Digital Games
Ongoing coverage on Digital Games.
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The Latest PS5 Boxes Come With A Pretty Bleak Warning
Sony is reportedly adding warning stickers to PlayStation 5 consoles indicating that new game releases will be digital-only starting January 2028. While discs for games released before this date can still be played, this shift has generated significant backlash from consumers. Sony CFO Lin Tao acknowledged the strong views but stated the company will proceed cautiously, citing the widening gap between digital and physical game sales, with 82% of sales being digital in the last quarter.
Capcom Unfazed By Physical Games Dying Off
Capcom has stated that the decline of physical game sales will not significantly impact the company, as approximately 90% of its sales are now digital. This trend is reflected across the industry, with Nintendo and Electronic Arts also reporting a majority of sales coming from digital downloads. Sony is ending support for physical discs in 2028, citing consumer trends, though experts suggest this shift also relates to control and profitability.
How To Cancel PlayStation Plus
This guide provides step-by-step instructions on how to cancel a PlayStation Plus subscription through the internet, PlayStation 5, or PlayStation 4. Canceling will retain benefits until the end of the current billing cycle, after which access to monthly games, online multiplayer, and cloud storage will be lost.
Nintendo Switch eShop charts – August 1, 2026 – Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream still dominating
The Nintendo Switch eShop charts for August 1, 2026, show Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream retaining the top spot. Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game, a recent release, has fallen to number 10. The charts detail the top 30 overall games and top 30 download-only titles.
PlayStation ditching physical games is "a bridge across the bad years" of high hardware costs, analyst says, but it means "casuals and youngsters will drift off to mobile, PC, and free-to-play even faster"
Industry analyst Rhys Elliott suggests Sony's decision to phase out physical PlayStation games by 2028 is a short-term strategy to offset high hardware costs. While it may improve margins during a difficult period, it risks alienating budget-conscious and younger players who might then drift to mobile, PC, or free-to-play markets.
An Xbox outage left physical games unplayable, tech lead says Microsoft is working to make sure that never happens again
Microsoft's Chief Technology Officer Scott Van Vliet stated that an Xbox outage which rendered some physical games unplayable should not have occurred. The company is investigating the issue, which involved disc-based entitlement checks preventing access, and plans to implement a fix in a future update to ensure this does not happen again.
Rockstar Co-Founder And GTA Co-Creator On Physical Games: Companies Should Provide It If People Want It
Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser stated that companies should provide physical game discs if consumers want them, despite his personal indifference. He also acknowledged the benefits of digital games for updates and fixes. Sony is phasing out disc support for PlayStation in 2028, a move experts attribute to increased control and profitability, while Grand Theft Auto 6 will be a digital-exclusive with a code in the box.
Final Fantasy 7 Revelation director wants "some kind of physical edition" for the RPG, but he can't promise it as Sony becomes the latest to "shift away" toward digital
Final Fantasy 7 Revelation director Naoki Hamaguchi is advocating for a physical edition of the RPG, despite the industry's trend towards digital releases. While no definitive decision has been made by Square Enix, Hamaguchi hopes to offer some form of packaged product, acknowledging the cultural value of physical media. The discussion comes as many platforms and publishers are shifting away from traditional disc releases.
Trying to find a good deal on Saros has made me angrier about PlayStation killing discs – it's anti-consumer and will price gamers out of our hobby
The author expresses frustration over the increasing cost of games and the perceived anti-consumer trend of PlayStation ending physical disc production. This shift, coupled with the decline of physical game deals and the pre-owned market, is seen as pricing gamers out of the hobby and reducing consumer choice.
Xbox is back online, tech lead pledges "we'll do better" so similar failures "can't ruin your night again" after outage stopped fans playing digital and physical games
Xbox's Chief Technology Officer Scott Van Vliet has apologized for a recent service outage that prevented players from accessing their game libraries and digital titles. He pledged to improve services and transparency following the incident, which was caused by a failure in an external licensing service. The outage lasted several hours and has reignited concerns about the shift towards digital-only games.
