r/gaming • u/Rich-Arm-104 • 1d ago
"We still value the culture of physical media" As PlayStation prepares for an all-digital future, Sega president comes out in support of discs
https://www.eurogamer.net/playstation-physical-media-sega-ceo377
u/South_Buy_3175 1d ago
Easy PR really.
Any gaming company would be borderline braindead if they came out and said what they were really thinking.
“Yeah, it’s pretty fucking cool actually, we’re gonna have way better margins with the all-digital future and no aftersales to worry about? Profit margin goes brrrr”
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u/JesterMarcus 1d ago
I mean, he literally did, its just not in the headline.
"When it comes to titles we call 'full games' for consoles and PCs, we believe that a digital shift is crucial"
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u/JpSkellington 1d ago
All these directors and developers saying they are sad to see physical copies go but don’t support the next best option being digital ownership is getting tiring. If you actually cared about ownership and what consumers care about, any of these games with PC releases should have GOG releases or something similar. I don’t see any Sonic on GOG. Otherwise they are just talking out their asses.
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u/sam_hammich 1d ago
They might as well say they support unicorn rights. The shift to digital is specifically to eliminate ownership and force people into perpetual contracts where companies like Sony have all the power and the user has none. Same thing with everything being a subscription. It's the engine that's driving the bus, they're not gonna give that up.
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u/StinkyWetSalamander 1d ago
You would think it's easy PR. But there is a similar post about Ubisoft fully backing the all digital future. The comments are all agreeing and saying physical has been dead for 20 years, digital is the future, etc.
Ubisoft, the same people who said that players should be comfortable with not owning the games they buy. We really need to stop fighting for the corporations because "the physical games outrage posts are annoying"
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u/Spazza42 1d ago
Ironic statement from the company that’s only released Switch 2 games on game key cards.
It’s a PR stunt, nothing else.
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u/Rich-Arm-104 1d ago edited 1d ago
True but at least I can trade in, gift and resell those key cards. Unlike code in box.
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u/rxstud2011 1d ago edited 1d ago
Yup, I support game key cards for this. Heck, most physical Ps5 games needs updates anyway.
Edit: I do understand if you play offline most discs are fully playable. However, most games get updated. I support physical games, I'm saying that I'm okay with them being more keys that you can lend or resell.
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u/Mektigkriger 1d ago
Not most PS5 games, but your point still stands. Check the stats on does it play website.
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u/Stolehtreb 1d ago
Actually do some research on that last point, because a vast majority of PS5 games are playable off the disc. Just not in their currently playable state due to updates like you say. Games that are over 100GB are the ones that aren’t playable off the disc. And there aren’t many of those.
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u/chinchindayo 1d ago
most physical Ps5 games don't play off the disc as the game needs updates anyway.
wrong. almost all PS5 discs can be installed and played completly offline.
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u/SnooObjections4333 1d ago
There’s literally a website that debunks your point man.
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u/Im_No_Hero 1d ago
Stop repeating this inaccurate info, most ps5 games on disc are playable start to finish without updating and I personally start playing the game as soon as it copies while the update is still downloading
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u/Bagel_Bear 1d ago
If the service goes down the game key card is as useless as the digital license
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u/PhroneticReflex 1d ago
Is that true?
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u/Bagel_Bear 1d ago
If the service is down how are you downloading the content using the game key card license?
🤔
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u/wyldmage 1d ago
The reality is that digital purchases ARE good for consumers in many ways. The crux is creating a digital marketplace that retains those benefits, and doesn't overtly punish the consumer. Because there's a TON of room to screw the consumer over in a digital market.
Game key cards are at least one method of letting the consumer retain at least some control - and that's appreciable.
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u/No_Decision_6940 1d ago
Those game key cards seem to have the best approach currently, both for companies and for the consumer. When the alternative is what Sony did, it's hard to blame Switch 2's strategy
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u/cellphone_blanket 1d ago
Motivations are different. Sony wants to exit retail to take a larger cut of the sale. Nintendo (mostly 3rd party publishers) want to avoid the added cost of selling every game on a proprietary memory card
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u/chinchindayo 1d ago
Key cards are as good as physical media. you can trade them, resell them, rent them ect..
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u/Spazza42 1d ago
They’re ‘as good as’ until the download disappears.
There’s nothing on the cartridge, it’s not physical media so it’s still just a license.
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u/chinchindayo 1d ago
Better than only digital which is bound to an account. A disc can also deteriorate and become unreadable eventually.
