While the rise of digital is certainly having an impact on the industry today, some believe it'll take quite some time before online and digital completely replaces physical media. Over the past couple years, there's been much speculation about whether or not a PlayStation 4 would even use any physical game disc media, but Sony Computer Entertainment head Kaz Hirai recently put that talk to rest.
Speaking to MCV, Hirai noted that while some parts of the world might be able to get by with a download-only PS4, many other regions could not.
“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.”
The PSPgo was, of course, entirely digital, so Sony has already tested the waters on the handheld front and perhaps learned from the experience.
4 Comments
August 26, 2010
Thats a smart move. However, they can still have downloadable versions of select games(as they are already during on the PS3). That way they'll satisfy both crowds. However, you just know someone will find something else to bitch about.
August 31, 2010
I don't believe (yet for 3 reasons)
Reason number 1.
Video game executives are masters of using the same words (or lack of words ) to trick or fool us. So I am NOT convinced! Example we have no PLANS of lowering PS3 prices (literally 1 week later the price drops ). Same with slim. Did they lie? Well technically just like Satan when he asked Eve a question he did not lie. We have no plans to bring back rumble, we know what happened there also. Same with Microsoft we have no PLANS for a price drop, or a new machine.
Guess what? The way he worded it he can come out with a down loadable, and still claim to not have lied! Here is a scenario, PS4 is released in JAPAN And the USA with down loadable content only, but released in the UK with discs! So he didn't release a system that is down loadable only. Because there are two versions. Think they will not desire a machine that will only work in certain countries? Think about what about PS2? It had region lockouts on purpose! And there was a popular family owned Chinese retailer (lik-sang) that they had a fight with a for selling machines into the US region and others outside of Japan? So Sony would love to have control of which country a machine will work in. Region locked machines helps with piracy if a game comes out in JAPAN first, and then the west 12 months later we don't have 12 months to pirate it because it will only work on a machine meant from Japan. This is actually why people bought those machines to get Final fantasy NOW not 12-18 months later and some so they could get it free.
Reason number 2
Sony could just say they changed their mind! After all it could be a head fake to make Microsoft, and Nintendo develop for both scenarios, or to fool them, and get all publishers that are tired of pirating, and the used market as exclusives.
Reason Number 3.
Sony is concerned about the negative feedback, us fans are giving them about the PS4
possibly being down load only. And are trying to stop us from becoming negative about the machine before it is even announced.
August 31, 2010
Another reason I am saying this is that Sony's great vision when PS3 was JUST being released was to become download able only! They bragged about that while pointing out how it had hard discs in all their machines. It is something they said was the future of Sony.
September 14, 2010
There is exactly 0% chance the PS4 will be download only.