00:00Sony is getting rid of physical PlayStation games for good.
00:03But when you buy a game online, you don't really own it.
00:07So what does this mean for the future of gaming?
00:09Here's what's happening.
00:10On July 1st, Sony said that starting in 2028,
00:13PlayStation games will no longer come out on discs,
00:16you'll only be able to download them.
00:18According to Sony's numbers reported by Push Square,
00:2178% of games last fiscal year were bought as downloads.
00:25So most people have already stopped buying discs.
00:27But a disc was something you could lend to a friend,
00:30sell, or keep on a shelf forever.
00:32A download gives you none of that.
00:33And that's not just a theory.
00:35According to TechRadar, weeks before this announcement,
00:38Sony removed more than 500 movies and shows from UK users' accounts
00:42that had already paid for them
00:43because their license with the distributor ran out.
00:47Consumer advocates say digital games work the same way.
00:50When you download a game, you don't immediately own it.
00:53You're allowed to play it,
00:54and the company can take that away whenever it wants.
00:57Now, this matters because in most cases,
00:59a disc still works even if the company disappears.
01:02According to PC Gamer,
01:04the Video Game History Foundation says that
01:06when a digital game gets pulled
01:07and there's no disc to fall back on,
01:10piracy becomes the only reliable way to preserve it.
01:13Sony and its supporters say they're just giving the people
01:15exactly what they already buy.
01:17Downloads are instant.
01:18You can't scratch or lose one,
01:19and the numbers prove that most people
01:21just simply don't care about discs anymore.
01:23But critics say the real problem
01:25is that you're paying roughly $60
01:26for things you don't actually get to keep in the long run.
01:29According to Dexerto,
01:31a campaign called Stop Killing Games
01:33has gathered nearly 1.3 million signatures across Europe
01:36fighting for the same basic idea,
01:38that a game you paid for
01:39shouldn't just disappear when a company decides it's done with it.
01:43It was enough to reach lawmakers,
01:44forcing a response in Europe and a bill in California,
01:47but that bill has since stalled.
01:49Physical games will stick around until 2028,
01:51and so far, it looks like Sony isn't backing down.
01:54So where do you land?
01:55Should companies reconsider this shift,
01:57or is it time to give in to the future?
01:59Drop your take in the comments
02:01and follow us here for more.
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