Sony stopping disc production in 2028

[Voncaster]

I have a lot of problems with Valve, but it's not on them that Apple goes out of its way to keep new computers from running old software at pretty regular intervals. Apple just sucks that way, and it's on developers to maybe patch in compatibility for new hardware (they might if you ask, even!)

My point is really that nothing is truly timeless without work. Valve runs on a set architecture at the moment. If quantum computing becomes a thing or Windos or Linux significantly change their OS, old games become incompatible when new system architecture becomes the standard. Will the work be done to preserve old games? Maybe but who knows. I suppose GOG is doing good work in the preservation space.

PC is probably your best bet for longevity of games. But even PC is not bullet proof in this regard was really my point.

I also think old simpler games NES up to PS2, non-internet games, probably also have some good longevity.

 

[Kirin]

In a way, incompatible OS updates aren't all that different from incompatible console generations. Like, the most straightforward way to play really old MacOS games, like pre-Intel, is just emulate the whole OS and architecture, same as you'd emulate old 8-to-32-bit+ console systems. I don't know that it's super practical to emulate late-32-bit-era Mac stuff yet, but I'm sure it will be eventually.

Of course, all that relies on circumventing any existing DRM, which bring us back to the statement that the only practical road to long-term game preservation is piracy.

 

[Sarge]

Apologies if it already got mentioned as I skimmed this thread, but I've seen a few folks (like John from Digital Foundry) point out that for new games the physical split isn't as skewed as that 85% number they're trotting out. Sony is being a bit disingenuous here, using stats on older games that aren't available physically or DLC and such for games and tossing that into the number. But it's advantageous for them to use that number to try to get physical folks to just "see the writing on the wall" and give up, ceding Sony the sort of market control that they (and to be fair, other console makers) want.

And maybe I am in the minority, but for me, if there is no physical aspect to Sony's systems, there is no reason for me to own the PS6. Their exclusives don't provide enough of a pull to make them tantalizing. I will move over to PC in that case, as I will have far more options on an open platform there.

 

[gorha]

In a way, incompatible OS updates aren't all that different from incompatible console generations. Like, the most straightforward way to play really old MacOS games, like pre-Intel, is just emulate the whole OS and architecture, same as you'd emulate old 8-to-32-bit+ console systems. I don't know that it's super practical to emulate late-32-bit-era Mac stuff yet, but I'm sure it will be eventually.

Of course, all that relies on circumventing any existing DRM, which bring us back to the statement that the only practical road to long-term game preservation is piracy.

This is where I'm at, pretty much. I just expect to have to pirate anything more than 20 years old or so, whether I bought it at some point in the past or not.

 

[4-So]

And maybe I am in the minority, but for me, if there is no physical aspect to Sony's systems, there is no reason for me to own the PS6. Their exclusives don't provide enough of a pull to make them tantalizing. I will move over to PC in that case, as I will have far more options on an open platform there.

Precisely this. I had a conversation with my 16-yo earlier tonight to express this sentiment. Sure, I enjoyed Last of Us, God of War, and Horizon but none of those IPs are such supernovas that I'd spend $1000 for a digital-only PS6. Sony execs think they're sitting on Mario and Zelda. Motherfuckers have never sat on Mario and Zelda.

For me personally, perhaps the most interesting bit of this disc-less nonsense is that it was that same 16-yo who first clued me in on what was afoot. He sent me a text message that just said "Bruh" and showed a screenshot of Sony's annoucement. It's a bit funny that Sony would have us all think no one outside of the hardest of cores cares about physical media when the Gen Z crowd are fairly captivated by analog experiences - my son and his friends all have music CD collections, and they've asked me to borrow DVDs and Blu-Rays, which they play in thier... PlayStations. Delicious irony or something adjacent to it.

 

[WisteriaHysteria]

PlayStation has been aimless since Yoshida moved on and they started letting the bean counters have the most important say at the table. It's wild how far we've come from the company that basically won the console wars with this single ad:

 

[Violentvixen]

PlayStation has been aimless since Yoshida moved on and they started letting the bean counters have the most important say at the table. It's wild how far we've come from the company that basically won the console wars with this single ad:

I don't think I ever saw this ad before now, dang

 

[Becksworth]

And maybe I am in the minority, but for me, if there is no physical aspect to Sony's systems, there is no reason for me to own the PS6. Their exclusives don't provide enough of a pull to make them tantalizing. I will move over to PC in that case, as I will have far more options on an open platform there.

Most of the Sony studios whose games I was interested in have already been shuttered, cut loose, or in some weird place waiting for one of those to happen. Taking away physical options doesn't entice more me to purchase what will amount to the "Astro Bot sequel and maybe a Rachet and Clank title if Insomniac isn't too busy with Spider-Man" machine.

 

[R.R. Bigman]

A good argument could be made that the PS5 has been Sony’s worst console generation in nearly every way. It’s only competition in that race is the PS3, and even that system got a second wind in the second half.

 

[Sarge]

Yeah, that, too. Microsoft may be on a closure binge, but Sony hasn't been shy about it, either. Astro Bot and R&C (or even God of War (2018), which I gave a 10/10) aren't attractive enough to have me buy an expensive walled garden.

And weirdly, I like my PS5 Pro! It's not exciting, but running older games at higher framerates is pretty cool! Having discs, even if I had to tack on a drive, is also cool! But it does feel like we're heavily into diminishing returns territory, and I have to wonder with the parts crisis what sorts of compromises they're going to saddle the system with to at least keep it somewhat sane in price.

