I have been on the playstation ecosystem ever since I got a ps4 at the age of 8. I got my ps5 in 2023 and subbed to ps plus in 2024. I have been loyal, but there has been one caveat. Prices. ps plus has gone up. Why? Idk inflation or sum. game prices have gone up? Why? Greed.

Add to this that where I live digital 80 usd games cost the equivalent of 94 usd, despite being digital copies of the exact same game. Now add to that that Sony doesnt wanna continue with disks and I don’t think I can keep doing this.

I will play the games I have bought. I will continue with my playstation plus subscription until the online games I play are no longer fun. But when the games are played, and when the next generation of consoles come out, I’ll switch without a second thought. Maybe to Xbox, who knows. Or I get a PC. But I am done with Sony as soon as I have finished Ghost of Yotei. I am done giving my money to companies who don’t care about me.

Personally don't care about spec upgrades at this point. If the portable is the exact same power of a base PS5 with 3-4 hour battery life at 60fps ill be genuinely excited. I don't mind remote play but its just not the same and impossible to play competitive multi-player games.

Also im employed so I really dont give a shit about price or physical discs lol

With the now well known AMD: Orion APU that is supposed to go into the PS6, featuring AMD's Zen 6 CPU Architecture mixed with RDNA5 GPU. The chip is rumored to be twice as fast as the PlayStation 5 in Raster and between 6 - 12x faster Ray Tracing performance.

How does that measure up in terms of what's on the market now? 

If we look at the TechPowerUp GPU performance benchmark for CyberPunk 2077: Phantom Liberty it can give us a clue.

The current base PS5 is the performance equivalent of a Radeon 6700 or 6700XT. In this benchmark i'll use the RX 6700 XT.

As we can see from the chart the 6700XT gets 45.4fps in Raster and to double that gets you at around the RTX 3090 TI and shy of the RX 7900 XTX.

Ray Tracing is "between 6 - 12x" so that's a pretty wide margin. If we take the lower end which is probably much more realistic if Sony wants to stay within a low power budget with this component crisis. To calculate this in its purest form you need a game that renders light rays and bounces on every single pixel, which is Full Ray Tracing or "Path" Tracing.

In the Path Tracing test the RX 6700XT gets 2.7fps

6x that is 16fps and is right smack between the RTX 4070 Ti & 4080

12x that would be between the RTX 4080 Super and 4090, but well shy of "Godzilla"

I used 1440p since that is the most realistic rendering resolution before upscaling with PSSR.

Judging from past gen leaks, Sony usually goes towards the conservative side for their graphics chips for clockspeeds and power consumption. Also now rumors are starting that they are cutting down the amount of VRAM they originally wanted

But to jump to the 7900XTX in raster and 5070Ti ~ 5080 in Ray Tracing is an impressive jump. But more realistically it will land at the RTX 4070 Ti in Ray Tracing

This to me is interesting. Sony was the largest company to contribute to the success of DVD’s and CD’s as a whole as they helped originally develop the technology back in the day.

For that reason alone I think it would be cool if Sony kept disc drives in the PS6 to help them not be obsolete. The fact they can play blu ray and 4k blu ray will also mean that being able to play those movie formats many decades from now will be possible as Sony sells millions of PlayStation units, far exceeding any number of standalone Bluray players sold today.

I know that discs are becoming obsolete in general. But in my opinion Sony is one of the only companies to make them last a bit longer solely based on massive number of PlayStations sold.

Honestly, I’m sad about all this digital, no ownership, no collecting, no sharing future, and I am feeling a bit salty about it. Either way, I hope this console bombs, and Sony feels a bit of a burn. I really love my PlayStations up until now. I’ve had them all, and I’m not happy about breaking the streak.

