Technology

Yeah that's my problem with it as well. People keep going "but steam does the same thing" but with steam I actually have the install on my computer, a computer which valve does not control and they cannot take things off me after the fact.

Yeah the big advantage of disc is Sony can't randomly take it away. And given the fact that they have literally just done that with a bunch of movies it's kind of a problem.

I was already planning to abandon Sony even before they shot themselves in the foot (or leg? groin? time will tell I guess)

I bought the PS5 solely to play one specific game, but I still expected to get some other games. And I've gotten a few at least: The Finals is amazing, Baldur's Gate is amazing, Battlefield 6 is great... and that's about the end of my list.

The one specific game I bought the PS5 for, No Man's Sky, has tons of stuff you can do with mods and save editing. Same for Baldur's Gate as far as mods go. The Finals and BF6 are FPS games so no mods, but still... 100% of the games I like could just be played on PC instead, and 50% are significantly better for doing so.

In the last few generations of consoles / handhelds, Sony has:

• Removed the ability to back your data up via USB as of PS5 (ostensibly because scary ol' North Korea hacked them, but really because they want to force you to buy PS+)
• Removed the ability to use custom themes as of PS4
• Removed the ability to play online for free as of PS4
• Removed the ability to set a background for your console ffs as of PS5, then gave us like 10% of that back by letting you set a background specifically and only for the screen you see after the console starts
• Jacked up PS+ prices repeatedly and offered like 99% games that I never play again (granted I'm a very picky gamer but still. Shoutout to Jurassic World and some Resident Evils tho)

There's so many reasons to ditch them even separately from the disc drama

Ahh yes, steam renowned for its physical media.

Hopefully it just keeps them using old consoles and punishing them by not buying the digital games.

But we all know everyone will just roll over.

Shit man I'm old and would've dropped a good chunk of money on a complete, single-player GTA6 physical disk, at launch.

I might've even gone and bought a PS5 as crazy as that sounds. I already have a great PC and haven't gotten a console in a decade but I've gotten so much enjoyment from the franchise I'd feel pretty safe buying.

But the lack of a physical disk might actually be the thing that makes me completely reverse my decision. I tolerate it on PC because there are so many indie games it doesn't really make sense to have a physical copy every time but with a huge AAA title from a proven money hungry powerhouse like R* it's completely unacceptable. I want to be able to dig that disc out in 20 years and play forgotten games. I want to take my console out into the woods and play the game completely disconnected from the modern world if it suits me.

I quit shortly after the PS3...

No one on those platforms buys games anyway. They're too busy playing mobile games.

I suppose if any game is worth $100 it'll probably be a game from Rockstar. Personally I'm waiting for reviews since there's literally no point pre-ordering.

They aren't closed ecosystems to the extent that consoles are. PC gaming isn't just Steam, and you're generally free to do what you'd like with the files once they're on your computer.

You can chase sales, modify and fix games, play online without a subscription, use your preferred controller, buy DRM free (or bypass DRM if you so choose), share and revive old games, etc.

I doubt I've covered everything, and (respectfully) I'm genuinely surprised that so many people still ask this question.

A few things.

One is that steam frequently has actually cheap games more readily than the console digital stores.

Another is that if I'm buying a digital entitlement anyway, I'll go with the ecosystem with the greatest track record for long term compatibility. A game purchased 20 years ago on steam is still generally playable in brand new system. A PlayStation game purchased then is not playable on a new Sony system. It is in fact only playable on PC through emulation, so PCs have been covering for console incompatibly.

Once upon a time, consoles brought some unique values. Easy to plug into TVs, consistent gamepad experience, and just turn on and play.

Nowadays PC operating systems and console operating systems act the same, tv output is just HDMI, gaming controllers are well supported on PCs... The last reason to bother with the console gaming was the physical media. So while sure, they can go digital only, but then why bother with a console at all? They've already lost every other advantage.

I've been thinking about this since the announcement from Sony. I see alot of friends complaining when I fully know they have massive steam libraries and no optical drives.

And I think it comes down too we have Steam. Steam is run by Valve a non public company with no shareholders. And Valve not only says but does. They keep things open and accessible. Game removed from Steam, that's file you can still download it and play. Things like GoG where you can get an offline installer. And we can pirate probably fits in There some where

But console you only have the maker and not a single one can be trusted. Sony removed movies and TV shows a couple times at this point.

I don't really game anymore after having almost a 40 year run. However, I used to regularly recommend going digital only up to several years ago. Then, store delisting started becoming more common and affecting games I previously played, so I completely gave up consoles and retracted all my recommendations.