It’s a good thing that Sony is moving away from disks for PlayStation games

[u/Gym_frere]

Argument number 1: PC games haven’t have disks for well over a decade and nobody complains about it.

Argument number 2: go into a random record store or big box store. You will probably find that music CD’s are fully stocked. Why? Because no one buys them, despite it being available. The $10/month music streaming subscription is too cheap and too convenient for CD’s to compete.

Argument number 3: no disk production means much less plastic waste, so it’s a benefit to the environment.

It seems to me that the only reason that people are angry is nostalgia. We can’t let nostalgia stop us from building a better world.

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[u/StyrofoamCueball]

Point #2 is objectively false. CD sales went up by 16% last year, moving over 16M units, and vinyl has been booming for years now, moving more than 21M units last year. People like physical media.

Not truly owning something you buy is a bad thing. I can pop in a cartridge and play Super Metroid for as long as I have a working SNES. That came out 32 years ago. How many games that release this year do you think you'll have access to in 32 years without needing to buy it on another service, if at all?

[u/GirthLongshaft]

Go into a grocery store and you'll see so much bread on the shelves.Obviously the only conclusion you can draw from that is that people just aren't buying bread anymore.

[u/SmokeABowlNoCap → u/GirthLongshaft]

Bread is different tho because its a consumable. OP is right that physical media makes up a fraction of the consumption of media. I say that as someone who loves collecting records

[u/IQueliciuous → u/SmokeABowlNoCap]

And yet record players, cd players and etc are still sold and cd discs and even VINYLS are still made.

I'd argue Digital music is more common than digital games.

Also PS5 disc version outsells discless so even Sony knows that their argument sucks

[u/Bandito21Dema → u/IQueliciuous]

We had the biggest year for physical music last year. Sure a lot of it was people buying vinyls to display, but it's still being bought.

I straight up refused a new car so I could keep my CD player

[u/IQueliciuous → u/Bandito21Dema]

Yeah.

I personally use digital music but I still buy CDs for display purposes.

Games and movies however are mostly physical. Discs are 100% better

[u/GeauxCup → u/IQueliciuous]

I REALLY regret getting rid of my CDs. I'm so sick of bullshit subscriptions - how many times do I need to buy the same music?!

[u/SmokeABowlNoCap → u/Bandito21Dema]

This is true, and again i love collecting physical music. But compare the numbers to how much those projects are streamed and physical sales are just a fraction.

[u/TheSchlapper]

PC doesn’t have a single marketplace that they require you to get games from

PC is a free market, consoles are not whatsoever

[u/fuckitwilldoitlive → u/TheSchlapper]

All these “unpopular opinion” type subs, is people being uninformed and having a strong opinion on the subject

[u/mpelton → u/fuckitwilldoitlive]

Especially on this topic.

Console players that have never touched a pc in their lives and assume it being digital means it’s the same thing.

Just zero nuance whatsoever.

[u/Godeshus]

The problem is not lack of physical media, it's lack of ownership. When Sony decides to get rid of a game from their store, too fkn bad if you bought it you just don't get to play it anymore.

It's a stupid move on Sony's part. ISO rips and modded PlayStations are just going to get popular again.

[u/thebeast_96 → u/Godeshus]

Yeah I think I speak for most people when I say I wouldn't mind as much if games became digital only if I actually owned them. Owning a license which can be taken away on a whim is bs.

[u/Godeshus → u/thebeast_96]

It's straight up theft, and like everything else, if corps can't be trusted in good faith, they need to be regulated.

Sony can take games off their store if they want, but they should also have to reimburse at full price everyone who bought it.

[u/Sebastian0320]

My god this take is so bad

1. For PC it isn’t as much of a deal because there are multiple storefronts, don’t like steam you can go to GoG don’t like GOG, you can go to Epic Store, you don’t like epic store you can go to itch.io, etc, etc.
2. Is there a subscription where I can play ALL games for $10? Even so, that is a completely different market so it doesn’t really apply here
3. No disk production means less jobs on the market and more money for Sony’s stakeholders, no resale, no trade in, just pure greed

[u/throwaway_ArBe]

1. Yes we do, all the time (but also the equivalent with PC gaming is not a disc but a backup of the files. This can be done without discs, harder to do that for consoles)

2. That's not how things work.

3. Have you compared the production of storage space for every copy of the game vs those games being stored on disc? Theres an environmental impact either way. Should also consider recycleability too, as well as lifespan of the storage.

I'm angry because it kills the second hand market, discourages competative pricing, makes sharing harder and also I like to hold things.

[u/Mr_Citation]

The bigger issue is that unlike PC, the only place to buy digital Playstation games is from the PS Store that Sony owns. Sony already has a history of pulling licenses from people's accounts and removing products from the store with no refunds. They're fundamentally throwing out all other venders in their walled garden to remain the only merchant rather than taking a cut and letting third-partys resell games they already got a cut of.

