Playstation Thread.

Caldwin

Caldwin

Banned for posting Metroid's flesh doors
Citizen
I took my Plus Membership down to Essential tier. I just now finished hiding all of the games in my library I no longer have access to. It turns out, I've been a Plus member so long that even at Essential tier, I still have a jive ton of games. Some good, some bad. But...a jive ton. There were one or two games I'll kinda miss...but over all...like...dude!

This is nowhere near the sorrow I thought I was going to have when I started on the project of hiding games I no longer have access too. Turns out even at Essential tier, just because I've been a member so long, I still have a hefty library that I'll never get to!
 
Exatron

Exatron

Kaiser Dragon
Citizen
So, Sony just announced that they're ending production of discs for all Playstation consoles 18 months from now.

blog.playstation.com

Physical disc production ending in January 2028 for new games releasing on PlayStation consoles

In response to shifting trends in consumer preference, new games will be released on PlayStation Store and at retailers in digital formats only.
blog.playstation.com blog.playstation.com

In news that is absolutely, totally, and in all other ways unrelated, Sony also just announced that the PS3 and Vita store will be closed in a year. Or as early as next month for some markets.

blog.playstation.com

An update on PlayStation Store for PS3 and PS Vita

Changes start this year in select markets, followed by global changes in 2027.
blog.playstation.com blog.playstation.com

In other news that's obviously even more unrelated, Sony ALSO recently announced that some Playstation customers will be losing access to movies that they've purchased.

www.playstation.com

Studio Canal Removal

www.playstation.com www.playstation.com

The only response I can muster at the moment:

 
Fero McPigletron

Fero McPigletron

Feel the fear!
Citizen
Crazy about losing physical copies of Playstation games.

What does Nintendo have to say?
 

Steevy Maximus

Well known pompous pontificator
Citizen
Fero McPigletron said:
Blo blubber? Or blob lobber? Hehe

I guess Nintendo will still have cartridges?
Click to expand...
For what that is worth these days. Nintendo themselves are doing an admirable job keeping full games on carts…but with the ever increasing size (or lack of optimization) of games and the current clusterhug in the memory production industry…carts aren’t exactly as a cost effective option as they used to be.

As is, most of the “disc games” for PS5 basically require a download/copy to the system’s internal memory. The discs are little more than copy protection measures, and are almost a “punishment” for buying physical at all.
 
M. Virion

M. Virion

Bent but unbroken
Citizen
Fero McPigletron said:
Blo blubber? Or blob lobber? Hehe

I guess Nintendo will still have cartridges?
Click to expand...

The last Nintendo financial report painted a picture of about a 50/50 physical digital split. They're going to stay with carts until that either changes or it's simply no longer viable at all.
 
Steamed Hams

Steamed Hams

Well-known member
Citizen
How did no one see this coming? even last gen games I bought on Xbox Series X (optimized for it) required being downloaded, as for PS4 and Xbox One, most games rquired a download anyway. I never bought into that Game Key backlash going on with Nintendo on that basis.

But then I wonder, how many are actually playing this gens games, just last year they reported PS5 online finally overtook PS4.
 
Exatron

Exatron

Kaiser Dragon
Citizen
Steamed Hams said:
How did no one see this coming? even last gen games I bought on Xbox Series X (optimized for it) required being downloaded, as for PS4 and Xbox One, most games rquired a download anyway. I never bought into that Game Key backlash going on with Nintendo on that basis.

But then I wonder, how many are actually playing this gens games, just last year they reported PS5 online finally overtook PS4.
Click to expand...
Oh, I think we all saw it coming. There's nothing surprising about any of this. Ditching discs? Yeah, it's been obvious they've wanted to do this for years. Shutting down store fronts once they're no longer supporting the console? They've already tried it before. It was obvious the backlash was only going to generate a temporary reprieve. Removing access for digital content that's already been bought? Again, absolutely nothing new.

