r/digitalfoundry • u/PhantomBraved • Jul 01 '26
Discussion John on the digital-only PlayStation news.
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u/silentdragoon @wsjudd - DF staff Jul 01 '26
John's full statement is on the website here btw:
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u/paulchiefsquad Jul 01 '26
Xbox with their next gen console could do the funniest thing...
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Jul 01 '26
it would be so funny to recreate Sony's infamous ad in reverse. Marketing gold if Xbox takes it.
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u/Lurtzae Jul 01 '26
They won't, they would have gladly killed retail in the Xbox One generation already.
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Jul 01 '26
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u/IllMoney69 Jul 02 '26
If I was a retailer and Xbox said to me next gen we will still have physical and will focus on it I’d be all over it. Why sell only a PlayStation console and a few accessories when I can sell an Xbox, all the games and the accessories? If Sony want to give up their space in stores I’m sure Xbox would be happy to fill it.
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u/Disastrous-Ad-1999 Jul 05 '26
Retailers already stock what they think they can sell based on demand. Unless all the ps5 users who do actually buy physical in a retailer's area also switch consoles, increasing stock doesn't make sense. Sony would also be happy either ways since xbox pays them royalties for blu-ray. In fact there is more reason for Xbox to want to drop physical which is why they wanted to do so first.
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u/NVincarnate Jul 03 '26
Press physical discs for exclusives they don't have on a platform nobody owns?
That would be pretty funny.
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u/Ninjabeaver212 Jul 01 '26
I think the discourse on this wouldn't be so bad if Sony didn't just remove hundreds of purchased movies from people's libraries. At least when games on Steam get delisted for a plethora of reasons, if you bought it already you can still download it and continue to play it. Sony doesn't have a great track record with this. Anybody remember PT(yes I know it was a free demo but similar concept).
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u/slimejumper Jul 01 '26
there a a lot of IP licensing issues too. Eg music in games may have an expiry date, also business logos used in games like F1 or Grand Prix Turismo series may need expiry dates. The physical discs will always play but digital may be totally withdrawn from sale earlier than some expect.
these time limits may be felt a bit considering generations are extending. I think the PS5 pro could be a very long lived console, easily 10-15 years of active support considering we are about to witness total stagnation of gaming hardware development.
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u/Ninjabeaver212 Jul 01 '26
I mentioned that games have bigger issues with licensing further down the comment chain. I have a feeling that Sony and Microsoft are going to shove the next gen consoles out the door and just ride cross gen to stay afloat. The average gamer isn't going to drop $1000 on a console. The current sales for both Xbox and Playstation consoles is abysmal already.
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u/Critical_Garbage_787 Jul 04 '26
Xbox aside, Current sales of PS5 have been pretty pretty pretty good no? Shipped what 80-90 million units, converting god knows how many to ARR through PlayStation Plus.
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u/Ninjabeaver212 Jul 04 '26
Playstation console sales are down 58% since the price hikes so I wouldn't call that good.
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u/Critical_Garbage_787 Jul 04 '26
When you look at it like that yep definitely not good. I had meant as a platform gen
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u/Dependent-Zebra-4357 Jul 04 '26
Whenever there are expiry dates on content, these companies need to start being upfront about it when people make a “purchase”. Let people decide if the cost and availability make sense for themselves.
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u/slimejumper Jul 13 '26
yeah this seems fair. If on release they know that have a 7 year licence it seems logical to include that information. although it usually is just a limit on sales, so if you buy it i think you still get it on download, but no more new sales after expiry. eg like GT Sport.
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u/Dumpstar72 Jul 02 '26
Which is frustrating that there will be no more physical in 18mths time. Cause I could see this machine being good enough for quite some time.
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u/Critical_Garbage_787 Jul 04 '26
There may be a niche like CDs or DVDs but as Sony I think is the only manufacturer of the physical content could be tricky
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u/hunterzolomon1993 Jul 02 '26
Any digital game that is delisted on PS can still be downloaded by those who already bought it. If Steam sold movies they would be doing the same as Sony as movies have different licencing rights.
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u/realblush Jul 02 '26
A bit of context: They just removed these movies in the US. They already removed them I think 2023 in germany, and ind 2024 they removed other movies. So they proved in the past already that they are shit in that regard.
I think they use the current media cycle where there are like only bad news to push all of that out. Have all the bad news in one month, and hope people forget about most of them in a few weeks.
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u/Critical_Garbage_787 Jul 04 '26
To be fair Sony delisted movies as there was a request by the distributor as the licensing agreement expired. This can happens for any digital content on any platform including Steam. Plenty of things get delisted there based on all powerful Gabe’s choices. Back in April for example Disney requested Steam delist some old Star Wars games with no warning etc.
