It’s been an eventful day, mostly because of PlayStation’s decision to no longer produce physical game discs. Granted, this will go into effect from January 2028 onwards and applies to new titles, but after the controversy surrounding Grand Theft Auto 6’s lack of a disc, it’s only adding fuel to the fire.
Of course, there are also tons of questions. Is this a sign that the PlayStation 6 won’t have a disc drive? It allegedly launches in Holiday 2027 after all. Whether this is the case or not, it seems that Project Helix, Xbox’s next-gen console, is going down the same route.
Sources “suggested” to Jez Corden of Windows Central that it wouldn’t have a disc drive. While far from official confirmation and hinting that the decision hasn’t been internally finalized, it wouldn’t be surprising. The PS6 is rumored to approach the dreaded $1000 price point and with increasing memory and storage costs, Project Helix could follow suit.
Cutting out the disc drive may be viewed as a way for both companies to cut down on manufacturing costs while seeing increased profit. Nevertheless, it’s a severe blow to digital ownership, never mind to physical collectors. But with Sony unwilling to take any significant losses on hardware going forward, the possibility is only growing with each day. As always, stay tuned for more details and updates.
