Sony's Disc-less PS6 Concerns Raised by Ex-Boss

Former Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios CEO, Shawn Layden, believes Sony cannot afford to release a completely digital, disc-less PlayStation 6. While acknowledging Xbox's success with this strategy, Layden emphasizes Sony's significantly larger global market share. Eliminating physical games would alienate a substantial portion of their player base.

Layden highlighted Xbox's success primarily within English-speaking countries (U.S., Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa). Conversely, Sony's dominance extends across approximately 170 countries, raising concerns about accessibility for players in regions with limited internet infrastructure. He cited examples like rural Italy and users in areas with unreliable internet access, such as military bases or those traveling. He also pointed out that PlayStation is likely assessing the impact of losing these segments of their market.

The question of a disc-less console has been debated since the PlayStation 4 era, but the release of digital-only Xbox consoles intensified the discussion. Both PlayStation and Xbox offer digital-only versions of their current consoles (PS5 and Xbox Series X/S), yet Sony has been hesitant to fully embrace a disc-less model.

Even Sony's digital-only consoles, including the PS5 Digital Edition, can be retrofitted with external disc drives. However, with the rise of subscription services like Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus's Games Catalog, the future of physical media remains uncertain.

Physical media sales are declining, and many major publishers are releasing games requiring internet connectivity for installation, even those distributed on disc. Layden's comments suggest that Sony is carefully weighing the potential loss of market share against the benefits of a fully digital future. The shift towards downloadable content, even replacing what were previously second discs on physical releases, further underscores this trend.

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