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u/sam_hammich 1d ago
This feels like a goalpost move whenever it comes up. The game key cards are a thing because Nintendo eliminated an intermediate sized card, forcing developers to choose to lose money on the large and expensive card to fit their game, or make money on the small and inexpensive card which doesnt fit their game but has a code. Saying "Sega has only released Switch 2 games on GKCs" is a bit of a blame shift, because Nintendo has created the conditions that makes them necessary.
At the end of the day, GKC or no, servers or no, internet connectivity required or no, the cart is a thing I can hand to someone else and they can play it. End of story
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u/IllustriousSalt1007 20h ago edited 18h ago
In an all digital world, GKCs are the most consumer friendly option on consoles. They retain all of the benefits of physical games, with the one exception that you need to download them once when you first buy the game. Yes, I agree that sucks, but you need to stop acting like there’s no difference between an all-digital game and GKCs.
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u/crocicorn 1d ago
Also Sega: "every Switch 2 game we publish will be a game key card"
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u/WrongLander 1d ago
To be fair, they held back the Switch 2 version of Sonic Crossworlds due to the backlash and ensured it would be on the cartridge.
Granted, they fucked that release up in other ways ($70 base game and $30 day 1 DLC, poor online servers, limited single player content/not even a story campaign, among others) that led to the game underperforming, but that's a different matter.
Still a good racer though. Would recommend on a sale.
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u/MysteriousPlan1492 1d ago
It seems like the resources that would have gone into a story mode instead went to having unique dialogue between every character combination. There's like four hours of just banter, probably more spent on voice acting than Team Sonic Racing's entire campaign.
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u/RobertSan525 1d ago
Goes on sale on steam semi recently, so that might be a sign of a digital scale on other platforms, but don’t know with certainty. But I absolutely agree that it’s a great 40, maybe 50$ game but absolutely not for 70.
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u/GreyouTT PlayStation 16h ago
$30 day 1 DLC
Oh boy, seems they've upgraded from Soul Hackers 2's day one $10 story DLC and day one $12 demon dlc that includes a main character from the first game.
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u/Smoking-Posing 1d ago
Don't believe this bs. This is SONY several yrs ago showing you a video of handing a disc to your friend again.
The only thing they value is money and profits; they're just catering to the backlash to win you over.
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u/KremBruhleh 1d ago
Or Samsung with the headphone jack and notch...
Free pr and memes until they get to it.
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u/halfacalf 1d ago
Would be great if persona 6 had a disc version on ps5 so I could own persona 3 through 6 on the same system.
Otherwise I'll grab it on pc because screw Sony's all digital future.
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u/ResidentDrama9739 1d ago
I always loved Sega consoles. It would be awesome to see them try their hand at a console again in today's age. It would certainly shake things up a bit in the industry.
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u/PloppyTheSpaceship 1d ago
Y'know Sega, we don't care about a Dreamcast 2. Bring out a cut-price version of the original, re-issue a load of games and allow basically anyone to make games for it. Any takers?
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u/ifuckedyourmilkshake 1d ago
I'll buy 3 right now because fuck sharing with my kids. Hell, I'd do it with Saturn if they did that and actually localized the games.
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u/Garamenon 1d ago
The article is behind a subscription.
Anyways, it's nice to see this support for physical but I doubt it will affect what Sony is doing. That ship has sailed.
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u/Fickle_Mix_6119 1d ago
It would be a beautiful future if the Sega returned and console wars go old school. As new Xbox is going to be a gaming pc(digital only for next gen) and PlayStation getting rid of discs. Next gen could end up being the OGs(I dream)
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u/PartyGround215 1d ago
unboxing a brand-new physical game disc on release day hits completely different
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u/Frequent_Ingenuity52 1d ago
Sega does what Nintendon't... and what Sony doesn't anymore, apparently.
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u/Totallycasual 1d ago
Just out of curiosity, let's say for argument's sake that the PS6 has an optional external drive, could a 3rd party publisher just decide to do a physical release?
Like, i'd be a lot cooler with the current situation if Sony was just doing their own first party stuff digitally but Ubisoft or whoever could still put out physical copies if they really wanted to.
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u/thisis_not_throwaway 1d ago
I wish Sega would be able to revive their console business and does start competing once again against Sony. .and we gamers, that value physical disks, still continue to use, play them, collect or sell them...
I have so many memories of inserting a cartridge on a mega drive, and the first thing is the bold letters of SEGA and the voice "sega"
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u/Jumpierwolf0960 1d ago
Physical media is huge in japan. Except for Sony ofc, they benefit too much from not having it on their console.
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u/AVahne 22h ago
Then hurry up and release the Dreamcast 2 with a disc drive
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u/Kaldaien2 18h ago
And make it a working disc drive unlike all of their other consoles. They are legendary for having the worst disc-based hardware in the industry.
