rmay635703 wrote on 2026-07-29, 16:20:

They think they can only sell new extremely expensive disposable cars in low volumes destroying the used market, forgetting that without a healthy used market, everything else implodes going into a feedback loop of collapse.

All that matters is the quarterly results went up. It's the oncological philosophy: anything less than exponential growth is death. Then comes death.

Trashbytes wrote on 2026-08-02, 06:05:

Joseph_Joestar wrote on 2026-08-02, 06:03:

Trashbytes wrote on 2026-08-02, 05:35:

Sony needs to do better and stop treating their audience like they don't exist or they are going to find themselves in the very same position Xbox is in . .at the fucking bottom of the market duking it out in the bargain bin.

PlayStation 5 Console Sales Down 36% in Just One Year

Some of this is expected as the life cycle of the current console generation is almost over. But the price hikes and diminishing consumer interest didn't exactly help either.

Sony's current behaviour isn't helping either, people really don't like being told "We hear you but we don't care".

sony def stopping scalpers and resellers hehehe and piracy

A couple of useful links, regarding physical and digital games:

https://www.doesitplay.org/

This website tests if a physical game can be played without an internet connection. It also checks whether patches and DLCs are included on the disc for certain re-releases (e.g. GOTY editions).

https://delistedgames.com/

As the name implies, this website tracks all digital games that have been delisted from the relevant storefronts. It covers PC games as well, not just console releases.

The state of the worldwide economy and the uncertainty over AI, wars (especially ones started by my stupid country), climate change, migration, and other issues are also not helping the sales of increasingly expensive game consoles, or PCs, for that matter.

- Alex

Joseph_Joestar wrote on 2026-08-04, 18:22:

A couple of useful links, regarding physical and digital games: […]
Show full quote

A couple of useful links, regarding physical and digital games:

https://www.doesitplay.org/

This website tests if a physical game can be played without an internet connection. It also checks whether patches and DLCs are included on the disc for certain re-releases (e.g. GOTY editions).

https://delistedgames.com/

As the name implies, this website tracks all digital games that have been delisted from the relevant storefronts. It covers PC games as well, not just console releases.

This is a really good resource! The last two consoles I bought were the Switch and PS4, because I did some research and found that most physical games were complete on card/disc. However, upon checking that site, I was pleasantly surprised to see how few PS5 games are unplayable offline or without downloads. I expected way, way more.

I got a laugh out of The Outer Worlds 2 on PS5... 65 megs of data on the disc, apparently, so if you try to play it offline if tells you you need to download the game first 🤣.

newtmonkey wrote on 2026-08-04, 18:51:

Joseph_Joestar wrote on 2026-08-04, 18:22:

A couple of useful links, regarding physical and digital games: […]
Show full quote

A couple of useful links, regarding physical and digital games:

https://www.doesitplay.org/

This website tests if a physical game can be played without an internet connection. It also checks whether patches and DLCs are included on the disc for certain re-releases (e.g. GOTY editions).

https://delistedgames.com/

As the name implies, this website tracks all digital games that have been delisted from the relevant storefronts. It covers PC games as well, not just console releases.

This is a really good resource! The last two consoles I bought were the Switch and PS4, because I did some research and found that most physical games were complete on card/disc. However, upon checking that site, I was pleasantly surprised to see how few PS5 games are unplayable offline or without downloads. I expected way, way more.

I got a laugh out of The Outer Worlds 2 on PS5... 65 megs of data on the disc, apparently, so if you try to play it offline if tells you you need to download the game first 🤣.

you paid them for the privledge of not owning anything. no stewardness. back then you bought soemthing you had to take care of it which lead to responsibility now, you pay someone else for the responsibility.

if epic was allowed to seize your copy of ut99 after ut2003 came out went to a judge got court order to reel in your physical copy on a fishing line little by little and epic said did it ever even exist the game and you say theres no copies, but its in my head, they said well of course its in your head but thats inadmissible in court. itll die in your head and thats where its gonna stay. They didnt want the community to download UT3 because the cd key and logins made the game unplayable.

i did use gemini because i wanted to highlight the absurdity

dosbox not only got games working from dos era again but it also made them playable for like ever forever as long as you take care of the game you are its steward

I think we could all see that this was eventually going to happen. The uncomfortable truth is that companies can make significantly more money from selling digital releases at a fixed price, while also eliminating the second-hand market entirely.

