It's officially over.

[dhaabi]

I encourage everyone here to comment on that blog post and let them know what you think. I know I will not be supporting Sony once this goes into effect. I will just play older games and stick to PC for newer releases.

I don't think that sort of action will make any difference, but people are certainly free to do that. Whenever news like this is announced that some people won't support, companies expect some sort of immediate backlash but know that it will quiet down in time. Sony's market statistics support that those complaining are in a minority, anyway. In the end, it all depends on consumer trends. Younger generations have become or are soon becoming adults, and they've long lived with the idea that media isn't tangible or something to own. So unless that perception changes, I don't think this decision will either.

Why wait to cease support until this goes into effect? If there comes a time when a Sony-published game releases that you're interested in, wait a while and then buy it from the secondhand market instead of buying a new copy that directly benefits them.

Oh I'm aware that it probably won't change things, but like you said as consumers our right to voice concerns should always be exercised. To be fair at least the backlash to the delisting of the PS3/Vita PSN store a few years back did make them delay things (not that it matters much now) 

Your second point regarding secondhand market is partially why Sony is doing this, though. They lose too much money by people waiting. For me I have bought many games Day 1 or new over the past few years because I want to support physical releases, and purchasing a game new helps show Sony that it's still worth supporting. If I feel like the price is justified, at least. I plan on still doing that.

For what it's worth, I did also reply to the blog post even if it's an upward battle that I think won't end in the favor of those wanting physical media to be preserved. Even if the decision is somehow delayed past January 2028, we all know it's an inevitable outcome Sony absolutely wants.

[telly]

I encourage everyone here to comment on that blog post and let them know what you think. I know I will not be supporting Sony once this goes into effect. I will just play older games and stick to PC for newer releases.

I don't think that sort of action will make any difference, but people are certainly free to do that. Whenever news like this is announced that some people won't support, companies expect some sort of immediate backlash but know that it will quiet down in time. Sony's market statistics support that those complaining are in a minority, anyway. In the end, it all depends on consumer trends. Younger generations have become or are soon becoming adults, and they've long lived with the idea that media isn't tangible or something to own. So unless that perception changes, I don't think this decision will either.

Why wait to cease support until this goes into effect? If there comes a time when a Sony-published game releases that you're interested in, wait a while and then buy it from the secondhand market instead of buying a new copy that directly benefits them.

Oh I'm aware that it probably won't change things, but like you said as consumers our right to voice concerns should always be exercised. To be fair at least the backlash to the delisting of the PS3/Vita PSN store a few years back did make them delay things (not that it matters much now) 

Your second point regarding secondhand market is partially why Sony is doing this, though. They lose too much money by people waiting. For me I have bought many games Day 1 or new over the past few years because I want to support physical releases, and purchasing a game new helps show Sony that it's still worth supporting. If I feel like the price is justified, at least. I plan on still doing that.

For what it's worth, I did also reply to the blog post even if it's an upward battle that I think won't end in the favor of those wanting physical media to be preserved. Even if the decision is somehow delayed past January 2028, we all know it's an inevitable outcome Sony absolutely wants.

Yes, agreed. At least if they do delay this decision it will mean more physical games, which to me is worth fighting for, unlike the PSN PS3/Vita issue back in 2021, which was guaranteed to close eventually. But yes, at some point what Sony's proposing will happen, it's just a question of how long it be.

But I think when that happens, a different company will step in and produce its own home console and start publishing some physical games. There's still a lot of interest and therefore money to be made from physical media, and if Sony/Xbox/Nintendo abandon the practice, someone else will move in.

And sure that's not ideal, but I actually don't think physical media will ever go away for video games, it will just be pushed into more niche spaces.

[bikingjahuty]

I'm pretty much out at this point.


I haven't been a big fan of the PS5 since it came out, but bought one back in 2021 since I figured the system would gain more and more value in terms of quality exclusives and multiple releases. We've no doubt had some of those, but I still struggle with the value proposition between what I paid for my new PS5 and how much enjoyment I've got out of it. This news guarantees I'm not buying a single brand new first party Sony game ever again, even physically. As for when everything goes digital only, I'm done buying new games on the PS5 period. This push towards a digital only future is some of the most anti-consumer, anti-ownership BS I've ever experienced, and it's clear greed is the primary factor behind it. I'm not paying Sony or anyone for a license that they can revoke when they feel like it. I'm also not buying a PS6 whenever that ends up coming out. Even if by some miracle it did support physical discs or media, the damn thing is probably going to cost $1200+ given the direction flash storage and RAM prices have been going. If I'm still struggling to see the value proposition on my PS5, there's no way in hell I'm ever going to get that with a PS6, again, assuming it actually supported physical media, which the news about the PS5 100% guarantees it won't.


