How Sony can soften the blow of a digital-only future – Reader’s Feature

With no chance that Sony will reverse their decision to stop supporting physical media on the PS5, a reader offers suggestions for how they can at least make the transition more bearable.

By now the dust has somewhat settled and it’s clear that from 2028 onwards any new releases on PlayStation 5 will be digital-only. And I imagine the PlayStation 6 will not have any disc drive whatsoever.

Given that I own a Legion Go portable PC the issue isn’t necessarily a digital-only future but the fact that Sony will have a monopoly on the sale of PlayStation 5 and games going forward and how currently their digital storefront is anti-consumer in terms of pricing and refunds.

Here’s my suggestions of ways Sony could, but almost certainly won’t, reduce the sting of a digital-only future.

Cheaper games

Wishful thinking this, I know, but if there’s no manufacturing costs, no distribution costs, and no third parties such as GAME, Argos or whoever cutting into Sony’s costs and profits perhaps some of that could be passed onto the player. However, I shan’t hold my breath, and I imagine when the next generation arrives prices will only rise.

More consistent pricing

This somewhat ties in with my previous gripe.

I wrote into the Inbox recently regarding some of the prices of games on the PlayStation Store. Specifically, the Assassin’s Creed series, as I’d recently started playing the Black Flag remake. I pointed out that most of the series are priced at £50, despite some being nearly a decade old, and all of them are priced much cheaper at other outlets in physical form.

A few people stated that the games had been on sale recently for a fraction of the price, £8 or thereabouts if I recall, and that people should just wait. To me this misses the point. It’s known that at certain times of the year sales will occur and if you want to wait that’s fine. However, I think players should still feel able to buy an older game on a whim and that prices should be reasonable at all times and not excessively raised outside of sales just so that Sony can make it seem a better deal than it really is.

Loyalty scheme

If I’m not mistaken, I think I recall Sony saying that at present 82% of all games sales are digital. I do wonder if this reflects a more casual audience who might only buy games every so often and don’t pay attention to gaming news, as I feel there’s been a fairly vocal backlash in the comments and pages of gaming media.

This makes me wonder if there’s a sizable amount of people, like myself, who utilise trade-in, selling and buying second-hand, and shopping around in order to be able to buy games regularly throughout the year.
In some ways then, it would make sense to reward players who are regular customers with a reward scheme, though it has to be one that is worthwhile in which players can accrue points at a decent rate.

Perhaps players could earn points not only through purchasing games but playing games, earning achievements and engaging with social media. So, for instance, uploading a screenshot or achievement to Instagram or other platforms would result in points earned. This surely is a win-win. Players get points that can be exchanged for store credit and in return Sony has free publicity to expand their player-base.

Better practices

I’ve heard it’s a better game these days but back in the early PlayStation 4 days I pre-ordered No Man’s Sky. I played it for an hour and really didn’t enjoy it. I asked for a refund or store credit, but this was denied. I was pretty annoyed. For me this is a poor policy. I think a two-hour window like Steam seems reasonable to expect a refund, even if just for credit.

I don’t know much about which games are currently offered as part of the game trials on the top tier of PlayStation Plus. However, I feel all upcoming first party games should be added and this should be expanded to other tiers of PlayStation Plus.

Pay monthly

This is less to do with the games themselves but more the inevitable PlayStation 6. I think now most people are resigned to the fact that it’s going to be over a grand. I’m sure at first it will still sell well but when the initial hype dies down, I think Sony will struggle to hit the heights of other consoles in terms of sales figures. With the cost of living and given how much the next generation of games could cost, I think many people will struggle to find that kind of disposable income.

However, why not introduce a pay monthly option? We’ve done the same with other tech, such as mobile phones, for years. I thought the Xbox All Access was a great idea. Perhaps Sony could do the same.

Imaging instead of forking out a huge wad of cash you instead pay a monthly sum over two or three years. And maybe even this would include access to PlayStation Plus and a certain amount of store credit.

So there you have it. I’m not sure if these are feasible ideas. Possibly not. But hopefully Sony will do something to take the sting out of an all-digital future.

By reader Matc7884

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