PlayStation has been in the news a lot recently, and not exactly for the best reasons. Frankly, it’s been a rough year for Sony and its console, and Xbox has also found itself in a strange place. Both seem to be dealing with serious growing pains in the wake of a quickly changing tech industry, and this has led the gaming juggernauts to make decisions that have left a lot of longtime gamers angry. One of the most shocking stories of the year has been the announcement that Sony will stop physical game production after January 2028, and the news cycle has continued to snowball into revelations that make gaming’s future look bleak.
Between the huge layoffs that hit Xbox over the summer and PlayStation charging full steam ahead into a digital-only future, I have found it hard to remain optimistic about gaming’s next-gen consoles. I’m far from the only gamer who loves building a physical collection, and it’s deeply frustrating when it feels like the industry is moving on without you in mind. I’m left feeling like Red Dead Redemption 2‘s Arthur Morgan, watching the Wild West fade away as a new and strange era begins to take shape. Physical media ownership is important, but as maddening as PlayStation and Xbox’s digital futures are, both companies simply may not have a choice.
Supply Chain Issues Are Forcing PlayStation and Xbox Into a Tight Corner
Unfortunately, even if PlayStation and Xbox wanted to continue disc production for the next-gen consoles, the supply chain that makes physical media possible is falling apart. Since Sony and Xbox are major corporations, it’s easy to point the finger and immediately assume that embracing digital is some nefarious plan to take ownership away from gamers. I’m not afraid to admit that this was my initial reaction to Sony’s physical game news. However, as more information comes out, this situation is becoming increasingly more complicated.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Easy (5)Medium (7)Hard (10)
Windows Central’s Jez Corden recently shared some fascinating, yet worrying, insight into one of the main potential factors that is leading the industry into welcoming digital-only games with open arms. From a production standpoint, it sounds like there simply won’t be enough facilities to keep up demand by the time the next-gen PlayStation and Xbox consoles arrive.
Speaking to my own Xbox hardware sources, I was told that it’s less about the discs themselves and more about the supply chain around optical disc drives collapsing. Factories and assembly lines previously oriented around making optical disc drives are moving towards other, more lucrative and more scalable industries, such as camera lenses and the like.
As media trends in general lean more into the digital world, this isn’t the most surprising news, but it’s still disheartening to hear. The money simply isn’t there to allow these factories to continue building disc drives. Whether it’s movies, music, or video games, I love collecting physical media, but it’s hard to argue that the digital age is inevitable, at least for the most part. The physical vs. digital games debate has made a lot of gamers rethink their buying habits, and that’s promising. However, if PlayStation and Xbox can’t secure a reliable supply chain, then that’s something that is incredibly hard to successfully fight against.
The Death of Physical Media Has Been Happening for Years, It’s Just Now More Noticeable Than Ever
I’ll never forget when I bought my first new car in 2017. My previous car was a 2000 Toyota Camry, which had racked up an impressive CD collection over the years, while this new car was made in 2016. I collected my CDs, got into my new car, and immediately panicked when I realized that the car didn’t have a CD player. It was a devastating realization, and it’s just a small example of how quickly media has changed over the past decade. Music and movie streaming completely reshaped those industries, and gaming is now catching up.
One of the most controversial release announcements this year also happens to be the year’s biggest. GTA 6‘s physical version won’t actually have a disc inside the box at launch, which has sparked a lot of frustration from gamers, especially when the Standard Edition is $80 and the Ultimate Edition is $100. There isn’t really a point in buying a physical copy when it’s just a box.
PlayStation’s Digital Dedication, Xbox’s Uncertainty, and Staying Hopeful in the Wake of Physical Game Armageddon
While PlayStation and Sony double down on a digital future, Xbox has remained more tight-lipped about what the company is going to do. The recently announced Xbox Disc to Digital program definitely makes it seem like the company is preparing gamers for a digital-only future in a softer way than PlayStation did. BBC’s Laura Cress recently talked with Xbox CEO Asha Sharma about the next generation of consoles, with Sharma stating:
I know players love physical media, and I know there’s a lot of benefits in digital media, and I want to make sure people have a choice.
Granted, this is all pretty vague, so it’s hard to say if this is Asha Sharma’s way of hinting at potential physical disc support with the Xbox Project Helix or not. Her words could be a small beacon of hope, but it’s important to keep expectations in check. If Xbox did manage to pull off making Project Helix a disc-friendly console, though, it would be a huge selling point for the next-gen product that could signal some serious trouble for PlayStation.
Physical Games Won’t Disappear Forever, They Will Just Take a Different Shape
Something that has given me hope recently is ModRetro’s M64 console and games. It’s a retro-inspired console that supports Nintendo 64 games and even has its own brand-new game called Xibalba 64 that can still run on the original N64. So, buying ModRetro’s console isn’t even necessary if you have a functioning N64.
Looking to the resurgence of vinyl records has also helped keep up the optimism during such a frustrating year. ModRetro’s M64 is basically gaming’s answer to the comeback of record players and vinyl. This is purely speculation on my part, but it would be fascinating to see a future where indie games are being made specifically for classic game consoles in order to keep physical games alive. Only time will tell, but in the meantime, it’s going to be interesting to see if PlayStation or Xbox can solve the disc drive supply chain issue.