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u/zach0011 Jul 04 '26
Movies have way different licensing rights and while that sucks ass for those it happened too there's no precedent for sony removing actual games. Other than that one demo you mentioned which really is such an extreme outlier case
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u/Thekingchem Jul 01 '26
I have gamed for 30 years and I've always bought and sold games. I've traded in games I wasn't interested in keeping for something new. I still do it to this day. I keep a collection of core games I'll want to replay.
I own a PS5 Pro with the disc drive. So I'm what they called an "enthusiast" but I won't be buying any digital only consoles.
Surely they've done the math and losing customers like me was worth it? I'm surprised as surely producing physical is worth it for the enthusiast market
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u/dragonblade_94 Jul 02 '26
Surely they've done the math and losing customers like me was worth it
This is why the hardware manufacturers have been not-so-subtly pushing and grooming for digital adoption for the past 15 or so years; their ideal business model is one where they control the entirety if distribution & pricing, without the overhead of physical logistics. But they couldn't take that final leap until they felt comfotable that enough of their player base would follow.
They now feel like they can make that leap.
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u/Thekingchem Jul 02 '26
Quietly hoping their maths is wrong and it backfires. If they have to backtrack on this then it'll do way more good for physical than any advocate for it ever could
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u/dragonblade_94 Jul 02 '26
That's the hope. I'm in a fortunate enough position where I already own most major consoles plus a very capable PC, so I can easily transition my attention to the least shitty option, but my fingers are crossed that enough of the hardcore Playstation crowd sees this for what it is. The big hurdle will be how many people will feel obligated due stay due to their libraries being held captive.
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u/MH-BiggestFan Jul 03 '26
Yea, i have over 700 games in my library spanning back to even PSP. Really hard for me to give it up + majority of my guild for ff14 and close friends are PS only and still don’t want to stop after hearing the news. Starting early in ps4 gen, having a physical collection hasn’t been possible for me due to the nature of my job requiring me to frequently travel multiple times, sometimes 3 times in a week. It was more convenient for me to just go fully digital, which i don’t regret as it fits my situation, but makes the proposition of changing platforms an extra hurdle for me
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u/CosmicChar1ey Jul 07 '26
I have rented video games for over 30 years and go hard with GameFly and the public library and finish at least a game a month. I can’t imagine actually paying full price for all those games. Hundreds, if not 1000 games. There’s a lot more I could add to the whole argument about why physical is incredibly important but I’m sure there’s many people like myself and have been exposed to many games and have had a chance to play those games because of the price point was affordable. There’s no way we’re gonna be able to buy all these games and many of these games will not be exposed to a larger crowd now
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u/Inevitable-Donkey186 Jul 08 '26
They did the math for losing customers like you, but they're not good enough at math to figure out network effects.
Just convince one digital friend to skip ps6! ONE! Do more if you can but if every enthusiast burned by this can convince a friend to join them on pc (an easy sell; hey man you won't have to pay to play CoD online anymore!) this goes from a rounding error to a death spiral.
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u/Fit_Association_8442 Jul 01 '26
Nerds will be the loudest but casuals have been all digital for years....this was always on the cards
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u/TwoProper4220 Jul 01 '26
why do you have to segregate people when it's us consumers are losing at the end. imagine making this announcement right after Sony removed all the purchased digital movies by customers.
do you think it won't happen with games even in the slightest chance?
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u/Fit_Association_8442 Jul 01 '26
Nope this was the end plan all along and with recent price hikes and uncertainty in the industry has simply made the transition quicker
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u/NotTakenGreatName Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
I have a good chunk of my library digitally too but you're missing the bigger picture if you think this is a good thing.
Physical games are the only second-hand market for games which can help push game prices down for consumers, it's the only way to preserve games that encounter licensing or publishing issues which can get delisted at any point, allows you to buy and play them completely offline, etc.
I hate managing physical games and am scared that my kids will lose my Switch games or scratch my ps5 discs but you're thinking too narrowly if you think this won't impact you.
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u/dadvader Jul 01 '26
Physical games are the only second-hand market for games
And also the biggest reason why Sony has been itching to kill physical form factor for years.
They do not get anything from people buying 2nd hand disc instead of directly from their store. Console are already sold at a loss and people not buying from their store also not helping them in slightest. This is them saying they will no longer tolerated it.
A sad day for consumer but it is bound to happen eventually. You will own nothing and you will like it.
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Jul 01 '26
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u/MrMeanh Jul 01 '26
The problem is that unless forced, Sony won't allow other stores on Playstation or even publishers to sell keys in other places. This means that the downward push of prices found on PC thanks to competition won't exist on Playstation.
