In an anticlimactic post, Sony announced the end of physical media for Playstation consoles weeks ago. Beginning on January 2028, there will be no new physical (disc) releases games for the PS5 (and the eventual PS6). A large contingent of gamers (myself included) on social media rose in protest at Sony’s cryptic announcement, and Sony has since, refused to back down on the policy.
The protest was more of a final cry in agony from 30-50 year old gamers who long for the simpler days of the 1990s and early 2000s. Therefore, our complaints were always fated to fall on deaf ears. We are not a majority of PS5 gamers anymore, and the Roblox generation has for all intents and purposes ruined proper gaming (more on that later).
You Might Have Been Born Post Turn of the Millennium (and Thus Not Know Any Better), but Celebrating the Death of Physical Media is – For the Lack of a Harsher Term – “Silly” For a Variety of Reasons
One of the more surprising things I noticed after Sony’s announcement, was Gen Z’s foolish behavior towards those of us who wanted to keep the option of Physical Media available for the foreseeable future. Digital Foundry’s John Linneman can likely attest to this. He has been one the biggest physical media defenders out there, and as a fellow game collector, I find a lot of common ground with his arguments on this topic.
I would not lump all of Gen Z into this category, but many of the arguments in favor of eliminating physical media seem to come from younger audiences, including some members of Generation Alpha. There is a certain generational disconnect at play: people who did not experience the era when physical media was the dominant form of entertainment may have a harder time understanding what is lost when it disappears.
For those of us who grew up during the golden age of gaming—from the 1980s through the early 2000s—the transition away from physical ownership represents the loss of an important part of how we experienced and preserved entertainment. What some view as inevitable “progress” can therefore feel, to others, like the erosion of something that made gaming—and the broader culture surrounding it—more tangible and meaningful.
These are the same people who will cheer (along with the aptly called Generation Beta) when – eventually – Sony sells them a PS7 streaming box (with no actual hardware inside of it) for $500 plus while joyously calling it “progress”. But it will get the worse, the PS8 will be a streaming app you pay for on your Smart TV (or Screen Device) and will be the ultimate culmination of control (by the corporate world) over you – the gamer/consumer – paying a lot of money for nothing tangible. You will own no hardware or software, and you will be happy about it.
The main point here is that the “Pro” elimination of physical media defenders are literally arguing and supporting the fact that they will pay more now for less…if for nothing.
What a weird thing to celebrate…is it not?
You will now pay $69.99 for something that you don’t tangibly own, and therefore can’t resell, or keep. Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo can easily close your account, remove the game from your account, and block you from accessing your account/game for an unpredictable number of reasons.
I fail to see where “progress” happens under a scenario in which you – the consumer – own actually nothing. It is progress, but only for Sony (and the other Mega Corporations).
The Writing Was On The Wall …For More than a Decade
There are certain things in life that you can see coming from a mile away. Things you can warn others about, even if they won’t listen to you, and unfortunately, many of these things cannot be stopped, even if they will bring ruin to all of us. Back in 2013, when one, Don Mattrick, wanted to institute a bunch of controversial policies, Microsoft was hit with severe backlash by my generation.
Most controversial of all his polices were the heavily criticized digital rights management (DRM) and “always online” policy for the then upcoming Xbox One. The system required a 24-hour internet check-in and placed strict controls on used physical games, causing a massive public backlash that led Microsoft to completely reverse the policies. In one blunt stroke of pure idiotic “genius” the man killed the Xbox brand, and it – more than a decade later – hasn’t lifted itself from the ashes since.
That said, Mattrick and Co. were betting on an all digital future, they just did so about a decade and half earlier than they should have. The gaming world full of Gen Xers and Millennials were not happy then and Microsoft had to backtrack on these policies, but the damage to Xbox was already done, and the writing was on the wall for those of who valued physical games.
