Sony Will Not Abandon Physical Media For PlayStation 4

BikerSaint
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 11:14:41 AM
Reply

Oh thank you, thank you, thank you there Shuhei Yoshida, & Sony.

Now I can also be a happy camper in Playstation's next generation too!!!!

15 up, 1 down

Banky A
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 2:19:14 PM

I hate 'campers'...

5 up, 1 down

Akuma07
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 9:53:03 PM

I was starting to get worried....

Shame on me for ever doubting Sonys commitment to its gamers.

2 up, 0 down

mexgeo86
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 11:25:08 AM
Reply

I think it's still too early to talk about a PS4 but I think it's good they plan to keep physical media since most people don't have a fast enough connection where downloading a Blu-Ray title would take minutes and not hours.

5 up, 0 down

BikerSaint
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 11:20:27 PM

@Banky A,

Then NO future Winnebago's or Air Stream's 4 U

NOR.....
Pup tent,
flame,
Pork & Beans,
Smores,
flashlight,
matches
pillow & "banky" either

BUT most of all,
NO "DEEP-WOODS OFF" INSECT REPELLENT

What I do see is a whole Army Regiment of hungry Fire Ants sprinkled around your bedroom window in the near future though!!!
LOL

Last edited by BikerSaint on 1/4/2010 11:22:34 PM

1 up, 1 down

MyWorstNightmar
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 11:28:10 AM
Reply

Any talk of a PS4 gets my bowels all worked up. It feels like I just got my PS3, and I want to bask in that glow for several years.

Hmmmmm. I blame Microsoft. They will come out with their next disaster, and Sony will be forced to speed up their timetable I believe, just to keep up with their competition.

12 up, 1 down

Jawknee
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 11:42:56 AM

I agree. It makes me feel uneasy about how long it will be before we see a new gen of consoles. Let's just hope what ever MS comes up with pails in comparison to the PS3. Like you said, I too would like to bask in the PS3 awesome glow for a few more years.

Last edited by Jawknee on 1/4/2010 11:47:36 AM

3 up, 0 down

Nynja
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 11:58:00 AM

I disagree. If Sony plays their cards right, the PS4 or PS5 could release mid cycle of the next Xbox and could capitalize on gamers looking for the next best thing.

Though, if the pressure does become overwhelming Sony might just do what you predicted.

5 up, 0 down

MyWorstNightmar
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 12:14:45 PM

Nynja, it would probably depend how good the graphics look on the next XBOX. The pressure you speak of would come if multiplat games on the new XBOX blow away the PS3 version. If that is the case, you can say hello to the PS4. If the new XBOX and PS3 version of games look fairly similar, then that will buy the PS4 a lot of time I think.

Last edited by MyWorstNightmar on 1/4/2010 12:16:20 PM

0 up, 0 down

mexgeo86
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 12:34:33 PM

given PS2s are still being purchased (developing nations' markets come to mind), I'd imagine they want the PS3 to follow suit. If a new xbox got released, wouldn't they find themselves in the same position as the ps3 at launch: high price with few titles? I know M$ might have deep pockets but shouldn't they wait until they're making profit on each unit or have they already reached that point?

0 up, 0 down

Gregory Freeman
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 3:21:12 PM

"I know M$ might have deep pockets but shouldn't they wait until they're making profit on each unit or have they already reached that point?"

they would have made that point, if they wouldn't have had to spend Millions on RROD damage control...

microsoft rushed the 360 to steal the ps2's market from the ps3, and they are paying the price... I think they may seek to crash test their next box a bit more this time around...

5 up, 0 down

godsman
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 3:51:09 PM

The next Xbox, assuming have the power of PS3, will definitely be similar to a PC. When developers see next Xbox is so easy to develop, while it requires them to pump out Uncharted 2 efforts to get the same quality, Multiplatform will go to Xbox once more as lead platform.

PS4 cannot come after the next Xbox. Sony lost so much ground in the beginning of the cycle. People in the beginning bought an Xbox because they didnt want to pay for PS3. MS got the momentum and used their cash to make it one step ahead of Sony. PS3 Slim could have been twice as popular it is now. It wouldve outsold Wii if Xbox werent in the way.

2 up, 0 down

Gone
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 11:29:09 AM
Reply

So I guess the PS4 will do everything and more including b/c, because you can't have b/c without a disc drive.

6 up, 0 down

LimitedVertigo
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 1:12:44 PM

You can also NOT have BC with a disc drive, don't forget that.

3 up, 0 down

Gone
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 2:07:46 PM

I will forgive, but I won't forget.

3 up, 0 down

Gregory Freeman
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 3:29:01 PM

lol some Dolt behind the counter of the local Gamestop was telling everyone not to buy ps3's or psp's because (and this is the funniest sh!t i've ever heard from an xbot EVER!)

"Don't Purchase Ps3's or Psp's dude, the Ps4 will be coming in 2010, it will have bluray and a UMD Drive, so it will play all the ps3 games, aswell as the psp's games and movies"

I ROFL'd in the store, and set everything straight. Needless to say, the guy walked away with a smile on his face, a Ps3 in hand, and GoW Collection, Uc2, Killzone 2, and InFamous in the bag...

I Think I did a public Service there... :P

Last edited by Gregory Freeman on 1/4/2010 3:29:46 PM

7 up, 0 down

blitz30952
Tuesday, January 05, 2010 @ 12:10:34 AM

@ Canuck Pride
Awesome bro :D

0 up, 0 down

Sir Shak
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 11:29:12 AM
Reply

I don't think the internet is capable of handling that kind of load and probably won't be by the time the PS4 comes .