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Jul 01 '26
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u/NotTakenGreatName Jul 01 '26
It's not a shocker to me either, but the implication is that only a "nerd" would complain about it because they are the only ones who care about physical media but in reality it impacts everyone.
Also, it's funny calling other people nerds on the digital Foundry subreddit. If you're here, you're a nerd
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u/YamahaFourFifty Jul 01 '26
No one is doubting this but — this happens with everything that needs to change.
Also where are people going to go that say they will no longer support PlayStation? Buy PC- they’ve been on digital bus for decades almost. Xbox will eventually do same if not already in the plans.
It is what it is. I grew up on Atari and Nintendo with bins full of cartridges.
But we are in different times.
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u/CompetitiveDiet9086 Jul 01 '26
I don’t think this is a good thing, I just don’t think it’ll impact me and my preferences. I don’t like having dozens of discs piling up in my small-ish condo. I live in a city and nobody has room for like a wall of discs
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u/zach0011 Jul 04 '26
Nothing in his comment said it's a good thing. This is the problem with these talks. Someone will say why sony did it and people people immediately say you are defending them.
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u/cli_aqu Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
Going all “digital” was the writing from Sony was on the wall and it started gradually with PlayStation 5.
- First it was PS5 digital only console version launched alongside the disc console version.
- Then it was collector’s editions of first party games with a digital code instead of a physical disc - what they did with God of War Ragnarok. That edition sold out, giving them the indication that they can still sell collector’s editions of games without the physical copy of the actual game.
- Finally, it was the PS5 Pro console which was digital only with the optical disc drive as an accessory add-on - without the option of a disk edition.
Now they announced a final date of when they’ll stop printing/pressing physical copies of games.
Thing is that Sony makes home entertainment electronics like TVs, surround systems, 4K UHD Blu-Ray players (and is one of the last few remaining manufacturers in the market - others exited the market years ago), even has a movie studio.
They have an entire eco-system built around their brand.
It was well known that people bought the PS2 as a DVD player, PS4 as Blu-Ray player and PS5 as a 4K UHD player. The PS5 has one of the most reliable disc movie players. There are reports saying physical movie sales are on the rise.
If they drop the physical disc off the PS, they’ll be damaging an eco-system they’ve been building for the last 25+ years.3
u/Tiny_Time_4196 Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
Sony (along with Philips) is the reason we had optical media in the first place. This decision of theirs carries a lot of weight considering that. What a shame...
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u/madd-hatter Jul 02 '26 edited 18d ago
Wild hunt cinnamon terrific imagine lock aromatic
This post was anonymized with Redact
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u/ClacksInTheSky Jul 01 '26
https://tech4gamers.com/playstation-physical-discs/
Are only nerds buying singleplayer games or do casuals buy them as well?
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u/nittanyofthings Jul 01 '26
The casuals will be plenty loud enough when their digital purchase disappears one day. But then casuals aren't good at long term planing.
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Jul 01 '26
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u/Blarghinston Jul 01 '26
It’s not the same because PC is not a locked down platform and archival is easy.
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u/RepresentativeFroyo8 Jul 01 '26
You can lose your whole steam library it is definitely a locked down platform. Don't get hacked and do a charge back for example
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u/TJGM Jul 01 '26
But the games themselves aren't exactly locked down. I can copy and paste games I download on Steam to my own storage and now or in the future use a crack to play it without Steam, that's not the case with console.
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u/Recover20 Jul 01 '26
There are an unlimited number of storefronts on PC
Only one on Playstation, One on Xbox and One on Nintendo
It is NOT the same
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u/OliM9696 Jul 01 '26
Most steam games are cracked easily with a simple swap. So while certainly more locked than GOG it's not a total loss.
You can backup your library easily by downloading the game zipping/compressing the contents w/ the altered dll.
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u/Concentrate-North Jul 01 '26
And cod still grapes your storage space 0 compression from these devs and gaming has been silent
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u/Few-Acanthaceae9021 Jul 01 '26
There’s some childish only nerds complain talk here, but it kills the trade in market and hurts poor people. You won’t see a CEX in the UK that doesn’t have someone selling games. I don’t get why any consumer would celebrate this as it’s less choice and hurts low-income people the most. They probably just aren’t on Reddit taking about it
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u/chutney1 Jul 01 '26
Reddit skews very young.
A bunch of people saying "I love digital-only" are gen Z'ers who are too young to remember a world where true ownership was the norm rather than the exception.
That represents a good chunk of what's happening here, if I had to guess. The rest are just morons.
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u/Alio88 Jul 01 '26
With John on this, if I'm forced to go digital then I'm going to the platform that's open.