As for Microsoft and Nintendo, MS has been irrelevant in my eyes since the XBONE came out like 13 years ago. I bought a used $50 XBOX just to play the dozen or so semi-exclusives it has, most of which are Halo games. Nintendo has really left a bad taste in my mouth recently with the key card crap they pulled with the Switch 2. I'm not going to lie, Star Fox and OoT remake have really tempted me to want to buy one, however I'm worried I'm going to run into the same issue I have with my PS5 where the value proposition may not be there. I refuse to buy key card games, which leaves me with just exclusive Nintendo games (not even all of them either mind you) and the handful of third party publishers that decided to go the non-key card route. I have some thoughts about where the future of gaming is headed with the XBOX brand all but being dead and this recent new from Sony, but how it relates to Nintendo is I feel they'll possibly be the only viable console manufacturer left standing, mostly do to cost. With have a virtual monopoly, they have no incentive to cater to the minority of gamers who strongly value physical media and ownership, and will likely end up going the same route as Sony during the Switch 2's life, or only offering Key Card games on new releases, including all first party titles.


I think the saddest part about all this is this unfortunate news doesn't sting as much as I thought I would. That's probably because I've been watching the game industry get progressively worse and worse for the past 20 years, but certainly with a sharp acceleration in the past 5 or 6 years. I'd all but accepted this was where gaming was going to end up. I suppose I thought we'd at least get through the current console generation before Sony and I suppose Xbox completely pulled the plug ion physical games. In terms of where this leaves me, it pretty much means I'm mostly done with modern gaming, at least from the AAA and AA space. It also really dampens my desire to even get a Switch 2, which has become the last bastion of physical ownership within gaming. I wish it ended there, but sadly this sort of just sours me on gaming in general. No, I'm not quitting video games, I probably couldn't even if I wanted to. It does however mean my enthusiasm for the medium has become damaged to say the least and I guess we'll see how this all plays out for me as time goes by.


Beyond just video games, I really hate how most of entertainment (and society as a whole) has just got worse and worse in general. It really makes you wonder where this is all headed and what the end stage of it all looks like. It makes looking back on the 90s and early 2000s feel like they occurred a century ago given how radically different things feel now, and in many ways how they objectively are radically different.

[dhaabi]

For what it's worth, I did also reply to the blog post even if it's an upward battle that I think won't end in the favor of those wanting physical media to be preserved. Even if the decision is somehow delayed past January 2028, we all know it's an inevitable outcome Sony absolutely wants.

But I think when that happens, a different company will step in and produce its own home console and start publishing some physical games. There's still a lot of interest and therefore money to be made from physical media, and if Sony/Xbox/Nintendo abandon the practice, someone else will move in.

And sure that's not ideal, but I actually don't think physical media will ever go away for video games, it will just be pushed into more niche spaces.

That's an optimistic point-of-view. While I don't doubt it could happen, it isn't easy to enter the video game market. Not only is a lot of capital needed to get it started, but the product itself needs to be good enough to actually attract a market. And yes, whatever the next platform with physical media may be will certainly be niche, but hopefully people like us in these sort of discussions will support them whenever that time comes.

Panic has demonstrated that new companies can enter the market with exclusive software, though their Playdate console only offers a digital library. I don't know how lucrative it's been for them as a platform, but it's be great if they managed to release some sort of follow-up device that plays physical media.

[bikingjahuty]

I encourage everyone here to comment on that blog post and let them know what you think. I know I will not be supporting Sony once this goes into effect. I will just play older games and stick to PC for newer releases.

I don't think that sort of action will make any difference, but people are certainly free to do that. Whenever news like this is announced that some people won't support, companies expect some sort of immediate backlash but know that it will quiet down in time. Sony's market statistics support that those complaining are in a minority, anyway. In the end, it all depends on consumer trends. Younger generations have become or are soon becoming adults, and they've long lived with the idea that media isn't tangible or something to own. So unless that perception changes, I don't think this decision will either.

Why wait to cease support until this goes into effect? If there comes a time when a Sony-published game releases that you're interested in, wait a while and then buy it from the secondhand market instead of buying a new copy that directly benefits them.

Oh I'm aware that it probably won't change things, but like you said as consumers our right to voice concerns should always be exercised. To be fair at least the backlash to the delisting of the PS3/Vita PSN store a few years back did make them delay things (not that it matters much now) 

Your second point regarding secondhand market is partially why Sony is doing this, though. They lose too much money by people waiting. For me I have bought many games Day 1 or new over the past few years because I want to support physical releases, and purchasing a game new helps show Sony that it's still worth supporting. If I feel like the price is justified, at least. I plan on still doing that.

For what it's worth, I did also reply to the blog post even if it's an upward battle that I think won't end in the favor of those wanting physical media to be preserved. Even if the decision is somehow delayed past January 2028, we all know it's an inevitable outcome Sony absolutely wants.