3 up, 4 down

NoSmokingBandit
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 11:44:44 AM

In Japan it can handle that kind of traffic right now. The US is far behind everyone else in terms of broadband speed. Not that its unexpected, the US is a large country to cover with 50mb/s connections everywhere.

4 up, 1 down

Nynja
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 11:55:57 AM

@NoSmoking;

Actually South Korea is better equipped for digital distribution than Japan.

1 up, 0 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 12:27:11 PM

Not to mention people with caps on their downloads.

4 up, 1 down

Banky A
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 2:20:30 PM

You think the US is bad-ish on Broadband speed?
Oceania...

Last edited by Banky A on 1/4/2010 2:21:04 PM

0 up, 1 down

mexgeo86
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 3:48:12 PM

found this on the web, Average Internet Speeds around the globe and their cost:

http://www.i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=46234

1 up, 0 down

556pineapple
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 11:35:22 AM
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Good news for all of us that feel warm and fuzzy looking at those cold, plastic discs.

5 up, 0 down

Scarecrow
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 11:35:34 AM
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I will laugh at Microsoft forcing multiplat companies to comply with the 4GB cap on their digital-only console :D

Anyway, this is great news, just as it should be!

7 up, 0 down

Jawknee
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 12:10:36 PM

Don't believe that's the case any longer. From my understanding they lifted that ban. 9gb files are appearing in LIVE. Gears of War is available for download on LIVE.

0 up, 0 down

Scarecrow
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 1:30:40 PM

Only the money makers are allowed 9GBs

That'll be their policy
Well...that is their policy

disc > digital

4 up, 0 down

MyWorstNightmar
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 11:36:34 AM
Reply

When in the PS2's lifecycle did the PS3 begin to be talked about? That might give us a clue as to when we can expect the PS4.

1 up, 0 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 12:28:13 PM

I dunno but the Playstation 9 was talked about early on ;)

7 up, 1 down

556pineapple
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 12:51:47 PM

I seem to recall hearing about the PS3 in 2003. Can't remember if any details were confirmed though.

@World:
PS2: The Beginning.

Classic commercial.

Last edited by 556pineapple on 1/4/2010 12:54:20 PM

4 up, 0 down

Gregory Freeman
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 3:35:27 PM

from memory, around 03 there was alot of PSMags talking about the PS3... early concepts included 4 small circular red lights that illuminated for every controller activated, and that was the way the wireless system interacted with the controller, although blue tooth completely eliminated the need for that...

anyway about 3 years in the ps2's life, the ps3 was talked about by the magazines, and even sony started talking about it... nov 2009 was the 3rd year the ps3 was out, so things are lining up pretty well...

1 up, 0 down

Nynja
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 11:38:21 AM
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I have to agree. From a portable device stand point having the ability to download games is a great perk. In no way is it convenient to lug around several UMDs or memory cards to have your favorite games on the go.

As for home console games, its nice to have the option but it is absolutely not a reasonable alternative to physical media. If home console games went all digital, forget ever borrowing a game from a friend or taking a few of them with you to a friend's house.

8 up, 0 down

Highlander
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 12:38:13 PM

Agreed.

I'm only buying a few more physical PSP releases simply because I can fit dozens of games on my MemoryStick, but I can't lug that many UMDs around with me. Sony's PlayStation Store will feed my PSP quite nicely - assuming that I ever break my addiction to Crystal Defenders....

Last edited by Highlander on 1/4/2010 12:39:11 PM

2 up, 1 down

Nynja
Tuesday, January 05, 2010 @ 3:17:53 PM

And why did someone give you a thumbs down? I'd like to know.

0 up, 0 down

swapnilgyani
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 11:45:24 AM
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Great news.

I am all in favour of electronic distribution, but I'd certainly like to have the choice of owning physical discs of all intermediate to major releases at least.

Can you imagine downloading a 40 gig game at my internet speed of 70-80 kbps? I certainly can't! That is one of the reasons I've not seen a single PSPGo on any store shelves in India.

And speed is not the only reason. I am just one of those ancient, pre-historic dinosaurs that likes to have physical discs of all of the best games, movies and music :)

5 up, 0 down

Highlander
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 12:36:08 PM

Exactly. Sony is a global organization and knows that the 'net speeds of a few urban elite in North America, Europe or Japan are not representative of the vast majority of users. So they are conservative in their approach to digital distribution having a dual track approach of embracing downloadable content where it is appropriate, but sticking with physical media for the long term because they know that most people will continue to need it for many years to come.

Once the net catches up for everyone, digital distribution is a 'Go'.

3 up, 1 down

Jawknee
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 11:45:32 AM
Reply

Good to know. For portable devices digital makes the most sense. All digital for consoles is not a road I want to be forced to travel on.

3 up, 1 down

Beamboom
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 11:46:22 AM
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I get depressed every time I read about the "PS4"... I want the ps3 to be alive and kicking for years to come!

0 up, 0 down

Nynja
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 11:53:44 AM

I don't think you need to worry about that. As history as proven before, (aside from Xbox-Xbox 360) the release of the next generation of hardware does not 'kill' the current one.

In Playstation world, PS2 released while the PSone was in its 5th year and survived an additional 6 years. PS3 released while the PS2 was in its 6th year. PS4 will likely release in the PS3's 6th year as well, possibly even 7 years in. That means you have another good 3-4 years left of great games before PS4 is on the market and potentially a lifespan of 6-7 years of new games from today.

Nothing to worry about. It's been the same cycle over the past several decades.

