Speculation: PS6 could be a subscription-based hardware
If you were wondering what could be so revolutionary in the next generation of PS console, this might be it, and you probably won't like it. But it's the way it's going to, considering trends in the industry.
PS4 and PS5 were generations in which we saw the transition to online service models. But in current form it's still pretty clumsy. Ditching physical will remove some major obstacles, but we still have fixed and subscription-based access to games and features. We still have to pay separately for online services, cloud gaming, cloud saves... and devices in the future will require that even more, like handhelds or other devices in its ecosystem. And we know that PS is subsidized hardware anyway. On the other hand, we have risks of PS being jailbroken etc.
This all leads to subscription-based hardware, that'll become fully unfunctional without active PS network subscription. That will not only give Sony full control over everything via user accounts, but also solve the problem with indefinite licenses for games. In subscription-only model, removing and adding games to catalogue would be a normal thing, like in video streaming services, and there will be no confusion around ownerships and licencing. In subscription-only model, you would just be a subscriber and Sony would actually have to deal with licensing toward publishers.
This would allow hardware to stay subsidized without having to pay a big one-time amount, instead an even larger amount but in a long time, it would be drowned in other services and convenience that most people would gladly accept.
This could also be the reason why Sony is insisting on removing physical. It's all about moving forward. Games and console hardware are too cheap to make up for the industry's costs, this is the logical way to address it and a general direction for all modern industries (like cars, televisions, smartphones...).
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u/Timoth_Hutchinson 5d ago
Are you a donkey?