Sony PlayStation Will Stop Releasing Games On Discs In 2028 (bbc.com) 77
Longtime Slashdot reader AmiMoJo shares a report from the BBC: New PlayStation games will no longer be released on discs from January 2028, the gaming giant has announced. Sony said in a blog post new games would still be able to be bought in shops, but they would come with a digital code. It comes just days after Rockstar announced the hotly-anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI would similarly launch without a physical disc.
It marks a significant moment for the gaming industry, which has in recent years begun to rely more and more on digital distribution. Sony said the move came "as consumer preferences and the broader entertainment industry continue to shift away from physical discs to digital." "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," it added. [...] PlayStation said the move would have no impact on games which are already released, or would be released before January 2028.
It marks a significant moment for the gaming industry, which has in recent years begun to rely more and more on digital distribution. Sony said the move came "as consumer preferences and the broader entertainment industry continue to shift away from physical discs to digital." "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," it added. [...] PlayStation said the move would have no impact on games which are already released, or would be released before January 2028.
My emotions are validated (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:My emotions are validated (Score:5, Insightful)
So just to be clear, you have always downloaded digitally and now that discs are no longer going to be available you will continue to download digitally?
Incidentally how were you pirating on the PS5? - Is your post even relevant to the topic or are you using a company unrelated to what you play as a scapegoat to feel better about yourself?
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I would buy a physical copy but then pirate it anyway. Quicker and easier than ripping, adding all the metadata, encoding etc.
For digital only stuff I will only use platforms like GOG where you get an offline installer you can backup and keep forever. I used to buy a few games on Steam but don't now. If a game is Steam only I just won't play it.
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I used to buy a few games on Steam but don't now. If a game is Steam only I just won't play it.
On what basis? You're talking about a company that doesn't withdraw games from your account even if they are removed from sale as well as a company who allows you to play games offline.
If you're going to pirate it anyway why go physical? You already have a copy without DRM.
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In case Steam ever shuts down. Also what happens if your Steam account gets banned for some reason?
I tend to avoid games that use DRM as well, because I don't want that shit screwing up my system.
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What happens if your house burns down and you lose your physical discs? At least I still have my Steam account.
The problem with rare "What-If" scenarios is they are trivially made to look foolish by other equally foolish what-if scenarios.
I tend to avoid games that use DRM as well, because I don't want that shit screwing up my system.
Agree, but that's a reason to avoid specific games regardless of whether the medium is physical, on Steam, or whatever.
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I have off-site backups, but also with GOG you can re-download the games.
This ends the used market (Score:2)
If I was a console gamer it's the end of the used market I'd be pissed about. I know in the times in my life I couldn't afford PC gaming and did console instead 90% of the games I bought were used. The fact that modern physical copies of games are basically just installers for downloading the game didn't change that either.
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That is a very relevant point, but nothing to do with the OP self-vindicating his piracy.
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The fact that Sony is making their games less affordable to people doesn't tie to increased piracy? I probably would have at least looked into piracy myself if I couldnt get cheap used games back when I was too broke for PC gaming and was doing console instead.
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https://battlepenguin.com/gami... [battlepenguin.com]
My PS5 has been disconnected from the Internet for over a year but it still has firmware 10.40. The only hack is using a Lua exploit and the only physical disc that can do it was a Limited Run Star Wars game that now goes for over $400 on eBay. The digital version could do it too, but Sony, not only patched the exploit, but changed the store so that all new ga
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Stealing something because you don't like terms you are being offered is not a noble act. And patting yourself on the back for it says not much about Sony, but a great deal about you.
I have in my past been a pirate, although not recently. I don't pretend it was anything other than simple theft. Own it.
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You don't deserve games or entertainment.
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Piracy => getting near unlimited stuff for free screwing those that created it.
Non piracy => paying for limited stuff that sometimes can be taken away from you if its drm locked.
It would seem the ethical choice would be
Hybrid piracy => paying for limited stuff, but also pirating it if drm locked.
You pay for the items to keep incentivizing things you like, and you get to keep your purchases.
Fool Me Once... (Score:5, Interesting)
Fool Me Once: Sony Rootkit 2005 [wikipedia.org],
Fool Me Twice: Sony Linux Removal 2010 [wikipedia.org],
Won't be fooled again!
Re:Fool Me Once... (Score:4, Insightful)
It only took the rootkit incident to convince me that Sony needed to be pulled from my purchase list. I used to love Sony products until the leadership showed their true colors. Treating your customers as the enemy is no way to do business.
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2030 : All PS6 games will be rental-only.
2035 : All PS7 can only be played with a mandatory valid subscription.
