Earlier today, PlayStation revealed that it will stop making physical game discs for new games starting in January 2028. This news comes not long after backlash against Grand Theft Auto 6‘s disc-free launch, not to mention PlayStation removing several digital titles from people’s libraries. Now, gamers can’t help but look back on an old PS4 promo video that’s now aged incredibly poorly in light of the news.
Videos by ComicBook.com
The video in question is a “Used Game Instructional Video” released back in 2013. It highlights how easy it is to share games on PS4 because they’re physical discs in a box that you can just hand over to a friend to borrow. At the time, the video was a response to Xbox’s controversial DRM restrictions for used games on the Xbox One. Now, PlayStation gamers are pointing to the video to point out that the same company is now effectively destroying that exact sharing method.
PS4 “Used Game Instructional Video” Becomes a Relic of Better Times
Back in 2013 when the Xbox was first announced, Microsoft also revealed plans to introduce DRM that would limit physical game lending. At a time when physical games were still largely the norm, this was a shocking announcement that led to quite a bit of backlash. In response, PlayStation released a PS4 promo video showcasing how easy it is to share their games with a friend. In the video, which you can see above, a physical PS4 game is easily passed between people.
At the time, this was a simple yet effective marketing strategy in the console wars. The message was simple: if you want to be able to share your games with friends, get a PS4, not an Xbox One. It suggested that PlayStation was the more consumer-friendly brand, happy to let you share your purchased physical games with friends to your heart’s content. Now, of course, this video feels like a cruel joke as PlayStation’s pivot away from physical discs will turn it into a relic.
So of course, gamers across Reddit are resharing the old video to point out the major shift of gears. Interestingly, many of these posts have since been deleted by moderators of Subreddits like r/PlayStation. But that hasn’t stopped the video from making the rounds again in light of PlayStation becoming exactly the kind of villain Xbox seemed to be back in 2013. In fact, the video has also already received several new comments, including a top response that simply states “I KNEW this would eventually age poorly.”
Indeed, lending a game to a friend is one of the things that stands to be lost as Sony shifts away from physical media in 2028. Not having a physical disc to lend will make it significantly harder to share games, and basically impossible to sell used games. With digital games for PS5 only available in the PlayStation Store, it also means that gamers won’t have many options to buy their games from anyone except PlayStation itself.
Of course, it’s possible that PlayStation could introduce some kind of digital game lending system like Nintendo’s virtual card lending. But even if they do, it looks like sharing games in 2028 and beyond will require an actual tutorial, not a joke one like this PS4 video. The difference between this 2013 announcement and today’s news speaks volumes for how much PlayStation, and gaming as a whole, has shifted in the last 13 years.
Do you still buy physical PlayStation games? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
More Gaming
-
Courtesy of The Coalition -
Courtesy of Arrowhead Game Studios