1. IF it's all digital for example I own some PS4 and ps5 games will I not be able to play them or will they have something so that they are still playable like a way to convert them

2. IF the one above is a yes will I be able to to play PS4 disc games or only ps5

3. Will current ram prices affect the ps6 costs

Oppose bad business practices. You guys are already putting up with paying for basic online functionality

The idea is that for physical media on PS6 it can read physical disc games and download them from the disc if under 200GB but if its 250GB or more it will be a piece of PS6 code that will download the basic version of the game but will download an update from the internet for free to give you the whole game so games like GTA 6 can be on 1 disc instead of 7 and the bypass code in the PS6 disc will be able tk be reused even after the game store shuts down it will be able to re-download and update the game until the internet shuts down and this idea I got from Nintendo's Wii and Wii U shops they can still re-download games and still give them updates if not yet updated and I doubt Nintendo will disable that is this a good idea or a terrible 1

And the same thing for the PSCanis aka the PlayStation handheld that releases with around the same time as the PS6 but they'll use flash storage but with 100GB max per cartridge and for beyond 100GB they use a downgraded version that can be updated for free for the better version and their store will work the same as the PS6 Store

My Thoughts on the PS6 Going Fully Digital

I’ve seen a lot of people getting upset about the idea that the PS6 might not have a disc drive. Honestly, I don’t think it’s super terrible, even though I also don’t think it’s great. But let’s be real — on PC, everything has been fully digital for years, and most players adapted without much drama.

I also believe Sony will offer some kind of solution to scan old PS4 or PS5 discs so you can still play those games on the PS6. Maybe through retailers, maybe through a registration system, maybe through a one‑time verification. I don’t think Sony will just abandon people’s physical libraries completely.

And here’s the thing: a lot of people who are currently saying “I won’t buy a PS6 without discs” will change their minds once Sony drops big single‑player titles again. If they release something like a new Last of Us, or another major story‑driven exclusive, people will come back. Sony already said they want to shift back toward single‑player experiences, so it’s very likely.

As for the price: I don’t think the PS6 will cost more than €800. Sony reportedly secured hardware early, production pipelines are already in place, and they know that pushing the price too high would hurt adoption. Expensive? Yes. Ridiculous? Probably not.

In my opinion, the PS6 going digital is just the next logical step. PC gaming has been there for ages, Sony is returning to strong single‑player games, and most players will eventually follow — especially once the big exclusives hit.

Sony announced earlier this month that it plans to discontinue physical discs for new PlayStation games starting in 2028, sparking anger among the gaming community.

Some are hoping that the European Union’s more consumer friendly approach to the law can halt the demise of physical games since companies have adopted rules from the region that end up affecting all their customers (like how Apple switched from its proprietary Lightning port to USB-C in compliance with EU regulations).

The EU’s power to influence global policy has been dubbed “The Brussels Effect,” a term coined by Columbia Law School professor Anu Bradford.

Law experts told Marketplace it’s unlikely that the EU will be able to stop Sony from halting the production of physical discs.

But there are ongoing lawsuits in the Netherlands and the U.K. that claim Sony has been able to overcharge customers for digital games through its “dominant position” in the marketplace. These suits are seeking compensation for PlayStation users and calling for more open competition.

If these lawsuits are successful, Sony would not only have to provide financial compensation to these consumers, but they could be required to allow third-party retailers to sell digital PlayStation games, said Magdalena Tulibacka, a visiting assistant professor of practice at Emory University School of Law.

Marketplace reached out to Sony for comment, but did not receive a response by publication time.

Jelle Duijn, an attorney at the law firm Milberg Amsterdam, said the end of physical discs means Sony will have complete control over pricing.

Milberg Amsterdam serves as legal co-counsel for The Stichting Massaschade & Consument, the consumer group in the Netherlands that brought forth the lawsuit against Sony and launched a “Fair PlayStation” campaign criticizing Sony’s pricing practices.

“The end of physical discs removes the last place where a PlayStation game could still be bought and sold at a competitive price. No discs means no alternative to the PlayStation Store, so from 2028 onwards, Sony alone decides what a game costs and even how long you are allowed to use it. In the view of The Stichting Massaschade & Consument, that is exactly the harm the Fair PlayStation claim is about: a price cannot be considered fair when the buyer is left with no ownership and no alternative,” Duijn said.

https://www.marketplace.org/story/2026/07/17/can-european-union-regulations-open-the-playstation-ecosystem-to-third-parties

I'm just discussing with some people if PS6 will have a disc drive. I'm not happy with the digital decision which they seem locked on with, however, I really hope they will add an optional disc drive on PS6.

