Sony PlayStation creator defends end of physical discs

Ken Kutaragi, the creator of PlayStation, has defended Sony’s decision to phase out physical game discs by 2028, describing the consumer backlash as a ‘mentality issue.’ In an interview with VGC, Kutaragi noted that while he understands that physical media has become a ‘metaphor for owning’ games, maintaining disc production is no longer ‘economically reasonable’ given the prevalence of high-speed internet and digital distribution.

Kutaragi compared the transition to the use of smartphones, where users access content digitally without needing physical media. He suggested that Sony’s shift toward a digital-first model reflects a broader evolution of the console into a connected content terminal. He also speculated that future hardware might move toward streaming solutions to mitigate rising component costs.

Simultaneously, Sony is exploring new technologies for future hardware like the PlayStation 6. A recent patent application for ‘Generation Super Sampling’ describes a method to reduce latency by using AI to predict player actions via controller input data. This technology aims to generate interpolated frames more accurately than existing methods by anticipating movement before it is fully rendered.