Are Consoles ‘We Knew’ Dead in The Water?

I am coming to the realization each passing day that our hobbies are becoming less friendly to us consumers. It’s not even about the physical media issue exclusively for me as a gamer. I moved about a year ago to XBOX and that’s very much a digital platform first.

I will however, always fight for consumer rights on both accounts. I foresaw the issue with Sony throughout this generation while I was using their platform and how the leadership were going more silent as time went on. I asked myself, do I really want to continue ‘as is’ in an eco-system where prices could be set to whatever Sony felt like, that is completely closed off to other opportunities?

I saw the opportunity of Play Anywhere and moved platforms, because I knew it was going to be a big feature not only for XBOX, but for PC going into the next generation. Ultimately, it saddens me just how many people do not realise the ‘control’ Sony has over them. They can dictate the prices, they’ve even mapped out what they intend to do by fully making the most out of every PlayStation Plus member they have.

The future plan is to monetise you for every penny you have. It’s becoming more about what Sony can get out of you than what you’re able to get out of them. Because let’s face it it hasn’t been a great generation compared to the likes of PS4. Of course, digital is the future, but when did anybody have to accept that their options are to be taken away?

Surely, if Nintendo can find ways, then Sony ‘the market leader’ can as well. It just sets a dreadful precedent if you’re defending their actions.

Of course, none of us know what the future of PS6 will hold and how their platform policies will be in terms of the markup and store costs. That’s all to be revealed at a future date. But at the same time, it’s the people who are raising their voices and fighting back which are fighting for a future based on consumer rights and one which maintains a balance.

That’s why you have Microsoft doing a proposed physical to digital conversion scheme for their games. I suspect this is going to continue to be a topic that will be raised. It’s not going away, and to be honest, even as an all-in digital gamer, I want to see PlayStation actually stick to their PS4 promise.

You know, the one that was celebrated and had every Sony fan build up a collection of 100’s of games within a closed-eco system that is becoming more and more draconian. It’s those sort of policies that Sony has which has rightfully got everybody discussing the whole issue around that.

PlayStation cannot be allowed for this to go unanswered. They need to provide a statement that says how the future of digital looks on their platform. We’re talking game pricing, and ultimately a better way that has consumer protections in place. If they do not do this.

If they launch an all-digital PS6 which I believe they will with a handheld without answering these concerns. It’s not going to be something fans just digest. Loyal fans deserve consistency and with that a platform they can entirely trust. If that is completely tainted based on what’s been happening recently.

It doesn’t matter what the statistics are on the physical to digital ratio. Fans that have trusted the PlayStation brand since the 90’s, entrusted them in the PS4 era as well, and they will ultimately remember how PlayStation behaved when all the fans wanted was answers.