Sony Says Expect Game Discs for at Least Ten Years

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While digital downloads are becoming more and more popular, Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Kaz Hirai says that you can expect physical discs for “at least” ten years.

We do business in parts of the world where network infrastructure isn’t as robust as one would hope,” he said. “There’s always going to be requirement for a business of our size and scope to have a physical medium. “To think everything will be downloaded in two years, three years or even ten years from now is taking it a little bit to the extreme.”
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Sad thing is that he is referring to the U.S. when he says some parts of the world where the network infrzstructure isnt as robust.
 
"We do business in parts of the world where network infrastructure isn’t as robust as one would hope"

That would include the US as far as I'm concerned :(
 
This is a good thing for consoles, IMO. I buy 90% of my console games used and only by the huge exclusives new (maybe once or twice a year). Unless their DD system will have sales like Steam does, I would prefer to keep my games on a physical media.
 
I can't believe such a straight forward, logical, and non-retard statement from Sony. It seems their coke connect got nabbed and they are trying things sober now...

I do agree though, CD/DVD's for games ain't going anywhere anytime soon.
 
You can't sell your "used" downloaded game, loan/give it to a friend when you are done.

It's also hard to make a "backup copy" of your downloaded game :)
 
Console people are funny. I haven't purchased a physical copy of a game or movie in over 5 years.
 
With a 60GB cap and 2$/G overage fees, I am not interested in any digital distribution schemes.
 
I like the idea of download only (like Steam) but I also deal with mostly used games via Goozex. Can't trade or sell "used" downloaded games, so that stinks.

But I figured it would eventually go that way at some point. Hell even movies will all probably be download/stream only by then.
 
MrLonghair said:
Give us holographic storage plates instead. The optical media of the real future.
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Always has been the storage of the future and always will be. Everytime I hear "oh just another couple of years". That has been since 2000. It's a replacement for tape drives not consumer media.
 
Really to think everything will be digital downloads is kinda silly, they will definatly become the majority in the near future and think more so for computers but when you can still buy vinyl, casste tapes etc it kinda shows that just because there is newer things you should not just expect the old to completely die out.

For everything to be digital downloads everywhere that media is distributed would requie every household to have an internet connection of an acceptable speed and bandwith cap/unlimited.... I wonder what percent of the world wide target of dvd, cd's, games, software etc users fall into that category?
 
niconx said:
Console people are funny. I haven't purchased a physical copy of a game or movie in over 5 years.
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Well, I got Halo 3 and Halo Wars directly from the xbox 360 store...:) 40usd each, which was a discount (vs retail), at the time.

Though my last physical game purchase would be SW Empire at War, lol. Everything else came off of Steam or Impulse.
 
I agree somewhat with sony.

It has taken decades for broadband grow in coverage and speed. Actually with the new definition of broadband (4mbit IIRC) most countries don't comply.

Digital distribution is the future, but its still not ready for prime time. I see it coexisting with discs for years, maybe not 10 years+ but still.
 
There will ALWAYS be demand for physical media. I don't feel like I actually own something unless I have the actual copy in my hands. I don't mind paying a premium if necessary.
 
Bandwidth caps will continue to shrink and game sizes will continue to go up, so physical media is here to stay.
 
I haven't bought a physical disc in at least the last 5 years. To me it's already dead.
 
NKDietrich said:
Bandwidth caps will continue to shrink and game sizes will continue to go up, so physical media is here to stay.
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And money grubbers like MS will always exist forcing users to buy their over priced (as much as 2x) HDD's.
 
fss69 said:
There will ALWAYS be demand for physical media. I don't feel like I actually own something unless I have the actual copy in my hands. I don't mind paying a premium if necessary.
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Fortunately this type of thinking is becoming less and less common. When Steam came out I felt the same way. Now I prefer to buy games via Steam and feel put out if I actually have to go out and buy a game.
 
it will be cool when they can store data on holographic cubes, so you will place these partially translucent glass-like cubes into a system and it will read the data with lasers.. seems a very futuristic way to go.. only problem is where does the game art go that usually printed on the cd/dvd..
 
Dan_D said:
Fortunately this type of thinking is becoming less and less common. When Steam came out I felt the same way. Now I prefer to buy games via Steam and feel put out if I actually have to go out and buy a game.
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I agree, I was the same way...now I feel hassled to have to possess or retain physical media..speeds are much better in my area then they ever have been. Even with Windows 7 the media was downloaded and ran from a server thru PXE..only thing I need to retain is my product key.
 
