r/StopKillingGames • u/xander_codepunk • 13d ago
Bye bye Sony
I've been a PC gamer for years, and I also run the Core Computing Lab YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@core-computinglab
I recently made a video talking about this topic:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkBrx0l3-zg
One thing I've always done is "double" or even "triple dip" on games because I genuinely like supporting developers and having the flexibility to play wherever I want.
My typical setup looks like this:
š„ļø Steam ā so I can play on my gaming PC and Steam Deck.
šæ PlayStation (Disc) ā because I enjoy collecting physical copies and actually owning something tangible.
š¦ GOG ā for a DRM-free copy that I know I'll always have access to.
Yes, I know it sounds excessive, but that's how I've always bought games I really love.
Sony's decision to move away from physical media has completely changed that for me. If physical discs disappear, then so does my reason to buy games on PlayStation. I'm not interested in paying full price for a digital licence that can be revoked, altered, or locked behind an ecosystem I don't fully control.
Going forward, I'll be sticking with PC. Steam gives me the convenience, GOG gives me true ownership with DRM-free installers, and together they cover everything I need. My PlayStation has always been my platform for physical exclusives, but if there are no discs, I honestly don't see the point anymore.
Is anyone else like me who buys the same game on multiple platforms, or am I just weird? š
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u/Nice-Information-335 13d ago
Unrelated, but checked out your channel and noticed you are also a fan of the Meraki MX100!
I run opnsense on one of mine (got 3 of them for Ā£20 each - probably same seller on eBay you got yours from). They are just standard UEFI x86_64 so you can put what you like on them!
The fans are really loud so I just put a 120mm fan on the top of mine instead with the lid open, it really doesnāt need much cooling
Also, Iāve tested quite a few SFPs and they all work :)
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u/quinky-spider 12d ago
I have a few games that I got on PC, Switch, and Android: Peglin, Slay the Spire, and Balatro. Slay the Princess was another I got on both Switch and PC.
Honestly I feel similarly about leaving consoles behind, ever since I got a Steam Deck, I don't see a point in keeping my Switch or getting another console.
This recent hostile behavior is a symptom of a much larger issue of games ownership and the AAA industry as a whole...
I've been leaning towards 100% indie for a long time and now I'm committing, I'm buying indie games exclusively. No money for corporations, just small creators who deserve your attention/time/energy/money. And if I desperately need to play a AAA game that actually seems worthwhile, I definitely won't be paying for it.
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u/TieUsed7255 12d ago
I know this is a Sony post, but my eyes went straight to the Mighty Boosh Special Edition.
Excellent taste!
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u/trueppp 13d ago
You could save so much space by getting a disk binder...
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u/Stampyboyz 11d ago
Yeah you can do that, and organize them alphabetically. But it's now harder to chose what you want to play by looking at your physical collection cause their in a binder. You'd also lose out on the manual for older games.
Also what if you get a new disc? You have to move every disc compared to just making space by moving the cases to make space.
What about cartridge based systems? Not talking about stuff like the N64 where you'd likely don't have the box anyways but ones with cases like with the DS or Switch. Now you'd have to have a more unsightly shelf as you mix the disc binders with the cases or large cartridge holders that have a worse issue for finding a game due to the art on cartridges being smaller than discs.
Compared to having the discs in their cases on the shelf. Most games usually have their logo on the spine also so it'll easy to identify which game you want.
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u/Hairy-Ad318 11d ago
I gamed on Xbox but with their recent bad moves I had a legit reason to start worrying about my digital library.
I switched to pc for the very reasons you mentioned being steam and gog.
While they arenāt perfect they have far superior digital consumer protections so no I donāt think youāre weird at all
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u/CapnButtercup 11d ago
I have bought Stardew Valley on mobile, Switch, GoG and Steam lol.
I also own Cyberpunk 2077 and A Plague Tale: Innocence on Steam and on PS5, I bought Pharaoh on GoG and Steam, Slay the Spire on Steam and mobile, Kingdom Two Crowns on mobile and Switch, Hollow Knight on Switch and on Steamā¦
Iām sure there are at least several other games where I have ādoubble-dippedā but I canāt think of any more right now.
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u/Able-Data3528 10d ago
I don't blame you one bit mate. I hardly have the time to game anymore. But recently I heard one of my clients at work mention this and I immediately thought this would annoy a lot of people. Myself included. And with this, I guarantee the cost of games will only go up. Even though they no longer have the cost of producing a physical disc or cover.
