I don't think there is a meaningful difference for 70% of playstation gamers who primarily are digital anyway. Although a difference between PSN and PC is that PC has multiple storefronts and more market competition. Software price averages will likely increase.

For the 30% who lean towards physical, Sony are taking their preferred method of game ownership away. 

For anyone who bought a disc based PS5 Sony are essentially killing one of the key functionalities it was sold on.

Most people on this site sit within the more dedicated side of the 30%. What's ironic is that the most core audience for the PS6 (the first 10 so mil to rush out and buy it regardless of price) are more likely to be those who also care about physical media.

I wouldn't be surprised if this is also partly why they recently reversed course on releasing their single-player titles on PC. PC is, by nature, an open ecosystem, with competing storefronts. Not just Steam vs Epic Games Store, but even key sites. Green Man Gaming, Fanatical, GamesBillet, G2A, etc and they all a lot of times undercut Steam's pricing, and there's nothing Valve can do about it.

That's something Sony can't have. So they've fully cut out the middleman for both console physical releases and PC releases. Full control.

I really don't know, right now I would think not, but it does make sense in the veil of full control.

Sony will definitely be forced to allow third party stores on PS6 if they don't allow other sellers to sell game keys directly tho, this can backfire so much on them...

I don't trust in any of them lol and the way you are making that question actually tells me you are settling with "the less bad" option when it's impossible for you to know if they are trust worthy or not until something actually happens. 

I don't have any problem with people complaining and saying they don't want anything with PS, actually I think is a good thing but I don't see the point in talking about "we", "we", "we" when the change isn't because of us, the change is for the millions who buy digital games and are obviously neither going to complain nor celebrate this decision. They just will keep doing what they have been doing for more than a decade.

It sucks but it was going to happen. Am I going to buy a PS6? Just like I did with the PS3,4 and 5 if the games are there I'm going to think about it, if not then no. I didn't become a PS fan because of Sony, I did it for the games but one thing is for sure if I buy one I'm not going to feel bad about it lol when most people complaining have steam in a pedestal lol.

Over 5500 replies in the US PS Blog now after 12 hours of it being posted.

Back then when they announced the PS3, PS Vita and PSP stores being shutdown in 2021 (5 years later to now with they finally doing it to the first 2), the blog post reverting the decision had less than 1000 replies.

This is really, REALLY getting people riled up.

The small percentage of ppl who actually buy physical I suppose.

They can put their money where their mouths are and not buy GTA6. But that's not going to happen lol

By end of the year, I doubt many ppl will care about this announcement. 

They did backtrack on closing the PS3 store for far less backfiring than this, tho.

I do believe this change is far my important for Sony and it would need an immense amount of pushback to at the very most just delay it a few years, but I've literally just saw a page dedicated to a cat I follow on Facebook post about it, a page about a cat.

It is definitely reaching quite a wide audience at least right now that it is news, I'm actually surprised too see such a reaction myself, seems like physical media and onwership are actually more important than hard data on a spreadshit about ratios can tell.

I wonder if it'll last as well, my POV is that people eventually just suck it up and accept mostly everything, but breaking points do exist.

Perhaps. Consumer push-back is ultimately the most important thing if a decision doesn't benefit you. However, I find the situations a little different from Sony's POV. Physical sales were still very strong in the PS4 era and Sony had pretty much closed things with PS3 and Vita. Consumers wanting to still purchase digital games ultimately was to Sony's benefit.

Here, it's easier for them to ride this out because of GTA6. If GTA6 smashes records etc, I expect the tune of many people complaining in these comments to change. If consumers don't want a digital only future, then don't go and buy GTA6. There's no reason for Sony to back-down now when there decision will most likel be vindicated by the sales of GTA6.

If it's only GTA preorders that resist this, as they surely will, you can 100% expect insane numbers when they are announced, it doesn't protect Sony from it, they don't make GTA, nor does anyone else, and GTA VII might release close to 2040, they can't expect GTA to carry it alone, it'll carry itself alone no problem, but not automatically everyone else.

Sony is definitely taking a hit on short term revenue by phasing out physical media, 20% of Playstation sales is still an insane amount of money. What they expect to gain by doing this must be so tempting they are risking a massive brand hit, even further console sales decrease and a very high amount of short term revenue and they still think it's worth all of it regardless (if it works out, it sure is worth it for them).

The thing is, are they really prepared to deal with it for so long until 2028 or with a bigger than expected brand pushback? One thing investors seem to be, for the worse usually, is very short sighted and ready to panic pressure changes only thinking about short term profit. Will Sony really be able to hold pressure from all sides if this keeps up for more than a few weeks? Who knows.

It is definitely going to happen someday, Sony thinks the day has finally come, consumers will decide if it really has finally come or not. Again, GTA will pull itself easily, I don't think that means anyone else can tho, maybe they do, maybe not, GTA won't carry everyone, just setting the path to prove it is doable for them at the very least.