So consumers were given the choice between physical media that you made artificially expensive and overly inconvenient or digital media that you made practically free and ultra convenient. That's called the illusion of choice. But now you can blame your victims when you abuse them because they brought this on themselves.

When all options are rigged, it's pretty rude to blame "the consumer"

I just wanted to add that it's also really stupid to claim that "consumers chose thing" because companies did it since they found it more profitable. Companies do many things people don't actively want (or even dislike) for profit.

I play on PC, last console I owned was Sega Saturn. I have a few physical copies but most of my games are on steam and Gog. a friend who plays in console and perceive as normal Sony's practices, asked what's the difference between how he choose to play and me: I shared with him the example, some time ago rockstar delisted the original 3d GTA trilogy. Its not available in any digital platforms as an option to buy, but I still have them and play actually.

Then I shared with him the amazing indie games, he can buy for cheap, and the recurring sales. And let him know that on Sony's ecosystem, they won't have this flexibility, they will set dynamic prices, lock people out without any easy way to appeal.

It dawned on him, finally. Yesterday he shared Dammit Jeff's video advising to turn auto update on ps5 off. Like him, there's a lot of players misinformed of the consequences of consoles tyranny.

“Former” and “writer”

Sure. So there’s no reason he might not got paid by Sony to say this, right? Or yet alone have any professional knowledge on distribution of games.

Edit: check is wiki. He’s a sorry ass grifter. Putting up valve before his name to make his sorry points more credible. Trying to squeeze out his valve history even though majority of his career was spend on not being able to cope with indie studio workload and then shifting to riot games for monies. Now he’s making TikTok videos talking about valve like it’s his majority of experience. Also he was opposing Stop Killing Games. https://preservetube.com/watch?v=qr6I2BiU238

"We gave you two options previously, making one prohibitively expensive unnecessarily, and you didn't pick that one as we planned. We respect your decision."

I don't mind digital if i can own it, store it wherever i want and installing it without internet

What we want is DRM-free games, not your bullshit

Fucking morons

People have been buying more and more physical media recently due to the enshittification of streaming. I've been buying blu-rays for movies I really want to 'own'.

It just clearly not up to some people's standards. Imagine how much more $$$ valve would make if they published physical copies for their steam machine.

Digital games are nice. There was a good chunk of time during the ps4/xbone era where I bought a lot of digital games. But in recent years as I have watched how these companies have acted, I have switched back to buying physical as much as possible. I realized I actually prefer having the thing in my hands. Being able to look at it on the shelf with the rest of my collection. Now I only buy digital as a secondary more convenient copy when there is a good sale. Otherwise, I want to own my game and feel it in my hands as I insert a cart or a disk.

For me, improving digital rights is only a partial compromise, when we should continue to have choices. Losing secondhand copies and hurting that part of the industry is unforgivable to me. My choice is not for digital, and these companies moving away from it is a dealbreaker for me. If this is the route all of them go, I will no longer play modern games. Fuck it's not like most of them are actually worth buying and playing these days when it's all designed to squeeze as much money out of you as possible.

I have hundreds of physical games, and there are so many more I can still collect and play. I feel comfortable enough with my old games that I could never touch a new game again and have plenty to play for the rest of my life. If this is where the companies choose to try to force us to go, then I'm out. I've managed to live my whole life without playing a PS6 or GTA 6. I'm not going to be strongarmed into losing my choice.

Can we stop spreading the propaganda for them? Sony lied about digital sales by including digital-only games in their figures.

Every game with a physical release, according to their developers, makes most of their sales on disc. It’s literally always a 70/30 split every single time (give or take 10%). I cannot find any evidence of a game that sold more in its digital form than physical

What nonsense. What matters isn't whether we use physical disks or not. And it's all digital anyway, you don't get many games on vinyl these days. The real issue is whether you own the games you buy. As GOG is proving, game ownership is something that publishers can easily offer, regardless of the delivery mechanism. If Sony would step up and do the same, killing physical discs wouldn't be a problem. It's a trust issue.

Hey guess what. Companies retain less popular options all the time because it makes them more attractive as businesses.

I like Valve but stfu dude.

Physical discs was the only thing that was a plus side of consoles compared to PC gaming (you could trade and resell it).

This is so clearly a company employee portraying a certain sentiment that the company stands to profit from and acting like that is what consumers chose.