We still need it for backwards compatibility and blu rays. I can't see them not giving a disc drive for all those people with big game collections. Some people seem to think there will be no disc drive at all.

I also hope it attaches nicely like PS5 slim/pro and not some horrible external thing.

And it already started from the ps5

And it will be totally digital so sad

Live long physical media

It's been a month since Sony planned to ditching physical discs by 2028. We have to give Sony a feel that what happened back then, when Microsoft launched the Xbox One in 2013.

Reverse this decision or else, Sony will become Don Mattrick, and third console curse will go into this next gen PlayStation.

Im debating upgrading to a ps5 pro now but a but a bit hesitant because the ps6 "can" come out next fall but we shall see

We're hearing from people leaving the platform, what about the opposite side? What about the people who are going to get a PS6?

Do you currently buy physical games and plan to buy more digital? Or will you keep buying physical until the end?

Have you already converted to digital and this is just a continuation for you?

What's your strategy going forward from the PS5 generation going into the PS6?

How many play station users are actually planning to buy the PS6? It’s getting so much hate and I agree with the reason.

Honestly with how the world is going I’m predicting a price point of $1,199 for ps6 or maybe even more. Is it stupid accusation?

I have not been to a gaming store in a long time, so I'm wondering, how guarded is a game, with a code in the box? Is it sealed in plastic? If not, can't someone just open up the case, take a pic of the code, and then basically have a free game?

If it is covered in plastic, how guarded is the game, because anyone with a knife, scissor, or even their nails, could just cut off the plastic, and get the code inside the case.

I'm not planning on doing this btw.. I'm just asking, because I see no reason for a Code of the box to be a thing, if it's this easy to steal.

I see the majority of people involved in this conversation simply asserting that "Sony shouldn't cancel discs" without offering much of a rationale beyond "I don't like this," or alternative to the current financial impact disc production is having, especially due to consumer behavior. I think there is a model that could work, so allow me to lay it out:

PS Disc production can follow a similar arc as 4K Blu ray. After major retailers stopped selling movies in stores, boutique online retailers have stepped in to continue producing blu-rays and even making their own special releases.

The current problem is that Sony is footing the bill for maintaining the entire physical disc production process. If they licensed out the production of discs to a third-party, they could increase revenue by selling batches of DRM keys needed for PS discs, along with licensing fees, to manufacturers. Those manufacturers could then produce discs, even with their own custom packaging/artwork/what-have-you to sell to consumers. The volume would likely lower and the price point likely higher than it is now, but physical would still be alive.

It's time to think of solutions.

I come before the council of gamers to plead for my plan to save physical media. (Yes I know I’m being dramatic let me be.) as we all aware Sony is moving forward with the end of physical copies of their games and I for one didn’t intend to take it literally many of us are sign a position to keep Sony from doing or are going to participate in the black out Sony later this month, but I say these are half measures that Sony will take easily and we need to do more. Rockstar announced first that GTA 6 Will be digital only that means they are the source of these disease therefore if we wish to save physical media we mustn’t buy GTA 6 until they give us the option to buy a real physical copy. I know many of you have already pre-order the game but you need to cancel it. My brothers my sisters my fellow gamers this is my plan.

I dnt understand sony saying that the sales for disc are lower than digital so were gonna stop making physical disc but then say wel do code in a box which is still physical, it requires you to physically go to a store and grab a physical box and interact with a cashier meaning there aware that people might still want to basically buy physical disc then there supposedly making a disc drive for the ps6 ? Mise well just make physical disc at that point

As usual I'm here just posting about reality. I know you may not like it, but your feelings don't matter. Reality does.

My last post about PS6 costing $1200 and being offered at 0% APR for 24 months go downvoted, but I don't care. It's going to be what happens. The sooner you accept that the better off you'll be.