Second Hand Sales Were a “Problem” For The Industry
Reality was (and is to a lesser degree these days) that used game stores like GameStop were a problem for publishers, and even Sony/Nintendo/MS. You see, no publisher makes money off second hand sales. The only sale the counts for them is the first time you buy the game. I will give you a simple example of how this may affect certain companies.
Nintendo in the late 1990s made millions of dollars off games like Ocarina of Time. However, without the used game market, Nintendo would have likely made twice, if not three times, as much money off the games sales.
There are some valid points to be made on why Nintendo (and every other game publisher would hate the used game market). Ocarina sold 7.6 million copies (first time sales) during its Nintendo 64 run. That would mean that less than 1/4 of Nintendo 64 owners bought the game… And yet! Every time there is a poll about favorite/best Zelda games Ocarina of Time seems to take cake over higher selling entries like Breath of the Wild (30+ million units sold).
Ask a random N64 owner and they will tell you that they played Ocarina of Time, in my experience about 3/4 of Nintendo 64 owners that I have known across 30 years have played and finished the game. That’s an extremely high number that would suggest that at least 20 million Nintendo 64 owners either owned the game, or at least played the game at one point.
Despite the less impressive – though in the 1990s these were incredible sale numbers – 7.6 million units of the game sold. We can add to those numbers the people who played the collectors disk on Game Cube, and the 3DS Remake which sold 6.44 million copies. Officially, Ocarina of Time has sold about 14 million copies in its lifetime throughout different systems.
So, why – given social media feedback – does it feel like 30+ million people played the game instead? Because, before the arrival of the digital download age, official sales numbers were misleading as to painting a proper picture of how many gamers ACTUALLY played a game. This might explain why something like The Legend of Dragoon is surprisingly popular these days.
Video Rental Stores, Used Game Shops, and the simple “I borrowed the game from my neighbor” were a popular thing during those days. About five friends (including cousins) played my copy of Ocarina of Time in their Nintendo 64. These are potential sales Nintendo lost at the time.
It is easy to see why the industry can’t move on from physical copies quickly enough. Keep in mind, game card, and disc manufacturing costs, plus distribution and retailer costs are also something that takes away from the gross profit of each game sale.
Microsoft had to back track on their 2013 policies because the world wasn’t ready for it then, a new generation of gamers needed to rise, and unfortunately, the physical doomsday predictions have finally come to pass.
Will Nintendo Save Us …From Physical Media Demise?
In short, no. Nintendo will eventually use the “the game is too large to fit in a game card” excuse to give us a game card with a code, or worse, an empty box with a code for a game download. It will happen…not yet, but give it a few years. Digital Sales of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom are hard to find, but in Japan it sold about half of its sales numbers in digital format, which means that for Nintendo at least, the physical market remains a viable one, but one that they hope will shrink giving way into a digital only future full of clean profits.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake will be Nintendo’s largest game of the year, and perhaps, the most awaited game of the Switch 2 era so far. Given how much of the hype for the game is driven by 1990s kids, I expect physical copies to sell extremely well. All of my Zelda purchases have been physical, and I have no reason to change my approach on this, as I see Zelda games as collectible relics that will be passed on to my kid.
Given how that other (GTAVI) big game – perhaps the biggest game launch in gaming history – will be a digital only release (Rockstar knew it could get away with it), it would seem that Nintendo is the last bastion for physical gaming.
Microsoft Could Shock The World…and Include a Disc Drive on Project Helix…But The Company Has Bigger Problems…
With Spencer gone and Asha in, Microsoft has killed studios left and right. Frankly, developers like Compulsion Games needed to go. Microsoft’s funding of niche products – like South of Midnight – in order to make GamePass “The Netflix” of Gaming failed miserably in every which way one can look at it.
Why would Spencer and other Xbox execs green light a $100 million budget for a niche project (South of Midnight) that wouldn’t sell anywhere near a million copies on its own is mind-boggling. The fact that Spencer thought it would be a game that would expand GamePass is even more mind boggling. The problem isn’t just with South of Midnight, but with a bunch of other games that the company funded that were conceptually never going to move the needle for them.
