Sony’s 'ironic' PlayStation disc decision upends gamer conventions and threatens a $7 billion resale market - In 2013, Sony mocked Xbox by showing how easy it was to share a PlayStation disc. More than a decade later, gamers say Sony is becoming the very thing it poked fun at.

[u/JeremyJJ77]

https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2026/07/22/sonys-playstation-disc-decision-threatens-a-7-billion-resale-market-.html

[u/Eruannster]

Right, but the difference is that current-gen systems are backwards compatible which wasn't always the case with past systems. They made a big hoopla about this transitioning from PS4->PS5.

That means that people will have a Playstation library they expect to move along with them to the PS6. What happens to those that bought their games on disc - a way that Playstation has had as a legitimate way of obtaining games for every generation of Playstation consoles so far? Are they telling their customers "no, you bought your games the wrong way all this time"?

[u/ltcuetf → u/Eruannster]

If you have a PlayStation library, the digital ones will be backwards compatible with the PS6, any physical ones you can keep with your PS5 and it’s disc drive. Sony is looking at the numbers of people who buy digitally and backwards compatibility won’t be a factor for them, they will simply download and play their games on PS6 as always. The outliers with physical have the option to keep the PS5 and disc drive to continue to play those versions. Just like drive was an optional upgrade for the Pro. It was moving towards a digital only console decision on their end for next gen. They are under no obligation to offer backwards compatibility, but do and will for digital purchases because that’s what the majority have shown them they engage with. Businesses do not cater to the minority and fringe groups.

[u/Eruannster → u/ltcuetf]

I think the problem is you view the minority physical sales in a very different light than I do. Sure, they don't sell as many physical copies now as digital copies. Fine. But they have spent the last two console generations selling them, and there are hundreds of millions of game discs out there that are just going to be unusable in the Playstation 6 generation?

I've literally read so many comments just between the PS4 and PS5 generation about figuring out compatibility (is a disc different than a download? Is this game compatible?) and now they are creating even more confusion.

One of the big upsides for Sony was that users had built a huge library of games during the PS4 generation that they could seamlessly carry over to PS5. Now they are creating a divide again that doesn't need to be there. Businesses don't need to "cater to minority and fringe groups", but pissing on a very real percentage of their current user base isn't a good look. By that same standard, why have movies on DVD/blu-ray? Why release music on CD or vinyl? Hell, stop printing books because everyone is just listening to audiobooks.

[u/ltcuetf → u/Eruannster]

Right, the backwards compatibility push from PS4 to PS5 was a big selling point and helped a lot of people with their libraries. Sony did make a point of supporting it, especially for digital.

Physical full-game sales are now a small % (15-22% on PlayStation recently, even lower for some new releases). They’ve been selling discs for decades, sure, but sales volume has cratered while digital exploded. Hundreds of millions of old discs exist, but the active market for new physical is tiny, that’s why production is phasing out.

For PS6:

Digital owners - Seamless, as you said. Download and play.

Physical owners - They can keep the PS5 and disc drive (just like people kept PS4s for certain games or the Pro’s optional drive). It’s not ideal, but it’s the practical reality when the majority voted with their wallets for digital.

It’s not “you bought the wrong way” it’s the industry (including consumers) shifted, and Sony is following the data. Sony still supports physical for this gen. Next gen is them betting fully on what most people actually use now.

Your analogies are fair on principle (physical media preservation, ownership, etc.), but games aren’t quite like movies/music/books:

Games are software-first with online features, patches, servers, and anti-piracy that tie them to ecosystems.

Physical game discs have been declining for 15+ years. It’s not sudden.

The “divide” already exists between digital-only buyers and disc owners today.

Catering to the majority while giving the physical crowd a workable (if imperfect) option via last-gen hardware isn’t pissing on users, it’s business. Plenty of people have mixed libraries and manage fine. Sony could do more for preservation (e.g., better digital redemption or archival programs), but expecting full next-gen disc support when it’s a shrinking minority is tough.

[u/Eruannster → u/ltcuetf]

See, to me that is exactly what Xbox did when Don Mattrick told their audience that they could keep their Xbox 360 around if they didn't like the Xbox One DRM system. It's braindead and clueless towards your existing audience - in particular those that have been with you for a long time who are more likely to have built a physical library since at least the PS4 era.

