PS6 Is All But Confirmed To Be Digital Only, So What Will Happen To Backwards Compatibility? – WGB
Today, Sony announced that it will stop producing physical releases based on discs in January 2028. In doing so, it has given us an important insight into the PS6, as we mourn the death of physical media.
The takeaway is pretty obvious: it will be a digital-only console out of the box. There is no built-in disc drive like the PS5, because why would they bother when they end production of the PlayStation disc in 2028? Reports suggested that Sony would release their next machine in 2027, so there would be no reason to make discs for them for a few months before ceasing production. Some reports indicate that Sony is considering a delay until 2028 or 2029 due to ongoing cost issues.
In fairness, most of us probably assumed the next PlayStation would be digital-only, but this is as close to confirmation as we’ll get until Sony says it outright. It also fits the rumored PS6 handheld, which naturally wouldn’t have a disc-drive strapped to it.
This, of course, raises the big question of backwards compatibility. These days it’s a given that your old games will work with the new consoles, but if your collection is on disc and the new machine doesn’t have a drive, that’s a problem. You’ll be left with dozens of boxes containing glorified frisbees at that point.
There are several options here, starting with this possibility: Sony may offer some kind of optional external drive as they already do with the PlayStation 5. In fact, the existing one they are producing may be compatible with the new console. To me, this seems like the most feasible thing for Sony to do, allowing long-time fans with a library of games to continue playing their favorite titles.
.The best option will allow any standard blu-ray drive to work with the console so we don’t have to buy an expensive one with the PlayStation logo. This is especially tempting since recent reports claim that the PS6 costs around $1000 for components alone. Even if Sony takes a loss and sells it for $900, that’s still an expensive piece of technology, and throwing in another $80 for a disk drive turns it from expensive to a financial disaster that amounts to selling your grandma.
Unfortunately, this may just be a consumer-friendly fantasy, the kind we toss around when we’re doing back-biting. Companies that do good things? Nah.
The second option is some sort of trade-in system where you can send or show Sony your physical collection and have a digital download provided to them. Although possible, this will involve more effort on Sony’s part.
Or the third option, where Sony gives everyone the middle finger and tells you to buy your collection again. This seems unlikely as it would undoubtedly offend many people. But then again, if Sony thinks a PR backlash is manageable, they can.
Whatever route Sony decides to take, there’s no getting around the fact that Sony’s decision has upset many people. Although digital games are the way most people buy their games these days – and are common for PC users – there were still 70 million physical games sold on the PS5 in the last full financial year. There are dedicated, die-hard fans out there who love having boxes on their shelves, owning their games to the fullest and love being able to sell their titles to fund the next big open world adventure.
And when Sony does things like announce it’s pulling 550+ movies from user libraries due to an expiring license, who can blame people for wanting to have the full game they paid for on physical disc?
No, movies and games are not the same situations, but the basic fear is the same: if something you bought is only there because the storefront says it is, then you don’t really own it in the way people understood ownership. Everything you own is a license, and according to the terms and conditions, that license can be snapped up faster than Kratos’s patience.
