Sony to end physical disc production in January 2028

[Aragorn]

As consumer preferences and the broader entertainment industry continue to shift away from physical discs to digital, physical game disc production for all new games releasing on PlayStation consoles will be discontinued starting January 2028. Following this date, new games will be available on PlayStation Store and at retailers in digital formats only. This transition has no impact on games that already released, or will be releasing, prior to January 2028 in disc format.

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.

We’ll continue to prioritize our resources to drive innovation in how players can access games and provide choices as to where players prefer to purchase new games, whether that’s at retailers or PlayStation Store. We remain committed to delivering a world-class gaming experience to our fans and we thank you for your continued support.

Speculation is the PS6 is coming out in fall 2028. An insider claims the PS6 currently costs about $960 to assemble.

I assume Microsoft will follow suit, leaving Nintendo as the last physical media console standing.

Physical disc production ending in January 2028 for new games releasing on PlayStation consoles

In response to shifting trends in consumer preference, new games will be released on PlayStation Store and at retailers in digital formats only.

blog.playstation.com

 

[camdudetenger2018]

lol i thought disks for video games alrighty ended years ago when ps 4 1st came out

 

[Haggis and tatties]

Yoy will own nothing but will perpetually pay for that privilage. Lol

 

[Rincewiend]

Knew it was going to happen eventually when they removed the Disc-Drive and made it an add-on...

 

[F. King Daniel]

I haven't bought a physical game since 2007 and Portal 2 on PC. But if everything is digital, and the next gen of consoles will cost the same as a PC anyway... do consoles even need to exist anymore?

The next generation will be the last, and it'll be followed by a subscription-based cloud service where you don't even own a machine.

 

[Tosk]

I only just got the PS5 a few years ago, so there's no way I'm buying a PS6 so soon regardless of the digital-only bullshit.

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

When I saw this thread in the "Recent Posts" list, I didn't see that it was in the "Gaming" section. I think the last time I paid for a computer game, Infocom still existed (albeit as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Activision).

Any more, for computer games, I stick with open source freeware.

At any rate, I thought it was referring to either audio CDs or video DVD and BDs. Which are a pain in the butt to find as it is. Why anybody would want the lossy compression of an MP3, or the surface noise of vinyl, I dunno.

 

[StarMan]

The PS6 won’t be launching for under $1000 USD, and now there will be no option for trading in discs or buying secondhand.

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My only regret about selling my PS5 last year is realizing I could have made more if I’d waited until after Sony increased the price.

Can't imagine a scenario where I'd give console gaming a second look again.

 

[Akiraprise]

As consumer preferences and the broader entertainment industry continue to shift away from physical discs to digital

I really don't think this is all that true, but they aren't giving consumers much choice in the matter anymore. I agree that this will be the last console generation. Without discs, and if they are going to be selling for over $1K, may as well just purchase or build a PC.

 

[bdub76]

I really don't think this is all that true, but they aren't giving consumers much choice in the matter anymore. I agree that this will be the last console generation. Without discs, and if they are going to be selling for over $1K, may as well just purchase or build a PC.

PC gaming will become a thing at that price point, not that isn't already. But it'll make more sense to build a better PC to game and skip the console altogether. I use mine more for watching 4K films that playing games. No reason to buy another. I can buy a dedicated 4K player and build more robust PCs in the future like I did a long time ago.

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

I miss the days when even arcade video games didn't chew up more processing power than applications that actually did useful work, and games that ran on desktop computers were designed to run on anything. Suddenly getting nostalgic for all the classic Infocom games.

 

[camdudetenger2018]

I miss the days when even arcade video games didn't chew up more processing power than applications that actually did useful work, and games that ran on desktop computers were designed to run on anything. Suddenly getting nostalgic for all the classic Infocom games.

emulators are known for bringing back the old systems

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

Don't need an emulator; I still have a functioning DOS box. It runs IBM PC-DOS 2000.

 

[F. King Daniel]

emulators are known for bringing back the old systems

In theory, a modern-ish PC can play virtually everything on every system ever made up to and including Xbox 360, Switch and a bit of PS3. Although emulation for the latter is a bit shite, kind of like where N64 emulation was in 2000.

So I've heard.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Now there will be no option for trading in discs or buying secondhand.

I was hired by Electronics Boutique when the company's used game program was still fairly new. It was a part of our business, but it wasn't a primary focus. That really wouldn't happen until 2001.

New games have very little margin to the retailer, and systems have done. (When warehousing and shipping are factored in, systems are actually sold at a loss.) If EB and GameStop had never developed used game programs, they would have gone out of business long ago. Probably even before they merged in 2006.

I had vendor reps tell me that they hated the used game business. We should have been their partners in selling their product, but when we had one of their titles used, then we became their competitor. I thought as far back as the Xbox 360 launch that one day the publishers and the manufacturers would destroy the used games market. I expected it to happen by about 2011, 2012.

I'm surprised we went a couple more generations.

 

[Samurai8472]

now there will be no option for trading in discs or buying secondhand.

Basically the end of Gamestop or just pay for a digital code to download the game

The final nail on the coffin for Bestbuy too except for TV's and computer products

 

[Aragorn]

I think Best Buy gave up on the video game business a long time ago. At my nearest store, the inventory has been cut down 50-75% and it's in the back corner where there are never any employees.

Best Buy sells lawnmowers, chainsaws and exercise equipment now.

 

[Owain Taggart]

Consumer preference, yeah right. More like company's preference in funneling buyers to their store.

 

[Candleicious Ghost]

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Another video about this.

 

[Haggis and tatties]

Consumer preference, yeah right. More like company's preference in funneling buyers to their store.

Yeap, less choice for consumers only benefit the monopolies, never the consumer, so they have gone from "piracy causes price increase" to "the second hand market causes price increases", to "retail physical costs cause price increases", to now " the consumer has chosen a fully digital ecosystem and constant price increases".

And just as a added cherry on top there is talk of another PSPlus price hike coming shortly. ha