sources also suggest that Microsoft's next-generation console will drop the disc drive, too.
At least, if reports are true, Xbox are working on a disc to digital scheme which could help make the move to digital an easier pill to swallow (assuming it’s done well).
It's certainly a far cry from the days when PlayStation was mocking Xbox on how to share physical games with friends. Oh, and don't forget to pour one out for game preservation, as that's pretty much dead outside of certain Nintendo Switch 2 games.
Don’t worry though, guys; I’m sure good news is right around the corner and nothing bad is about to happen across the gaming industry. Which of course is sarcasm on my part.
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