Today may have marked the beginning of the end for game console disc drives.
Sony’s offered disc-free variants before and inched in this direction with the PS5 “slim,” which you can buy with the separate disc drive already attached or add a disc drive to later.
But with the PS5 Pro, you’ll have to get a separate PS5 disc drive, whether that means you buy it for $79.99 or swap a disc drive from a slim PS5 to a PS5 Pro.
Last year’s giant Xbox leak revealed a cylindrical, “adorably all digital” Xbox Series X redesign, too.
It’s like Apple removing the disc drive all over again It seems likely that Sony and Microsoft are testing the waters for going all-digital for the PlayStation 6 and the next-generation Xbox — or at least offering disc drives separately.
It’s like Apple removing the disc drive all over again.
Being able to run games from a disc matters if, say, PlayStation unexpectedly bans your account and blocks you from your library.
It matters when a company makes it harder to buy games through its older stores or when a developer delists a game.
But for now, if you want to buy Sony’s best PlayStation, the PS5 Pro, and you want to play games on discs?
The disc drive retails for $79.99.
The days of game console disc drives may have come to an end today. After much anticipation, Sony has finally revealed the $699 PS5 Pro. Although it appears to be a powerful device, this is the first PlayStation system that will cost you extra money if you want to play physical games.
With the PS5 “slim,” which you can purchase with a separate disc drive already attached or add one later, Sony is taking a small step towards offering disc-free versions. However, you’ll need to purchase a separate PS5 disc drive for the PS5 Pro, which will cost $79.9, or convert your slim PS5 disc drive to a PS5 Pro disc drive.
With Xbox, Microsoft is obviously aiming toward a discless experience as well. A white, discless Xbox Series X is scheduled for release later this year; the less expensive Xbox Series S is not capable of playing discs. A cylindrical, “adorably all digital” Xbox Series X redesign was also made public by last year’s massive Xbox leak. That indicates Microsoft is considering a disc-free future even though it hasn’t been officially announced as a product.
It feels as though Apple took out the disc drive once more.
With the PlayStation 6 and the upcoming Xbox, it appears that Sony and Microsoft are exploring the possibility of going completely digital, or at the very least selling disc drives separately. It’s as though Apple took out the disc drive once more.
However, it goes beyond the individuals creating the gadgets this time. Additionally, retailers are reducing their use of physical media. Redbox is completely destroyed. Target just announced that it would be virtually doing away with DVDs in its physical locations, and Best Buy declared last year that it would no longer carry physical movies. It doesn’t seem like a huge leap that physical video games would eventually be discontinued by brick and mortar stores; UK retailer Game has already discontinued video game trade-ins. I know that movies aren’t video games.
Regarding this possible transition to a world without disc drives, I feel conflicted. I moved to an entirely digital library for my games a long time ago because I prefer to switch games without having to switch discs and because I don’t have a lot of room in my house for physical cases. Convenient, yes!
To find out how far Sony and Microsoft are willing to go down the discless path, we’ll have to wait a few years, probably until the next complete console generation. Phil Spencer, the CEO of Microsoft Gaming, recently stated that the company’s strategy “does not hinge on people moving all-digital” and that “getting rid of physical” is “not a strategic thing for us,” at least with regard to Xbox. However, Spencer pointed out that “a majority” of its clients purchase video games digitally, suggesting that it may only be a matter of time.
For the time being, though, if you want to play games on discs and want to purchase Sony’s finest PlayStation, the PS5 Pro, then set aside money for that. At retail, the disc drive costs $79.99.
