PlayStation games will be on display at the Best Buy store in San Francisco, California on February 27, 2024.
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PlayStation will soon end production of physical discs for all new games released on the console, the company announced Wednesday morning.
New games starting January 2028 sonyTraditional consoles owned by will be sold in digital format through the PlayStation Store or retail stores. The move comes as consumers increasingly turn to digital media to access games and stream music.
The move was a “natural direction” as consumers’ preference for digital games “significantly exceeds physical discs,” the company wrote in a blog post, adding that the decision would not affect disc games released by 2028.
“This transition allows us to more closely align with the way most of our community prefers to access and play games today,” the post reads.
As major game console manufacturers struggle with digitalization efforts, soaring memory prices due to the inclusion of artificial intelligence are leading to soaring prices for game consoles.
Sony increased the price of its flagship PlayStation 5 console in April, raising the disc version from $549.99 to $649.99.
microsoft’s Xbox will also increase its prices starting August 1st, with Series S consoles with 512GB of storage set to go up from about $100 to about $500. Nintendo’s The Switch 2 will have a $50 price increase in the US starting September 1st.
CNBC has reached out to PlayStation for additional comment.
