As a dedicated gamer who grew up in the age of physical media, I can’t help but feel a pang of nostalgia with the latest news about LG discontinuing its Blu-ray players. For years, I’ve been carefully curating my collection of game discs, stacked high like towers of precious treasures in my humble gaming den.
LG, a South Korean electronics brand, has declared that it will cease manufacturing its independent Blu-ray and UHD Blu-ray players. This move mirrors similar decisions made by Samsung and Oppo. This action seems to be another blow to traditional media formats, which have been gradually losing ground for quite some time.
As a gamer speaking to Flat Panels HD, they didn’t entirely guarantee a worldwide departure from the optical disc player market, implying there might be possibilities for future devices if Blu-ray regains its popularity. However, for now, they plan to sell off their existing stock of players, marking an end to their involvement in this sector, at least for the time being.
As a gaming enthusiast, I’ve noticed that big names like Sony and Panasonic haven’t rolled out fresh Blu-ray models since 2018. Meanwhile, the PS5 continues to shine as one of the most talked-about players in the market right now.
However, even PlayStation has been transitioning towards digital media. The standard PS5 model doesn’t come equipped with a disc drive initially, but an additional one can be purchased as an optional accessory for playing traditional games from boxes. Unfortunately, these accessories have been hard to come by lately due to Sony not being able to meet the high demand with sufficient supply.
Most PlayStation games today are bought from the PlayStation Store, but about a quarter of them are still obtained on Blu-ray discs, which isn’t a small proportion. We suspect that Sony might continue to offer physical media options, possibly via an optional accessory like the potential PS5 Pro model.
However, it’s evident that the entire entertainment industry is moving towards a particular path, which raises various apprehensions.
In the gaming industry, preservation is already an enormous issue, considering how many games rely on server-side interactions. Some titles, like The Crew, simply cease to play once the servers are switched off. In defence of developer Ivory Tower, it is taking steps to ensure that situation doesn’t reoccur with The Crew 2.
However, as consumers we should question what will happen when, one day, PSN is no longer available. While it’s not something necessarily worth worrying about today, it’s a legitimate concern for the future. Our original PS1 games may need a puff of breath and rub against our shirt sometimes, but they still generally function as they always have, 30 years later. It’s hard to imagine the library of the PS6 persisting for 30 years, isn’t it?
From our previous discussion, it appears that we anticipate Sony will continue to produce physical media for at least another generation due to sufficient current success. However, it’s important to note that the percentage of games sold in boxes is expected to keep shrinking further.
And that’s a worrying trend for those who still appreciate physical ownership of their games.
Do you still buy physical video games? (11 votes)
- Yes, I only buy physical video games 0%
- I do, but I also buy digital games too82%
- No, I only purchase games digitally now18%
Do you think PS6 will have a disc drive? (12 votes)
- Yes, it’ll be included with the console25%
- It won’t be included, but it’ll be available as an add-on50%
- No, there’ll be no physical media8%
- I don’t know17%
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2024-12-12 20:06