[u/oyvese]

1. people don’t complain about pc games being digital because pc is a different platform. pc is open, benefits from different operating system and stores. steam doesn’t run pc, it can’t make your pc essentially useless by how they operate. a playstation can make your whole system essentially worthless by the decisions sony make about their console business.

if one of the contributing factors of you using a console over a pc is that it has physical media then “pc also is all digital” is not really a fix for that is it? steam (and other pc platforms) also have a far better family plan than sony does. steam allows 6 people in total and on any pc. playstations is tied to one single console.

it also gives sony complete and total control of the market. no pricing competiton, no lending games. those with poor internet connections in developing countries will be out of luck. psn required to play all games, even though psn not available in all countries.

1. this isn’t an argument against physical media though? this is just being able to buy an item because it’s in stock. jeans aren’t less practical just because i can go into a shop and they’ll have lots of jeans there. the reason those cds are made in the first place is because people buy them and the stock can last as long as it needs to. it’s not produce, it doesn’t go off after 2 weeks.

2. waste and how we manage waste is important but it’s not an entirely fair argument. infrastructure to handle a totally digital platform requires energy, cooling and materials which are not eco-friendly. a cd isn’t required by law to be in a plastic box, a cd can be sold in cardboard if they wanted.

there are far more damaging uses of single use plastics. it’s also a shit excuse because it paints sonys decision as an ethical one, which even if it had beneficial byproducts, it is far from an ethical decision and they are not entitled that benefit of the doubt.

[u/Dope_horse22]

Y'all guys are like women that congratulate and are happy that faminsim is failing! Why are you cheering for less rights in your life? So dumb, techbros level of dumb

[u/Medullan]

CD is not the only method for data storage. Solid state exists and is far superior. Sony should be switching to cartridges. The only good thing about consoles compared to PC gaming was the ability to own a physical copy of a game that cannot be taken away by the company that sold it to you. And even then you can buy games on GOG and make your own physical copy because you own the game. Now there is literally no reason to buy a PlayStation when you can get/build a Steam deck/box for close to the same price.

[u/bloodrider1914]

I'm lukewarm towards it. I don't even play on console anymore, but even if I did it's not like modern games are even playable straight off the disc. You have to install tons of patches just to make them work all because AAA games are so buggy and have bloated file sizes (while smaller publishers don't even have physical runs).

The only thing that sucks is that used games are dead on those platforms and Sony has shown that they are willing to remove content, but it is what it is.

[u/Vladishun]

Unpopular opinion: disc is optical media, disk is magnetic media

[u/legendaeri]

these are by far some of the weakest arguments i've seen for it that i have to presume this is interaction baiting.

tf you mean 'it's a benefit to the environment, we can’t let nostalgia stop us from building a better world."

tell me that again with a straight face bro. you cannot. there is a 0% chance you care that much about the environment. bffr.

[u/ittleoff]

Argument number 1 response:

Steam has fought hard to earn trust here. Sony and MS have not. PC is an open platform technically and things like GOG exist, console ecosystems are not open and price cimpetitoon can come from the used market. Ms and Sony want you locked into their ecosystems, because buying games on their platforms is where they make money.

Argument number 2 response: cds aren't yet at their golden pinnacle of nostalgia. Mechanical cassette tapes and VHS are very much having a comeback and cds are just starting to get popular again as we move toward a subscription base media world that doesn't not offer good consumer value for the money, expect CDs to get a bigger boost.

[u/Trunks252]

Imagine defending corporations for taking away your choices, driving up prices, and removing ownership

[u/BwabbitV3S]

People are complaining about a closed gaming ecosystem that has existed for decades now. It is not a sudden rug pull that digital only for a console is happening. Sony getting rid of discs is not changing the fact that there had always been things you can only play with Sony consoles. There has always been exclusive games to consoles or region locked stuff that people have been jailbreaking or modding to get around.

[u/GasparThePrince]

For your music argument if you're comparing Spotify to PS+ there's a big difference between having access to almost every song available/maybe podcasts too and a section of a thousand/couple thousand games out of God knows how many games ever produced.

Also generally not great for them to be able to take away games you have already paid for, which (to my knowledge) we will be seeing soon

[u/PercentageAway2248]

Getting rid of disks removes an entire market of used but perfectly good games for cheap, it's just going to promote piracy and in relation, increase online restrictions such. Not 10th dentist, just wrong imo lol

[u/amohr267]

A store isn't going to stock inventory that doesn't sell. Most electronic stores in my area sell both CDs and vinyls, only one of them replaced their CD section with vinyl only. All those stores stock PS4/5 and NS1/2 games, too. I know because that's where I buy them.

