• 1
• ShadowRJ
• Thu 16th Jul 2026

This is one of the questions I hear pop up a lot. Why other options get far less criticism than PlayStation does, and I thought I’d take the time to explain the reasons why.

Long story short, PlayStation is viewed as far more of a pillar in the hobby of game collecting than those two. Yes, PC used to have physical games, but they never worked the same way as console physical games did. They were never just plug in and play. Not to mention, when Steam did become the primary distributor for PC games, consoles were still almost entirely physical, so game collectors had a lot more options.

Why won’t Xbox get the same backlash as Sony? Game collectors as a whole don’t seem to care much about the platform. Xbox is notoriously far cheaper to collect for than Nintendo or PlayStation. Don’t believe me? Check the NTSC prices for Silent Hill 2 for PS2, then check the Xbox price.

Another reason why Xbox aren’t as prone to the backlash is simply because the platform isn’t as popular. Hard to get as much backlash if your platform isn’t as invested as the competition.

PlayStation by comparison is considered one of the holy grails of game collecting. It’s been around for a long time. For a while now, they’ve been great for collectors. Pretty much every game they’ve published made it onto disc, even live service games like Helldivers 2. Combine that with the Switch 2’s need for game keys, it’s not hard to see why collectors view PS5 as THE collector’s console.

That’s why PlayStation is held to a higher standard for physical media. Rightly or wrongly, it’s considered the primary platform for collectors. For them to be the first of the three consoles to officially kill physical media, it’s seen as a betrayal. That’s why people are so emotional at the moment.

ShadowRJ

• 2
• Zuljaras
• Thu 16th Jul 2026

@ShadowRJ
1. Nintendo gets because of the idiotic game key carts BUT they still have FULL physical releases.

2. Xbox are idiots that thought their console (started with the Xbox One) needed Internet connection to SET UP when you bought it AND a Microsoft account to function. And they still DO in the current generation. People are now used to their miserable crap and don't mind them.

3. PlayStation are ditching physical releases for good in 2028 when they were strictly supporting physical gaming since 1995 (technically 1994) and they were doing it beautifully every generation. Now the greed really shows off as they want to cash in on the following they generated up until now!

That is why they get the most hate now

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2022/05/random-doom-fan-has-a-novel-way-to-display-a-destroyed-switch-cartridge
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2023/07/random-fan-transforms-their-nintendo-64-into-a-starcraft-battlefield
My Sculptures

• 3
• Tasuki
• Fri 17th Jul 2026

Because the other companies arent stupid and announce it like Sony did. Yes it might be becoming an industry standard and the others will follow suit, however Sony was the dummies to open their big mouth.

It would be like if Coke announced hey we are getting rid of 2 liters of soda but charge you the same price for 1 liter as we do 2 liters due to being more cost efficient. While all the other like Pepsi see that its a good idea for them will slowly adopt it without saying anything.

Bottom line, Sony should have kept their mouth shut.

• 4
• cainhurst94
• Fri 17th Jul 2026

cainhurst94

• 5
• Th3solution
• Fri 17th Jul 2026

Expand

I agree with what others have touched on— there’s a few reasons but being the market leader or major player in an initial going to put you under the microscope much more keenly. We see it in all walks of life, really. Those in the public eye and those who are successful are held to a higher standard, whether that’s fair or not. In some ways it is unfair because many of the missteps done large corporations, the wealthy, the powerful, and the popular are also things done by lesser known companies or individuals. When Rockstar or Naughty Dog has some controversial issue, it hits the headlines and people pile on. A smaller studio may do a similar controversial thing (like crunch for example) but they won’t be held to the same standard by the court of public opinion. When a politician or a celebrity or a sport star has a DUI or says something controversial on Twitter or whatever, they are crucified by the masses, versus you or I doing something similar where no one outside our sphere really cares and things fly under the radar more easily. Technically, it’s not fair, but the flip-side argument is that if a company (or an individual) is successful and enjoyed the public benefits of celebrity then they should likewise have equal exposure to the scrutiny. You can’t enjoy the higher perks without also being held to higher accountability. At least that the devil’s advocate. It’s certainly up for debate as to what’s fair.

But the other issue is the bigger one, I think. That is that the rollout of this was just so incredibly mismanaged by Sony. They had a few options:

They could have taken the route of gradually decreasing physical releases and not bring attention to it by making a big statement, as @Tasuki suggests they should have done. Basically keeping their mouth shut until they had to. The irony is that this has been their modus operandi for most of this generation. They have not communicated well with the fanbase, which usually results in a lot to speculation, but it wouldn’t have been out of character to just gradually boil the proverbial frog by slowly backing off of physical releases until a better opportunity surfaced to announce their total discontinuation. (For example after announcing that PS6 would be launching in 2028 and be digital only and all the wonderful features it would have as a result, etc). I do believe they thought this was their chance to make an announcement because GTA6 had already ‘broken the seal’ so to speak and so they felt they would be shielded from criticism if the biggest release in history had preemptively paved the way. Obviously that was a misjudgment.