Xbox Live’s Extended Network Outage Was “Unacceptable”, Says CTO
Xbox division CTO Scott Van Vliet apologized for a 15-hour network outage that prevented users from accessing games and services. The extended downtime was caused by an external licensing service failure, which cascaded into broader issues. Microsoft plans to improve its infrastructure to prevent similar incidents and increase transparency with users.
The PS6 will have bigger problems than not having physical games
The success of the PlayStation 6 is unlikely to be determined by its lack of physical game support, but rather by its price, launch titles, and hardware innovation. While the move to an all-digital future is controversial, consumer convenience and the prevalence of digital sales suggest it may not be the primary factor in the console's potential failure. More significant challenges include a presumed high price point, the difficulty of securing compelling exclusive titles, and the need for unique hardware features beyond what the PlayStation 5 offers.
Xbox is down, just days after PlayStation outage, and it affects both digital and "disc-based" games
Xbox experienced a significant outage affecting digital and disc-based games, occurring shortly after a similar PlayStation outage. The issues impacted account sign-in, game launches, store access, and app functionality. Microsoft has identified the cause and is working on a resolution.
Some parts of Xbox Live are now down – digital games affected
Microsoft's Xbox Network experienced a significant outage affecting account sign-ins, game launching, and store access. The issues, which began early in the morning BST, were identified by midday, though some users reported sporadic problems with digital game loading. This downtime follows a similar incident on Sony's PlayStation Network.
Evening Consolidation
The PlayStation Network experienced an extended outage, preventing users from accessing digital games for several hours. Meanwhile, Xbox announced new game releases for the week of July 27 to July 31.
The PlayStation Store and Network are down – a great sign for Sony's all-digital, no-disc future
The PlayStation Store and PlayStation Network experienced widespread outages, affecting users' ability to purchase, download, and access games and features across all PlayStation platforms, including the PlayStation 5 and PS Vita. This incident highlights concerns about the reliability of digital-only gaming ecosystems, especially in light of Sony's planned discontinuation of physical game support in 2028.
Sony's Nightmare Month Gets Worse as PlayStation Network Goes Down — Leaving Fans Unable to Play Digital Games Just Weeks After Killing Disc Controversy Erupted
Sony's PlayStation Network experienced an extended outage, preventing users from playing their digital games. This incident occurred just weeks after Sony announced it would discontinue PlayStation 5 disc support, drawing criticism and highlighting the benefits of physical media.
Sega isn't "abandoning" physical games: president reminds everyone "we used to develop consoles," but says it's eyeing PC gaming in an increasingly digital future
Sega president Shuji Utsumi stated the company is not abandoning physical games but is focusing on improving digital releases due to the increasing global popularity of PC gaming. While acknowledging Japan's preference for physical media, Utsumi emphasized the need to strengthen digital products to reach a wider, global audience. Sega is also considering the important elements of digital media while simultaneously trying to make a shift, rather than completely abandoning physical culture.
Games Inbox: Is the EA Sports FC 27 Ultimate Plus Edition worth it?
Readers express frustration over the increasing cost of special editions for games like EA Sports FC 27 and NBA 2K27, criticizing the industry's perceived disregard for customers. Concerns are also raised about technical issues in Halo: Campaign Evolved and the future of Xbox, while a new Resident Evil movie trailer is praised for its faithfulness to the game's tone.
Ubisoft CEO says ditching physical games "helped" PC gaming, and PlayStation ending discs won't "disturb" the industry much anyway
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot believes the discontinuation of physical PlayStation games will not significantly disrupt the industry, citing PC gaming's growth as evidence that a digital-only future can be beneficial. He suggests that eliminating physical media could lead to more accessible console pricing. While acknowledging the loss of the used games market, Guillemot stated that the overall impact on the industry will be manageable.
