The next PlayStation looks more and more like a PC, and that's not a bad thing

Published: July 10, 2026

Welcome to your discless future, PlayStation gamers. We've been here for a while.

Sony's announcement that physical disc production is ending in January 2028 has sent the console world into a meltdown. A petition to appease the announcement has already gained over 200,000 signatures at the time of writing. People have flocked to a video on PlayStation's YouTube channel from 13 years ago that 'shows' gamers how to share used games with one another on PS4 (the joke being that you simply hand it to the other person), leaving hundreds of comments in their wake.

The old adage of 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' comes to mind here. But if Sony adapts to consumer needs and a decision they're unlikely to reverse, console gamers could end up in a much more positive spot long term. Digital content as it stands works, we can see that with PC due to storefronts like Steam and regular discounts from places like Humble Bundle or Fanatical. What'll make or break the future we're heading towards is that the onus is now on Sony (and the wider console market) to make sure there's a steady flow of good discounts and sales - instead of consistently high digital prices.

Physical media is something many of us have grown up with. The excitement of purchasing a game, examining the disc, trying not to get scratches on it (and the inevitable rubbing it with your t-shirt to try to remove them), or excitedly flipping through an instruction manual (rest in peace) is something that's absolutely nostalgic for me. There's no question about that. But take case instruction manuals from back in the day, for one. They're a 'nice to have', not a need.

Taking off the rose-tinted glasses and stepping back after this news dropped, it became really apparent that not owning a disc of a game I've purchased hasn't affected me in any tangible way, really ever. Sure, sometimes I mull over the idea of going out and building an analog collection of my favorite games, rejecting the internet and the modern world, but I know they'd ultimately end up sitting in a drawer or on a shelf collecting dust.

Recent news of purchased Studio Canal content through the PlayStation Store being removed from people's libraries does raise a rightful concern around owning content long-term. But as someone who predominantly accesses all of my content on PC digitally and uses my PS5 primarily for streaming video content, no longer using it for gaming after spending hundreds of hours in Red Dead Online, I haven't bought a physical disc in years. I remember buying a new PC in the mid 2010's and being genuinely confused that it didn't include a disc drive, sure, but I quickly got used to buying my games digitally and never gave it a second thought. Each PC or laptop I've purchased since has been without one. Playing entirely discless is something that most PC users will likely have experienced for a very long time. It's just another gap closed between what makes consoles what they are, and a PC a PC.

During the PS5 launch, I actively chose to purchase the Digital Edition - mainly because it was cheaper, sure - but also because I've never actively sought to own cases and discs. And even when I did buy games with discs in earlier years, it never even crossed my mind that owning one is what I loved about the experience. It's just how it was.

The other side of the coin is how this sets a precedent for an entirely discless future, and how it'll contribute further to dwindling sales in spaces like mom and pop shops. That's something that definitely concerns me, and it's perhaps the most brutal thing to come out of this. I remember trading my games in as a kid to pick up something new, renting something to play on my PS3 over a weekend, or excitedly waiting outside a store at close to midnight for the launch of 2013's Tomb Raider. The scope for those memories will be dramatically reduced. I'm only one person, of course, and everyone has their own reactions and past experiences to draw on regarding this news. It's frustrating to lose something you love, but second-hand media is becoming more and more niche.

I think we can have our cake and eat it, too, though. Here's my suggestion: Limited edition physical disc releases. This means those who actively want to own their collection of games in a physical format can do so. Publishers can push out a smaller set of discs at launch, and depending on sales, release more in batches over time as needed. Future consoles can provide disc drives as a separate add-on (assuming that Sony's future consoles would be discless, given the physical disc production news). This also means that down the line, people who do purchase these discs can pass them on to second-hand stores or loved ones. It's not a perfect solution by any means, and it wouldn't help to reduce the barrier of entry to physical discs due to likely higher resale prices and additional hardware costs. But it would act as a way to keep physical content alive in the world we're hurtling towards, while also reducing production costs and, in turn, waste.

Ultimately, this news brings PC and console players one step closer to one another - and that might not be a bad thing in the end. Whether or not it is depends entirely on what corporations do next.