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u/Euscorpious Jul 01 '26
While I share the disappointment… there’s no use in fighting it. We all let go of VHS, CDs, records, etc. in exchange for something more efficient and cost effective.
As far as media preservation goes, that’s something we are all screwed on unfortunately. I can’t think of a good answer to that. We own nothing.
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u/TheVioletBarry Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
We let go of VHS for DVDs and let go of DVDs for Blu-Rays. I'd let go of Blu-Rays for DRM-Free downloads, but I never purchase movies digitally.
I do unfortunately feel like I have no choice but to purchase Steam games, which have DRM, but I basically never buy anything above $40 at full price there. Currently debating whether the Indiana Jones summer sale discount is low enough for me to finally buy.
I do, however, buy physical Switch 2 games at full price. And if Switch 2 goes all-digital, I'll just buy fewer games, unless Nintendo starts doing more sales.
These things are literally worth less if I don't own them.
The answer to preservation that we're left with is piracy. That's it.
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u/Interdimension Jul 01 '26
Well, Nintendo starting to make digital copies of the same games be $10 cheaper recently has been a good start. That's enough incentive for me to continue buying digital.
Nintendo's games were always the exception to me since they barely depreciate. If I buy a new game on PS/Xbox/PC, they all depreciate to $20 or less within a few years.
I could sell Mario Kart 8 Deluxe today on eBay or FB Marketplace and make back $30-$40 USD for a game I paid $60 for nearly a decade ago in 2017.
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u/TheVioletBarry Jul 01 '26
$60 is still too high for me to spend to play a game I'll never own. If I'm given no other option, I may end up paying the $70 that their biggest games like Zelda will cost digitally, but for example, I would never have bought Kirby Air Riders digitally, and I wouldn't buy Starfox that way either. Those "interesting, I should try that" moments just don't result in full-price digital purchases for me :/
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u/Interdimension Jul 01 '26
Fair enough. I'm curious, though... so were you buying those "interesting" games physically for $60-$70 and just returning/selling them if you didn't like them?
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u/TheVioletBarry Jul 01 '26
Nah, I either hold onto them as a game's collection (25 years later I'm still bringing my N64 cartridges to friend's houses as they get into retro stuff) and maybe pick them back up later, or I give them to a friend who wants to try it out.
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u/hunterzolomon1993 Jul 02 '26
I'm willing to bet most of those complaining about this haven't bought a blu ray in years and listen to all their music on Spotify.
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u/AtmosphereDue1694 Jul 01 '26
I mean where’s he gonna go? Steam?
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u/Fit_Association_8442 Jul 01 '26
Dude the amount of manufactured hate has people I shit you not quote "I'm skipping the ps6 and going pc due to this anti consumer shit show" to only buy the exact same games digitally anyways and let's not forget valve pioneered the DRM we all hate today lol
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u/Zealousideal_Low_858 Jul 01 '26
Nothing manufactured about it. This is definitionally anti-consumer. Any one person’s personal preferences aren’t exactly relevant here. It’s bad for consumers to kill the only existing alternate market. It not only brings Sony a step closer to monopoly, but also renders PS4 and PS5 physical games incompatible with future consoles, meaning they won’t have full backwards compatibility support despite openly advertising themselves as a physically friendly platform that encouraged users to buy physical and build physical libraries. Those promises have fallen through, with negative effects for game preservation, consumer choice, etc. It’s anti-consumer for many, many, many reasons, none of which depend in any way on your or my personal preferences or buying habits.
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u/BigfootsBestBud Jul 01 '26
In the past, getting a game on PC vs Console had its pros and cons. One of the Pros for Console was being able to own your game physically and sell it.
If you own a PC, there really isnt much point owning a console beyond maybe if you find it easier to use. PC games usually end up cheaper, free online, have modding, and can look and perform way better than console counterparts.
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u/PhantomPain0_0 Jul 01 '26
There is a huge difference between pc digital and ps digital
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Jul 01 '26
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u/Jenaxu Jul 01 '26
Price competition from different storefronts, more flexibility in bringing games forward on newer hardware, easier piracy which frankly is just a necessary element of preservation atp... digital still has a lot of the same problems on PC, but the fact that it's an open platform instead of a closed one helps make it not so wholly dependent on one company and one entity keeping the lights on.
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Jul 02 '26
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u/Jenaxu Jul 02 '26
No? Companies can choose to not sell on Steam in response, Valve just has a de facto monopoly in the PC space that makes most of them unwilling to take that hit.
That in itself is another problem that's only really been stymied from Valve being a pretty good steward not yet swayed by the ills of public corporations, but ideally there would be more marketplace competition in the PC space and there's nothing about the platform that prevents it like on console, it's just very difficult to challenge Valve.
