The End of Physical Media? Sony Phasing Out PlayStation Discs
Consumers will only be able to purchase PlayStation games digitally starting 2028.
- Sony will stop producing physical discs for all new PlayStation games from January 2028, citing changing consumer preferences.
- The announcement sparked significant backlash from gamers concerned about game ownership and the closure of older PlayStation online stores.
- Interest in PlayStation 5 piracy and retro gaming spiked following the news, with fans exploring emulators and jailbreaking methods.
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Yesterday, Sony announced that it will stop producing physical discs for all new games released on PlayStation consoles from January 2028, citing changing consumer preferences as the reason for the move.
In a post on the Playstation Blog, Senior Director Sid Shuman wrote, “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.”
The announcement sparked backlash from gamers who are concerned with ownership of their games, and other issues arising from this shift.
Even local netizens are saying things like, “Just sell computer desktop at that point”, and “time to get into retro gaming”.
That’s not all – on the same day, Sony also announced that it will shut down the online stores for its older PlayStation 3 home console and the PS Vita handheld in select markets this year before expanding the closures globally in 2027.
According to the company, the older devices – launched in 2006 and 2011 respectively – are incompatible with modern commerce systems and updated payment processing standards.
Various companies and YouTube channels like Domino’s and Linus Tech Tips have subsequently jumped on the bandwagon of releasing their own, satirized versions of “digitalization” announcements.
Polygon, an American entertainment website which covers video games, movies, television, comics, and other popular culture has also reported that interest in piracy of PlayStation 5 hardware spiked soon after.
This form of piracy involves hackers jailbreaking older PS5 firmware versions, which reportedly began earlier this year. These compromised consoles allow users to download modern and retro games, manage files, and access broader media playback features.
Recent threads on the PS3 subreddit show fans debating the pros and cons of using retro game emulators and recommending them to one another as well.
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