8 up, 0 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 12:30:13 PM

The 360 is five years old isn't it?

0 up, 1 down

Beamboom
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 2:58:05 PM

Comforting words, Nynja. Let's hope it takes at *least* three more years. However, if the step from ps3 to ps4 will be as huge as it was from ps2 to ps3 I know I will want the new playstation...

0 up, 0 down

Nynja
Tuesday, January 05, 2010 @ 11:38:59 AM

@WorldEnds;

Actually it will turn 5 in November of this year. Based on industry history, and the declining sales of the 360 I suspect Microsoft will release their next console before the end of 2012. We may see it as early as 2011.

@Beam;

I know what you mean. 3 years from now I will be ready for a PlayStation upgrade, but no sooner.

0 up, 0 down

Ghidora
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 11:54:45 AM
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Sony will not launch a PS4 anytime soon... the potential market for the PS3 is still very big... and the PS3 only just reached a price where every1 can join...

0 up, 0 down

Silent_J
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 12:03:54 PM
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thank god for that, caz it would take forever to download a game that is that large, for me anyways .the ps3 still have alot alot ways to go interms of lifespan.

1 up, 0 down

LimitedVertigo
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 1:18:24 PM

It wouldn't be too much of a problem with you were able to download the game a week or 2 before its release and simply unable to play it until the day it comes out. This is currently being done on the PC side of gaming.

0 up, 0 down

Silent_J
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 1:51:36 PM

oh I didnt know you can do that for PC games. I have Piece of sh*t internet so downloading a large demo like god of war for e.g takes a long time.do need to upgrade :)

0 up, 0 down

LimitedVertigo
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 3:42:00 PM

My apologies for the many typos. I'm at work and typing far too quickly for my mind to correct things.

0 up, 0 down

sniperflash
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 12:12:06 PM
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me i think i can make the ps3 last me another 8 years befor i see another console because i dont think that that have got the beast aka (PS3) figered out just yet u know i think it can do lots more in my book

0 up, 0 down

Alienange
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 12:19:10 PM
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No kidding. A digital only home console would be pants. Besides, retailers enjoy that extra money and won't soon give in to digital only distribution.

2 up, 0 down

MyWorstNightmar
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 12:23:30 PM

Alienage, you bring up a good point. I hadn't thought of the retailers of the world. They would be pissed about all digital.

2 up, 0 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 12:31:15 PM

Gamestop would die.

3 up, 1 down

Gone
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 12:41:58 PM

Exactly, look what happened to Blockbuster and Hollywood Video, since Netflix took over.

1 up, 0 down

LimitedVertigo
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 1:02:46 PM

I'd be fine with Gamestop being dead.

6 up, 2 down

Charger7302
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 1:09:15 PM

I think stores can still be part of a digital only console market. My local target is selling pre-paid cards with voucher codes for some psp games(they bundle some with the psp go). When I bought my psp go 2 weeks ago, I bought a voucher "card" for chains of olympus. So if stores were to adopt a method like that of target I'm pretty sure they can still make some money off digital-only-consoles.

0 up, 0 down

LimitedVertigo
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 1:17:00 PM

What you mention Charger is just an attempt to beg the consumer to give them some money. There is no point in me getting in my car and driving to a building to buy a game when I can buy that game directly from home quicker and often times cheaper.

5 up, 0 down

Alienange
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 1:45:21 PM

I was at Best Buy and I saw a rack of those vouchers. It's almost sad. Awesome games reduced to card board cut outs. I doubt that's what retailers had in mind when they invested in those huge brick and mortar stores.

6 up, 1 down

LimitedVertigo
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 1:52:09 PM

What's really sad is the people that pick them up and buy them instead of "double clicking" at home. BestBuy and Gamestop have been screwing over the uneducated consumer for years.

5 up, 1 down

Silent_J
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 2:05:05 PM

Did any you guys saw ONLIVE presentation of how there stuff works ,I saw it on Engadget .its seems pretty cool but you would have to get the fastest internet to run all of that...expensive.
they show how much developers would gain from this digital streaming or what you call it since they won't have to share profits to retailers and cost of making physical media or lose money from used games and piracy.

P.S I stop buying games from gamestop a while ago.

2 up, 0 down

Buckeyestar
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 12:29:30 PM
Reply

When it comes to digital distribution, the thing to keep in mind is not download speeds . . . it's download limits. ISPs are more and more investigating putting download caps on accounts and throwing some memory heavy hi-def movies and/or video games in there will strain those limits to bursting.

1 up, 0 down

Highlander
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 12:32:59 PM

It's not just caps, it's availability. With DSL not everyone has access to speeds above 3Mbits. I live fairly close to my CO and in an urban area but even then my effective speed is only just 2Mbits/second which isn't enough for digital delivery of even regular TV. High speed broadband with capacities of 10-30 Mbits/second or higher needs to be universally available and cap limits need to be vastly higher (or not there) for an all digital future to exist.

1 up, 1 down

LimitedVertigo
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 1:15:17 PM

Digital Divide still exsists even in the States. Thankfully I'm not a part of it and I LOVE downloading media of all kinds with no cap.

0 up, 0 down

Highlander
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 12:30:35 PM
Reply

Three things.

1) PS4 will have BluRay.
2) BluRay is capable of more than 50GB already, so future 4-layer or even 8-layer discs could offer capacities of 100GB or 2o0GB - within the existing BluRay specification. No worrying about capacity of the optical disc.
3)Even if the speed capability of broadband increases, until that increased bandwidth is available outside a restricted number of areas it's pointless to talk about it because most don't have it. Sony has a fairly realistic view on this and will not jump away from physical media completely until the network is sufficiently capable performance wise as well as universally available. To do otherwise would be to restrict the potential market.