It’s a real shame for those of us who still value owning physical copies. Relying entirely on an online service is pretty risky - in 20 years’ time, there’s a very good chance that Sony’s PS5 digital infrastructure and services will no longer exist, leaving those purchases dependent on systems that may have disappeared.

The situation is even more concerning with the potential move away from Blu-ray. At least with digital games, the quality is generally identical to a physical copy. Video is a different story. Blu-rays contain far more data for both picture and sound than even the highest-quality streaming services, meaning the viewing experience simply cannot be the same. Compression, reduced bitrates, and audio limitations all have an impact.

I also worry about the habit streaming services have developed of removing content, even in cases where people have paid for access. If a company loses a licence or decides something is no longer commercially viable, that content can simply disappear.

Hopefully, as we’ve seen with cassette tapes and vinyl records, there will eventually be a resurgence in appreciation for physical media. There will always be people who value true ownership, preservation, and the ability to enjoy their collections without depending on a company’s servers staying online.

Dame1701 wrote on 2026-08-04, 21:11:

I think we could all see that this was eventually going to happen. The uncomfortable truth is that companies can make significan […]
Show full quote

I think we could all see that this was eventually going to happen. The uncomfortable truth is that companies can make significantly more money from selling digital releases at a fixed price, while also eliminating the second-hand market entirely.

It’s a real shame for those of us who still value owning physical copies. Relying entirely on an online service is pretty risky - in 20 years’ time, there’s a very good chance that Sony’s PS5 digital infrastructure and services will no longer exist, leaving those purchases dependent on systems that may have disappeared.

The situation is even more concerning with the potential move away from Blu-ray. At least with digital games, the quality is generally identical to a physical copy. Video is a different story. Blu-rays contain far more data for both picture and sound than even the highest-quality streaming services, meaning the viewing experience simply cannot be the same. Compression, reduced bitrates, and audio limitations all have an impact.

I also worry about the habit streaming services have developed of removing content, even in cases where people have paid for access. If a company loses a licence or decides something is no longer commercially viable, that content can simply disappear.

Hopefully, as we’ve seen with cassette tapes and vinyl records, there will eventually be a resurgence in appreciation for physical media. There will always be people who value true ownership, preservation, and the ability to enjoy their collections without depending on a company’s servers staying online.

vinyl is making a comeback, i think its the noninteractive forms of media that are coming back. You listen to music, you watch movies, you dont interact so its easy to preserve i think? Games not easily. you need emulation the game itself and all the different uh randomness that you can do in game.

static movies, static music, easy to format shift... but games nope cant format shift as easily

take uh moo2, it works in dosbox but we havent be able to get it working in openOrion or OpenMoo2, so your stuck encapulating it, eventually MOO2 > DOSBox > ReactBox (reverse engineered windows like OS) > some modern system which doesnt allow encapsulating files or opening them outside of the app

i should have stopped steam addiction but i was taken in and now i have nothing. the responsibility of caring for 1500 games was too much. I should have been happier that I didnt have to take care of it, but i should have kept some around for a rainy day. I should have kept my ps2 my snes but i didnt because i wanted dynamic content not static game loops

You make some good points, I think you're right that it's perhaps harder to preserve games in their original format e.g. CD, DVD, BluRay as we're fast approaching a point where we'll run out of machinery capable to reading the discs.

However I'd say we might be able to preserve games on high capacity ROMs or similar. There are plenty of hardware implementations of classic systems using FPGAs for example and I think with systems like the MiSTer we'll have ways to play them, heck people may even start making CD drives again (though somewhat more challenging than vinyl).

Dame1701 wrote on 2026-08-04, 21:50:

You make some good points, I think you're right that it's perhaps harder to preserve games in their original format e.g. CD, DVD, BluRay as we're fast approaching a point where we'll run out of machinery capable to reading the discs.

However I'd say we might be able to preserve games on high capacity ROMs or similar. There are plenty of hardware implementations of classic systems using FPGAs for example and I think with systems like the MiSTer we'll have ways to play them, heck people may even start making CD drives again (though somewhat more challenging than vinyl).

i saw steam as an investment for my games, i bought games i didnt need so valve had the money to keep servers active. i thought you were required to buy something each year to keep account active.

