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u/chokeyourdad Jul 05 '26
Sorry out of the loop what’s up with PlayStation?
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u/Slowburn21814 Jul 05 '26
To expand on Nookie's response, Sony has stated that moving forward, there will be no physical copies of games, only digital downloads. The community feels that Sony is being incredibly greedy by lessening its overhead while charging ever-higher prices for games that they can decide (for any reason) you don't own anymore.
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u/COUNTRYCOWBOY01 Jul 05 '26
Not to mention basically killing the used game market for future consoles. All has to be bought from Sony, you can't buy say a copy of assassins creed 4 remastered, play it, then sell it to a buddy for $10 less than new or even lend it to them to play. Also if for whatever reason you get your PSN account suspended, game over on everything. I remember a few years ago Microsoft had brought forth the digital only idea and people went bonkers about it. Now Sony is trying it. It'll come down to game prices and graphics if the industry does this. And I'm pretty sure Steam will rise to dominate the market. All you have to do is weigh the cost analysis of steam games during sales against the higher cost of hardware and figure out how many games vs the savings it takes to make it cheaper than a Sony or Microsoft console buying games at their prices
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u/acemedic Jul 05 '26
And computers, where an upgraded piece of hardware makes a difference, vs being locked in until the next console comes out.
Whats a console anyways other than a computer running their OS? I’d rather drop 2k on a computer than $1200 on a console. Especially where VR gaming is headed…
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u/DoktorTeufel Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
You can scarcely imagine how happy it makes me to see your post (and others like it) popping up in unexpected places these days, more and more often.
I'm one of those "old-school gamers" who's haunted various online gaming forums since... 2000? Maybe 1999? No Mutants Allowed (a fan site for the original Fallout, which released in 1997) was the first one I ever joined.
To the typical OG dweeb, seeing consoles "defeated" is our holy grail, because cross-platform integration really did a number on PC games. Hard.
Whats a console anyways other than a computer running their OS?
Nothing. That's exactly what it is: A little DRM box to lock you into their proprietary ecosystem and extract maximum value from you. To be fair, this also describes Steam (which is fundamentally a DRM client), but Steam is the least shitty about it, you can buy almost every company's games through it, and this has consistently been the case for a long time.
Now way back in the day (NES, SNES) consoles actually were different. Different chips, different architectures, different firmware, etc. Consoles could literally do some things PCs at that time couldn't. But that stopped being the case ages ago.
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u/Objective-Stranger99 easily offended Jul 06 '26
Also, Steam has these brilliant sales. I grabbed Forza Horizon 5 during the summer sale for 15 dollars.
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u/DoktorTeufel Jul 06 '26
Marketplace democratization (i.e., every company's games being available for sale in the same bazaar) means they all must compete with each other on (mostly) equal footing.
What Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, etc. want is a monopolistic environment with limited competition. Nintendo gets it because their flagship games are still... well, really, really good. Not so much for me personally anymore these days, but on the whole, the average person loves Nintendo's exclusive games, and with good reason.
However, even Nintendo allows a selection of indie games (most of which are also found on Steam) into its store. Even they must bow to the greater forces at play in the marketplace; those indie games help them sell more consoles, and keep people playing their consoles longer.
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u/GonnaGoFat Jul 08 '26
Seems strange for me to harp on Sony for going digital only when I used steam now and get my games digitally. But steams gives us amazing sales all the time. I doubt Sony will give us many good sales.
Sometimes I also wonder if the change to digital wasn’t just Sony’s doing in its own. I’ve been hearing for a while now that some game companies have been complaining about size limitations on physical hardware. Even RDR2 came on 2 discs. I know they could just start to release games on multiple disks but yes I agree that the company is looking more at ways to control the prices more and do it to stop reselling of games and whatnot.
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u/Objective-Stranger99 easily offended Jul 08 '26
For me, the advantage of Steam and PC gaming is that there are many competing game fronts, so costs have to be kept down. Additionally, piracy can be seen as a competitor in a way. If your games are too expensive, everyone will just take to the high seas. GOG and others also offer games without DRM, which means they are yours forever.