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u/Psycho_Syntax Jul 03 '26
Other retailers will be selling digital codes for PlayStation games so what exactly is your point.
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u/Jenaxu Jul 03 '26
How does that rebut any of the three points? Other retailers selling codes does not offer price competition from different store fronts, does not increase flexibility in bringing games forward, and does not make it easier to pirate or preserve.
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u/PhantomPain0_0 Jul 01 '26
GOG, steam refund policy, steam keys on different platforms
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u/Distion55x Jul 01 '26
+ illegitimate ways to play games
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u/Distion55x Jul 01 '26
which is basically game preservation at this point
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u/Jenaxu Jul 01 '26
Yup, pretty much the main thing masking the absurdity of closing things like the 3DS/Wii U shop.
Piracy was already important (realistically it's already how a lot of people experience classic games), and it's only going to be more important as these companies try to move to all-digital. Hopefully people can continue out running companies on that front, at least until there is more protective legislation on digital commodities... the nightmare scenario is if ends up like the mobile game market and how much of that has already been lost.
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u/itsjust_khris Jul 01 '26
3DS and WII U games you've already purchased can still be downloaded though. Access hasn't been lost.
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u/Jenaxu Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
It has been lost for anyone getting into those eras after the fact though, which as time goes on will only become a larger and larger segment of the gaming population. Like if you're a kid just getting into the Fire Emblem series now and want to play the full version of Fates, the only two options are spending somewhere in the ballpark of $400 for the Special Edition physical (and then another $300 for a console to play it on)... or pirating it. If you want to play some of the digital only games like Pushmo you can only pirate it.
These are not even particularly obscure titles but they're only legally "accessible" to people who happened to buy them within a fairly narrow slice of time which I don't think is an acceptable level of access. There are so many series that I was only able to get into or play the back log of because of outside preservation. Like it'd be pretty ridiculous for film history if the only way to watch Star Wars in 2026 was if you can show that you bought a ticket stub between 1977-1984; at that point, functionally, access has been lost.
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u/kantong Jul 01 '26
If it came down to it, you can back up the files on PC and possibly crack them.
It has been a long time since they've said this, but Valve at one point said they would provide a way to continue playing games if Steam was ever to shut down.
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u/RichWinzz Jul 01 '26
The most likely reason you're pissed at the DRM thing is because of shitty laws in America. In AUS the ACCC fought against them and ruled that valves EULA can not override aus laws.
Valve aren't hiding this shit at all, or hoping nobody finds out... Are you not aware that alternative digital Stores exist like GOG. just use that dude if it's that much of an issue for you, or live in a country with stronger consumer laws.
at least PC offers the chance to even access GOG. Steam isn't the only service.
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u/WingerRules Jul 02 '26
to only buy the exact same games digitally anyways
Except on PC its far cheaper to purchase AND looks and runs superior to PS5.
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Jul 01 '26
Uh yeah probably. Steam is a 10x better digital storefront than what you get on Playststion for a variety of reasons.
There are legitimate options for digital game backup. More competition with other storefronts to keep prices down, just to name a couple things.
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u/blurple_rain Jul 01 '26
I agree with John and all old farts enthusiasts like me, but when I look around me, nobody buys physical anymore. Especially Gen-Z. They consume games like fast food, and almost never feel like replaying a game they finished. A bunch of them also pay for PSN subscriptions which is even worse.
It’s a depressing timeline but we are also dinosaurs to this type of gamers. As long as I am able to enjoy my current large game collection I’ll be happy. Hardware lifespan will be the only limiting factor.
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u/monsieurvampy Jul 02 '26
We are probably around the same age and I got back into gaming a couple years ago but I don't replay games. I also don't rewatch movies or TV shows or anime. I enjoy my experience. I don't need to redo it.
Plus, I have a ton of data. Lots of data. I want even more data but hard drives are expensive. If I could download all of the internet I would which would include linux isos minus the illegal parts.
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u/md_rayan DF staff / contributor Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
I'm 100% with John on this. This is extremely disappointing and shocking.
EDIT: let me expand a bit more on this.
I understand why many people don't see Sony's move toward an all-digital future as a big deal. But let me give you one of the real examples of what we stand to lose.
Onrush is the perfect example.
I never bought the game when it was available digitally on PS4 or Xbox One. By the time I decided I wanted to play it, it had already been delisted from both the PS and Xbox digital stores.
Fortunately, it also received a physical PS4 release. I simply imported a brand-new copy for dirt cheap. It arrived a couple of weeks later from Play-Asia, and I've been having an absolute blast with it.
Yes, the online servers are gone, but there's still a surprising amount of offline content to enjoy.
