It’s not ballsy at all. They’ve basically got no competition in the high-end console space, and the overwhelming majority of console buyers only buy digital already.
Comment on Physical disc production ending in January 2028 for new games releasing on PlayStation consoles
popcar2@piefed.ca 2 days agoI’m with you, this is an insanely ballsy move. One of the biggest pros of a console is that you could still buy physical games and trade it with friends or sell it used to someone else. If everything is going digital, what’s the point?
Here we even have a local chain that rents you physical games for a week at a time…
GoatSynagogue@lemmy.world 2 days ago
samus12345@sh.itjust.works 1 day ago
An exorbitant entry level price for consoles has never been tested at current prices, because all of them had sane prices for years and so have install bases that got them at those prices. How will it go if the minimum buy-in is over $1000 with no way to mitigate the cost later on with used games? We’re gonna find out!
GoatSynagogue@lemmy.world 1 day ago
Again though - if you want a game console you’ll buy a PlayStation because it’s the only real option, and it’ll be cheaper than an Xbox.
Bu the time it comes out, people will be well accustomed to paying exorbitant prices for these things. It sucks but it’ll be the norm by then. Prices are never going back down, because history has shown us they never do.
samus12345@sh.itjust.works 1 day ago
It’s not a matter of them wanting it, the issue is whether a large number of people will be able to actually afford it at that price. Consoles thrive on accessibility.
Katana314@lemmy.world 2 days ago
For me it’s called a library.
On a side note, while I very much understand people’s general hate of DRM, I am curious if there’d be interest in a digital library service that lets people borrow video games to download with lite-DRM systems attached (something small, to make certain people don’t borrow the whole catalog, and then crack them on the spot)
I’m sure it’s easy for people to come up with gripes about such a system, or any use of DRM, and would express their preference for physical, but: Physical games prioritize/benefit consoles over PCs, and prioritize AAA games for which the costs of large disc printing runs make more sense. You’re not likely to find many copies of Mina the Hollower at libraries.