4 up, 2 down

Gone
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 12:38:56 PM

Aren't we forgetting something that is suppose to come out this year? The "Gem" (ball and stick motion controller). I haven't heard too much about this lately, unless Sony is going to save this for the PS4. Have you heard any news HL?

0 up, 0 down

Highlander
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 12:58:50 PM

Haven't heard or read a thing, other than the new rumored name of 'Gem'.

Personally I think that Sony will release 'Gem' for the PS3 this year, and not hold it back for the PS4. I think that they will make it partly a product and partly a platform. I say platform because like Home I think Sony wants to leave it open for improvement and evolution. That way when/if the PS4 comes along in 2012/2013/2014 Gem will be able to grown along with Home into that PS4 future without leaving the PS3 crown completely behind.

My personal belief is that Sony learned a lot of lessons from the hard break with the PS2, and due to the considerable investments in the PS3 architecture, Sony will want to take as much as possible with them from the PS3 to the PS4.

I don't think that we will see Gem and Home at their best until we hit the PS4 because I think Sony has greater ambitions for both that even the PS3 cannot achieve. If you combine 3D TV and 3D movies along with 3D games, 3D motion control/capture. Speech and gesture recognition and a virtual environment like Home, what do you think you get? I'm just throwing a few things out there, it's all speculation, but with all their technologies and platforms combined, Sony may have something unique and special.

4 up, 1 down

xnonsuchx
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 3:38:06 PM

They're even close to raising a dual-layer BD capacity to 66-67GB.

1 up, 0 down

godsman
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 4:01:58 PM

PS4 definitely won't be limited by the space of a disc. I am just afraid that the limitation of the game size is based on the cost to develop the next generation game. As the development cost are rapidly increasing in each generation.

As for Gem, is anyone getting it? I want one, but I don't see any game that interests me. I wanted a Zelda game with the PS3 power and Gem accuracy. The fact that there are not enough buttons in the controller to replace the typical PS3 games that is holding me back (even with the PS3 controller in one hand).

0 up, 0 down

Nynja
Tuesday, January 05, 2010 @ 11:50:39 AM

Panasonic and Sony have worked out a new technology to increase the capacity of each BD layer now to 33.4GB. It's called Maximum Likelihood Sequence Estimation (i-MLSE), which basically optimizes the laser's reading and writing capability.

Good news is that this new technology can be used with current Bluray optics. Hopefully this means the BD drives on the market could simply receive a firmware update to support the high density Bluray discs.

0 up, 0 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 12:34:23 PM
Reply

Some people have a way with words, others no have way.

Shouldn't the title read "Sony Will Not Abandon Physical Media For Playstation 4"?

And, well I didn't expect them to. All this talk about digital distribution being the future is coming much to early by people who live in a box and don't realize just how behind much of the world is in terms of the proper infrastructure and availability of the internet.

4 up, 1 down

LimitedVertigo
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 1:13:37 PM

You beat me to it and for that I will never forgive you.

3 up, 0 down

LegendaryWolfeh
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 1:22:58 PM

yeah I was thinking the same lol, sadly i was at work so i couldn't do it first =(

3 up, 0 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 3:09:13 PM

haha, I managed to get it changed :)

2 up, 1 down

jaybiv
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 12:52:21 PM
Reply

Some of you need to prepare for the inevitable. The PS4 is coming as long as Sony is in the gaming market. You can't expect Sony to sit on its heels and bask in the accomplishments of the PS3.

MS is the wild card, if they release a system in the next two years, a PS4 will be right behind it. Also, I think the adoption of 1080p+ HDTVs will be key. Many of the HDTVs being sold now are max 720p. That may prevent many from going to the next generation where 1080p will be the minimum resolution for games.

Good to hear, Sony is not abandoning physical media for the PS4. Highlander was right in the storage capacity will be greater improved and the PS4 will be equipped to handle it. The bigger question is how will MS get around their storage limits if they do not implement BRD in their next system?

2 up, 0 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 1:05:47 PM

I think it sucks that we see so few 1080p native games this gen.

5 up, 0 down

Charger7302
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 1:16:08 PM

Didn't ms greenburg tell reporters that any new xbox will be digital only. I remeber reading an article about him saying that on ign. I'll try to get the link.....

0 up, 0 down

kevyd09
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 4:26:36 PM

they could use memory sticks or small portable flash drives

0 up, 0 down

Highlander
Tuesday, January 05, 2010 @ 10:19:42 AM

I think Microsoft's biggest issue with trying to go all digital is that for HD and #D in HD the amount of data involved in the game models and video is so huge that only 'elite' broadband users with very high bandwidth can sensibly use the network as a delivery mechanism. Using flash based storage is fine except that a 64GB flash device costs (and will continue to) more than the equivalent optical disc. Should BluRay go to 4, 8 or more layers it will make it even more difficult to use solid state storage and/or the Internet as an alternative delivery mechanism.

Microsoft hasn't got an answer to that unless they swallow their pride and use BluRay. The alternative is for them to plow ahead with digital delivery and solid state storage dismissing full HD and 3D in HD as completely un-necessary. Of course should the network infrastructure ever develop to the point where it can deliver that type of content universally, Microsoft will embrace it as if it were their long lost child. In the mean time they will play up Natal as if it were revolutionary and dismiss Gem and anything else touted by Sony as being both inferior and needlessly complex.

