Key Highlights:
- The PlayStation 6 will ship with a detachable disc drive option.
- A new version of the PS5 will also be made available.
- Physical media is on the verge of collapse, for better or worse.
It’s no secret that physical media has been on the verge of a collapse in recent years, with companies like Nintendo offering digital-only downloads for multiple titles. Sony displayed a similar trait with their revised PS5 where they sold the console with a detachable disc drive.
The upcoming PlayStation 6 will follow the same pattern according to industry insiders. While this suggests that the company isn’t focusing a lot on physical media, they aren’t discontinuing with it entirely either.
The PlayStation 6 Might Ship With a Detachable Disc Drive Add On
As per Tom Henderson of Insider Gaming, the PlayStation 6 is expected to ship without a built-in optical drive. This is quite the curious design change, given how the first iteration of a console has traditionally shipped with some form of support for physical media.
In essence, this means that the PS6 will be primarily sold as a digital only console, with the added ability to expand its capabilities into using physical media by means of a separate add on purchase.
This isn’t a new strategy for PlayStation, as the company did the same with the mid-gen refresh of the PlayStation 5. The currently available PS5 was produced as a drop in replacement for the original, ‘PS5 FAT’, which came with a disc drive built in.
The reasoning behind this peculiar change is quite obvious – cost saving. After all, shipping a PS6 without a disc drive results in a much slimmer profile, and one that costs less to ship.
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One of the more interesting revelations of this particular leak was the existence of yet another PS5 model, titled the ‘Slim’ revision. This PS5 variant is expected to be even slimmer, and will come equipped with an 825 GB SSD over the standard 1 TB version, all of which aims to bring down the cost of the console and reduce any logistics overhead for Sony along the way.
Regardless, Sony’s decision not to kill off all physical media makes sense, given that a large portion of its game library still remains available in the disc format.
The (Unfortunate) End of Physical Media Is Upon Us
Physical media is near its deathbed, and PlayStation’s change might just be the final nail in the coffin. Fewer games are being released in physical media formats, and the ones that do just appear to be game cards.
In other words, the disc/cartridge simply contains a license for the game, mandating that players both download the game and insert the disc/cartridge to ‘authenticate’ the license – making for the worst of both worlds. It doesn’t help but feel intentional at this point, as many would rather switch to a purely digital only library just for the sake of convenience.
However, the decline of physical media was only a matter of time, if we’re being honest here. Unlike the days of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, internet connectivity speeds, availability and reliability woes are a thing of the past, and it is legitimately easier to download a game than install it from a physical format.
This is also not taking into account the logistics nightmare and delays associated with physical media, along with their general cumbersome nature and chances at being damaged.
That being said, there most certainly is a certain charm toward physical media, one that cannot be replaced by a digital only alternative. Most importantly, physical media is your only way of truly ‘owning’ a game, as digital games are simply licenses that can be revoked at will.
It’s a sad future for physical media enthusiasts, and unfortunately, there isn’t much we can do about it.
