The real one.

Oh yeah, it's the factory that's to blame here, not Sony, there is nothing they can do about it... seriously, just don't.

Sony has reversed decisions in the past when there is enough backlash. I wonder if they do so now.

But GTA6 is going to the biggest entertainment launch ever and its not even shipping with a disc.

Go play guys instead of crying

The factory is Sony's and they're pivoting away because of consumer trends. 

It's not like it's wildly out of their hands. 

They're expecting a 90% decline by 2028.  

My plasma is very efficient, very slim, and very light. Not much different than LCD's back then. More recent LED LCDs are lighter and cheaper however, yet not all that much more efficient.

Plasma's were encroaching on LCD territory so those companies wanted something to combat Plasma. LED LCD was the answer to that. They could offer a step up in screen size for the same price as a cheap Plasma (while making larger profits due to it being cheaper tech to produce). That's the big reason why people went with LED LCD. Slightly slimmer and lighter was a minor bonus. So yes, the industry did push people towards LED TV's, and the people went along with it.

Doesn't change the fact that TV's are for watching and hearing content, and Plasma was much better for that overall. They also couldn't sell Plasma for as much anymore because OLED had started to enter the market, so they dropped Plasma because OLED could be sold for huge profits since it was the new best technology by far, as expensive as it was to make. OLED didn't make Plasma obsolete since it was way too expensive, but companies didn't care because they just wanted higher profits.

OLED and LED LCD made higher profits so they were continued. Plasma had its place and could've continued, but the companies just saw that as a bunch more work for less profit than the other TV's, and they figured they could force everyone into another TV type one way or another. While I and others still have our Plasma's, eventually we're going to have to go with LED or OLED or whatever else new hits the market. Either that or we stop watching content on a TV.

Back to the point as you said - People will go digital mostly because it's more convenient, but that doesn't mean it's the better choice and that they aren't screwing themselves over in the long run. Companies want this because it's cheaper to produce, leading to even higher profits, plus it gives them far more control, which can also be used to further increase profits.

Fighting for digital rights simply prolongs the inevitable. The agenda is set and if it simply takes longer to get to the 'destination' then so be it. They don't really care as long as they can eventually move the herd there.

I do agree this move by SNY will push more gamers to physical, for a while anyway. I have a feeling physical isn't completely going away, just discs. Though this would also just be a delay to the inevitable if the herd keeps following the path the shepherds are guiding them down.

After seeing and hearing many more thoughts from gamers, I think you're onto something because I'm thinking the same kinda thing. I don't necessarily think physical is dead. I think if they're sticking with physical that they're just moving on from discs.

Much of this is due to the handheld. Can't really make discs work with it, so you need another medium. Game carts in some format would be the most likely answer. This way you could also use them for the PS6 home console(s).

Many are already saying PS6 will be a hard sell, period, for many reasons. Well something new and different would be using game carts instead of discs. Even if the price is a little higher, SNY has a bunch of excuses they can make to justify it. Some of those excuses may actually make sense though.

This isn't to say they aren't just going full digital. They might be, but keeping some form of physical makes more sense if you look at it from the perspective of what's best for the good of the brand, long term.

Sure, but the factory is not PlayStation and not beholden to them, especially as they produce discs for other companies in other media. Sony DADC is making a decision that affects their business and their revenue streams. 

If they were looking into micro lenses back in 2024, they were very likely making the decision early that year if not in 2023. Physical production of discs from all media has surely declined further in the last 2-3 years. 

At some point, it doesn't make sense for them to keep running a disc business. Same for companies that use physical media. Combine consumer trends and lowering revenue from discs from all angles, then it was bound to happen. It's just happened faster than many have expected, but that's really because everyone just assumed PS6 would run discs. 

Looks like Sony just lost its marketing with GTA6. Can confirm it’s 100% changed back. The store (on mobile atleast) no longer shoves it in your face to pre order.  

Wahahaha when they thought they had a partner in crime as fellow greedy corporation who is charging $100 for an empty case with a digital download code.

More like the burst campaign is finished; nothing more, nothing less. 

And this is just speculation, not a rumour.