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The story
IGN’s international site ran a poll asking “Would you buy a PS6 even if it doesn’t come with a disc drive?” and it drew 33,000 votes, sparking discussion on 5ch’s hardware/industry (Geha) board. Rather than the poll numbers themselves, the thread zeroed in on the fine print behind dropping the disc drive: an expected price of 200,000–300,000 yen, the real download ratio Sony discloses in its earnings reports, and the fact that PlayStation Store lacks a refund system the way Steam does.
What people said
What are we supposed to do about this.
Is there even any point polling anti-fans who weren't going to buy it in the first place?
Re: #7
Seriously?
So Official PlayStation Magazine was a magazine for PS haters all along.
Seriously?
So Official PlayStation Magazine was a magazine for PS haters all along.
Ah, so in Japan this is heading for the under-2-million-units bin, or getting scalped off to China via Rudeya-style resale channels (a resale route for exporting goods to China) — basically a domestic-scale flop on the level of the 3DO or PC-FX (infamous failed consoles).
Re: #13
If the war in Ukraine is over by then, demand for repurposing these into military hardware for the Russian army will dry up too.
If the war in Ukraine is over by then, demand for repurposing these into military hardware for the Russian army will dry up too.
Re: #13
This.
It's the main IGN site — nothing to do with Japan.
This.
It's the main IGN site — nothing to do with Japan.
Re: #1
Worry about the price more than that.
MSRP of 200,000–300,000 yen, no disc drive.
Would you buy it under those conditions?
Worry about the price more than that.
MSRP of 200,000–300,000 yen, no disc drive.
Would you buy it under those conditions?
Re: #21
If it's already this bad just from dropping the disc, it'll only get worse once the price is announced.
If it's already this bad just from dropping the disc, it'll only get worse once the price is announced.
Does anyone around you these days actually still buy the disc version? I've basically stopped seeing it entirely.
Re: #24
There probably still are, no?
There's a ton of them listed for sale.
And none of them are selling at all lol
There probably still are, no?
There's a ton of them listed for sale.
And none of them are selling at all lol
There's no way that 95% download ratio is real.
Or the 98 million PS5 units sold worldwide, either.
Absolutely
fake
Jan
Or the 98 million PS5 units sold worldwide, either.
Absolutely
fake
Jan
Re: #31
Nah, that 95% download-ratio claim is flat-out fake lol
The actual download ratio Sony itself reports in earnings is 80%. But the average sale price is only around 3,500 yen, so most of that is people only buying during sales.
Nah, that 95% download-ratio claim is flat-out fake lol
The actual download ratio Sony itself reports in earnings is 80%. But the average sale price is only around 3,500 yen, so most of that is people only buying during sales.
They'll probably patch in support for it later anyway — partly to preserve backward compatibility.
Re: #32
Would a company that flipped the O/X confirm-cancel button convention starting with the PS4, with zero accommodation for existing users, really bother?
Would a company that flipped the O/X confirm-cancel button convention starting with the PS4, with zero accommodation for existing users, really bother?
Drop the disc drive, and profit that used to run only about 30% jumps to nearly 95%.
Of course it makes sense to shut down the disc factories dragging down margins and convert them into image sensor plants, which are thriving, to boost profitability.
But Microsoft hasn't followed suit on this move, so Sony's probably nervously glancing back over its shoulder.
Of course it makes sense to shut down the disc factories dragging down margins and convert them into image sensor plants, which are thriving, to boost profitability.
But Microsoft hasn't followed suit on this move, so Sony's probably nervously glancing back over its shoulder.
Re: #37
What happened to the claim that 95% of sales are already digital…?
What happened to the claim that 95% of sales are already digital…?
Re: #37
MS will drop discs starting with their next-gen console too.
MS doesn't even own its own factories, so producing discs is even harder for them than it is for Sony.
Their download ratio is already way higher than PlayStation's as it stands.
If anything, it's basically a digital-only machine already.
The only difference is whether they make a clear, official announcement about it.
MS will drop discs starting with their next-gen console too.
MS doesn't even own its own factories, so producing discs is even harder for them than it is for Sony.
Their download ratio is already way higher than PlayStation's as it stands.
If anything, it's basically a digital-only machine already.
The only difference is whether they make a clear, official announcement about it.
Re: #37
Conversely, the people about to bail because of the disc drop — are they really going to abandon all the digital purchases they've stockpiled and move over to PC or whatever?
Conversely, the people about to bail because of the disc drop — are they really going to abandon all the digital purchases they've stockpiled and move over to PC or whatever?
If you go and buy something like Monster Hunter Wilds or FF16 and it turns out to be a dud, downloads mean you're just stuck eating the loss. Without a Steam-style refund system, this is a straight-up downgrade.
Re: #42
And the astroturfing campaigns to dump shovelware on people during launch week are probably going to get even worse too.
And the astroturfing campaigns to dump shovelware on people during launch week are probably going to get even worse too.
Without something physical you can actually hold, you don't get to experience the joy of having bought a game.
Re: #48
So every digital-only title is doomed by that logic then, huh. Poor things.
So every digital-only title is doomed by that logic then, huh. Poor things.
If they want to make it a download-only machine, they need to set up a refund system like Steam's, or none of this makes sense.