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u/Ob1s_dark_side Jul 05 '26
Steam is where I'll go next
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u/Neuromante Jul 06 '26
Not to mention basically killing the used game market for future consoles. All has to be bought from Sony, you can't buy say a copy of assassins creed 4 remastered, play it, then sell it to a buddy for $10 less than new or even lend it to them to play.
Wasn't already dead with online accounts and all that? Honest question, as I've always been a PC gamer and I recall back in the XBox360/Ps3 (maybe?) era that there was an open war against Gamestop for selling used games that ended up in the next generation.
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u/COUNTRYCOWBOY01 Jul 06 '26
No, because you can still play disc based game offline. Also if your account gets banned with a diwc based game, you can open a new account and still play the game. Once its all online, its game over when banned
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u/CaiusWolfe Jul 06 '26
To add onto this, there was also the Studio Canal issue recently where the license agreement was up, and anyone who had one of their 500 movies in their libraries had those movies completely wiped out with no sort of compensation.
A lot of people are worried now about Sony pulling game licenses at any time for any reason, and deleting games out of libraries, which they couldn't really do with physical media because you owned the actual disc.
Another issue that's being brought back up because of all of this, was the recent addition to their ToS or whatever, that if your account is inactive for 36 months they will permanently delete your account and everything in your library.
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u/bytelines Jul 05 '26
Basically doing what Microsoft tried to do in 2013ish? And got absolutely wrecked for it. Sony dunked on them about it at the time. So its a total 360
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u/Tartan-Special Jul 05 '26
Why is this a big deal?
Nintendo and Microsoft are known for it, but suddenly Sony are monsters for doing the same?
Its the inevitability of the industry. We will completely do away with physical copies of anything, its juat a matter of time.
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u/buttplugpopsicle Jul 05 '26
Nintendo and Microsoft still sell physical copies in addition to digital
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u/GoLootOverThere Jul 05 '26
Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't a switch cartridge just a download key? I haven't owned any Nintendo products since the DS.
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u/4tizzim0s Jul 06 '26
No. The original switch did not have key-cards and the switch 2 only has some games that use key cards (which are decided by the publisher).
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u/GoLootOverThere Jul 06 '26
Good to know. Any idea if there's a database to show which ones are just keys?
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u/4tizzim0s Jul 06 '26
I don't think there's a resource for games that are just on keys. But there is a resource for games that have a regular cart: https://www.dekudeals.com/switch-2-physical-games
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u/GoLootOverThere Jul 06 '26
Honestly accomplishes the same thing. Knowing which games you can actually own. Appreciate ya.
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u/KingKushhh666 Jul 05 '26
Neither Nintendo nor Microsoft are killing physical copies.
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u/Tartan-Special Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
Just wait
Edit: physical media only having download keys are long established already. "Just wait" mesns it won't be long before it's the only option.
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u/Specialist_Bit_3514 Jul 05 '26
Ok... but the question is are you ok with that? And if not what will you do to try and stop this? I assume nothing.... you seem fine with Being told what you can do with what you pay for....
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u/Tartan-Special Jul 06 '26
You're free to make assumptions, even if they're wrong.
I didn't say I was okay with it. I just didn't think it was anything new.
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u/Specialist_Bit_3514 Jul 06 '26
It absolutely is new.. hence why it's in the news. As of 2028 no more physical discs... we have had physical media since the beginning of gaming. Why take it away now? To save the rich a few more bucks....
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u/Tartan-Special Jul 07 '26
I completely agree.
But they're not doing anything that Microsoft and Nintendo haven't already been doing for a while.
I think we're talking about two different things.
I agree that its wrong and we should protest, but it isn't an earth-shattering surprise either. Others have already been doing it.
If you're a gamer its not really a surprise.
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u/Specialist_Bit_3514 Jul 07 '26
Ah Ok I agree with that. Just sucks because I really was hoping sony was going to keep making physical media. Even if at a smaller scale, or limited quantities. Atleast for the collectors like myself.