Dan_D said:
Fortunately this type of thinking is becoming less and less common. When Steam came out I felt the same way. Now I prefer to buy games via Steam and feel put out if I actually have to go out and buy a game.
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I am actually in disagreement that the push for pure DD is a good thing. I as a consumer have less control over DD media and with companies like the RIAA/MPAA not going away, it is a pretty scary thought to hand over complete control. A single form of media opens up far more doors to nasty DRM schemes then it closes. Don't get me wrong, I think DD is good and has its place but I don't want to see it strictly replace physical media. I know myself, while I will download a copy, I still want a physical disc.

Back OT...Kaz saying something non insane? I think the universe is about to implode.
 
I would think that NAND Flash is reaching the economics point that it could replace optical soon. Were already looking at 64GB for one chip and a single 300mm wafer can have 10's of thousands of them.

We may actually see a return of the cartridge (we can only hope). Like the old HuCard from Turbografx 16.

hucard.jpg
 
westrock2000 said:
I would think that NAND Flash is reaching the economics point that it could replace optical soon. Were already looking at 64GB for one chip and a single 300mm wafer can have 10's of thousands of them.

We may actually see a return of the cartridge (we can only hope). Like the old HuCard from Turbografx 16.

hucard.jpg
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Yeah! :D

If games go to only non-transferable digital download, I'm giving up gaming. I hate this whole concept that you don't really own anything and can't resell it.
 
GreenMonkey said:
Yeah! :D

If games go to only non-transferable digital download, I'm giving up gaming. I hate this whole concept that you don't really own anything and can't resell it.
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Same here. DD only interests me if it is under $10 and DRM free. Like this:

http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/total_anihilation_commander_pack

TA is one of my all time favorite games. To get it + core contingency + battle tactics, All DRM free for $5.99 is pretty awesome.

Other than that I will stick with Hardcopy and only for games that can run without activation. Games that require Activation are rentals, I don't pay purchase prices for rentals.

I also like the physical bargain bin for game deals. I picked up Planescape Torment for $20, but it came with a $20 MIR that was honored :D . With the physical copy I can loan out this great game for friends to try.

$50 for a DRMd DD. That is an expensive rental, for the short sighted...
 
piscian18 said:
Ironic considering they phased on physical media on the PSP.
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And the biggest a game can be there is 1.8gb. Most Playstation 3 games have been around 20gb. Granted, sometimes they bloat the size of the games or repeat data so it's quicker to retrieve from the disc but most people with broadband today can get 2gb in a hour and store it, 20-30gb would be a problem.

psychoace said:
Always has been the storage of the future and always will be. Everytime I hear "oh just another couple of years". That has been since 2000. It's a replacement for tape drives not consumer media.
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And everyone, including IBM has shelved it because magnetic media keeps dropping in price. holograms will come when we start hitting issues with getting magnetic density smaller due to the laws of physics which the way it's looking as of late may still be quite a ways off.
 
NKDietrich said:
Bandwidth caps will continue to shrink and game sizes will continue to go up, so physical media is here to stay.
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Caps on bandwidth are something I see as an issue as more things do to digital distribution. That and the amount of time it takes to get it. For years in the future you will have a large amount of people that only have access to a few megabits a second of speed. Downloading a 20 plus gig game is just going to take long time.

fss69 said:
There will ALWAYS be demand for physical media. I don't feel like I actually own something unless I have the actual copy in my hands. I don't mind paying a premium if necessary.
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I see physical media being in demand for a while now. Hell just with gift giving and kids.
 
Trombe said:
Yeah I think they've already given up on the PSP Go too...lol
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That's exactly what would happen with a digital download only console at this point.

The only way you could possibly make it work at this point is if you did it like the Kindle - with free internet via cell networks baked into it. A lot of people don't have internet, don't know enough to get the internet working near their TV or on their handheld, etc. And a bunch more like me think it's dumb to pay 2-3 times the price of the same game you can get a physical, resellable copy of for much cheaper.
 
they are just trying to protect their bluray investment so ofcourse they're gonna say something like this
 
I will probably always be a little hesitant about DRM because the first experience I ever had with true DRM was the *original* DIVX & CircuitCity fiasco. It ended bad, real bad. And you know what they say about first impressions.
 
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