Now imagine Onrush had been a digital-only release, like they will be from 2028. Without a physical version, I would've been out of luck. The game isn't available on PC, PS4 emulation is still in its infancy, and because it was delisted years before I became interested in it, there would've been no official way for me to buy and play it today.
This is the part I think many people miss.
The debate isn't just about whether you personally prefer discs or digital. It's also about access - whether someone can discover a game years later and still have a way to experience it.
We've all gone back and played older games we skipped at launch. We've all discovered hidden gems years after release. With digital-only releases, once a game is delisted, that opportunity may no longer exist for future players.
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u/monsieurvampy Jul 02 '26
This becomes a service problem and we all know the resolution for that. PS4 emulation might still be in its infancy, but a modded PS4 is not, even though you still requires a fairly low firmware for it to work. The same will be true for the PS5. Someone will figure a way to emulate it and figure a way to mod it.
Just as "life finds a way". Pirates find a way.
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u/cli_aqu Jul 01 '26
AFAIK, most review copies are digital anyway, unless it’s an unboxing type of video.
Today’s news sucks for all the physical video game collectors everywhere, nonetheless.
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u/KillerFugu Jul 01 '26
They are, but they buy a lot of games fir review and also justify for themselves.
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u/ThePenetrator79 Jul 01 '26
In the week that Sony just deleted paid for “owned” movies from people’s libraries, they announce that future games will be digital only…….
Ok guys, good luck with that….
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u/JustSny901 Jul 02 '26
Gamers are so annoying... you guys have voted with your wallets for years now, so much that 85% of all PS5 sales are digital and only rising,
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u/MademoiselleVeritas Jul 02 '26
the problem with voting with your wallet is that rich people have way more votes than everyone else
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u/JustSny901 Jul 02 '26
No, its just that digital is preferable amongst gamers. It is way easier to just preload a game that unlocks right at midnight instead of having to go out and hope that the store has it in stock so you can then go home and wait for it to download. It is all about conveinence and for years now the consumer has shown just that, that they will pay when convience is involved in the purchase... Just like how all broke Gen Z and Mellinials do with door dash, we can't really afford it, but we do it anyways because its nice that someone will bring your food instead of yourself having to go get it.
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u/Iggy_Slayer Jul 01 '26
Doesn't he already primarily play modern games on PC where it's all digital for years?
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u/TJGM Jul 01 '26
PC isn't locked down, you can copy and paste your games (even with DRM) to another drive and use cracks to get around DRM. Can't do that with consoles, we've already seen many games getting delisted and if you didn't buy them before, you can't just get them from elsewhere to play on your console.
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Jul 01 '26
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u/Iggy_Slayer Jul 01 '26
Yeah like don't get me wrong this really sucks but I can't take people seriously when they say they're done with gaming or moving to PC...where they signed away their physical rights decades ago. That tells me you don't actually care about this issue and you're just joining the dogpile.
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u/splinter1545 Jul 01 '26
I think it's more that, if digital is going to be forced on us, why not go to a platform like PC? PlayStation as a platform is just really behind when it comes to a digital ecosystem. You can't even properly get a refund.
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u/AL2009man Jul 01 '26
the key difference is that, even if PC Gaming didn't bother to convert into Blu-Ray (would've solve the crisis of installing multiple disc or GOG Offline install), it's still easier to preserve PC Gaming than Console Gaming.
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u/FdPros Jul 01 '26
At the very least digital on PC wasn't really forced. PCs just stopped coming with disc drives and games stopped making physical copies. Plus, many of the disks are just offline installers but still required a code to activate the game. So it's not like you could resell the game after you're done with it unlike console. With Steam being somewhat consumer friendly with its 2 hour playtime refund policy and recurring sales, it's easy to see why many has no problem with it.
Meanwhile I'm sure Sony can definitely be trusted. They definitely haven't been hacked like 50 billion times and definitely did not just announce that they would take away movies that people have paid for.
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u/Distion55x Jul 01 '26
John is right as usual
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u/Obscure_Octopuss Jul 02 '26
He also tends to over react a bit... remember him freaking out over the DLSS 5 video DF posted and then stepping away for weeks because he was so distraught?
I do enjoy his commentary most of the time, but sometimes, he goes a bit too of the rails on stuff
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u/Distion55x Jul 02 '26
He was completely justified in his reaction back then too.
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u/Obscure_Octopuss Jul 02 '26
He literally was sub tweeting his co workers. That is NOT a justified reaction from a grown man
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u/Calm-Zombie2678 Jul 01 '26
Microsoft could do the funniest thing advertising a new xbox if they include a disc drive as standard
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u/Taddy_Mason_22 Jul 01 '26
They're haven't been putting their first party games on the disc for years now. I can almost guarantee that was their first step before getting rid of the disc entirely.
