During a earnings call with investors, Sony management commented on its plans to discontinue physical discs for new games starting in 2028. The company's CFO, Lin Tao, stated that physical media has never been the primary differentiator between PlayStation and gaming PCs, and the transition to an all-digital ecosystem does not threaten the brand's uniqueness.
According to Tao, PlayStation's strengths include a carefully curated game catalog, a stable gaming environment, and a more affordable price compared to high-end gaming PCs. "We don't believe that discs are what differentiate PlayStation from PCs. Our strengths are high-quality content, a stable gaming environment, and a more affordable price compared to high-end gaming PCs," she emphasized.
The company acknowledges the impact of the memory and storage market crisis: the base PlayStation 5 with disc drive now costs €649.99 in Europe, the digital version costs €599.99, and the PlayStation 5 Pro costs €899.99. Sony is confident that consoles remain a more affordable option than similarly priced PCs.
The company believes that the differences between consoles and PCs will be determined not by the distribution format of games, but by the gaming experience itself. There are also rumors that Microsoft may retain support for physical discs in the next-generation Xbox to attract fans of physical titles, but there is no official confirmation of this yet.
