In case you've been living under a proverbial rock (or have a life, I guess), you're probably aware of the vocal backlash Sony is experiencing right now after it announced the date for the end of new PlayStation 5 game disc production.To quote Douglas Adams: "This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move." Being one such aggrieved person, I made the decision that, if Sony is no longer providing the goods and services I want, then I should no longer be its customer.Ultimately, that's the only lever I have to pull, except it turns out I can't really find a way to pull it that doesn't affect completely unrelated parts of my life.
Sony practically birthed our physical media, but now wants to kill it "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out" Close Sony is one of the most influential companies in the world when it comes to physical media.Most people think of player devices when they think about Sony.The Walkman, the Discman, the PlayStation 2 and onward with DVD and Blu-ray support.
These are all examples of Sony providing a way to play physical media.But except for VHS, the company has had some sort of role in developing or straight-up inventing a long list of major formats.It co-developed CD technology, invented the MiniDisc, was a member of the DVD Forum, led Blu-ray development, and invented the UMD for the PlayStation Portable.
I don't know if that makes it ironic or appropriate that Sony announced on the PlayStation Blog a coming end to physical game disc production in January 2028.In 2024, I raised the alarm about the implications that an all-digital future held for console gamers, but now we can see that turning point coming.This announcement came alongside the (final for realsies this time) closure of the Vita and PlayStation 3 online stores.
With zero sense of irony.To add insult to injury, as reported by GameSpot, the Sony-owned Crunchyroll is reducing its physical media to focus on things like collectibles.Crunchyroll bought boutique media outfit Right Stuf a while ago specifically to offer anime Blu-rays, and with this move, the company is now diminishing both anime and video games, two of my favorite things! Nintendo Switch 2 8 4K Capability Yes, docked 4K Capabilities HDR The Nintendo Switch 2 is the company's latest hybrid home console, with more powerful graphics and processing, a larger 7.9” LCD touch screen with support for HDR, and more online features.
What's Included Dock, Charger, HDMI cable, Joy-Con adapter Brand Nintendo Screen 7.9-inch LCD touchscreen Game support Switch 1 and Switch 2 titles Storage 256 GB Battery 5220mAh Lithium-ion battery Connectivity Wi-Fi, Ethernet Ports 2 USB-C, one 3.5mm audio jack Dimensions 4.5 in x 10.7 in x .55 in Weight 1.18lbs with Joy-Cons Charging Time 3 hours Screen Resolution 1920x1080 $500 at Amazon Expand Collapse I don't want my money to go to the wrong place Voting with your wallet still works, right? I'm under no illusion that Sony will backtrack on these decisions.At the same time, I don't want to fund its new direction.I'm also not one of those people who destroys the things I've already paid for in protest, since, again, this only hurts me and has zero effect on anything else.
My home is filled with both modern and vintage Sony technology.I will keep enjoying these with the intent that no money from my pocket should flow to the company from here on.For PlayStation, I have canceled my PlayStation Plus subscription and won't be buying any digital games anymore (though I'm happy to play the ones I already bought), and I will only buy used PS4 and PS5 discs.
This is effectively my last PlayStation, and I'm now treating it the same way I do my original PlayStation and PlayStation 2, which I also still own and enjoy.Sadly, Sony has a firm grip on anime since it also owns Funimation, which merged with Crunchyroll, and if there's no physical version of a show, I'll just have to do without it.However, my job requires that I have a streaming subscription to the major services, so that's a "fail" as the kids say.
It turns out Sony is everywhere It's hiding around every corner The problem is that it's actually not possible to avoid giving money to Sony as a whole.Even buying new copies of the very physical media the company wants to snuff out puts royalty fees in its pockets.Likewise, many artists are signed to Sony Music, Sony Pictures makes a significant number of movies, and the camera sensors in many models of phones are made by Sony.
It's a company with fingers in many pies, as they say, so the idea of cutting Sony completely out is quite impractical.The only answer is to treat each division as its own thing The more I think about it, there's no reason to give up, though.It's best to treat the various corporate appendages of Sony the same way the company itself does—as separate line items on a balance sheet.
So if my problem is with PlayStation, then I should withhold my money from PlayStation, where it will show up as decreased revenue on its books.Not buying a phone because it has a Sony camera sensor doesn't even send the message I intended, since no one at Sony is taking my calls or replying to my emails!
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