Ex-PlayStation Boss Says Sony 'Can't Get Away' with a PS6 That Has No Disc Drive | Push Square
Beloved ex-PlayStation executive Shawn Layden doesn’t believe Sony can “get away” with an all-digital PS6.
There has been concerns, since it released the PS5 Pro without a disc drive included, that the Japanese giant may be abandoning physical media. To be fair, it’s released all of its major games on Blu-ray, and offers a disc drive attachment for those who still prefer boxed games. (Although, said attachments have been in irritatingly short supply.)
And speaking with Kiwi Talkz, Layden explained that while Xbox has had more success abandoning physical media, he doesn’t believe Sony has the same luxury.
“I don't think Sony can get away with it now,” he said, as spotted by IGN. “I think Xbox has had more success in pursuing that strategy, but Xbox is really most successful in their business in a clutch of countries: the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa. Coincidentally enough, all English-speaking countries.
“Sony, which is the number one platform in probably 170 countries around the world, has an obligation or a responsibility to say, 'If we go discless, how much of my market is not able to make that jump? Can users in rural Italy get a decent connection to enjoy games?’”
Layden explained that the manufacturer is likely crunching the numbers and admitted there will be a “tipping point” for it, but he argued the company’s market is “globally so huge it would be hard for them to go fully disc-less”.
It’s true that digital software sales reflect the bulk of PlayStation’s business these days, but physical titles still make up around 30% of its income, which is not entirely insignificant. It’s perhaps also worth remembering that many fans have built up physical game collections, so in order for the PS6 to remain full compatibility with those old libraries, it’ll need to offer a means for Blu-ray games to be played.
Our guess is that Sony will offer a disc drive as an optional extension for the PS6, and as long as it has enough inventory to
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