Ill look into MiSTer...

CD Drives again I doubt it, maybe flash drives on the sneakernet

Agreed CD drives unlikely and to be fair there is a real reason to resurrect Vinyl. As a pure analogue format it does arguably provide a superior sound quality but and it's a big but, you need a super audio path to your expensive speakers to truly appreciate it and probably decent (young) ears to boot!

Dame1701 wrote on 2026-08-04, 22:41:

Agreed CD drives unlikely and to be fair there is a real reason to resurrect Vinyl. As a pure analogue format it does arguably provide a superior sound quality but and it's a big but, you need a super audio path to your expensive speakers to truly appreciate it and probably decent (young) ears to boot!

you technically dont need lecky to play vinyl a la wind up turntables anyone? hehehehe crank dat on vinyl means crank that turntable

You're right it's hand cranking all the way!

Resident Evil: Requiem Reaches Up to 55% Physical Sales in Some Regions

TechPowerUp wrote:

While physical sales were expectedly low in the US, at just 22% of total sales, where internet penetration is relatively high, in France, physical sales accounted for as much as 55% of the sales of Resident Evil: Requiem. Similarly, in Japan and Australia, physical sales topped 51% and 43% respectively. Meanwhile, in the UK, physical sales of Requiem were as high as 40%.

So much for Sony's misleading narrative.

I havent played on consoles since the xbox 360 days but I used to love buying a physical game and getting like a cool preorder bonus or getting a collectors edition with a cool statue or sound track and art book. Though being mainly A PC gamer Im completely used to all my games being digital

Would I want digital games on a console? probably not, id still be buying the CEs to get the goodies. I was the only person in my area to preorder Mortal Kombat Shaolin Monks and got the free Lui Kang and Kung Lao figures. Not to mention the other games that came with cool stuff that companies just dont do anymore further proving that everything sucks now

Joseph_Joestar wrote on 2026-08-17, 15:43:

Resident Evil: Requiem Reaches Up to 55% Physical Sales in Some Regions

TechPowerUp wrote:

While physical sales were expectedly low in the US, at just 22% of total sales, where internet penetration is relatively high, in France, physical sales accounted for as much as 55% of the sales of Resident Evil: Requiem. Similarly, in Japan and Australia, physical sales topped 51% and 43% respectively. Meanwhile, in the UK, physical sales of Requiem were as high as 40%.

So much for Sony's misleading narrative.

You mean deceptive narrative, their numbers also included all DLCs and other online only content in an effort to bump up their narrative that people are only buying digital now.

Sony are a bunch of crooks and just like Google will happily remove content you have bought with little recourse or compensation for doing so.

Trashbytes wrote on 2026-08-17, 17:11:

Joseph_Joestar wrote on 2026-08-17, 15:43:

Resident Evil: Requiem Reaches Up to 55% Physical Sales in Some Regions

TechPowerUp wrote:

While physical sales were expectedly low in the US, at just 22% of total sales, where internet penetration is relatively high, in France, physical sales accounted for as much as 55% of the sales of Resident Evil: Requiem. Similarly, in Japan and Australia, physical sales topped 51% and 43% respectively. Meanwhile, in the UK, physical sales of Requiem were as high as 40%.

So much for Sony's misleading narrative.

You mean deceptive narrative, their numbers also included all DLCs and other online only content in an effort to bump up their narrative that people are only buying digital now.

Sony are a bunch of crooks and just like Google will happily remove content you have bought with little recourse or compensation for doing so.

shall we start a digital revolution? Imagine I buy a ps5 and the wow factor is dynamic content and updates, the game you played 10 years ago is not the same game today yay! the majority will buy it up because PS5 now appreciates in value

twiz11 wrote on 2026-08-04, 21:44:

vinyl is making a comeback

It's interesting that only old audiogram formats have come back not videograms, probably because the ears are much more forgiving than the eyes. When's Laserdisc coming back? Oh, that's right, hardly anyone bought it the first time round so there's no nostalgia to blind anyone to their glorious composite signal 😉

I actually own a few Laserdiscs because they're cheaper than buying a poster. As I have a very large DVD and Blu-ray collection, cool as they are I have no intention of forking out for a working LD player and praying it doesn't die.