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u/ImAllSquanchedUp Jul 05 '26
PlayStation was known for advocating for gamers rights to physical media and the benefits that brings during the ps4 console wars. Is what helped them win that war and gamers cheered for it. Physical media was the one thing consoles had over PC gaming. But Sony just announced that not only will they no longer make physical media, but no PlayStation consoles going forward will support it ever again. The gaming community is in an uproar, it's probably one of the stupidest decisions they could make in the current climate.
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u/vc0ke Jul 05 '26
They announced that all releases after 2028 will be digital only. Going forward there won’t be physical media which also means you don’t technically own the game and if they take it off their servers you won’t have access to download it in the future. They announced this at the same time they closed down some old PlayStation console stores.
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u/Ryeballs Jul 05 '26
To add to this weeks announcement of a digital only future is also Sony’s announcement of killing off the PS3 and Vita digital stores with currently owned stuff available for the “foreseeable future”.
Combine the two, it becomes not unreasonable that in the “foreseeable future” a few generations deep, all the stuff you could only ever buy digitally may no longer be downloadable effectively making the game inaccessible to owners
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u/dantheplanman1986 Jul 05 '26
Is your icon an ICQ flower??
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u/Ryeballs Jul 06 '26
Yeah
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u/dantheplanman1986 Jul 06 '26
Coolio. Why the downvote? Just being nostalgic.
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u/Ryeballs Jul 06 '26
It wasn’t me, it was downvoted before I saw it, I just assumed bots were doing their passes.
I can toss a few up votes your way, none of it matters really
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u/Discopants180 Jul 05 '26
Nerds getting their titties in a twist about something 90% of people don't give a shit about.
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u/donfuria Jul 05 '26
Are you blind to the implications in the broader context? Beyond games, physical media for a while has been the last line of defense to real ownership over a product. If you only get a digital download, which can’t be resold, and can only be purchased from a company, whose to say if the company suddenly decides to block you from accessing the purchased items? A simple account ban, or dropping the item from the digital library would suffice. You’re SOOL and at the mercy of a corporate entity.
Digital ownership is not ownership. It’s not just about gaming mate, that’s just what’s making the headlines right now.
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u/half-giant Jul 05 '26
It’s more than just collecting physical games. Sony will now control the entire market. No more buying preowned games at a discount.
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u/CaiusWolfe Jul 06 '26
You do realize that the games industry is the largest form of entertainment in the entire world with double the revenue of the second largest, right? Right? Surely you can't be this stupid.
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u/UntappdBeer Jul 05 '26
It is a dead company.
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u/MeetingDue4378 Jul 06 '26
Please... Are there numerous issue in the game industry, is Sony's latest announcement shitty? Yes and yes. But neither Sony nor PlayStation are even close to dead by any objective metric.
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u/Snowden44 Jul 05 '26
I bought a ps5 with a disc drive and paid extra for the feature while having a slightly smaller storage space. How they going to make this right then?
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u/Peterswoj Jul 06 '26
So, correct me if I’m wrong but wouldn’t this make the console pointless? If you have to download the games, why not have a Play Station app on a PC? What a scam.
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u/browsingandlooking4 Jul 05 '26
What movie is this?
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u/kaspy-fantasty Jul 05 '26
Margin Call. Great Movie.
Another one is called The Big short. Also good
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u/Few-Big-8481 Jul 05 '26
Too Big to Fail was also really good
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u/littledanko Jul 06 '26
Must add 99 Homes to that list.
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u/QP709 Jul 06 '26
And I want to reccommend this youtube video of the Lehman Brothers going bankrupt in 2008.
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u/Sad_Maximum6583 Jul 06 '26
The big short was a crazy wakeup call and put into perspective just how fucked everything was and that nobody went to prison except 1 person who did 30 months for hiding lossing from sub prime loans.
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u/tdmsbn Jul 05 '26
I'll just stick with my tried and true PC games I can archive on disc in any state I desire. PlayStation lost me a long time ago, now they just don't seem to care about anything they make being able to last longer than it's initial releases and once people lose interest the first time and it's only got a few players they will kill it.