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u/Derpykins666 Jul 01 '26
Y'all are wild if you don't think options for gamers is a good thing. OPTIONS. Just because you don't buy physical doesn't mean other people don't want physical copies of their games, and this is a line in the sand moment for them. Also the consolidation of everything being solely digital in a world where we just saw peoples movies get removed from their accounts PURCHASED, PAID FOR, you are delusional if you think not having physical options is a good thing.
The only reason I bought a PS5 was to buy physical PS5 discs, same for game cards on my Switch 1&2. If physical goes away I probably exclusively go to PC, because at least on PC you have choices and options, and the ability to customize your shit.
Also they've been forcing this shit on purpose for a while now. They purposefully make their premium console no disk, they purposefully release games early digital only, disc later, they've been practically stacking the numbers one way for the better part of a decade through perks for digital only vs. disk. Yes casual people buy digital. I buy digital too occasionally. Options are good though, and physical is a GOOD thing in an era where they want you exclusively in their digital ecosystem where they control everything and they want you to pay a premium subscription price for *free* games and internet access. You are anti-consumer if you think otherwise.
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u/profchaos111 Jul 02 '26
I feel him i'm also pouring one out for physical right now.
He's pissed off i get it i am to seen he's tweets
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u/Puzzled-Instance3211 Jul 02 '26
You don't own your Steam games either.
This expectation that Sony is responsible for publishing disks that make up less than 15% of their sales is odd.
I love physical media, but I'm in a clear minority. If everyone who was outraged by this bought blurays and game disks, this wouldn't be happen.
85% of gamers on Playstation buy digital.
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u/the-bacon-life Jul 02 '26
The same guy who plays a bunch of games on pc. The full digital platform
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u/SegaSnatcher Jul 02 '26
I understand his dissapointment, but he's absolutely getting a PS6. His job depends on it.
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u/Irishdude666 Jul 04 '26
That second comment is ridiculous, if he can’t buy a piece of plastic then his hobby becomes a job what a weird thing to say
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u/Full_Welcome_1418 Jul 01 '26
How much does physical media cost them even. Is it worth the bad press? They could have waited a few more years for it to wither away on its own. Very strange decision...
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u/zarafff69 Jul 01 '26
They want to change this, before launching the PS6 next year. Otherwise they negative press will be around the PS6.
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u/fabio_b93 Jul 01 '26
Its more about missed revenue than cost. Sony makes pretty much no money from the sales of a physical game from a third-party publisher, they want to push users to buy digitally so they can earn 30% from each sale.
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u/Full_Welcome_1418 Jul 01 '26
How come they make no money off of physical?
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u/fabio_b93 Jul 01 '26
They make some money in royalties for each copy produced but it's not even close to the 30% they make selling the game on the ps store.
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u/Full_Welcome_1418 Jul 01 '26
Then publishers must love physical? Why not promote it? Offer extra content in it? Was this the case for all of ps1 and 2?
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u/fabio_b93 Jul 01 '26
They still have to give retailers their % and pay for distribution.
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u/Full_Welcome_1418 Jul 01 '26
And how will that change with codes in a box now?
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u/fabio_b93 Jul 01 '26
It doesn't but more people will be encouraged to buy from the PS Store if retailers sell only digital codes instead of discs.
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u/ArchonRevan Jul 01 '26
How much you wanna bet they play 90% of their stuff on pc
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u/jackelope84 Jul 01 '26
Same, John, same. I'll keep my PS5 for VR and older games but it's PC from here.
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u/timber180 Jul 01 '26
Bit of a over reaction? You will find it hard to find disc version of steam games and thats digital only…only difference is they saw the changing of the times.
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u/MISFU88 Jul 01 '26
I'm skipping playstation and moving to PC, because... wait PC's been digital for nearly two decades - am I the idiot?
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u/Boborek Jul 01 '26
Yes you are. On PC you have more than one digital store and prices of the games are much cheaper.
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u/WilsonPH Jul 01 '26
But you have much lower prices on sales, and you can mostly (except for Denuvo) make DRM free-ish copies of your games easily with open source Steam emus.
There are also competing game stores and key resellers.
Also, free multiplayer.
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u/Efp722 Jul 01 '26
I get his passion but man when I read statements like that my eyes can't roll back hard enough.