 

[4-So]

Affordability isn't their goal now. Either they cater to people who won't mind $1000 for a digital-only device, the kinds of people who are financially comfortable, or they will bundle the PS6 with a PS+ subscription and you slowly pay it off over time, much like many people do with cellphones where the device is added to the monthly bill. Microsoft has already mentioned kicking around that latter idea for Project Helix - it'll be Game Pass there - and I'd be surprised if Sony is not doing the same napkin math.

Or we just firmly move in to games-as-luxury territory. Not everyone can afford a Ferrari but the right people certainly can, and as long as you have enough of them...

 

[Juno]

A good argument could be made that the PS5 has been Sony’s worst console generation in nearly every way. It’s only competition in that race is the PS3, and even that system got a second wind in the second half.

The PS3, for all of its faults, at least had Sony bring out some notable new franchises like Uncharted, Resistance, Little Big Planet, The Last of Us, and Infamous. They also released several one-offs like Journey, Tokyo Jungle, Folklore, Warhawk, and Playstation All-Stars. I'm not necessarily arguing that these games are all good, but at the very least they represent an attempt by Sony to try new things and give their system variety.

The PS5, in contrast, has been more limited on its new 1st party franchises. There's Returnal, Saros, and Astro Bot (there was also Concord but that game lasted 2 weeks before the plug was pulled), but otherwise its largely franchises that existed in older generations- Spider-man, God of War, Ghost, and Horizon. The PS5 simply lacks it own sense of identity compared to earlier. This generation is nearly 6 years old yet it feels like it's barely started because there's nothing to make it feel distinct from the PS4.

 

[LBD_Nytetrayn]

Affordability isn't their goal now. Either they cater to people who won't mind $1000 for a digital-only device, the kinds of people who are financially comfortable, or they will bundle the PS6 with a PS+ subscription and you slowly pay it off over time, much like many people do with cellphones where the device is added to the monthly bill. Microsoft has already mentioned kicking around that latter idea for Project Helix - it'll be Game Pass there - and I'd be surprised if Sony is not doing the same napkin math.

Or we just firmly move in to games-as-luxury territory. Not everyone can afford a Ferrari but the right people certainly can, and as long as you have enough of them...

 

[WisteriaHysteria]

A good argument could be made that the PS5 has been Sony’s worst console generation in nearly every way. It’s only competition in that race is the PS3, and even that system got a second wind in the second half.

I can pretty easily make the argument that the PS3 was the best console ever made, at least from a hardware/user experience perspective.

PS3 came standard with a hard drive that was expandable with off-the-shelf replacements when its contemporaries didn't, allowing for hdd caching.

PS3 came standard with next gen media drive that could actually hold the data necessary for HD gaming without compressing everything to hell and back. And also could play movies OOB without any additional accessories.

PS3 came standard with controllers that had rechargeable batteries, and could connect more than 4 controllers without any additional adapters.

PS3 came standard with WiFi, and had online play that didn't make the player pay for P2P gaming.

PS3 came standard with Bluetooth so you could connect any old bluetooth headset and have it work.

PS3 came standard with an array of flash media slots so you didn't have to buy proprietary memory cards.

PS3 came standard with an HDMI port while the best the competition had was component video.

The price was obviously a problem and made it unfriendly to consumers. But the reason for the price tag was due to it trying to cram all of these amazing things into the console that was very consumer friendly in the long run. And I'd argue that the 360 was just as expensive, if not more, they just did a better job of tricking consumers by hiding the cost at point of purchase.

The other reason the PS3 struggled was the unique chip architecture was difficult to develop for initially, and that combined with the increased development demands for HD gaming in general led to a really tough learning curve for a lot of developers.

Contrast that with the PS5 and it's an entirely different tale. Which is still an amazing console. But the lack of games has more to do with Arrogant Sony deciding to force all of their internal studios to put the cart before the horse and have them develop live-service games that nobody asked for, took forever to develop, was outside of the expertise of their teams, and all flopped.

 

[Voncaster]

As a console gamer, I think I'm more likely to switch back to Nintendo (assuming they have more physical options*) than go the PC route.

I gave up on PC gaming a long time ago. I'm sure things have changed since the 2000s, but the root problem I have with PC games is reviewing system requirements and tweaking settings. I just don't want to do that.

I want to plug a game in and know it works and know the devs made it for this device.

*Although Nintendo worries me as well. Switch 2 has codes right? And their old Virtual Console model has been replaced with some sort of monthly service. But If I can get Mario (2D, 3D, Kart) on a cart or card, I think that is more appealing to me than the all digital future of Sony.

I don't think Sony or Nintendo are reliable in terms of having backwards compatibility stretch beyond one generation of hardware. But truthfully when I buy a new system, I'm more likely to want to play games designed for that system than go back and play prior generations games. But it is nice to have the option to do so.

 

[LBD_Nytetrayn]

I remember going to the Nintendo World Store for the launch of the Wii, and while I was there, in addition to the new Wii games, I got to try Donkey Kong Jungle Beat.

I did not rest until I owned that game (ironically, NWS was out of stock).

And I absolutely used the Wii to play it.

 

[R.R. Bigman]

PS3 came standard with an array of flash media slots so you didn't have to buy proprietary memory cards.

And then we got the Vita six years later…