In fact, it seems that the entire Xbox gaming operation was funded by Minecraft…yes, Minecraft. In other words, no other Xbox franchise was making money..,except Minecraft during the Spencer-Game Pass era. Asha rightfully seems to have realized that going multiplatform is an irrational strategy when trying to sell hardware, and that the company should have focused all along on key franchises like Elder Scrolls, Halo, and Gears of War, as opposed to the indie AA (but $100 million costly) crap like the aforementioned South of Midnight, Avowed and the massive failure of Starfield, a game that reportedly cost $400 million dollars to make.
The game sold the majority of its copies on Steam, having moved only around 1 million units on Xbox Series consoles, while its PS5 sales appear to have been even weaker. Granted, the game had been in development long before Microsoft acquired Bethesda. However, once the acquisition was completed, Microsoft could have pushed the developer to move more quickly toward the next mainline Fallout or Elder Scrolls title.
In other words, Asha appears to understand that the key to success lies in giving gamers what they want. As a result, Xbox is entering a new phase, one focused on revitalizing the brand and restoring its position in the market. It will be a challenging undertaking, particularly given the rising cost of hardware and the PS5’s overwhelming market dominance.
Perhaps, offering a disc drive on the next Xbox (project Helix) could be a difference maker in the company’s efforts to catch Sony’s hardware sales. But who knows? Sony itself is not necessarily in a position of triumph here…
The PS5 Era Has BY FAR Been PlayStations Weakest Console Cycle of All Time
If Roblox and other “forever games” continue to thrive at the expense of traditional, narrative-driven experiences, there is a risk that gaming as an art form—and as a meaningful source of immersive, deeply engaging entertainment—could die off. We saw it throughout this generation. Sony spent millions of dollars trying to create its own ‘forever game’ in the failed (thank the heavens) Concord. We have yet to receive a from the ground up PS5 Horizon finale, a Naught Dog original game (who knows when Intergalactic will be ready), and a new God of War entry has taken 6 years to make.
The rising costs of development, and the subsequent time it takes to craft a true AAA game appears to be less and less appealing to Sony (and Microsoft) these days, when Roblox made 3.8 billion dollars in 2025 alone.
Given the current RAM supply crisis, which could potentially push the PS6’s price toward the $1,000+ mark, it is safe to say that Sony is no longer in quite the same position it was in 2019. Personally, I no longer have any desire to purchase a PS6 at launch, especially since I expect the PS5 to remain Sony’s primary platform well into the next decade—possibly until 2030 or beyond.
Basically, I have owned a PS console since 1995, and the PS6 might be the first one that I skip given Sony’s current catalog of exclusives, and the lack of anything new that looks remotely interesting.
I think Sony killing off Japan Studio years ago was a bad sign of things to come for traditional PlayStation gamers.
Nintendo Can Save Console Gaming…and Just Plain Traditional Gaming by Sticking to its Decades Old Franchises
It is no secret, God willing, I will be buying the Ocarina of Time Remake on day one. I will play GTA VI – like the rest of the world – eventually, but my love for Nintendo EAD games has not diminished over time. Nintendo understands that consistently pumping exclusives is the reason the Switch 1, and now, the Switch 2 have been successes. Sony understood this as well until the PS5, and Microsoft seems to be finally getting it after firing half of its Xbox division.
I will finish the current state of console gaming with the following skit:
Sony Execs: What do our consumers want?
Consumers: A Bloodborne Remake!
Sony Execs: We will give them Concord!
Microsoft Execs: What can we do to expand Game Pass?
Consumers: Elders Scrolls VI would be nice!
Microsoft Execs: Let’s Make Avowed!
Nintendo Execs: What would make our fans happy?
Consumers: We dream with an Ocarina of Time remake.
Nintendo Execs: Here is your Ocarina of Time Remake! Give me your money!
Consumers: Here is our money! Take it! Take it all!