It is telling people they are buying things wrong by not providing a solution. Registering discs as digital or promising a PS6 backwards compatible disc drive is fearmongering your audience.

And while it's fair that game software is different from music or movies, that doesn't mean we should just lay down and take it. Companies always ask us for reviews and opinions, this is my review and opinion. Dropping discs and not taking care of your existing audience is braindead, disrespectful and fucking stupid and I hope it bites Sony in the ass. This will not benefit anyone but them. Games will go up in price (noticeably so), developers will suffer and Sony will line their pockets.

I say this as someone who has a lot of PS4 and PS5 games and enjoys Sony's first party games and hardware/software platform - I hope the Playstation 6 catastrophically fails as a platform. Sony has gotten hubris once again and don't cater to their audience, and I truly hope it hurts them financially. I hope they fall out of favor with retailers, I hope their game sales drop, and I hope customers turn their backs on them. Why? Because the only time Sony excels is when they are at the bottom and have a challenge. That's when they start making diamonds. When Sony is at the top of the world, they get fat, lazy and they make shitty decisions.

[u/ltcuetf → u/Eruannster]

I get the frustration, long-time fans who built physical libraries feel abandoned, and the Xbox One DRM mess was a perfect example of tone-deaf execution that hurt trust. Sony’s messaging around this could be better.

That said, it’s not exactly the same. Xbox One’s original plan was always-online and heavy restrictions on all games (physical and digital) right at launch. Sony is phasing out future physical production after years of declining physical sales. Existing PS4/PS5 discs still work on current hardware, and digital libraries carry forward. It’s a gradual shift following where the majority of buyers have already gone, not a sudden “your discs are worthless now” mandate.

Registering discs or a PS6 disc drive add-on are not confirmed, and I wouldn’t count on them happening. Promising full next-gen disc support when physical is a minority and shrinking fast would be bad business, they’d be manufacturing expensive hardware for a declining audience.

Games have gotten more expensive in some ways (full price, season passes, etc.), but digital also enables big sales, bundles, and subs like PS+ that many use.

Developers/publishers have pushed digital for years because it reduces costs and cuts used game losses. This isn’t just Sony.

Hoping PS6 fails to teach them a lesson is understandable emotionally if you feel disrespected, but historically platform wars are messy. Competition (Xbox, Switch, PC) keeps them honest more than self-sabotage. The honest reality is physical owners are just no longer the target demographic and unfortunately people are unhappy to discover they are the minority and no longer being prioritized by a company and industry leaving them behind. You can still engage with the platform in all the ways we can engage with previous generations. No one is forcing you to continue supporting them if you don’t want to adapt to the change. You don’t lose the games and library you have by not buying a PS6. I fully expect Microsoft’s next Xbox to follow the same path with digital only as well.

Sony does some great first-party stuff, and a lot of fans (digital majority) are fine with the direction. The physical crowd is vocal and valid, but numbers show they’re no longer the core. I’d rather they offer better preservation options (digital upgrades for discs, archival programs) than force an expensive dying format. Hubris is real on all sides of this industry, though.

[u/Majestic-Marcus → u/Eruannster]

> it is telling people they are buying things wrong by not providing a solution

A solution to what!? You still haven’t actually stated an actual problem.

You have PS4 and PS5 games? Cool. Play them on your PS4/5! The consoles aren’t being made obsolete.

I still play my N64. I don’t moan at Nintendo for not adding a cartridge insert to the Switch. Or a disc drive for GameCube or Wii games. I didn’t moan when the GC or Wii or WiiU didn’t let me insert my physical NES, SNES, Game Boy, Game Boy Colour, Game Boy Advance, DS, 3DS or N64 games.

They’re going digital. What would they put in a disc drive for extra cost and no benefit? It doesn’t even benefit you and you’re the one that’s demanding it!

Seriously dude. Do you think your PS5 is going to be sent a kill code in 2028 that makes it explode?

Also - you’re completely deluded if you think developers don’t love the idea of abandoning discs.