The increasing prevalence of digital gaming libraries has led many fans to question whether the PS5 will actually have a physical disc drive on release. So, will it?
Will the PS5 have a disc drive?
Yes, the PS5 will launch with a 4K UHD blu-ray drive to run both its games and films that consumers decide to use on the console. This was confirmed during Sony’s “Road to PS5” presentation earlier this month.
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Image credit: Lets Go Digital
However, while the console will have a disc tray, the feature is set to become less and less necessary. More gamers are downloading games, rather than buying physical discs. This has environmental benefits, saving the plastic that goes into packaging games. However it can still take hours and hours to download a big game file. Console makers, Sony, are no doubt hoping that the roll-out of better quality broadband in the UK will boost sales on the PlayStation Store, as those download times decrease.
This won’t please games retailers though. The likes of Game, HMV and Argos will lose crucial revenues as more gamers shift from buying discs to buying digital copies. That’s because those digital copies come directly from the online PlayStation Store and not via a middle-man retailer.
How does this compare to the Xbox Series X?
The Xbox Series X also has a disc drive. However, Microsoft did produce a version of the Xbox One without a disc drive.
The Xbox One S came out last year. It’s identical to the Xbox One in terms of function and looks, but doesn’t have a physical disc drive. Instead, gamers download all the titles they want to play, straight onto the machine from the Microsoft store.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