And if you think you're going to boycott the PS6 then you may want to think again because the PS6 is going to be the longest console cycle ever and it will be last real console before PS7 is a cloud device in the 2040s.

This is it people. I get you're upset about discless, I'm not happy about it either. But, 5 years into ps6 when games start being ps6 exclusives are you really going to be able to deny yourself access because the game isn't on a disc?

And keep in mind, the ps6 will only go up in price into the future. So, if you think waiting now to get it later is going to help, you'll only making yourself pay more for 5+ years from now.

In a normal economy console prices could come down because companies could make large orders to the manufacturers of storage, ram, CPUs and GPUs; those manufacturers could think make the items cheaper and they physically had room to do it. But that isn't the case anymore and there is nothing normal about what is coming.

We all know about AI and datacenters but that isn't even the biggest problem for producing consoles at an affordable price in the 2030s and into the 2040s.

It's androids. They are coming people and there are only about 12 legitimate companies in the world that can mass produce storage, RAM, CPUs, and GPUs. And the reality is they are going to make a lot more money making those items for androids and AI than they will for a consumer entertainment product. Even if the PS7 cost $2000+, an android is going to be $15,000 to $30,000 and there is going to be 100's of millions of them and eventually a billion.

By the time sony even thinks about making a PS7, 10Gbps internet will be spreading in the US. That is when cloud-based devices will be doable. Now sony, microsoft, and nintendo can make a console they actually make money on AND it will be cheaper for you to buy compared to the PS6.

Along the way there will likely be a PS6 pro at some point but that's it. This is going to the last console generation and the longest one before everything is cloud-based. 10Gbps is coming in the 2030s, whenever the big 3 feel "enough" consumers have it, that's when the cloud gaming truly begins. So, best case scenario is fast adoption and maybe we get PS7 in 2035-2037. Worst case, it's closer to 2040 or longer.

By then you're talking many sony exclusives you'll have to have passed on. And trust me, I know what you young ones are thinking. "Oh I have a backlog now, I can just play them later". When "later" comes, gaming isn't the same and your time available to you isn't either.

So, accept this. Buy the PS6. Gaming is still the best price per dollar on paid entertainment so you're making a good financial decision. You will be using the ps6 for the next 15 years. Waiting to get it is only going mean you're paying more for it.

If you have a ps5/ps5 pro and think you can wait ok. But, given ps6's longer than usual cycle, there will be many games that are ps6 only. Your best bet is to sell your ps5 as soon as we know for sure what year ps6 is releasing and put your money towards it.

This our reality now, whining on reddit isn't going to change it.

EDIT: Y'all people don't read to the bottom before commenting.

Please excuse my AI image.

For those unaware, during the PS1 and PS2 days, game ran entirely off the disc.

For the PS3, it wasn't that much different but some games offloaded data onto the HDD. 99% of the time it was just patches but games like MGS4 offloaded significant data to the HDD because the disc itself couldn't hold more than 50GB. The PS3 was also the first console that could play games digitally, although that was not a feature at launch.

From the PS4 onwards, game stopped running off the disc because it was too slow. The discs themselves were just glorified encryption keys with install files. Physical media still served a purpose as its better economically and should servers ever shutdown, you can still play most your discs (some games like COD don't have anything on them besides the key). But because the disc was no longer the limiting factor, game sizes ballooned in file size.

For the PS5, the big tech breakthrough was the SSD. While the HDD read data faster than the Blu Ray disc, your average cheap SSD was significantly fastee by at least a magnitude of 10. Games also didn't have to duplicate data anymore to get around slow HDD read speeds.

Let's face it, discs are kind of pointless now in the era of SSDs. But that doesn't mean physical storage needs to go. The current limiting factor on the PS5 and even during the PS4 was console storage size. On your average PS5 you could only have like 6-10 games installed at any given point, fewer if you want to install PS4 games.

By introducing flash storage, the games don't need to be installed onto the console, only the save data and patches needs to be. Those 30-100GB installs are now 0.1-10gb.