2040 : All PS8 consoles will only be available as rental units.
Re: Fool Me Once... (Score:2)
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When you go to prison, we will know that you get to experience what it is like to be raped repeatedly. You might even enjoy the experience.
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Fool Me Once: Sony Rootkit 2005 [wikipedia.org],
Fool Me Twice: Sony Linux Removal 2010 [wikipedia.org],
Won't be fooled again!
You're not making a very good point by looking back 16 years to find criticisms of Sony. Stop living in the distant past. Companies change.
Some don't however, for example Sony... yesterday (and far more related to the discussion at hand): https://arstechnica.com/gadget... [arstechnica.com]
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Some people got partial refunds for them removing Linux. I wonder if it might be possible to do the same here. Harder to argue as the Playstation itself has not been altered, just the opportunity to buy physical copies has been removed.
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Fool Me Once: Sony Rootkit 2005 [wikipedia.org],
Fool Me Twice: Sony Linux Removal 2010 [wikipedia.org],
Won't be fooled again!
Yet console fanboys keep lining up for more. Doesn't matter how much abuse they get, the only response is "yes master, may I have some more".
Pirate everything (Score:2)
DEC Logo (Score:2, Informative)
Will the AI-fueled SSD-crisis be over in 2028? (Score:4, Interesting)
So, does Sony think that SSDs will be affordable again in 2028?
Read-only optical disc media still haven't been hit by an AI-boom induced price hike RAM and NAND Flash has, AFAIK.
Re:Will the AI-fueled SSD-crisis be over in 2028? (Score:4, Insightful)
It doesn't matter when games have to be installed and they require massive updates which also need to be stored somewhere. Games don't play from discs anymore anyway, maybe they stream some video from them.
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It should be mandatory to allow sales of used digital games. There is no reason why these companies couldn't allow it on their platforms, other than greed.
Nope (Score:1)
I have said it before and I say it again this is what happens when you don't enforce antitrust law.
No one is going to enter a market to compete anymore because the existing players will just drop their prices and run them out of business. Hell even if they wanted to enter the market they would not be allowed to.
Th
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Your post is out of touch, virtually nothing runs with a read-only optical disc in 2026. You insert the disk and the first thing that happens is you're locked out of your game until you download a massive double digit GB update to your SSD. That's just how gaming is in 2026, physical media has been pointless for a while.
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What difference does it make?
PS4 and PS5 games have to be installed to run. And then you download updates. Bigger games often require you download part of the game. The disc is just a license check that saves you part of the download.
PS3 was the last console to play games off the disc, and even then, installing was optional and improved the experience. But even then, some of the bigger games had mandatory installs.
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We don't forget (Score:2)
We don't forget. It wasn't even that long ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
You utter utter creeps, Sony.
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It's a Sony marketing video "addressing" the concern behind PS4 game sharing with a Sony exec turning to his colleague and handing him a PS4 game in a case.
The end of actually owning games (Score:4, Insightful)
You now only own a license that can be revoked at any time.
And, of course, you won't be able to play anything if your internet connection goes down.
PC gaming has never looked so attractive. That is if you buy your games on GOG.
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You have literally never "owned" any game that you have bought - physical or digital. You owned a license. Always.
Irrevocable license per 17 USC 117 (Score:4, Informative)
The copyright statute of Slashdot's home country defines a "copy" as a physical object in which a work is embodied, such as a book, ROM cartridge, or optical disc. The statutory license associated with ownership of a copy of a computer program includes making intermediate copies "as an essential step" in the use of the program. Title 17, United States Code, section 117 [cornell.edu]. Historically, console makers and game publishers have lacked power to revoke this license with respect to a particular copy of a game that isn't online-only. With the end of video game distribution on optical disc, this license becomes revocable, and that's the problem.
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Licenses have ALWAYS been revocable. Physical distribution doesn't change that. Historically, until relatively recently, they have lacked the technological means to enforce license revocation.
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Licenses have ALWAYS been revocable. Physical distribution doesn't change that. Historically, until relatively recently, they have lacked the technological means to enforce license revocation.
This meas for all practical purpose, the licenses were not revocable.
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Doesn't matter. Legal and practical aren't the same.
Re: Irrevocable license per 17 USC 117 (Score:1)
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You now only own a license that can be revoked at any time.
And, of course, you won't be able to play anything if your internet connection goes down.
PC gaming has never looked so attractive. That is if you buy your games on GOG.
You don't own the games you buy on GOG, you only have a license to play them. The fact that there's no DRM enforcing you breaking the license conditions doesn't change the topic of ownerships. This isn't new by the way, this dates back to the early days of PC gaming.