2 up, 1 down

LimitedVertigo
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 1:04:04 PM
Reply

Maybe I'm wrong but shouldn't your headline read "Sony will not abandon PHYSICAL media for PS4"?

I don't find this a surprise one bit. As many have pointed out as the graphics in games improve and the content increases the size of the game does too. I'm all for digital media but downloading 40gigs is nuts.

5 up, 0 down

swapnilgyani
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 1:04:35 PM
Reply

This discussion casts my memory back to the time when a new technology called 'mp-threez' were supposed to invade the planet. Well, they did. And yet, we have not seen a decline in physical music albums after over a decade of MP3's existence and dominion of the world.

The way I see it, electroic distribution is a fantastic way to go for people who are starting out in that particular industry. Music, for example - most small-time local bands / musicians here release their music as MP3s only, coz they can't afford the glamsham of a disc release, and who would buy it anyway?

Same with movies. I recently saw a fanmade version of a certain part of The Lord of the Rings. It was electronic distribution only, for the same reason as above. Even if they released it on a disc, not many would buy it, and it would result in a financial loss for the makers / distributors.

That is exactly how electronic distribution for games should be used, and for the same reason - to encourage small and upcoming developers, without having them worry about filing for bankruptcy if their idea fails.

A vast majority of users would be really pissed if Uncharted 3 was a PSN-only affair, just as they would be if the sequel to The Dark Knight was only availible via a webcast.

1 up, 0 down

Alienange
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 1:56:10 PM

Indeed

0 up, 0 down

Fane1024
Saturday, January 09, 2010 @ 5:37:48 PM

I don't know how it is in India, but in NA, CD sales are definitely on the decline over the last ten years.

Of course, that could also be because the last ten years of music has been inferior.

Last edited by Fane1024 on 1/9/2010 5:39:35 PM

0 up, 0 down

isaya85
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 1:32:56 PM
Reply

This is a big relief I love collecting games building up my library and when PS4 hits I plan to continue that tradition.

Don't they have a 400gb BRD coming out this year??

0 up, 0 down

xnonsuchx
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 5:53:35 PM

The 400GB BD (by Pioneer?) likely won't be anything available anytime soon due to the cost to make it. It hasn't even been submitted to the Blu-ray Assocation for any kind of approval, so technically still in a research-only status.

0 up, 0 down

furbiesmustdie
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 1:47:08 PM
Reply

This upsets me just a tad, I'm quite proud of my 25 PS3 game collection, but if it means that the games are cheaper I'm happy.

0 up, 0 down

BikerSaint
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 2:03:22 PM
Reply

@swapnilgyani,

Maybe there's no decline where you are at, but there's certainly a major decline in physical media stores in my area of the USA.

Some of this digital diarrhea has already become a frigging thorn in my side & also a major hinderence to my music & Movie collections.

Case in point: Once MP-3's & Netflix came on to the scene, they've been putting stores that carry & trade used CD's/DVD's here, right out of business, and at an alarming rate.

In fact, both of my local Blockbusters & Hollywood Video store have closed down, & now, even my local "CD Exchange" is shutting it's doors for good in another week.
And the owner of CD Exchange even came out and blamed his closing on MP3's, Netflix & their digital content. He also stated since you can download or stream almost everything at home, so almost nobody bothers to drive to his store any more.

Because of all this, I'm now losing ALL of my regular brick & mortar stores where I can buy cheap used CD'S & DVD's for my movie & Music collections too.

So that's just one of the reasons I have quite a hatred for D/L's right now.

4 up, 0 down

swapnilgyani
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 10:05:30 PM

You've made an excellent point, BikerSaint.

It is indeed sad to learn that the brick and mortat stores for discs are on their way out in the US.

This is also for companies like Sony, Microsoft and all others to ponder - the vast difference in how media is distributed, received and generally percieved in different regions.

"Digital diarrhea" :D

1 up, 0 down

yak4life85
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 2:10:40 PM
Reply

I hope this ps4 talk goes away because ps3 is here to stay. Picking up second ps3 for the bedroom this week. So i hope to enjoy both ps3 for atleast the next 5 years.

1 up, 0 down

Banky A
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 2:22:51 PM
Reply

Yay

2 up, 0 down

Hezzron
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 3:16:44 PM

I say yay too.

0 up, 0 down

JackC8
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 3:35:31 PM
Reply

That sounds like a very reasonable thing for Sony to do. Nothing wrong with digital distribution for small games, but for full-fledged PS3 or PS4 games, it presents way too many problems.

1 up, 0 down

FatherSun
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 4:03:02 PM
Reply

I certainly hope that the PS4 talk does not go away. Logically SONY has been working on the PS4 as soon as they finished the PS3. Of course it is too soon to introduce the console but its never too soon to begin the R&D. Another factor is what M$s next move will be. We would be ignorant to think that they have not learned from their mistakes with the RROD fiasco. It was a double-edged sword. They wound up losing money with extended warranties yet this also helped them acheive much more market share with 2nd and 3rd replacement purchases. Imagine the difficulties the PS3 wouldve had if the the 360 worked perfectly. I doubt that they will introduce a digital only console and it would be ingnorant of them to introduce another shabby product. Consumers just need to be weary of the Microsoft Advertising Monster. It is cunning and infectious. The average consumer wont stand an chance and If they do go digital only then they will no longer be in direct competition with Sony. Not completely anyway. We will have all bases covered with physical and digital media on the PS4. But just know this. DIGITAL is INEVITABLE! In 10 years these comments will be looked upon as the caveman days of Video Game Entertainment.

