(Image credit: Tom's Guide)
This week, PlayStation announced its plans to stop producing physical game discs for titles released on its platform starting in January 2028. The internet's response has been strong and loud. In fact, I don’t think I’ve spoken to a single gamer who is in any way supportive of this decision.Among the outraged, the main points of contention seem to be how this will affect those who take pride in displaying their vast physical game collection, and what this decision will mean for gaming preservation. There’s also a lot of fear about a theoretical future in which Sony decides to strip users of their digital purchases without warning — a nightmare outcome that I personally believe is not impossible, but highly improbable.These are all valid points, but my real anger over this ill-judged decision is how it could make gaming deal-hunting a closed shop, robbing consumers of options to save money. I started my time at Tom’s Guide as a deals writer, and I know firsthand how many gamers are savvy shoppers, and how important scoring a big discount is for gamers who can’t afford to drop $70 (or $80 in the case of GTA VI) on a brand new release day one.Once PlayStation takes physical games away in early 2028, the economics of buying video games will likely completely change for millions of people, and that’s something to be mad about even if you're already all digital.No more discs could destroy gaming deals