But speaking of GOG it's worth noting that actually acting on license changes is something that is company specific. Valve to their credit have *never* deleted a game from your computer simply because it was withdrawn from sale without giving a
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You now only own a license that can be revoked at any time.
And, of course, you won't be able to play anything if your internet connection goes down.
PC gaming has never looked so attractive. That is if you buy your games on GOG.
Thing is, PC gaming has been diskless for ages. The last game I bought on disk was in 2015 and that was because I lived in Australia and internet speeds were shit back then.
PC gaming has never really been cheaper, even with the ridiculous price of RAM and SSDs at the moment. A gaming PC I built 5 years ago is still more powerful than a PS pro (to start with, it's a Zen 3 CPU, the PS pro is still Zen 2).
PC gaming is cheaper than console gaming if you actually play games. Consoles are a false economy, t
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You now only own a license that can be revoked at any time.
That was true back in 2006. Every disc bought since then would not actually let you play the game, you had to connect to the internet and download gigabytes more.
I was in the middle of nowhere, had a PS3 and an unopened copy of Need for Speed. I popped the disc in and was excited to play the new game. Yeah, that didn't happen. It insisted that I connect to the internet and download gigabytes of data. I couldn't download because I was in the middle of nowhere. I did not ever purchase another console after th
Re: The end of actually owning games (Score:1)
No thank you. Time to leave console gaming. (Score:2)
I'm not trusting Sony with my digital games. Look at their own history with digital licenses and digital services. To lock myself in with them, only one digital store with no competition, and beholden to PlayStation Plus to play paid games online. I don't trust the other consoles for the same reasons. Microsoft is screwing up Xbox and it may have no future. PlaysForSure and their other DRM didn't last. Nintendo is a greedy company who likes to keep prices high, and they have already closed digital stores fo
Meh (Score:2)
Games are rapidly losing their appeal for many reasons:
1) Micro-Transaction hell ( buy our skins / weapons / glitter packs )
2) Servers that get turned off if the game doesn't do well enough or too much time has passed
3) Mandatory internet connections so they can do micro-transactions / ads
4) Kernel level anti-cheat mechanisms
5) Day one DLC that should have been included in the game
6) Games released long before they're ready because rea$on$
7) Platforms going back to the " exclusives on my platform onl
nothing (Score:2)
Nothing. That is what you will own in the future utopia, coming to you in a few weeks.
free (Score:2)
Want to play great games for free? Join the US Cybercommand and operate real killer robots.
Bye bye used games market (Score:2)
It's about profits of course (Score:2)
This would be fine if... (Score:2)
There was an easy way to make backups.
And no server was required to use the backups.
And the backups never expired.
I get it, but at the same time? (Score:2)
I used to always own at least one console, despite mostly being a PC gamer. I felt like the console was more of an appliance, really. Power it on and it has one job. Even if I came to accept the idea of buying games digitally on Steam or elsewhere for my Windows gaming PC, I never felt like it should be the same experience on a console. It's nice to own a physical library of game titles your friends or family can look through on a shelf and decide what they want to pop in and play. It has "permanence" - eve
So... (Score:3)
Fuck Discs (Score:2)
Discs have been overrated and unnecessary for a decade. Optical media for gaming has always been a stupid idea. It's slow as shit technology for writing and reading.
Old people. (Score:3)
Lots of non-gamers here? Nobody buys disks anymore. Games don't play directly off the disks, they need to be installed. I guess having disks helps with the install process, but between how fast the internet is and all the inevitable updates, it's basically the same install process, with or without a disk.
Buying the game on disk basically just means that if you want to play the game, you have to dig out the disk.
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Discs means that I can buy a used game at a fraction of what Sony is selling it for on their digital store. It also means that I can play a game 15y later if I want to on my PS3, or my PS4 games on my PS5.
I can still play games on my original GameBoy from the 1980s.
At some point I had a used PS 1, the disk reader stopped working which I fixed for a couple of dollars by replacing the motor.
I guess I'll have to switch to a 'gaming' machine that I'll hook to the TV. The RAM and GPU shortage should get better b
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Even without PlayStation doing this, nobody is buying disks anymore and the 2nd hand market for games made recently barely exists.
And digital downloads / disk isn’t the deciding factor. I can still play KOTOR on a modern Xbox whether I have the original disk from 23 years ago or the $5 download, but my jet set radio future disk won’t run on a modern machine.
What an amazing coincidence! (Score:1)
Because... (Score:2)
everybody has always on Internet, and Sony can shut down the activation server any time it wants! Great idea!
So, your $90 copy of GTA6 or 7 stops working in 3 weeks because they don't want to run that server any longer.