Sony, chose this. I didn't chose this. And valve knows that now 30- 40% or better of PlayStation players will be making their way over to them in the next 5 years with this very sentiment of "oh well its what consumers chose"

I know it wasn't the company of valve that said this and just an employee but still fuck this dudes opinion on the topic. Of course he shills for the end of discs that was the only thing that set consoles apart from Steam.

the "choice" was shoved down your throats

Yes it is a conspiracy. Sony doesn’t want physical games for a whole bunch of reasons not least of which is control and greed. And if you think this is a new thing you would be wrong. They have been pushing this quietly for years. Second hand sales, game rentals, trading… these are all things that cut into Sony’s profits. If you ever want a reason follow the money.

People keep pre-ordering absolutely everthing no matter the price because they need to have it the moment it comes out. THIS means companies can do whatever the fuck they want because people will let them do it.

The solution is so easy stop buying their shit. Yes you won't play on the second it comes out 6 months later its like 50% at least.

Nothing will change because people value convenience over change.

No, I made the choice for physical. I don't own a single digital game on a Sony console. Don't put this on me. I want to buy physical. I never wanted digital for myself. I always wanted choice.

Its just that I don't matter. I'm a minority and Sony don't give a fuck about me. It's not my fault Sony is stopping physical production. Its still profitable, so Sony could keep on doing it. But they don't because they want to fuck me over.

Damned be the man who blames the consumer and he can shove his worked at Valve credentials up his ass.

Which is really depressing as the only time I buy digital is when the games are 60% off or more.

The problem isn’t with digital. The problem is with digital licenses and rights.

I had a PS4, witch was sold and didn't have coonsole for years. Then I got a PS5 and my account was deleted with all my purchases.

That didn't happen to my steam games.

The problem is the legislation around digital consumers rights.

I just wanna say this is my opinion.

98% of the shit we deal with. Not just game shit, but everything....all boils down to these folks with power being utter rotten puss filled cunts.

Like honestly. Fuck disc. I hate em. I love digital. But fuck me. Let it be mine. Let me mod it (without cheating in it) let me play it on any console I want. Let it be my $80 of the game to do with as I want.

Like stop being such assholes. Why do these folks gotta turn into hateful cunts cause they got money or they made a game or media or whatever the fuck.

Consumers wouldn't be as pissed if they weren't being fisted constantly.

Companies offer games as a digital download or physical disc.

Consumers buy physical disc out of a desire to preserve media.

Game is unplayable off the disc without a 98GB download that installs a digital copy of the game onto the hardware. Disc is essentially a physical license to play the game and is useless otherwise.

“You chose this”

Fuck right off. At this point, if a game isn’t either available on GoG or as a FitGirl RePack, it does not register as an option for me anymore. That is my choice.

Honestly, in my lifetime I've bought maybe 7 physical games, and that was the Myst series.

I was too poor when I was a kid so pirated, now I use Steam, and if that goes to shit, I'll be sailing the seas again, just like with streaming.

I like digital games on PC, not gonna lie.

But the only money I'm spending on the consoles I have is on used games. That's what makes them worthwhile for me. I spent stupid money on the ps5 and psvr2 because my library of games could be built at a discount, and maybe every now and then I'll get a new game that looks interesting because I have the system already. I bought the disc version of the ps5 specifically, not right at launch but close enough to it that I had to look around to find one (and said no thanks to the driveless ones that were available). Can't remember if it was for the ps5 or psvr2 but for one of them I even held my nose and got it from walmart, which I try to avoid when possible.

Though the writing is already on the wall with these things. So many games are already just download codes even if they are on a disc or card, which means they require active support just to install and once that's gone (either by Sony or publisher's choice), then that game is gone. And I know you assholes think that's a good thing because it means someone who would otherwise be playing that game needs to find something else to do and that something else might be buying another new game. So ultimately it doesn't really matter if you (Sony) use discs or not, since removing them entirely is really just slamming that final nail in the coffin, but it's already there just waiting for the hammer. I probably won't get the next PlayStation either way.

He isn't wrong how many people here buy from steam - it's rare if ever you get a physical release of a game on steam.

Now physical rights vs digital are the issue;

Buying a physical item means you own it and can use it whenever you want.

Buying a digital item means you buy the license to use that item. That's a concept that's been around for software purchasing for a very long time.

People want to own the digital item the same as the physical and not have the license pulled when a publisher decides to. Sony just doesn't have the trust of the gaming community for this.