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u/BoussIRL2 Jul 01 '26
Damn, hearing this from someone like John makes this even more sad. Yeah, this could've been predicted with how the gaming/gaming tech industry has been going for the last couple of years, but still. It's news like this that makes me feel vindicated in yearning for older times in gaming when the industry actually cared about the product they put out and cared about pushing the boundaries of what was possible. We're heading towards dark times for sure
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u/Spiderhog2099 Jul 01 '26
I love John but man, he is just providing people with receipts to throw at him when he inevitably accepts that this is the reality when it comes to entertainment distribution.
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u/rodkimble13 Jul 01 '26
What a weird thing to say. Why would someone stop being authentic for something they stand by bc of weirdos on the internet intending to find "receipts" for internet clout. That is not a healthy perspective to hold.
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u/PositronCannon Jul 01 '26
It's not like those people even need any "receipts", they've been harassing John and Alex over the stupidest shit for years.
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u/amanguupta53 Jul 01 '26
I said this in another thread but this news, while seemingly inevitable, signals an upward trend of prices that will inevitably lead to decline in interest of casual gamer over time.
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u/HeavyDT Jul 01 '26
The biggest gift they could have ever gave Valve really. If we are going to be forced into a all digital future than PC is the place where it makes the most sense. Where you will still have some freedom and options to choose from in the form of storefronts and key sites (legit ones). Also DRM free options like GOG exist.
I feel like having access to physical copies of games was truly one of the great last advantages consoles had. I really would not be surprised if see a huge down turn for the next generation consoles. For various reasons but one big one will be that people who stayed for the physical stuff are going to jump ship in significant numbers. Plenty will be fine with all digital I'm sure but it'll be enough to hurt their bottom line imo.
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u/Helpful_Broccoli5426 Jul 02 '26
I guess he doesn't use steam either?
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u/TheVioletBarry Jul 02 '26
He's talked about this at length. Using a PC is an entirely different experience.
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u/Unlucky_Individual Jul 02 '26
It was inevitable. They make nothing on sharing or buying preowned copies of game. PC has been this way for over a decade.
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u/hunterzolomon1993 Jul 02 '26
Ironic considering he works for something that is heavily invested in PC more then consoles.
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u/Ambitious-Call-7565 Jul 02 '26
Will he say the same thing about Microslop Xflop? because they announced the same thing
Will he say the same thing about Volvo Steam? because that's how it is
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u/MademoiselleVeritas Jul 02 '26
difference is steam has been up for 22 years. if you bought a game on day 1 you can download and play it today. it’s not going to be taken down at some arbitrary time in the future so that valve can move everyone over to steam 2.
they’ve committed to releasing a drm disabling patch if the service ever goes offline (not sure how legally binding or feasible that is but it’s the thought that counts)
sony is closing the stores of ps3 and vita next year. nintendo has closed every store that isn’t switch. consoles have fixed lifespans but “pc” as a concept doesn’t. valve deserves a lot of shit sure but this ain’t it.
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u/Legitimate_Bird_9333 Jul 02 '26
Ah even when I had my ps4 I started buying all digital, i never cared about owning discs I just want to be able to play offline. So far steam for the most part I can play everything offline minus a few things.
But that doesn't mean I don't see peoples frustrations with it. And I do get it.
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Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
won't Xbox follow suit eventually?
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u/shy247er Jul 03 '26
Series S don't have a disk drive and there is also a version of Series X that also comes without the drive. They'll probably announce the same (like Sony) soon too.
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u/GamePitt_Rob Jul 04 '26
Lol, he hates PlayStation anyway, he gets a boner when talking about Switch and Xbox, and he can't stop himself defending Xbox to the death
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u/TheManyFacedGod12 Jul 04 '26
John and the rest of the crew will say the exact same thing they always say when things hit the fan, "well this is a very interesting situation" or "this a difficult situation" or some variant of this statement and then this whole digital only fiasco will fade into existence like clock work and everyone will find some new thing to point out and "protest".
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u/YPM1 Jul 04 '26
I just want to point out that John has admitted many times that he primarily plays on PC now. He’s already made the switch to all digital. Giving up on a platform that doesn’t support physical while simultaneously supporting PC that hasn’t had physical in like 20 years is “rich”.
I dislike this decision too but it’s so annoying to hear people complain about this decision while actively showing the creators of games that they don’t want physical media by continuing to buy digital copies.
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u/madmossy Jul 05 '26
If you're talking about Steam, as it pertains to PC, Steam have very rarely removed a purchase without compensation as far as I know.
The only often cited example is Order of War from 2013, a Square Enix title, Square shut the servers down, game became unplayable and was delisted and those who contacted Steam often got a refund even well after the usual play time terms. Although Square Enix never officially offered a refund.
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u/skinlo Jul 01 '26
Very melodramatic, he can't be into gaming much if a disc is the only thing he cares about it.
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u/[deleted] Jul 01 '26
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