3 up, 0 down

Imagi
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 4:31:15 PM

You should meet my friend, Paragraph.

5 up, 0 down

Gone
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 5:20:15 PM

I met him before, he is always spaced out.

8 up, 0 down

Alienange
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 5:30:05 PM

He's right though. Digital is inevitable. In fact it's already here. It's just not going to replace physical media is all.

1 up, 0 down

xnonsuchx
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 5:31:18 PM

Imagi - At least there's punctuation, unlike MANY users in online forums! :-)

4 up, 0 down

Imagi
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 4:29:55 PM
Reply

Digital Distribution is coming, but not with the PS4, if anything they will mix it more so and give you the option of either buying the digital download or a physical version, to get you use to the practice. They have done this with a few titles already this generation, what idiothole made the download version more expensive than a physical version though!!! that is like a slap in the face!

Give it another 15 years, I predict that around that time a game subscription service may well be underway where you can play/rent the games you like, and just pay a monthly fee, much the same way cable and satellite companies work.

Games entertainment is a HUGE market now and people are chasing profits, Download only/subscription services give them this, it stops piracy, the used games market and gives Bobby Kotick wood.

2 up, 0 down

kevyd09
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 4:32:42 PM
Reply

i love the feeling of opening a new game and putting the disk into mt ps3 and i hate the way the future is going with digital downloads!! just say your hd crashes and deletes all your games and movies? will you be able to download them again for free or pay again? not for me ill live in the dark ages where i can touch my shinyshiny media on disks thank you very much!!

0 up, 0 down

LimitedVertigo
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 5:25:28 PM

What will you do when you have a fire or a flood or someone steal your games? What about damage from just being too old?

I'm all for digital distribution. Sure, I love the feel of opening a new game fresh from the store too but I also like saving money and protecting what I've purchased.

Back up what you download, if in an unfortunate event your backup is ruined than simply re-download your game. That sure beats re-buying it if all you have is the physical copy.

2 up, 2 down

Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 7:15:12 PM

I think we all understand the benefits. But to say there are no drawbacks isn't accurate, either. As a collector, I want something tangible before me. And I don't have all the faith in the world in data storage, back-up or no.

5 up, 1 down

Deadman
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 7:38:35 PM

I agree with Ben here, I like my collection, if I wanted to show it off how would I do that with digital media. I would much rather be able to take a picture of my entire collection and post it in random blogs or forums.

Speaking of the forums a larger upload MB/GB upload for picture rate wouldnt be a bad idea.

1 up, 0 down

Akuma07
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 10:08:59 PM

What about this.

You buy the latest GTA online, you download the 70GB game (probably take awhile), you play to your hearts content.

THEN the next day, your console crashes, and corrupts your game file.

BAM you gotta start over again.

Digital storage degrades over time. You buy the latest PC, 5 years later, that PC will be 1/2 or maybe even 1/4 of what it was brand new.

Digital storage isnt anywhere near the reliability that we would need to make it the industry standard for gaming.

It will die, when physical media movies die, and that is many decades away.

Its my personal belief that physical media will NEVER die.

1 up, 0 down

LimitedVertigo
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 11:26:20 PM

@Ben

You're right they each have positives and drawbacks. Just comes down to personal preference. I'm all for both co existing.

@Akuma07

If I downloaded something that was 70gigs in size I would have it backed up, so no starting over.

Digital storage is proven to last just as long if not longer than physical media (records/cds/cartridges) and you have the luxury of duplicating on more than one digital storage device. I can't take my NES cartridge of Battletoads and copy it BUT I can have multiple copies of it in digital format (rom) on more than one device.

The perfect scenario is co existence between the two. I think it's possible and the more choices people have the better.

0 up, 0 down

xnonsuchx
Tuesday, January 05, 2010 @ 12:29:19 AM

Akuma07 - Well, BDs are supposed to have at least a 50-year life if well-kept...maybe longer if kept vacuum-sealed in the dark. But I can't imagine playing 50+yo games (though many ~30yo ones are still fun right now), so MAYBE never die before you or your own interest in it does.

0 up, 0 down

kevyd09
Tuesday, January 05, 2010 @ 2:35:54 AM

@LV thats why i was asking if the download and back up got deleted or currupted would you have to pay to get it again?
and also you say some1 could steal my physical games, but would that same person not also steal my ps3 or device that i used to download and store my games/media?

0 up, 0 down

LimitedVertigo
Tuesday, January 05, 2010 @ 10:17:27 AM

@kevyd09

All is well, if your physical backup of any game you have is lost you're able to download the game again for free. An example of this is already available on the PC side of things. An application called Steam allows you to not only buy and download any game but activate any existing games you've physically bought in stores. All your games are saved in your account and no matter where you are or what computer you're on you're able to get on your account and play your games. So there never is a worry for me if a backup hard drive fails since it's all backed up online.

0 up, 0 down

Nynja
Tuesday, January 05, 2010 @ 11:41:41 AM

@Ben;

[ Applause ]

0 up, 0 down

Akuma07
Wednesday, January 06, 2010 @ 3:18:26 AM

yeah i understand but what if your backups get corrupted too? =P

plus like, not everyone has the luxury of being able to have multiple HDDs to backup things on.

But i do agree on the last bit, co-existance would be the perfect scenario.

0 up, 0 down

Snaaaake
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 4:36:12 PM
Reply

Good to know PS4 will retain Blu Ray.

When you said downloads speed continue to get faster I certainly I don't see the difference in my country for the last few years.

