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Today may have marked the beginning of the end for game console disc drives. Sony finally announced the $699.99 PS5 Pro, and while it looks to be an impressive machine, it’s the first PlayStation console that will require you to buy the console and a separate disc drive if you want to play your physical games.
Sony’s offered disc-free variants before and inched in this direction with the PS5 “slim,” which you can buy with the separate disc drive already attached or add a disc drive to later. But with the PS5 Pro, you’ll have to get a separate PS5 disc drive, whether that means you buy it for $79.99 or swap a disc drive from a slim PS5 to a PS5 Pro.
Microsoft is clearly eyeing the discless direction with Xbox as well. The more affordable Xbox Series S can’t play discs, and there’s a discless Series X in white that’s set to launch later this year. Last year’s giant Xbox leak revealed a cylindrical, “adorably all digital” Xbox Series X redesign, too. That hasn’t been announced as an official product, but it shows a disc-free future is on Microsoft’s mind.
It’s like Apple removing the disc drive all over again
It seems likely that Sony and Microsoft are testing the waters for going all-digital for the PlayStation 6 and the next-generation Xbox — or at least offering disc drives separately. It’s like Apple removing the disc drive all over again.
But this time, it’s not just the people making the devices. Retailers are stepping back from physical media, too. Redbox is toast. Best Buy said last year that it would stop carrying physical movies, and Target recently confirmed that it would be all but ditching DVDs in its physical stores. I know movies aren’t video games, but it doesn’t seem like a big leap that brick-and-mortar stores might stop carrying physical video games down the line; UK retailer Game has already ended video game trade-ins.
I have mixed feelings about this potential shift to a no-disc drive future. I long ago moved to an entirely digital library for my games, as I like switching games without having to swap discs and because I don’t have a lot of space in my home to store physical cases. It’s convenient!
But digital content exists in a tenuous spot. Being able to run games from a disc matters if, say, PlayStation unexpectedly bans your account and blocks you from your library. It matters when a company makes it harder to buy games through its older stores or when a developer delists a game. Those are all real things that happened and big reminders of why digital ownership sucks.
We’re going to have to wait a few years, likely until the next full console generation, to see how far down the discless path Sony and Microsoft are willing to go. For Xbox, at least, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer recently said the company’s strategy “does not hinge on people moving all-digital” and that “getting rid of physical” is “not a strategic thing for us.” On the other hand, Spencer noted that “a majority” of its customers are buying games digitally, so it might just be a matter of time.
But for now, if you want to buy Sony’s best PlayStation, the PS5 Pro, and you want to play games on discs? Budget accordingly. The disc drive retails for $79.99.
