Sony Does Not Present an Attractive Digital Future, May Cause PlayStation Owners to Consider PC

Sony Does Not Present an Attractive Digital Future

...and I think they're going to kickstart a conversation where they won't come out looking very good.

Sony chose to pivot to live service games, which resulted in a lukewarm reception and overall less enthusiasm in their studio output compared to the PS4, where it looked like they were firing on all cylinders. Now at a crucial point, they might turn perception against them in a way that will affect them from this point forward.

Sony has not earned the good faith to have me buying games from their digital store.

I might be done with Sony after this gen, and I am done with them as of now for any 3rd party game. I think they are making a big mistake for their own future and this will not work out how they think. Personally, my plan starting now is not buy another PlayStation and to start buying any game that I would buy on PS on Steam instead whenever possible. If I have to have a digital copy to play, like in the event that disc drives are no longer a thing and my original hardware breaks down, I will not be buying the digital version on PS.

A little history: Sony started releasing their games on PC. Like with Xbox, there was a feeling that maybe some people didn't need a PlayStation anymore. Console gamers started having feelings about exclusivity. Sony was missing a hype window with lack of day and date releases. I believe they are doing the wrong things to correct. They are they are eliminating disc releases, which in my opinion makes PC a lot more attractive. Sony's permissions for playing digital games are more restrictive than you see elsewhere, and their digital policies for returns are harsh, their sale prices are not as good, and there is only one digital store on the platform. You have no choice to get a better price somewhere else. There is no bargain bin. There is no EGS on PlayStation or whatever. There will be people re-selling codes, but ultimately Sony controls how much it all costs and what you can do.

Anticompetitive lawsuits may force Sony to open up the console to more digital stores, but this can also invite malware.

It's possible that, like we're seeing on phones, digital marketplaces are forced to open up and allow competition. When that happens, the hardware subsidies end, because Sony no longer has guaranteed profit margins from software sales. With that in mind, Sony likely tries to wring more money out of their player base in different ways that will inevitably feel uncomfortable and greedy. You basically end up with your console being locked down hardware that is only open enough to allow whatever stores legally get to be on there. It's not a good future.

Those stores will likely be allowed to offer software that is unencumbered by the requirement of Sony's own certification process. This could introduce problems that have implications on privacy, malware, and other unwanted behavior. Sony could try to separate that into its own environment, but if you're going to have to worry about that anyway, why do it on a closed platform like PlayStation?

Physical is more convenient, and if they take that away, a Sony controlled digital future is unattractive. I don't think a lot of people are willing to trust closed platforms with digital purchases, especially when prices for new games is going up. These are expensive digital purchases and people will want a guarantee.

Physical games are straightforward. Digital, not so much.

With a physical disc, the disc is the key, you put the key in and it unlocks the game, no question, even offline, even if Sony's servers go down. I do not want to buy a game multiple times for my family to play it on their own device. I used to be able to buy a disc and then anyone could share it in my family. With digital, that's not going to be possible. If you have 5 gamers, how are you going to tell one "ok you have to play on this specific console if you want to use your profile and have your own save and your own trophies, because this is the 'home' console. If you try to play it on another console, you'll be locked out. I can do that though because I bought the game so I get special permissions, but you can't do that." It'll be like playing musical chairs with consoles depending on who bought the game and who wants to play.

On Steam, it's simple. You have a family pool of games and anyone can check one out at a time on their own device. You can add multiple copies of the game to that pool if you want, but you don't have to. It's possible Sony could modify their policy, but you know that anything they come up with can never be as good as Steam and of course GoG DRM-free.

On PC, there is some sense that even if a digital game that you own is somehow locked away, you are going to be able to find another way to somehow play the game you purchased. You might even be able to play the console games you purchased on PC. There is some shred of security that you can access what you legitimately purchased on PC somehow.

PlayStation Plus and your entertainment budget

Not only do you have to consider the future of your digital games, but also the service you'll probably be forced to consider at some point, PlayStation Plus. You'll have to pay for it if you want to play purchased games with an online component. F2P (Free to Play, games that you can download for free) games like Fortnite and Call of Duty Warzone are not subject to this, but games like GTA Online and Minecraft will require you to pay for this service. Other online features like letting someone else remotely control your game, or live streaming your game directly to your friends, are also locked behind this paywall. Sony has raised the price of their services and you can bet they will continue to.

Let's be real, everything is going up except wages right now, and one of the first things to go is your entertainment budget. Is it smart to lock yourself in now? You'll be supporting a future with no more bargain bins, no more used games, and only one store to buy from. If we have to go digital, maybe PC is a better option with a variety of stores that have been around for a while and are a known quantity.

Steam has a track record that gives some peace of mind.

I bought a console for convenience, and less troubleshooting. But I feel I will have more pains going through whatever digital problems I will run into with Sony than if I deal with some PC troubleshooting headaches. Steam OS comes out at a very good time to make PC more comfortable for people who prefer consoles. They shipped non-Steam Deck PC handhelds with Steam OS, and they might ship non-Steam Machine PCs with Steam OS. We could get pre-builts loaded with it. Valve is working with Nvidia, and you have to believe they're trying to work on anti-cheat. But even if they don't, there's dual boot or the option of using some console you already have to play those, and using Steam OS for everything else. People are going to come up with solutions. And personally for me, the games that require anti-cheat are the ones I would give up most easily because they tend to be multiplayer focused and also games that focus most on microtransactions.

Don't get me wrong, this goes for Microsoft and Nintendo too. Both have shown that they could be controlling and greedy in certain situations, and Microsoft isn't giving me any reason right now to believe they know what they're doing when it comes to gaming.

But as for Sony, if they cut off physical games, I think it will start a big conversation about a digital future in which Sony isn't going to come out looking good. No matter what they promise, their track record is going to make it tough to swallow.

PCs are starting to offer a console style experience.

Steam OS is going to be available for all PCs, and Steam Deck and Steam Machine offer the closest we've come to a console experience with PC gaming. People will pay for convenience, but when the budget is tight, they might start to consider making some concessions to get a lower price. Steam OS offers a way to get a lot of convenience but still have access to a PC library, and with a little work and Heroic Games Launcher it's possible to set up access to games from other stores in a convenient way. Things are getting a lot better, real progress is being made.

Microsoft took notice once reviews for the Steam Deck were in, pointing out that improvement has been lacking from the PC gaming experience all these years, and things could be so much better. You could even get better performance out of the same games on the same hardware without turning down the fidelity of the graphics. They've made a few improvements, although minimal compared to what Valve is doing.

But the expectations have been raised and now there is a new bar to be met. It might give confidence to console gamers who are ready to switch over. And like we saw Steam OS on other handhelds, we might start seeing pre-built gaming PCs shipping with Steam OS, also cutting out the extra expense of buying Windows and gaining official support from a company whose existence depends on maintaining a better gaming experience.