Re: #54
A lot of people get this wrong, but on Steam, using refunds as a way to get a free trial counts as abuse and can get your account banned.
‘Buy it, play it, refund it because it was boring’ — that's the abusive behavior.
Sony's also changed things so you can now get a refund for a mistaken purchase as long as you haven't downloaded it yet.
A lot of people get this wrong, but on Steam, using refunds as a way to get a free trial counts as abuse and can get your account banned.
‘Buy it, play it, refund it because it was boring’ — that's the abusive behavior.
Sony's also changed things so you can now get a refund for a mistaken purchase as long as you haven't downloaded it yet.
Re: #60
That's a pretty outdated understanding.
Far from being treated as abuse, the refund reasons nowadays literally include options like ‘not what I expected’ and ‘wasn't fun.’
That's a pretty outdated understanding.
Far from being treated as abuse, the refund reasons nowadays literally include options like ‘not what I expected’ and ‘wasn't fun.’
Re: #60
You can keep bleating “but the terms of service!” all you want — in reality, Steam allows refunds within a 2-hour trial window, and you won't get banned unless you're abusing it with dozens of refunds like some kind of harassment campaign. You basically never see “I got refunded and banned!” reports popping up on social media, right?
Of course not. From Valve's perspective, as long as you're a genuine paying customer, there's no reason to ban you.
Meanwhile, the PlayStation Store doesn't let you trial-play or refund at all.
That's just the reality of it.
You can keep bleating “but the terms of service!” all you want — in reality, Steam allows refunds within a 2-hour trial window, and you won't get banned unless you're abusing it with dozens of refunds like some kind of harassment campaign. You basically never see “I got refunded and banned!” reports popping up on social media, right?
Of course not. From Valve's perspective, as long as you're a genuine paying customer, there's no reason to ban you.
Meanwhile, the PlayStation Store doesn't let you trial-play or refund at all.
That's just the reality of it.
Re: #56
Either way you're forced into one of two choices: stick with the PS6 for life, or migrate to PC.
The sooner you move to PC the better, but the people trapped by sunk cost are the ones who end up losing the most.
Either way you're forced into one of two choices: stick with the PS6 for life, or migrate to PC.
The sooner you move to PC the better, but the people trapped by sunk cost are the ones who end up losing the most.
Re: #58
Re: #59
If you're willing to even pay for PS5 repairs just to keep using it, can your brain really not do the math that trading it in for a PS6 upgrade is the smarter move?
Re: #59
If you're willing to even pay for PS5 repairs just to keep using it, can your brain really not do the math that trading it in for a PS6 upgrade is the smarter move?
Re: #56
You don't have to abandon anything — just become a ‘PS5 diehard.’ It just means not buying the next one.
You don't have to abandon anything — just become a ‘PS5 diehard.’ It just means not buying the next one.
There's never actually been a case of getting banned on Steam for refunding because a game was boring.
Re: #74
Doesn't it flag you if you keep doing it repeatedly over a short period?
Doesn't it flag you if you keep doing it repeatedly over a short period?
Re: #76
Normally you're not buying games over and over again in a short span of time anyway.
Normally you're not buying games over and over again in a short span of time anyway.
Re: #78
If you're going in planning to refund from the start, there might be people who'd do exactly that.
If you're going in planning to refund from the start, there might be people who'd do exactly that.
Come to think of it, Sony said they're dropping discs for new releases — but did they say anything about not providing a way to play the discs you already own? Does anyone remember?
Re: #79
Basically it means ‘stay locked into your PS5 forever.’
If you want to play it on PS6, buy the download version all over again.
Classic Sony move.
Basically it means ‘stay locked into your PS5 forever.’
If you want to play it on PS6, buy the download version all over again.
Classic Sony move.
Re: #68
In your world, how much is the PS6 even supposed to cost?
In your world, how much is the PS6 even supposed to cost?
Re: #86
Repair costs aren't exactly cheap either. And there might end up being a budget model too.
Repair costs aren't exactly cheap either. And there might end up being a budget model too.
Even if the PS6 comes out to shave the price down even a little, there's a chance they'll drop PS4/PS5 backward compatibility entirely to begin with…
Re: #91
Dropping that would cut into their subscription membership numbers, so that's one thing they'll probably make sure to nail down properly.
Dropping that would cut into their subscription membership numbers, so that's one thing they'll probably make sure to nail down properly.
Background and Key Points
IGN’s poll is a self-selecting survey answered voluntarily by the site’s own readers, so respondents skew toward people who already read IGN — it’s not a number that represents the market as a whole. The “95% download ratio” figure cited in the thread also rests on different assumptions than the actual ratio Sony discloses in its earnings reports (about 80%, according to posters, with an average sale price of roughly 3,500 yen), reflecting the fact that most purchases happen during sales. It’s also worth noting that as of September 2026, Sony has not officially announced that the PS6 will fully drop its disc drive — this discussion is built on overseas media reports and rumors. Steam’s refund policy requires under 2 hours of playtime and within 14 days of purchase, a different standard from PlayStation Store’s limited refund support.
※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware/Industry (Geha)) thread “IGN Asks ‘Would You Buy a PS6 Without a Disc Drive?’ — Results From 33,000 Votes Cause a Stir.”
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