Former Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios CEO, Shawn Layden, believes Sony cannot afford to release a completely digital, disc-less PlayStation 6. While acknowledging Xbox's success with this strategy, Layden emphasizes Sony's significantly larger global market share. Removing physical games would alienate a substantial portion of their player base.

Layden highlighted that Xbox's digital-first approach thrives primarily in English-speaking countries (U.S., Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa). Conversely, Sony's dominance extends across approximately 170 countries worldwide. A disc-less console would disproportionately impact regions with less reliable internet infrastructure, questioning accessibility for users in rural areas, for example.

He further cited scenarios where physical or offline gaming is crucial, such as for athletes traveling or military personnel on bases with limited connectivity. Layden acknowledged Sony is likely conducting market research to assess the potential loss of these customer segments. While a tipping point may exist where a certain level of market share loss is acceptable, Sony's vast global reach makes a fully disc-less console a significant risk, even for the next generation.

The debate surrounding digital-only consoles has intensified since the PlayStation 4 era, fueled by Xbox's digital-first releases. Both companies offer digital-only versions of their current consoles (PS5 and Xbox Series X|S), but Sony has resisted a complete shift to digital.

This resistance is notable, even with the PS5 Pro's option for an external disc drive. While services like Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus Games Catalog are gaining traction, the long-term viability of disc-based games remains uncertain. Physical media sales continue to decline, and some major publishers are releasing games requiring internet access even from discs (e.g., Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor). The trend suggests what was once a second installation disc is now frequently delivered as downloadable content.

Would you buy a PlayStation 6 without a disc drive?

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