PlayStation’s PSP Go was the first time Sony tried to go all-digital

Citing shifting consumer preference, Sony revealed today that it is ending physical disc production for new games on PlayStation consoles, starting January 2028. Games released after that point will arrive exclusively in digital formats.

Some of the more vocal consumers, who overwhelmingly prefer that their games remain available on physical discs, have not responded to the news with enthusiasm. A lot of those same people didn’t express joy nearly two decades ago, either, when Sony made its first ambitious push for a digital-only future with the PSP Go.

Originally released in October 2009, the PSP Go was a revision of the classic PSP hardware that weighed less and boasted a smaller form factor. The “Go” label meant that you could take it on the go, which was already the point of owning the larger models. It also meant you had to watch your ability to run physical UMDs go out the window.

While removing some consumer options, the PSP Go added exciting new functionality, including Bluetooth compatibility. Owners could play their games using a Sixaxis or DualShock 3 controller. Using the supported cradle, they could also enjoy those games on a television screen. In that sense, it was truly ahead of its time.

Although a similar concept worked wonders for the Nintendo Switch, which supported game cards, Sony had a harder time selling consumers on its PSP Go design. Then, as now, some of the most devoted among them prefer the comfort that comes with owning a physical disc. There are myriad reasons for that preference, including the desire for something that feels more like actual ownership. Games are sold as a license to play software someone else still owns, but when that license comes on a disc, it can’t be removed when servers go down, or if a person loses access to an account. As Sony showed in a famous viral video after Microsoft tried its own controversial digital push with the Xbox One, discs are a license that can be lent to a friend.

Despite launching the hardware in late 2009, and later offering it with various incentives that eventually included a bundle of free downloadable games and a price reduction, Sony finally discontinued the PSP Go in April of 2011. That was only a year and a half after its launch. Thereafter, the company focused on its next generation of PlayStation portable, the Vita. Support for physical media returned.

Today’s announcement shows that Sony feels strongly enough about the value of digital-only releases to risk its future on the change:

This is a natural direction for Sony Interactive Entertainment to adapt to consumer trends as the general preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs. This transition will enable us to align more closely with how most of our community prefers to access and play games today.

Sony has made divisive decisions in the past, and has walked back sweeping policy changes, such as digital store closures when consumers united to express their discontent. It’s unclear whether a change of course might follow in this instance, if these plans are met with sufficient dismay by the community at large.

While announcing the new restrictions, Sony stated that, “We’ll continue to prioritize our resources to drive innovation in how players can access games and provide choices as to where players prefer to purchase new games.” Going forward, as with that brief and largely unsuccessful attempt in the past, those choices simply won’t include physical media.