Remembering Sony's Iconic 'This is How You Share Games on PS4' Video, as PlayStation Kills Discs 13 Years Later

It is 1 of the astir memorable punches ever thrown successful the console wars. It is 1 of the champion mic drops by a company, harmless successful the cognition it was winning implicit hearts, minds, and wallets. And it is, arguably, the infinitesimal Sony won the console warfare for good, ensuring PS4 income steamrolled the Xbox One (which led to PS5 doing the aforesaid with Series X/S).

I americium of people talking astir Sony's brilliantly brutal "This is however you stock your games connected PS4" video, which showed erstwhile PlayStation execs Shuhei Yoshida and Adam Boyes passing a crippled container from 1 to the other.

"This is however you stock your games connected PS4," Yoshida says, earlier helium hands a crippled to Boyes.

"Thanks," says Boyes.

This is however you stock a crippled connected Playstation (you don't) https://t.co/yTLVyFtAJ2 pic.twitter.com/eNwPKCTOYC

The crushed this video had specified an impact? It followed a confusing and arguable mentation of Microsoft's plans for integer crippled ownership connected Xbox One, laid retired by erstwhile console brag Don Mattrick. Now, Xbox One had different problems excessively (remember Kinect?), but the uproar implicit Microsoft's plans for redeeming codes and timed console check-ins felt fatal. While aboriginal U-turned on, fans were near incensed by Microsoft's tendency to efficaciously termination second-hand income and halt them simply lending a transcript of FIFA to a friend.

By contrast, Sony's video — astatine conscionable 21 seconds and 10 words — showed gamers that PlayStation offered different way. It was the mode gamers were utilized to, the mode console gaming had ever worked. Until 2028, of course.

"It was truly fun," Yoshida said later, reflecting connected the video. "We did not privation to marque amusive of Xbox astatine the time, but they announced astir their DRM and the strategy earlier we talked astir PS4. So due to the fact that tons of radical and media were asking america questions [about] what we were doing, we tried to pass what we were going to bash successful a precise abbreviated form."

13 years connected from Sony's video, PlayStation has contiguous announced that nary caller PlayStation 5 games volition vessel connected discs from January 2028 onwards. From that day onwards, each caller games volition motorboat digitally via the PlayStation Store, with immoderate inactive sold successful boxes astatine retail that volition apt incorporate a integer download codification (as volition beryllium the lawsuit aboriginal this twelvemonth with GTA 6). In different change, Sony has besides announced the closure of its PlayStation Store connected the PS3 and Vita, opening adjacent period successful definite countries.

Reacting to today's news, analysts person suggested Sony volition apt not vessel the upcoming PS6 with a disc thrust astatine all, whenever it yet arrives. The epoch of simply handing a PlayStation crippled to a person truly does look to beryllium over.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social