I imagine that Sony knew its recent announcement that it's ending physical disc production in 2028 would cause backlash, but not likely to this extent. Indeed, the amount of pushback from gamers and game historians is astounding, and the debate is spilling out into adjacent communities.
Browsing the r/pcmasterrace subreddit last night, I came across one thread basically asking "what the point of a console is becoming" now that Sony is going digital-only and Xbox might not be far behind.
That's an excellent question, and one that I've also been pondering for some time. If consoles no longer have a physical library of media that can be owned, shared, and resold, what's the main appeal?
A mid-range PC-esque device that's locked down to one store? That requires subscription fees just to play online? Running software you can't control? Sounds fun!
I know, I'm not exactly being fair to consoles. As the top reply to OP's subreddit question about the point of consoles, it's "ease of use and low barrier to entry" that remain the selling points of Xbox and PlayStation.
Those are good points, but the foundation on which they're built is also quickly eroding.
Microsoft's Xbox Mode for Windows 11 effectively turns your PC into a console experience, exactly as the name suggests. SteamOS, Valve's custom Linux effort that runs on the Steam Deck, Steam Machine, and increasingly other devices, is as smooth as any console UI I've used.
Next-gen consoles from Microsoft and Sony won't likely be affordable, at least not in the traditional sense. Nearly all components that make up a "PC" are far more expensive than they used to be, and the crisis isn't likely to see any easing AT ALL until early 2028, never mind a complete return to normal.
Unless something miraculous happens, I can't imagine next-gen consoles launching for less than $1,000. You might be effectively paying PC prices for console problems like license revocations, store closures (in the case of PS3 and PS Vita), and other overarching issues with game preservation.
The Steam Machine is pricey, but the perks are worth it
The running joke in the PC gaming community is that we'll spend anything just to keep playing, and there's definitely some truth in that. This willingness to spend has kept the PC market going through recent rough times, and it's why it feels like Valve gets a bit of a pass when it comes to the Steam Machine's pricing.
Launching at $1,049 for the base model, it's a refined gaming PC that offers a console-like experience for the living room. Valve straight out said the price is caused by component shortages and a lack of subsidies that are found in the console market, and it still sold out immediately.
Free online multiplayer. Access to any storefront you want. Deep sales on games, old and new. Freedom to use the device as a regular PC. Excellent emulation abilities to play old games. I could go on, but I'm sure you see the perks of a PC compared to a console.
It's no wonder that the Steam Machine has already spawned a new market of $1,000-ish compact gaming PCs and custom SFF projects. There's a real audience for this sort of thing, and I expect it will only continue to grow as jaded console gamers make their exit.
Even if a game vanishes from the GOG storefront, it never leaves your library.Exactly as digital ownership ought to be.July 1, 2026
Even if you dislike Steam for its own digital ownership rules (or lack thereof), other PC game stores like GOG make it clear that you own whatever you buy, forever. Besides, there are plenty of ways to get your Steam games working without Steam.
And although Xbox is much more geared toward game preservation than PlayStation, it's still not on the same level as PC. The reality is that digital ownership on PC is not the same as digital ownership on console.
Is this the beginning of the end for the console market?
I understand that there's a lot of anger right now regarding game preservation and the overall state of the console market. There are probably going to be a lot of console gamers making a switch to PC in the near future.
However, that doesn't mean I think the console market is going anywhere anytime soon. Sony and Xbox are going to sell a ton of consoles between now and the next generation, and whenever that next gen arrives, it had better be an incredible piece of hardware with some can't-miss exclusives that draw gamers in.
Xbox has already signaled that its next device will be more like a Windows 11 gaming PC than ever before, capable of handling Xbox games, legacy games, and PC software.
I think that's the right move forward, but whether it can actually pull it off remains to be seen. Many will claim that exclusives are still the point of consoles, but if Project Helix is "like a PC," how exclusive will those games really be?
When the physical disc market disappears, and console exclusives increasingly end up on PC anyway, the argument for buying a closed box rather than an open box gets tougher to make.
Why buy a device that will only work while a corporation keeps the servers running? Who wouldn't want to own something you can build, upgrade, and keep going as long as you'd like?
Am I way off the mark here? Am I overlooking other perks of consoles not mentioned here? Let me know in the comments section below!
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