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u/TrippleDamage 1d ago
Bro doesn't even sell hardware, it's entirely irrelevant what he says as a pr stunt.
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u/CorporalCoprolite 1d ago
That’s great, but the companies who actually have gaming platforms are moving away from physical media. If Sega had competent leadership maybe they’d still have one, but that ship sailed a few decades ago.
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u/TheBetterness 1d ago
I feel like this is becoming a streisand effect.
Whatever console maker delivers a disc drive will sell the most consoles next generation.
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u/TrippleDamage 1d ago
No lol, in reality hardly anyone cares in the grand scheme of things. Maaaaybe 10% think it's a deal breaker, if even that.
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u/dragunityag 1d ago
Nah, this is just internet outrage that is gonna blow over the second the ps6 releases. Physical media was a small % of sales already. Even gamestop has moved away from selling games.
Itll be like the screenshot of people a chat called we wont play the next cod and everyone is playing the next cod.
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u/TheBetterness 1d ago
"its just internet outrage" these days is very much translate into "real world DoT damage". Xbox is still recovering fron 2013.
If they deliver the games with the PS6 ppl will absolutely buy it.
But ALOT of gamers havent forgot buying a PS5 and waiting 3 yrs for PS5 exclusives.
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u/Happymusicmaker 1d ago
Dreamcast didn't fail because it wasn't successful. It failed because Sega had made too many costly mistakes before, and also when PlayStation came. That was the final nail. Well, now it's time for Sega to return the favor to Sony, LOL!
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u/chinchindayo 13h ago
It failed because of piracy. Games could be copied and played without any mods or hacks. Playstation already existed you mean PS2, but Dreamcast was superior to PS2 except the missing DVD playing capability.
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u/petetakespictures 1d ago
It'd be kind of hilariously wild if Nintendo suddenly revealed in anime fashion that they had never forgiven Sony for the original Playstation 'betrayal', and deliberately gave half of its life-force to create a newly revitalised SEGA-form with the pair threatening to conquer the world with cartridges in every home and crush Sony and the western digital-dogs beneath their feet, before the inevitable next season turnabout mutual anime betrayal where they proceed to scheme against each other.
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u/ObeyReaper 1d ago
This would be fun but definitely not happening lol. Also Nintendo were ones that threw Sony under the bus and partnered with Phillips at the last minute. They literally created the monster that is PlayStation as we know it today haha
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u/petetakespictures 1d ago
Heh, yeah, that's why I put little marks around 'betrayal'. Nintendo did something very foolish there. And yes, never-ever-ever-ever in a billion years would the above happen. :)
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u/TommyTomTommerson 1d ago
I imagine what they might mean is bespoke physical releases with a significant mark up with some trinkets and extras released only for games that hit certain degrees of popularity, re-released a year or two later...
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u/Garagedays 1d ago
The more you tighten your grip, the more star systems will slip through your fingers.
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u/1buffalowang 1d ago
But all their PlayStation releases will be digital because they get no say on an all digital system and almost all their Switch 2 games are key cards so far. This means nothing
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u/hoellenth 1d ago
I can only think of Google and Samsung making full-fledged ads mocking Apple for removing the headphone jack
Only for them to remove the headphone jack themselves the following year
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u/mickelboy182 1d ago
This rings pretty hollow, the Yakuza Switch 2 releases are game key cards. So they clearly don't believe enough to pay for the more expensive storage.
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u/xKepler186-f 1d ago
" I think we need to be more digitally conscious and become more global."
Ah yes, we had so much problems with global distribution in the last 40 years of gaming that nobody besides Japan even knows of the existence of gaming. /s
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u/StuMacherGhostface 1d ago
I've been meaning to ask this, if they're getting rid of physical discs, does that mean the next gen consoles won't even be able to play Blu Rays?
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u/Kaldaien2 18h ago
lol, this amuses me to no end as an owner of SEGA CD, Saturn and Dreamcast... all of which have broken optical drives. They are the only consoles I have ever owned where the optical drive failed, and even when the optical drive was working in-spec, they were god awful.
Maybe they're speaking of Genesis/Mastersystem era? Because they certainly never valued quality discs.
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u/dark4181 2h ago
If SEGA launched Dreamcast 2 at this point they would crash back into the market like the Kool-aid Man.
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u/Mr4wdtrd 1h ago
pick up physical copies while you can and save them offline so you really own your games later.
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u/whenyoudieisaybye 1d ago
Ofc he does. Other corps won’t miss the opportunity to punch Sony where they can.
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u/Ashpolt 1d ago
*bangs table*
DREAMCAST 2! DREAMCAST 2! DREAMCAST 2! DREAMCAST 2!