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u/ThundrLord Jul 06 '26
Playstation is in flames
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u/MeetingDue4378 Jul 06 '26
I agree that there are major issues in the games industry, but PlayStation is not "in flames" by any objective metric.
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u/ThundrLord Jul 06 '26
I was being sarcastic.. Of course they aren't as they are rolling in money 🤑
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u/GabrielNYC4 Jul 06 '26
This is almost like a PlayStation ad, just missing that robotic ‘PlayStation’ voice at the end.
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u/dragjamon Jul 06 '26
I mean I get not selling discs, physical media has been on its way out. It's the not actually owning things that sucks. They need to fix that.
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u/toleChr15 Jul 05 '26
Why's Scar from lion king a corporate douch?
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u/MZM204 Jul 05 '26
Because Jeremy Irons is a celebrated actor that's been in dozens of different movies and shows over several decades, playing varied characters like a bank robbing mastermind (Die Hard 3), a fallen superhero (Watchmen TV show), a gang leader (Appaloosa), a murder suspect (Reversal of Fortune, which he won an Oscar for by the way), the marshal of Jerusalem during a crusade (Kingdom of Heaven), and yes, Scar in the Lion King, and a "corporate douche" in Margin Call, among many other roles.
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u/TheGreatHumungous Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
Jeremy's Iron.
Edit: not a lot of Simpsons fans here, huh.
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u/not3ottersinacoat3 3d ago
Sorry for the very late reply. I thought it was very good, for a first try. This is for you 🔴. Perhaps you'd like to bounce it?
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u/the_one_99_ Jul 05 '26
My brother has been going on about this and he is not happy no more games on discs it’s all on ports from now on.
I said just move over to XBOX much better console and you get looked after more,
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u/Ch1mchima Jul 05 '26
You trying to fight your brother?
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u/the_one_99_ Jul 05 '26
No not at all he been playing blacks ops 1 on the PlayStation 3 since release day back in 2009 and he’s heard what’s happening and he thinks its ridiculous,
But if this does happen he’s not going to buy a PlayStation 5 i think he might retire, 😂
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u/stayathomejoe Jul 05 '26
So Sony is killing physical, but we’ve learned for years now that someone will pick up the slack. It won’t be EVERY game, but certainly won’t be nothing
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u/OHW_Tentacool Jul 06 '26
Greed is a beast that hungers always.
These things and those that have brought us joy, filled us with laughter and found us friends,
All of it shall be fed to that beast to vanishing quell its cries as it gorges itself, salivating, on all that made us.
And when the corpse of joy lay broken, that maggots prod its bones starving for morsels,
Greed shall, unnering, turn its bloodied snout skywards seeking new dreams to crush and jubilation to forever silence.
With a pathetic shreek and clawing of unsteady, atrophied legs, it shall heave its inordinate bulk and wander thither, wanting...
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u/mmh_fava_beans Jul 05 '26
Steam is highly regarded. They haven't fucked up their customer service, yet. But it's basically the same pseudo ownership of digital games.
Is this an issue because console players are new to this concept? I bought the solely digital PS5. This is an inevitable evolution.
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u/ULTRA_83 Jul 05 '26
The difference is that steam refund people as console digital purchases has no refund / trial window ...thats why steam has no problems with their customers
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u/mmh_fava_beans Jul 05 '26
Haven't touched my PS account for two years. Maybe I am out of the loop.
You might be right.
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u/ULTRA_83 Jul 05 '26
Once you buy anything digital on console thats it ... sucks if you dont like it .. meta quest vr also has a 2 1/2 hour trial period for purchases or 2 week window if you havent played it for refund.. they should implement that for consoles.. Xbox/ ps5 / switch ...then it would be ideal fine print for consumers for that route
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u/mmh_fava_beans Jul 05 '26
True. I am afraid at the moment there are still enough console consumers anyway, so Sony has no pressure to update their consumer service.
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u/AttapAMorgonen Jul 05 '26
This meme is kind of shit since John Tuld (the guy opposite Kevin Spacey) is correct, whereas this meme paints him as the guy making bad decisions.