Their other option would have been to make the announcement but then continue to communicate the reasoning, the plans, the future outlook of things like the PS store improvements, and just do constant PR updating to help us all know that there’s a method to their madness. To just drop the bomb and then walk away and let chaos ensue was just a baffling decision. I don’t think they give their customers the respect and acknowledgment of any intelligence when they don’t explain themselves. They’ve said that they did this because the players have been moving trending toward digital and that’s about it.

“This is a natural direction for Sony Interactive Entertainment to adapt to consumer trends as the general preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs. This transition will enable us to align more closely with how most of our community prefers to access and play games today.”

See how they did that? The put this decision on us. It kind of feels like they are saying, “Well, you all asked for this, so we’re having to do it.”As if they are begrudgingly having to do something they don’t necessarily want to do. Anything about this being a financial decision for them, the actual numbers of why they believe physical is dead, the impact that making discs has on their strategies… all of that has not been disclosed and we’ve had to fill in the gaps through industry experts pontificating the reasoning and throwing around numbers that all contradict one another. I wouldn’t expect Sony to disclose their while profit-loss spreadsheet, but some acknowledgement that this is a business decision to help the company rather than the patronizing and frankly insulting insinuation that they are doing this because we as players asked to it and this is done for our benefit is really a disappointing approach to the hardcore fanbase that’s been with them for decades. There’s a subtle hypocrisy from the company that a player feels when a sweeping statement is made without follow up explanation. Even a simple “Hey, we saw x,y, and z trends in our sales data and made this decision based on that, but we see now that there’s still an enthusiastic minority of you that is important to us. Here’s some details about how this decision will impact things and some improvements that all players will see in our storefront in the future…” or something like that.

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”

• 6
• GirlVersusGame
• Fri 17th Jul 2026

I'll keep it short, another reason is visibility. Everywhere I go I see Sony advertising the PS5 and Pro. I've seen it in places you wouldn't expect even active warzones. They don't understand their customers (or going by shareholder's views, also see them as heavy users) but they do understand marketing and even if the PSN isn't available in that country they advertise the console. They think that getting the name out there is enough. I've noticed this offline too. If I buy a new Switch 2 it's 'is that a new Playstation kat?' if it's late at night and I'm awake playing the Steam Decks it's 'turn your Playstation off and get ready for bed'. It doesn't matter that it's even called a Playstation, the name itself is associated with so many consoles by so many (older People) That's all I'm touching on, I've discussed already and at length the ramifications to import/censorship/regional locks and quite frankly I went from one week of 'this is terrible the sky is falling' to 'this affecting my mood too much so now I care less'. I shifted from the preservation of games to the preservation of my own emotions and mental well-being.

I'll still preserve games where possible but Sony to me as a company will only exist as a platform to supply services like Plus+ which I depend on to find and choose games for me, it offers just the right amount of choice and discovery. Gaming for me is carte blanche, which might sound wonderful but it results in not knowing what to play. Th3solution, Ravix, Tjuz and some others recommended most of my recent games, Plus+ did the rest. When I started gaming I bought everything but sports game, I did it because I could and the accumulation of things and no limit shopping was normal. My attitude changed once I understood the industry, if I saw a company treating their staff horribly I'd avoid the purchase. I was no longer buying games just because I could, I became a collector but I collect many things, games are just one. As I said in other threads to you and others. I adore collecting but Sony aren't the only horse in the race and if they stop providing shiny things for me to pursue then I'll find a company who will.

• 7
• Tasuki
• Fri 17th Jul 2026

@Th3solution That makes sense. Maybe because Rockstar announced that GTA VI was digital only and they got a bunch of bad reactions that if Sony backed them on it by saying yeah its ok GTA VI is digital because in a few years we are going all digital, people would have with gone oh ok that makes sense and not be as upset or they would just slip under the radar and the reaction wouldn't have been as bad.

• 8
• ShadowRJ
• Fri 17th Jul 2026

@Tasuki I think that’s the best explanation I’ve heard for Sony’s actions. Afterall, in theory, a problem shared is a problem halved. But Sony could not have anticipated the backlash to be THIS loud. The interesting thing would be whether a GTA VI trailer would receive similar hate.

ShadowRJ

• 9
• Tasuki
• Fri 17th Jul 2026

@ShadowRJ Well yeah of course they didnt anticipated the backlash to be this loud but they should have. The problem is these coroporate leaders are so out of touch with their consumers that its no wonder stuff like this happens, either that or they figure the masses will just blindly follow them with whatever they do.

The funny thing is Sony should have known that was what the reaction would be especially after what happened to MS with the Xbox One reveal. Yeah their numbers might so an overwhelming amount of digital purchases which is fine but whenever you make an announcement like this, in this day and age its going to be the vocal minority who speaks up and makes it look alot worst. The ones for it arent going to take to Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and the Internet as a whole to voice their their pleasure for it.