3 up, 0 down

www
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 5:06:11 PM
Reply

I'm quiet sure Sony wouldn't want the death of the blu-ray, they'll keep on promoting it, MS would one way or the other have to pay Sony to get blu-ray support for their next Xbox or they'll make their own CDs called MS Green-Rays. Because making a digi-only console is very RISKY.

1 up, 0 down

Wraith
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 5:07:33 PM
Reply

I'm also happy with physical media. But the ps4 in three or four years could easily have a 1 or 2 tb hard drive. Storing games won't be the problem but downloading them. I have 35 mbps connection but on psn, I only download one or two mbps. Downloading 50 or more gigs with only a fraction of my real speed would take years.

now i'm going to play mag...

Last edited by Wraith on 1/4/2010 5:10:52 PM

0 up, 0 down

Snaaaake
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 5:25:55 PM

OMG!!
I forgot the MAG beta has already started.

And I left my PS3 on for more than 15 hours hours just to update it.

0 up, 0 down

Cholo Gamer
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 9:20:03 PM
Reply

That's good, very wise choice from Sony hope the PS4 will be even better than the PS3.

1 up, 0 down

xnonsuchx
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 9:23:41 PM
Reply

It's stupid for ANYONE to be considering digital distribution only for another few to several years. While some type of broadband Internet access is available to most people, some 11% of suburban people and 24% of rural people don't even have the option to get it (and don't say 256-500kbps satellite options are decent broadband!). Not only that, but many people that do have broadband options have pretty low speeds (only up to 1-2Mbps) available.

Until just about EVERYONE has access to AT LEAST 5-8Mbps broadband and the providers of those don't have any bandwidth restrictions and much larger HDs (like .5-1TB) are standard on all consoles, digital downloads of several to a few dozen GB-sized titles would be more trouble than they are worth and likely fewer people would buy them compared to physical media.

0 up, 0 down

Akuma07
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 10:00:55 PM

That makes me laugh sooooooooo much.

Im using 256kbps, still play online games and all that, and your saying 1-2mbps is low....

What i would do to get my hands on a 1mbps internet connection......

The real problem, is that major countries dont have the option for high speed internet, or at least at affordable prices.
We can have up to 20mbps speeds here (never guaranteed you get it) and those plans are upwards of $100AUD per month.

And another big problem, is that uncapped downloads arent widely available either, people would go over their download limits in the first week of the month, even the most expensive plans would still only offer maybe 50GB of downloads, it might seem alot now, but if your downloading all these next gen games, thats like only one game per month, IF THAT.

Last edited by Akuma07 on 1/4/2010 10:02:22 PM

1 up, 0 down

xnonsuchx
Tuesday, January 05, 2010 @ 12:10:41 AM

That's exactly what I was saying...

I said UP TO 1-2Mbps was slow broadband (and implied that 256-500kbps didn't really count as 'broadband') and that bandwidth restrictions need to go away. While I was mainly referring to the USA in the percentages given, until the infrastructure is there (at a reasonable price and more massive local storage is standard), digital download only distribution doesn't make sense.

Last edited by xnonsuchx on 1/5/2010 12:17:21 AM

0 up, 0 down

Akuma07
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 10:15:33 PM
Reply

The point is, the world isnt ready, and wont be for decades.

It took a decade or more for the world to fully convert to DVDs.

For a full conversion to digital distribution, the developer would have to assume that 9/10 households have access to Highspeed uncapped internet.

IMAGINE the amount of jobs people would loose, unemployment would skyrocket.
Also if the gaming market goes digital, so would music and movies, that would put millions out of work.

Like i said, the world isnt ready, and will not be anytime soon.

1 up, 0 down

LimitedVertigo
Monday, January 04, 2010 @ 11:30:47 PM
Reply

The key thing many are forgetting here is that as internet speeds increase so do the size of the files for media. It used to be 56k and 400mb game files. Now we're getting 10mb download rates and 8 gig game files.

Digital distribution has a place in gaming. It's here as a choice alongside physical media.

0 up, 0 down

___________
Tuesday, January 05, 2010 @ 1:27:50 AM
Reply

ãs ive said a billion and one times, speed is not really the problem.
leave it on overnight and boom its done!
its bandwidth, imagine the issues it would cause if thousands of people are trying to download the same game at the same time.
hell, look what happened to the MAG servers today.

as for the next media for the PS4, i would like to think holographic disks should be available by then.
pioneer i think it was, are working on a 500GB bluray disk which will work on todays bluray players.
but sony likes to bring new media with every console so holograms is the next step.
maybe the minority report is not that far off after all.

0 up, 0 down

Highlander
Tuesday, January 05, 2010 @ 10:30:02 AM

The thing is, I have a typical residential DSL connection. If I were to attempt to download something in the 25GB range it would take (even at my peak bandwidth) about 3 and a half hours. That assumes 1) the bandwidth is constantly at it's maximum, no other person in the house does anything, the phone doesn't ring (Vonage takes bandwidth) and nothing interrupts the download during the time it's running.

Now, I will grant you that it will almost certainly finish overnight. However I might as well have gone down to my local retailer in the meantime and purchased the physical disc. The chances of me streaming HD video at the bitrates requires are nil.

I also have to point out that human nature ruins the party because if I purchase an HD video or a full game that has to download overnight, I am not too happy because I want it then, not the next day. Lastly, my PS3 has a 32GB HDD, I could fit a higher capacity drive, but then I have to be able to backup my downloaded content or else a hard disc failure because the most inconvenient thing ever because I would have to re-download hundreds of GB of content.

