The Sony PlayStation 5 (PS5)

[slitherjef]

Had a thought earlier today about this physical vs digital always online fiasco. Disc, I like them, I think whole game should be on them, I don't like the idea your system calls home to play a game you bought. Or the game is basically early access that needs patching and updating and runs as a service (seems to be the normal for things for a long time though).

But something else also crossed my mind and do think it's possible for Sony or Microsoft to ban your disc from their system. Meaning having a physical copy wouldn't matter. Just like you could lose the license to your digital copy for whatever reason, I think they could revoke the disc and I don't think it would be that hard for them so do so since it's almost a requirement for the system to be on line. And sooner or later a game you pick up from a retailer is probably going to need to phone home before you launch it or even install. Looking at crimson desert for example.

Would they do this? Not sure, but was a thought I had while I ponder my own physical / digital debate. My steam library is digital (but also haven't spent an insane 100 bucks on a single game -yet anyway) I do have a few digital offerings on my pro.

Also have at least one rotted dream cast game where the aluminum peeled from the polycarbonate. Also got a couple PlayStation 1s with non working drives. And a stack of games.

Also finding physical games locally has been difficult and takes a bit of hunting.

Half dozen of one, 6 of another I guess. Acquire physical while I can and if it's a nice sale, digital? Kind of like I have been. And maybe actually trying to play the games instead of just collecting them for later. Hard to game when wore out and tired... 😮‍💨

 

[MisterSavage]

But something else also crossed my mind and do think it's possible for Sony or Microsoft to ban your disc from their system. Meaning having a physical copy wouldn't matter. Just like you could lose the license to your digital copy for whatever reason, I think they could revoke the disc and I don't think it would be that hard for them so do so since it's almost a requirement for the system to be on line. And sooner or later a game you pick up from a retailer is probably going to need to phone home before you launch it or even install. Looking at crimson desert for example.

That was the whole 2013 E3 fiasco where Xbox was announcing restrictions like that on discs. Sony smelled blood and came out with this response about how they weren't restricting your discs.

 

[JamesMay82]

I have mixed feelings on the death of the discs, in part because it was already such a hobbled setup anyway for long-term play. The add-on drive for the Slim models (and even the included one on disc models) requires an internet connection to key it to your console, so if they ever shut the validation server down and your console crashes or gets reset, it's over and you can't do it. I don't know 100% but I believe all models require an initial internet update/validation to even work as well.

On top of that of course many of the games on disc were not complete or playable just via the disc, or are in a weakened state compared to fully patched up/updated copies. It's not the same as if this were PS2 era where everything is just good to go no matter what the case may be. Some of these things might not be problems for another 20 years, but eventually they will be. Softened the impact for me, anyway.

Nonetheless it is a sad step in that the used game/game trading market will cease to exist, driving up prices especially in Asia and parts of the Americas that rely on physical to a much greater extent than US/CA does. Gaming in general seems to be getting increasingly unaffordable.

I will be much more upset if Blu-Ray dies because there is a clear advantage there; streaming movies is not exactly the same quality or consistency as a disc, and I doubt it will be any time soon. It will take much stronger internet connections to 1:1 constantly match the bitrate and audio quality of a large disc. 4K UHD is a good format and hopefully still has some life left in it.

Very Sad indeed and I’m not sure how much i trust apple.

I just read their small print on their iTunes purchases and it says

When you purchase access to this item, you can permanently download it to your iPhone, iPad, Mac or PC. Once downloaded, you can access this without an internet connection, and Apple can't remove it from your device. If you purchase this from the Apple TV app on Apple TV, smart TVs or other streaming devices, you can't download it on those devices, but you can easily download it on compatible devices.

The comment regarding access without internet once you’ve downloaded does that mean that the Apple ID is never needed to authorise movies again? So in theory could i keep an offline machine for years and play movies without issues?

Apple Music requires a internet connection every 30 days i believe.

What are everyone’s thoughts?