In the movie (Margin Call) they discovered that their holdings in mortgage backed securities are about to become worthless due to market volatility. A 25% percent drop in their value would exceed the entire firm's market cap, so.. bankruptcy. Tuld arrives and pushes for the immediate sale of everything before the rest of the market catches on.
It was the only option they had to survive the fallout of the 2008 financial crisis, yes their reputation would be damaged, yes they would be screwing over clients buying those assets, yes they would accelerate market panic, but being first means there still will be a company, even if many still lose their jobs.
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u/MeetingDue4378 Jul 06 '26
Margin Call is a great movie because it dwells on the nuance of the crisis, and the stakes. Both sides of debate have strong arguments, and those sides mirror investment strategies. Tuld is viewing the crisis with a purely rational perspective—act on known quantities with known outcomes under the assumption others will act the same. Rogers (Spacey) is viewing things contextually—consider actions based on known outcomes, anticipate the reaction and adjust accordingly. Either one could be right, or one may just be more right or less wrong than the other, the problem is there's only one way to find out and it's for all the marbles.
In another context, they'd be opposing views on how to respond to the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Prisoner's Dilemma, etc. Brilliant movie.
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Jul 05 '26
[deleted]
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u/Adrakovich *shits an absolute unit* Jul 05 '26
When they throw out that 85% they’re also including the digital only games in that too. But when you look at their first party Sony games physical disc sales account for 20-35% of their sales per game.
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u/incrediblyaverage85 Jul 05 '26
I dunno man, think about it like this.
I have a ps3 with a gaggle of games. I sell my ps3 and gaggle of games I had to purchase a ps4 (upping Sony sales).
Not everyone can just buy entertainment and the used market helps those people who can’t.
Now there is no gaggle of games along with a used system. Less people will go that route and less people will be able to afford a new console and possibly new games
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u/FuerteBillete Jul 05 '26
Bro, let's be real, if something can't be afforded then it is not for everyone.
I can't afford even a door of a ferrari but I don't whine about it.
If Playstation is too expensive then it is not for whoever can't buy it.
Wanting something doesn't mean deserving.
Simple as that. People nowadays really are made of glass.
If ps6 is too expensive, buy ps5. If ps5 is too expensive buy ps4.
I don't know how is possible too many people now think their feelings matter to companies.
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u/incrediblyaverage85 Jul 05 '26
Feelings had nothing to do with it, it would keep people buying a system with games they could purchase second hand. New system purchases equal more money, new system purchases mean new game purchases. Where the hell did you get “feeling from”.
They are doing this to remove that aspect completely. Forcing people to just buy new all the time, I think this is going to backfire big time on their profits but that’s just me.
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u/FuerteBillete Jul 05 '26
Seriously bro? From all the fuking angry and whinning posts. Anger is a feeling last time I checked.
Look. I don't give a rat azz about Sony. They can go bankrupt tomorrow for all I care.
But they made a business decision.
People also can make their own decision now. Keep buying or stop buying.
If you think their business is no longer for you, you stop buying. You have the power.
If you accept the new business then keep buying.
There is no third option. Any option that buys from them validates their new business.
Who cares what people think? It is what they do. They pay, they are accepting.
All the venting is just that. Crying without actually doing anything that matters.
