Sony’s decision to abandon physical games after next year has led to an outcry from fans, as some look to shift to PC.
PlayStation’s decision to cease production on all physical games from 2028 was never going to go down well, but the backlash might be bigger than it anticipated.
While figures show most people buy games digitally these days, the decision to not have any physical option is a big detriment to players. Digital games are more expensive, you can’t share them with friends, you can’t resell them later, and in an age when digital purchases can be revoked from libraries, you don’t own anything.
As you might expect, a lot of these points have been raised by fans on social media, while some are questioning why they should stick with PlayStation at all.
‘#NOTBUYINGPS6 unless it supports physical games,’ PlayStation YouTuber MBG wrote in the comments to the announcement.
Another fan added: ‘There’s no reason to stay with PlayStation anymore. After more than 30 years with Sony, I’m switching to PC.
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‘With no physical games, there isn’t a single valid reason to stay with PlayStation instead of buying a PC. Sony has officially killed its own appeal. PC has won.’
‘So do Sony realise that when they drop a $1,500 PS6 with no physical discs to collect that everyone is just going to get PC and Steam because it’s the superior digital option or are they just really that f***ing stupid,’ another added.
One X user summarised the sentiment in succinct fashion: ‘PS6 gonna be the worst console gen of all time.’
Even Domino’s Pizza UK had a pop: ‘Makes about as much sense as us changing to digital pizzas.’ You can check out more reactions below.
Whether this negative sentiment will continue in the months and years to come remains to be seen, especially as statistics show most people already buy games digitally, but it’s certainly another ominious cloud hanging over the future of PlayStation.
Sony hasn’t confirmed if the PlayStation 6 is all-digital, but it seems inevitable based on this latest announcement. At a time when memory costs are sky high, the lack of a disc drive will help bring down the console’s costs (reports suggest it could be £1,000 or more).
Either way, it looks like the death of physical games is approaching faster than people expected. Especially as just last week Rockstar announced GTA 6 will not launch on disc.
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