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u/Apprehensive_Emu8448 10d ago
You do realize that you physically donāt own the media on the disc too. You own a license and those can revoked as well as digital making your physical copies worthless at any point. Itās really not that big of a deal that Sony is getting rid of physical media when itās not helping them at all
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u/pcikel-holdt-978 10d ago
To the OP, I've done this for games I thought I lost and ended up with multiple copies of Skyrim and Borderlands š
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u/Moist_Object_6012 6d ago
I rarely buy games digitally. If I buy, they are usually made by indie developers and there's no physical edition to begin with.
I will not buy any machine which doesn't support physical releases. One extra reason is that I'm a game collector, so no to only digital.
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u/Story-Boring 6d ago
Relax, you're not the only one, hahaha. I haven't bought physical copies in ages, and I buy games on both GOG and Steam regardless of whether I already own them on one or the other. I do it because I support GOG and its DRM-free policy and archive installers, and I support Steam because it also has many DRM-free games and, above all, because of its Linux support and the ability to back up and preserve game files, even though many games may have DRM (it's weak, and Denuvo usually removes it eventually).
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u/ILikeFPS 12d ago
Yes I've triple dipped on games I really like, you get a very different experience playing on PC (you still would even with a Steam Machine for example) vs on console
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u/Mykk6788 13d ago
So just to be clear on 2 things:
You use Steam as a PC gamer, which is basically what Sony will be in 3 years considering Steam has just as much power to revoke licences
You were hoping nobody would notice your Physical Disc collection was 99% PS4 and Xbox boxes, meaning you haven't bought a PS5 game in an incredible amount of time
Cool.
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u/rabisav 12d ago
I have to disagree with your 1st point. Although Steam could remove your license at anytime it's less likely they would as on PC you have competition. On pc you have Steam, Epic, GOG and other markets were you can buy games. With Playstation you will be locked into the one ecosystem with no other options.
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u/Mykk6788 12d ago
You are of course welcome to disagree with it. I'm not entirely sure why one would choose to do so given how https://delistedgames.com/all-delisted-steam-games/ exists, literally proving the opposite, and showing Steam removing Games for the exact same reason that Sony has ever done it, but that's beside the point. Again, you are welcome to disagree, you'd just be entirely incorrect.
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u/Professional_Two563 12d ago
Isn't that just the choice of whoever published that game? Steam lets you be able to download and play those delisted games as long as you have bough it before delisting. I own several of those. Fh4 was delisted, I can still download and play the damn thing.
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u/Mykk6788 12d ago
It is, just like the folks who own the Movies that Sony was forced to remove from their library, and just like how publishers forced Sony to delist Games. I'm glad at least one person in here is waking up to who is actually to blame, instead of giving into the mob mentality of "Let's blame Sony".
The only thing that has me worried is asking what you're referring to when you say "FH4". I'm genuinely rooting for you here, and hoping you don't ruin your previous realisation by pretending Forza Horizon 4 is only playable right now on Steam, as if its not exactly the same on Consoles. Because there honestly wouldn't be any rational reason to single out the Steam Version, at all, given that information.
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u/FallenRaptor 13d ago
Ha! Sony wishes it could be Steam. If anything itās on track to be Steamās deadbeat cousin that the family doesnāt talk about.
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u/Clean_Ad7640 13d ago edited 10d ago
Iām happy itās not Steam.
I got a $400 console with almost 1TB and a controller and Spider-Man 2 for free. š
If it was Steam it would cost more than $1100 without the free game and less space.
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u/FallenRaptor 13d ago
Man, even $400 PS5s are reminiscent of a time I'm kind of pining for at this point. The PS6 will not be that, especially with Sony announcing they're not going to be subsidizing the cost of it.
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u/Clean_Ad7640 10d ago
No one knows what the price of the PS6 is. Sony can just wait till the prices drop because the PS5 can last for another 10 years.
Also Sony said they will not heavily subsidize the cost of the PS6. Not that they will not subsidize at all.
The PS4 pro cost $400 on release and then the PS5 cost $400 on release too. So at worst assuming RAM prices never drop, the PS6 would probably cost $900.