I can potentially see them reacting to the backlash and reversing the decision, however as you said, it's just delaying the inevitable. I think it's a pipe dream to think the PS6 will have any means to play physical games, discs or otherwise. For me, even if they did back pedal on their digital only decision in 2028, it's too little, too late. I'm done with Sony and their games now.

[bikingjahuty]

For what it's worth, I did also reply to the blog post even if it's an upward battle that I think won't end in the favor of those wanting physical media to be preserved. Even if the decision is somehow delayed past January 2028, we all know it's an inevitable outcome Sony absolutely wants.

But I think when that happens, a different company will step in and produce its own home console and start publishing some physical games. There's still a lot of interest and therefore money to be made from physical media, and if Sony/Xbox/Nintendo abandon the practice, someone else will move in.

And sure that's not ideal, but I actually don't think physical media will ever go away for video games, it will just be pushed into more niche spaces.

That's an optimistic point-of-view. While I don't doubt it could happen, it isn't easy to enter the video game market. Not only is a lot of capital needed to get it started, but the product itself needs to be good enough to actually attract a market. And yes, whatever the next platform with physical media may be will certainly be niche, but hopefully people like us in these sort of discussions will support them whenever that time comes.

Panic has demonstrated that new companies can enter the market with exclusive software, though their Playdate console only offers a digital library. I don't know how lucrative it's been for them as a platform, but it's be great if they managed to release some sort of follow-up device that plays physical media.

I doubt we're going to get a new viable console manufacturer at this point, but what I can see if a vibrant independent scene of smaller devs creating physical releases for legacy hardware. Tons of companies have done this over the years for the Dreamcast, and I can potentially see it being done for the PS4, Switch, and other older consoles. As to whether this becomes a viable business model that actually gets any sort of mainstream recognition is yet to be seen, however it will at least give some of us something to look forward to in terms of modern, physical releases.

[dhaabi]

I doubt we're going to get a new viable console manufacturer at this point, but what I can see if a vibrant independent scene of smaller devs creating physical releases for legacy hardware. Tons of companies have done this over the years for the Dreamcast, and I can potentially see it being done for the PS4, Switch, and other older consoles. As to whether this becomes a viable business model that actually gets any sort of mainstream recognition is yet to be seen, however it will at least give some of us something to look forward to in terms of modern, physical releases.

Physical media for especially older consoles certainly won't stop being released, but I never thought it would as it seems somewhat of a separate matter. I do wonder if that sort of practice can be done for modern consoles, though, since there are thorough protection measures to ensure bootleg and unofficial media render consoles obsolete. It's a topic I know nothing about, though, so maybe those sorts of markets will emerge as time goes on and more is learned.

[sworddude]

For what it's worth, I did also reply to the blog post even if it's an upward battle that I think won't end in the favor of those wanting physical media to be preserved. Even if the decision is somehow delayed past January 2028, we all know it's an inevitable outcome Sony absolutely wants.

But I think when that happens, a different company will step in and produce its own home console and start publishing some physical games. There's still a lot of interest and therefore money to be made from physical media, and if Sony/Xbox/Nintendo abandon the practice, someone else will move in.

And sure that's not ideal, but I actually don't think physical media will ever go away for video games, it will just be pushed into more niche spaces.

That's an optimistic point-of-view. While I don't doubt it could happen, it isn't easy to enter the video game market. Not only is a lot of capital needed to get it started, but the product itself needs to be good enough to actually attract a market. And yes, whatever the next platform with physical media may be will certainly be niche, but hopefully people like us in these sort of discussions will support them whenever that time comes.

Panic has demonstrated that new companies can enter the market with exclusive software, though their Playdate console only offers a digital library. I don't know how lucrative it's been for them as a platform, but it's be great if they managed to release some sort of follow-up device that plays physical media.

I doubt we're going to get a new viable console manufacturer at this point, but what I can see if a vibrant independent scene of smaller devs creating physical releases for legacy hardware. Tons of companies have done this over the years for the Dreamcast, and I can potentially see it being done for the PS4, Switch, and other older consoles. As to whether this becomes a viable business model that actually gets any sort of mainstream recognition is yet to be seen, however it will at least give some of us something to look forward to in terms of modern, physical releases.

this for sure, and we could get bigger releases on last gen consoles made by smaller companies for physical, who knows.

[spac316]

When I spend hundreds of dollars on things, I want to OWN THEM!
I hate the idea that all the things are floating out there in digital purgatory and can't hold them in my hands.
This is just the companies being greedy and trying to kill the second hand market. No longer can we lend out our games to friends or rent games like we did back then. One day you'll wake up and turn on your device and all the games you spent hundreds to get will be gone and you can't play them anymore. All because the company can and will erase it for whatever reason!

I hate this new world we are living in...