That’s just under 40,000 people writing in to oppose Sony’s plans.
by William Judd
Following the news that Sony would kill physical PlayStation games from January 2028, we put out a poll on the Digital Foundry YouTube channel asking viewers about their reaction to the news. After over 45,000 votes and hundreds of comments on YouTube, it’s clear – 86 percent of respondents think that physical media is still important and Sony should reconsider their plans.
Digital Foundry’s John Linneman contributed his immediate thoughts to the news, urging Sony to reconsider and hoping that “the backlash will be strong enough to push them in that direction”. He points out that the news coinciding with the decision to shutter the PS Vita and PS3 stores paints a worrying picture, as it’s clear that “you are merely renting games… owners of closed platforms can revoke your ability to enjoy this content at any point.” Given that Sony was recently in the headlines for pulling access to hundreds of purchased movies and TV shows, with no refunds offered, it’s clear that a digital license to a game doesn’t have anywhere near the same value as a physical disc.
However, with Sony planning an all-digital PS6 handheld and a similarly equipped full-fat PS6 home console, it’s clear that abandoning discs ultimately serves the company’s interests, regardless of consumer sentiment. That’s doubly true when component prices continue to skyrocket, as recouping costs via digital sales becomes increasingly key to delivering affordable hardware.
One common theme amongst comments on DF’s YouTube poll was disgust from PlayStation owners, with many upvoted replies promising that Sony has done enough harm here to remove the PS6 from consideration: “PS5 will be my last console” and “PS5 will be my last Sony console” were two of the top-voted options.
Elsewhere online, PlayStation fans flocked to the 2013 “Official PlayStation Used Game Instructional Video” (above), which shows Sony executives sharing a used game by simply handing it over – in response to restrictions (later dropped) on used Xbox One games.
“You’ve become the villain you mocked”, states the top comment on the video.
With the news that Xbox is also considering an all-digital Project Helix, the next console generation could mark a huge downturn in fortunes for game collectors, used game buyers and those connected to slow, capped or unreliable internet connections.
It’s clear that there’s a groundswell of support for discs amongst the enthusiasts in the Digital Foundry audience and elsewhere, but it will be an uphill battle to convince Sony and Microsoft to abandon their plans given the overarching consumer preference for digital purchases – said to be nearly 80 percent in 2025 according to a recent Guardian article.
As always, we’re curious to hear your thoughts on the news and the poll – the comments section below is yours.
[source youtube.com]