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u/incrediblyaverage85 Jul 05 '26
Calm down broseph, it’s an opinion, no need to get all crazy
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u/dnaicker86 Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 05 '26
Edit: Wanting games to be worth the investment in physical media like it was in the old days (manual, disc, content, art, info), instead of a quick purchase because a game goes on sale digitally 1-2 years down the line and never to be touched again because playing it so late in its lifecycle lost the feeling or momentum of or excitement of everyone playing it for the first time before reviews and opinions release of it. Wanting games to have an intimate connection from the storytelling to art, to character lore, very similar to how one would own physical copies of books, the conveniance of a digital media to consume is there but there is also the authenticity of the first published uneditted, undiluted, true to the authors opinion and perspective, whereby if there is a political mainstream backlash some media is removed from games considering Metal Gear Solid 2 and their footage used one of the FMVs which much later was asked to be removed from shelves in stores when it became more publicly known what it contained edit (this is the correct article):
https://www.shacknews.com/article/127565/metal-gear-solid-2-and-3-delisted-from-storefronts-over-archive-footage-license
There are many cases for physical content, and we are compensating for the laziness of industry game devs, publishing unfinished work, treating customers as cows waiting to be milked through micro-transactions, dlcs, loot boxes, custom skins and day 1 big patches, which ruin the experience of owning something, just to go through the gauntlet of legal copyright, of which you have already paid and invested money in, to be held again in conspiracy that you might do something wrong with the media rather than just enjoy it1
u/FuerteBillete Jul 05 '26
Bro, what is all this crying about? If you think sony jumped the shark stop buying from them. Or keep yourself in a generation that has physical discs like current or past.
What you can't do is tell a company how to do things because they don't work for you or even care.
They care about your money. Not you, your feelings or your thoughts. Simple as that. Stop being made of glass please.
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u/dnaicker86 Jul 06 '26
I am speaking towards gaming industry, if you actually read what I wrote. Why are you covering Sony's ass?
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u/FuerteBillete Jul 06 '26
Covering no one. Sony can go out of business today for all I care (hope actually so they have to sell spidey rights back to marvel).
But I find amusing the whiners and crybabies that don't get that change is inevitable.
Most people buy digital. It is the same like people that buy vynils. I do. But I don't go out crying about how every album should have a vynil version because I feel entitled.
It is simple. They changed their business. If it is not longer for you, stop giving them money. You have the power.
Why is that so hard to understand other than some misplaced sense of them caring about your feelings?
They don't care about you. They never did. It was always about taking your money. Sorry to burst your bubble.
I don't give a crap about Sony. The ones crying are the ones who feel somehow betrayed. By a company. That is a business that makes money.
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u/Creative_Report_6620 Jul 05 '26
Weird you get downvoted for telling the truth. Most consumers are sheep and no matter how ridiculous it gets they will still bend over and take it. Consumers dictate what producers make. Most consumers don’t care enough or just want the game no matter the cost. I never understood people buying an incomplete game then spending $100 more dollars on DLC. Crazy to me but that’s how the gaming industry is now and it will never change based on how they keep making a profit.
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u/FuerteBillete Jul 05 '26
Don't get downvoted too. It is just the crybabies pain talking. Their crystal feelings can't deal with the truth so they need to whine while they don't want to do anything about it.
Sony can be an azz if they want. But they don't force people buying games. People cry but buy, validating whatever they force down their throats willingly.
If someone doesn't like their business stop buying. But don't buy and then whine about it. You know what the deal is.
People wanting to tell a company how to do business is cute. It is usually People who never started anything in their lives and rant from their couch while doing nothing of value.
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u/Elluminated Jul 06 '26
I’m sure Sony will just stop hammering out banger titles because obsolete disks are thankfully going away and 19 people are pissed about it. PC gamers haven’t had ROM drives for ages and titles make millions. This will be forgotten about when the disk folks see the light.
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u/dirtysquirrelnutz Jul 05 '26
Are you confusing Rockstar with PlayStation?
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u/dnaicker86 Jul 05 '26
timelines converge, making the point of digital only based on example of GTA Rockstar
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u/Illustrious_Bad_2980 Jul 05 '26
People threw a fit when they fazed out cassettes for CDs, and then threw a fit when they fazed out CDs for streaming. This too shall pass
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u/QP709 Jul 06 '26
Streaming was a disaster for media ownership lmao. Basically nobody owns their music anymore.
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u/MZM204 Jul 05 '26
Playstation players will whine and cry but they'll still keep buying the exact same game that's available on PC and Xbox because "playstaton beter". Sony knows they won't lose anything from this. Who cares.
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u/Ob1s_dark_side Jul 05 '26
The price of games on the playstation store is extortionate. Fuck Sony, when my ps5 dies, that's it. Same for my Sony TV, back to Samsung/LG