However, seeing it coming years ahead of time doesn't make it any less disgusting. Especially coming from the company that earned a ton of good will just last gen with this:

 
Cyberstrike

Cyberstrike

I don't lose; I conquer!
Citizen
There are some reports that are saying younger people in the Gen Y and Gen Z are wanting physical media and are buying vinyl records, CDs, DVDs, Blu-Rays, 4KUHDs, hell some are going even going after VHS tapes and they're also getting the hardware needed to play physical media on. Now most of this is movies, TV shows, and music because they don't trust the big media and streaming companies and want ownership over the media they consume. I do think games also getting mixed up with this and I think it's long overdue that people tell these greedy companies the following:

"When I buy a movie, TV show, or a game on disc it's mine to do with as please.
If I never open it and display it as collector's item that is my right.
If I want to play once and never again that is my right.
If I want to play it a thousand times that is my right.
If I want to resell it another person or store, that is my right.
If I want to donate it to charity, that is my right.
If I want to give as a gift to a friend or loved one, that is my right.
If I want to burn it in protest, that is my right.
If I want to use it as a coaster, that is my right.
If I want to throw it way, that is my right.
Once I've bought any physical media from any company it's mine to do what I want with it and if you don't like it then please get f**k out of the entertainment business right now. Don't walk. RUN and never come back!"
 
Caldwin

Caldwin

Banned for posting Metroid's flesh doors
Citizen
So it's weird, you can see at the top of the page that less than a couple weeks ago I reduced my PS+ to Essential toer. Last night I cancelled it altogether (which still means I have it until June of next year). I'm also pretty certain that, unless they walk things back with their digital/physical stance (which I truly doubt), PS5 will be my last Sony console.

Getting rid of physical media is a bad look. Getting rid of physical media while at the same time getting rid of people's movy libraries is an even worse look.

Which is all a bit of a moot point anyway considering I'm going into debt consolidation and won't be able to afford a new $1000 console any time soon.

Sorry if this seems ranty. It's just that I've been a gamer since I was in elementary school and now I feel like I'm being priced out of my hobby. It kinda pisses me off. Right now, I'm just holding on to the hope that Nintendo doesn't go the same way...even though even they seem to be dabbling in heading that way.
 
Caldwin

Caldwin

Banned for posting Metroid's flesh doors
Citizen
Okay, time for a theory. I'm not sure how much I believe this. But let's play devils advocate just for a second.

THEORY:

Sony could have gotten away with it. They could have been right. They could have done away with physical gaming, made everything digital. There would have been backlash, but come the release of PS6, the backlash would have died down. We would have paid our $500-$600 for a new system and would have quickly forgotten about not having physical anymore.

BUT, their timing could not have been worse.

1. They made this announcement within a couple days of also announcing that a good chunk of the digital library of movies people bough is now gone. No refunds, no "sorry for the inconvenience." The movies are just gone. This really shook confidence in digital only.

2. The cost of parts have skyrocketed. The next system will not be $500-$600. People are anticipating $1000 to be a conservative estimation.

Like, people have been saying for a long time that the move to digital is inevitable. I find it hard to disagree with them. But I really think the timing of their announcement could not have been worse.

Thoughts?
 

Steevy Maximus

Well known pompous pontificator
Citizen
I get what you‘re laying down there. And I’m pretty much on board with that assessment. I feel there is a touch more nuance to those points though:
I think it wasn’t just that customers in Europe (not even the entire market, just select European markets, mind you) were going to lose the Studio Canal stuff, it’s that we’ve been through this same situation not too long ago with Discovery Channel material. Sony has a history of this garbage now, and it creates a worry that the same situation might occur with games. Who’s to say that Sony might get a bone up their ass about Microsoft, so suddenly they opt to pull all the legacy Activision or Bethesda or id or Blizzard games on their service?

I don’t think the next console will hit $1000 at the base level. I would point closer to PS5 Pro level pricing. Which isn’t much better, but I think if the prodcution costs hit that point? It might benefit Sony just delay the device and just roll with PS5 for longer. As is, at that $800-1000 price? You’re probably going to see the slowest adoption rate of any generation in history. And even if the AI market implodes and prices come back down? It’s still going to take a couple years for the supply chain to normalize and those lower prices to reach consumers. Because no company is going to take a major hit for buying at current (and near future) component costs.

All-digital is the future, console gaming has just been the last holdout due to other logistical issues that have been (slowly) overcome. I think much of the backlash is fueled by Sony’s poor handling of prior situations and a greater recognition of what all digital really means. We saw the first glimpses back when the Xbox One was revealed, now I think more people are aware of it and are more aware of long term issues that are now cropping up.
 
LBD "Nytetrayn"

LBD "Nytetrayn"

Broke the Matrix
Staff member
Council of Elders
Citizen
I think doing it in the same breath as saying you're shuttering two of your online digital stores didn't help, either.
 
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