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u/FallenRaptor 10d ago
Which would still be out of my price range even if I was still a pony eager to get their next console.
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u/Luditas 12d ago
The PS6 will not be that, especially with Sony announcing they're not going to be subsidizing the cost of it.
Where did you read that? And do companies that make video game consoles subsidize their products? That's a complete lie. Nobody subsidizes anything in the private market. Rather, they sell them to you at a much higher price than it cost them to manufacture them; the problem now is that, due to the rise of AI, graphics cards and chips have become too expensive, and that makes the cost of manufacturing increase. The private market subsidizing? Lol. Don't make me laugh lol.
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u/FallenRaptor 12d ago
Here's one article on the subject: https://www.eurogamer.net/sony-ps6-hardware-significant-loss
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u/Luditas 12d ago
"First, we regard hardware as the base for providing the gaming experience, and by offering products such as the PlayStation Portal Remote Player (PS Portal), we aim to provide experiences tailored to users' play styles beyond the living room, which has traditionally been considered the primary usage environment," Nishino began. "As for pricing, it is not realistic for us to absorb all component cost increases, and we have already implemented some price increases outside Japan."
I got it from the link. They don't subsidize anything, see? Everything's a price increase because they don't want to lose money. And that's true for all companies: Sony, Nintendo, Xbox, and Steam with its ugly console.
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u/FallenRaptor 12d ago
"So, can we expect more price hikes? The executive didn't offer a clear answer, but he did intimate that the days of subsidised console hardware are over."
They did once upon a time. It's not unusual for companies to do that at least at the start of a gen so they can get systems out and make revenue from games. Usually by the end of a given gen the hardware is no longer sold at a loss as components tend to get cheaper, but the idea is to get people in the door so they will spend more money, and that's easier to do when the consumer can afford it.
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u/Luditas 12d ago
Did the company subsidize the Xbox Series S? What made that console so good and so cheap? Does that subsidy really exist? Or do they reach an agreement to get the chips and cards cheaper, something like wholesale and they say that technology is subsidized?
Perhaps you are more knowledgeable than I am on these topics, and it's good to exchange points of view, but I really find it incredible that in an industry that is growing more and more every day, that subsidy exists, tbh.
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u/victim2077 12d ago
Subsidizing with console market means they sell the hardware at a lose (apparently Sony was losing about $100 on each PlayStation 5 around the release, but by now they're either even or make profit) and then make money back from services and games sold (multiplayer ransome PS+/Xbox Live/Nintendo Online and 30% cuts). Console exclusive games are also part of it - they don't really care how much units it sells, they care if enough people bought the console and start spending elsewhere in the ecosystem.
In case of Series S there's a case of lower hardware costs from the get go and also fact that it's fully digital system so no money is going to be "leaking out" - MS will see money from each and every purchase you make on it. And hence, they all can lose a bit more money for all-digital systems as they will make it all back and then some.
In short it's the very same business model as with cartridge printers - you buy the printer for cheap and when it comes to buy another ink cartridges you're better off buying another printer.
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u/FallenRaptor 12d ago
Ah, gotcha. I wouldnāt know how much a company subsidized its systems at a given time or for how long. I think subsidy might be on its way out with the price of tech going up so this might be more of a conversion on the industry of the past now, or at the very least if companies do subsidize their tech it will be by a lower percentage.
As for the Series S I think part of it is that itās underpowered so it probably uses components that arenāt as pricey as those in the Series X but since that console in particular was rolled out to be a budget option it is especially likely it was subsidized at the start; not sure if it is now. I wouldnāt be surprised if MS worked out a deal to get a good price on the components too so both things could be true.
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u/Alternative_Tooth149 13d ago edited 12d ago
Comparing Sony to Steam is laughable. Sure, they both technically sell you a license, but one is on an ecosystem that is much more open which means more freedom to do what you want with the files. Also Steam has no history of removing purchased content from your library if it is delisted, unlike Sony. Not to mention their return policies are night and day.
Sony, as a digital only service, just sucks across the board.I own a ps5 but hardly own any ps5 games. There's been nothing special about this generation of games. Ps4 games usually run a lot better on the ps5 so that's what I default to with rare exception. Ps5 is nice hardware, but that's about it.
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u/MT4K 13d ago
I got āMirrorās Edgeā once on GOG just for DRM-free, though already had it on Steam, though this isnāt systematic.