• 10
• ShadowRJ
• Fri 17th Jul 2026

@Tasuki Mystic made a great video about it. There are some things that a spreadsheet can’t reflect, and I suspect Sony have fallen victim to that. This is a problem with “the chart says” kind of decisions.

ShadowRJ

• 11
• DemonStar89
• Sat 18th Jul 2026

I do wonder that there are so many people saying they'll be ditching console for PC. Not sarcastically, why?

Surely entry into gaming PC setups is more prohibitive than a console which is more or less plug-and-play in comparison?

I don't know, how much overlap is there in issues around subscription models, chip availability and ease of use between console and PC? I haven't built a PC from scratch in over a decade so don't know what it's like anymore.

And I hate Windows so don't see myself continuing with that much longer either.

Honestly I wonder, I might end up ditching consoles and PCs altogether once my current hardware dies lol. It's all too much to be fun anymore.

'It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness; that is life." - Captain Picard

• 12
• nomither6
• Sat 18th Jul 2026

@DemonStar89 I got into PC gaming by buying a high end prebuilt from best buy back in 2022. It was easy to hook up and essentially a plug and play experience for me. The only thing i’ve done was add more RAM to it, which was just opening the door of my pc case and snapping it in. but, I say this, to say that PC gaming couldn’t be any easier to get into today.

nomither6

• 13
• DemonStar89
• Sun 19th Jul 2026

@nomither6 what is the equivalent cost for a set up that can perform as well as a console? Obviously PCs can be built to surpass the computation and rendering power of a console, but what's the entry point like? A new PS5 is still almost $1000 here in Australia; is a PC that can run games as reliably around that price?

I ask because it's something that came up in conversation with my dad when he was talking about getting back into console gaming. We played a lot together back in the day but he left it behind after PS2.

'It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness; that is life." - Captain Picard

• 14
• nomither6
• Sun 19th Jul 2026

nomither6

• 15
• DemonStar89
• Sun 19th Jul 2026

@nomither6 ballpark estimates for a PC that performs as well as a PS5 put it at around $2000 (AUD) - if you were to start from scratch that doesn't include monitor and peripherals. I'm not trying to be belligerent, just considering the pros and cons of what it would take for someone to make that switch when they consider leaving the PlayStation format.

I have let my PS Plus lapse and honestly nothing has changed about how I game. So depending on what you want you'll need to account for that subscription. Then there's the purchase of games on either platform - as we've talked about before (maybe not this thread exactly) people have expressed concerns that digital only games will not come down in price as much or as often as physical disc sales, second hand and retail sales promotions notwithstanding.
Then the other thing to consider is the keeping up with the joneses thing. How long will that PC be able to play current release titles?

A PS5 can play PS5 games and that's that. Both platforms have always been about more and more and more and better and better and better so it won't be long before that rig becomes out of date, or in need of modification in order to keep up.

Then there's the question of OS and still being at the behest of the incompetence of a corporation bent on "making improvements" (Microsoft Copilot lol). Savvy people can run Linux or whatever, but you're not totally independent on either PC or PS5.

I'm not making an argument either way really, just thinking out loud about prospects.

'It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness; that is life." - Captain Picard

• 16
• nomither6
• Sun 19th Jul 2026

@DemonStar89 Yeah, I forgot to mention the logistics and peripherals, my bad. Buying a monitor, speakers, and a desk (plus assembling it) can be taxing. But, again, it's all an initial setup/investment for long term benefit. As for digital games - they go on sale all of the time. PC has several storefronts to purchase games from, and digital prices (albeit not as cheap as physical bargain bin prices) do drop fairly low, it's just a matter of how long you're willing to wait. And about that whole "keeping up with the joneses thing," the only thing that matters is having a PC that's either better or on par with console, anything else is practically "extra." Though if you do get a "low end," you'll most likely have to upgrade something when the next console comes out. But, if you have a mid-gen or high-end PC, you won't have to upgrade for a very long time; you're at least an entire generation ahead of console. And the thing with PC upgrading is, it's ultimately cheaper than buying another next gen console, because you usually would only have to just upgrade a single part and can sell the old one. In my opinion, I believe console has basically plateaued, and if not now, then definitely with the PS6. I don't think they can push the constraints of it any further without going full blown PC. So, because of consoles diminishing returns, the longevity of a PC before upgrading is even longer.

As for the M$ debacle, I use Windows (11) and honestly am fine with it. Yes, there is a bug I have to deal with that force updates my PC and bricks it every time, so I have to occasionally boot in safe mode to uninstall it, but other than that single aspect - I'm fine with it. And, also, Windows 11 is great with games and seamless integration of other game services. As for independence on PC, I think you are. Every machine needs some sort of OS, but that can even be changed on PC, like you said. You try to do that on console, and you're slapped by a permaban with rubbing alcohol.

nomither6

• 17
• DemonStar89
• Mon 20th Jul 2026

'It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness; that is life." - Captain Picard

• 18
• nomither6
• Mon 20th Jul 2026

nomither6

• 19
• DemonStar89
• Mon 3rd Aug 2026

'It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness; that is life." - Captain Picard