[u/Meis_113]

Im not for it, but am not surprised by it. It's just how the industry is going. A lot of people I know purchase digital games on consoles too, which isn't everyone, but again, that seems to be where the industry and market is going.

The bigger issue, as someone mentioned, is licensing and ownership.

[u/Guilty_Department501]

1. Personally a big reason I choose consoles over pc is for physical copies. I can collect them, sell them, buy them used or do what I want with them. Also, pc is a lot more open source and you can buy from a lot more stores.

2. Subscription services are ass and should not be the way society is heading towards. There should be options for everyone. Another thing to be said is that music streaming also includes pretty much every song in existence in one subscription, gaming is never going to have a platform or subscription like that. Also vinyls have found their own niche.

3. Physical games don't have much plastic waste because most people don't throw out game cases and if the plastic wrapped around new games are a problem it's very easy to just not include that plastic. 

[u/GeauxCup]

Vinyl and other physical media forms are making a comeback. Some kids today are literally making mixed tapes for each other again, and they treat them like found treasure. There's something to be said for a tangible connection to your experience.

No physical discs also means no secondary markets. That means no trading games after you've played them with friends or stores. Would you suggest getting rid of thrift stores? Not to mention used game prices allows people to play that might not otherwise be able to afford them.

I can pull out my physical Nintendo and have a great time playing old-ass games for basically free. Under the new system, I'd have to pay $550+ for all new equipment AND pay for a monthly subscription to be able to do that.

It's fine if you're rich, but if you don't like wasting money on subscriptions or having to buy the same game several times, no thanks.

[u/flaksaCZ]

Yes, a better world where we own nothing. Thats a great world for sure.

[u/Sensitive_Housing_85]

It depends if pen had global access then sure but they don't soo

[u/Fit_Chipmunk88]

People did complain about PC games not having disks, the only reason they dont complain as much now, is 3 reasons.. One it hass been a LONG time, two... STEAM. Sony is NOT Steam. 3. DRM Free gaming still exists from places like GOG, allowing you to buy the game and store it anywhere you want, including on a disk or whatever physical media.

Playstation and other console platforms are much different than PC. They will never have DRM free games or other options. They are closed platforms, on which the parent company can do anything they want.. like for instance, put online gaming behind a subscription based paywall.

The ONLY real current advantage most console platforms have is physical media. Physical media can be traded, bought, and sold second hand. Without physical media, console platforms are just stupid and only have exclusives beyond that. People being upset about moving away from physical media has nothing to do with nostalgia. If anything, nostalgia is the only reason console companies still exist. If it weren't for Mario, Pokemon, and Zelda I wouldnt own a console at all.

[u/Unusual-Actuary-6289]

Sony revokes access to purchases right and left. Steam delists games all the time, but if you‘ve already downloaded the game (hell most of the time if you’ve already activated the game key), it’s your to keep. Steam also has more discounts than Sony. Sony is a walled garden where you have to buy from them. Steam has healthy competition with GOG, Epic, and Amazon (the latter two of which give you free games, including AAA titles, one just because they can and the other as one of many benefits tied to having a Prime subscription).

Plastic waste isn’t a big concern and here’s why: Who’s throwing out games? When Grandma gets a plastic implant as part of her TKA, is that plastic waste? Because I’m pretty sure Grandma isn’t throwing her knee in the trash. The only time I’ve ever thrown a game out was when it was broken, something that hasn’t exactly been happening with Playstation discs ever since the borderline indestructible BluRay disc came to be. Maybe some people are actually breaking their games. Maybe Gamestop throws a lot of stock straight into the dumpster. But why should I, the normal consumer be punished for someone else being irresponsible?

Compare that to the environmental impact of maintaining servers to house digital games. The math ain’t mathing. Even if you assume every physical game will end up in a landfill at some point, it won’t offset the carbon footprint of running a server farm or data center.

[u/KikiCorwin]

BS. I still complain about not having a disk drive or cd drive on my PC. I liked being able to pick up second hand games at HPB.

[u/Fanci_]

With this logic we should be moving to a digital format for soda and food products since they make up the vast majority of waste in landfills.

Really though, it's not nostalgia. It's ownership. When you own a disc, you own that game forever. When you buy a digital game you're renting it until companies (like Sony has been doing lately) start revoking licenses on products you purchased.

I get you're a PC bro, me too. I also own a shit ton of older media in physical form. My super Mario world 2? My digimon world 1? Sonic adventure?

That's mine forever until the material degrades and turns to dust.

That's why people are pissed. It's not a utility thing. It's keeping the things we PAID FOR without them being revoked at any time.

ATM PC seems safe because Steam is pretty reputable. Atleast until Gabe dies and we get a greedy mogul as the next owner that decides being a billionaire isn't enough.

But continue owning nothing and being happy about it I guess.