Right now digital delivery puts a lot of burden on the user which ultimately I think will backfire. As the net develops and gets faster I think that the best 'solution' will be a combination of local storage (either HDD or solid state) and cloud based storage. The local storage acts more like a cache, and the cloud based storage becomes the primary storage location. Of course this can't happen until Internet bitrates allow full HD video streaming and games that are 10's of GB in size to be downloaded and played in real time, not after a lengthy delay for download.

1 up, 1 down

___________
Wednesday, January 06, 2010 @ 5:55:38 AM

yea, digital distribution wont take over for a long, long time.
but cloud gaming, well depending on what the requirements are.
i remember reading that to use onlive you need a absolute minimum connection of 5Mbps.
they did not mention how much download usage playing say crysis for 1 hour would take.
if its only low than i think it could give media a run for its money.
if its going to be high and i end up wasting my download usage on playing games than its going to be a massive flop.
one thing there forgetting is allot of countries still have limited download usage, here in AU you can only get unlimited if you have ADSL2+ and most people dont have access to that.
if your stuck with cable like me the max you can get is 30 GBs per month.
and i like to surf the web, do some research and download stuff.
if any more than 30% of my monthly usage is going towards playing games than i dont want it.
but if somehow i can play crysis for 4 hours off onlive and its only eaten up i dont know what number would be possible but lets say 300MBs per hour.
than i would be all for it, and id buy it day one.

0 up, 0 down

Robochic
Tuesday, January 05, 2010 @ 3:16:07 AM
Reply

Thank goodness, I like having discs. Not 100% trusting the digital as of yet.
PS4 wow already talking that interesting maybe by then it;ll be 3D gaming :)

0 up, 0 down

Richy
Tuesday, January 05, 2010 @ 3:41:42 AM
Reply

hello ...

i knew SONY wouldn't drop disc support ;)
MS will not less likely go for a blu-ray drive in their next Xbox (ego or marketing issue !? ;) ) so i suppose it will be for digital content, how can a game meet or beat the gen's quality ...

let Downloadable games be those small cool ones & blockbusters one be on 50GB or More Blu-ray !!

cheers!

0 up, 0 down

Andysw
Tuesday, January 05, 2010 @ 5:45:42 AM
Reply

Nice to hear sony sticking with physical media for the next generation. I wonder what microsoft will do for their next media format for the xbox 3?

0 up, 0 down

swapnilgyani
Tuesday, January 05, 2010 @ 6:08:27 AM
Reply

Hmmm...I'm not sure if digital download would make the reverse engineers' job easier. Maybe, maybe not.

Also, I would like to backup each and every thing in my digital library, and would be very pissed if companies deny me that in order to prevent piracy. Killzone 2, anyone?

0 up, 0 down

Highlander
Tuesday, January 05, 2010 @ 10:35:51 AM

If the hardware is fast enough for real time decryption of encrypted content as well as being tamper resistant, then reverse engineering may be very, very difficult. You would have top be able to break the encryption scheme, as well as gain access to the hardware itself. Since the encryption can be altered at any time, and the hardware is protected, I think that reverse engineering will be more and not less difficult.

The PS3 has been available for more than three years and has not yet been successfully hacked.

I agree regarding backups, but as I said elsewhere if the industry does go all digital download, I think it will require the ability of the network to provide viable cloud based storage for all users instead of using local HDDs. That way, you won't need to worry about backing up your download, as it will be available from the cloud at all times.

1 up, 1 down

xnonsuchx
Tuesday, January 05, 2010 @ 7:35:24 PM

TH - Maybe a PS3 Linux cluster can help hack the encryption? ;-)

0 up, 0 down

Highlander
Wednesday, January 06, 2010 @ 12:07:34 AM

That's the thing about encryption, when someone breaks your scheme, you switch to a different scheme.

0 up, 1 down

___________
Wednesday, January 06, 2010 @ 5:57:59 AM

looks like they have finally hacked the PS3.
you seen any of the ZPack videos?
probably a fake, but if its real o boy.
but these guys are complete idiots, IF it does work why would you post it all over the net.
i would try and get the word out, but not make such a loud splash.
if it does work sonys going to be all over it in a second and give them a month and it will be patched.

0 up, 0 down

CptGreedle
Thursday, January 07, 2010 @ 11:06:31 AM
Reply

I live in the so called "internet capital of the world", and I must say, I am horrified at the very thought of pure digital distribution! The internet is not anywhere CLOSE to ready for the required bandwidth. This is the reason Blu-ray is making such a big hit, and while digital downloads are having such a slow start. I use Netflix to rent DVDs, Blu-rays, and streaming content. The content I stream on my computer and PS3 looks like GARBAGE! It is the worst looking filth in terms of video and audio quality! And YouTube is even worse! Blu-ray is here to stay people. It would be pointless to downgrade a system that can already support Blu-ray to such a small and feeble form of distribution.
Of course Microsoft wants to drop using discs on their next console, good luck with that. You never even got Blu-ray on your console, so I guess your games are always going to be tiny compared to Sony's games.
I applaud and commend Sony for keeping the Blu-ray disc format alive and kicking for gaming as well as movies! I have been supporting the format since the early days of the format war, and only now has it really started to hit a good stride. There are plenty of years left for the format, as well as the PS3 console. Although I do look forward to what they will do with the PS4, I just hope they can launch it at a price close to $400.

2 up, 0 down

Fane1024
Saturday, January 09, 2010 @ 6:02:11 PM

Yeah. I hope Microsoft do abandon discs in their next console. It would mean a spectacular failure, since almost nobody would be able to buy any games for it.

0 up, 0 down

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