Sony Announces End of Physical PS5 Discs by 2028
Sony has confirmed it will cease production of physical PlayStation 5 discs by January 2028, moving to a fully digital distribution model. The announcement has sparked widespread concern among gamers, particularly regarding pricing, resale value, and the impact on retailers like CeX. The decision comes alongside the closure of two older digital storefronts, further fueling unease about ownership in the digital age.
Reader Reactions: A Sad Day for Physical Media
In a letter to GameCentral, reader DB Expert expressed dismay: "Gutted that Sony are going to stop the sale of physical games in January 2028. This will mean a change in the way I buy games." He highlighted the inability to trade digital games, noting that he recently bought the Mafia game physically, completed it, and traded it at CeX. "Could not have done that if it was digital. I also wonder how this will affect CeX. They sell other items than games, but a fair amount of their business must be games. All in all though a sad day."
Simon echoed these sentiments, stating: "With the news of the end of physical discs on the PlayStation 5, the PlayStation 5 will be my last ever PlayStation console." He criticized the broader trend toward digital ownership, calling it "the 'you will own nothing and be happy' future, courtesy of Mr Bond villain and co." Simon also pointed out the irony of Sony shutting older digital storefronts in the same announcement: "It is utterly crazy that in the same post about physical media they say they are shutting older digital storefronts!"
Concerns Over Pricing and Developer Profit
Reader Mark questioned whether the move to digital would lead to lower game prices: "I do have to wonder, now they’ve scrapped physical discs in favour of code in the boxes, if they will lower the prices on games? Or will they still keep them the same prices and wonder why no one are buying new games anymore?" GameCentral responded bluntly: "There’s not a chance in Hades of them lowering software prices. Maybe there’ll be some small change in how sales work but in any case developers generally don’t get any cut of profits from game sales. Most are paid only a flat rate by publishers."
Impact on Gamers Who Value Ownership
Laj105, a gamer in their 40s, described the decision as "the final kick in the teeth to gamers like me." They lamented that games are often released unfinished with significant DLC, and that titles are increasingly spaced apart—citing that Naughty Dog has yet to release a new experience almost six years into the PS5's lifecycle. "I can’t even say I’m surprised at Sony’s decision; digital sales are on the up, and they’ve had no real competition in the console space for at least two generations now," they wrote. "With gaming hardware expected to continue ramping up in price, this genuinely feels like the end for me."
Comparison to Xbox and Criticism of Sony's Pads
Paul C. noted Sony's history of copying Xbox features, such as the trophy system, but criticized their controller design: "One thing Sony never copied, though, was the ergonomically superior Xbox pads." He also highlighted Sony's recent deletion of digital films from PSN accounts, adding: "First the deleted films (films paid for by the customer, I might add) and now the announcement that physical games are no more from January 2028. Might as well get all the negative stuff out of the way on the same day." GameCentral reminded readers that Sony is also closing the PlayStation Store on PS3 and PS Vita.
Nintendo Switch 2 and External Developers
In a separate discussion, reader Pigfish2 defended the Switch 2's software lineup, citing games like Mario Tennis Fever, Pokémon Pokopia, Yoshi And The Mysterious Book, and Star Fox as great titles. However, GameCentral noted that "Nintendo didn’t make any of those four games, they’re all by external developers." They added that "support from Nintendo’s internal developers has been underwhelming, especially this year."
Digital Foundry's Role in Graphics Analysis
Responding to a query about Digital Foundry's ability to assess PS5 performance from promo images, reader PjDonnelli argued that the team's expertise allows them to deduce graphical techniques and likely frame rates. GameCentral countered that the images were "random promo images, with not even a pretence of showing anything related to gameplay."
