PS5 fans want physical media, and Sony is giving them a means to use it. In the aftermath of the PS5 Pro’s announcement, we reported how the Japanese giant’s universal Disc Drive accessory was selling out, and now we have data in the UK of just how well it performed.
According to a sweeping analysis of September 2024’s hardware sales, the PS5 Disc Drive was the 21st best-selling accessory ranked by units – and eighth by revenue. Remember, these charts include DualSense controllers and the PS Portal, among a multitude of other devices.
GamesIndustry.biz reports that September 2024 was the second best month for the PS5 Slim Digital Edition, beaten only by December 2023. That could have also incentivised fans to cough up for the PS5 Disc Drive, although we did see sales explode in the aftermath of the PS5 Pro’s announcement.
While many feel Sony should have bundled the PS5 Disc Drive with the PS5 Pro, we do think the company’s given consumers flexibility here – especially when recent data revealed 75% of games were purchased digitally in the UK in August 2024.
[source gamesindustry.biz]
Comments 54
Sony must be making a killing on these disc drives, I wouldn't imagine it cost a lot to produce.
I am not gonna lie, I had to hunt one down as I started to see them vanishing from online stores. Local game shop had my back.
@Americansamurai1 nothing costs a lot to produce compared to RRP. A £1500 iPhone costs about a tenth of that to make, according to leaks from Apple. And that'll go for the vast majority of mass produced products. If Sony are killing it it's because they've created a demand, so fair play.
Flexibility would have been to offer a couple of different models.
Maybe one at £700 with a drive and then perhaps a cheaper version without.
The way they've done it feels like an insult making an already expensive product even more expensive
@Member_the_game and the one with a drive would cost the same as a Pro and a DD, and the cost of that would, at a physiological level, be percieved as too expensive. Far more so than the Pro. I see why they've done this way. It makes business sense. The flexibility still exists.
Even though I mostly do my gaming digitally nowadays I still have a lot of PS4 games physically. If for nothing else I'd still want a disc drive for backwards compatibility.
I'm not in the market for a PS5 Pro so I didn't get a disc drive since I still use my launch PS5 but if PS6 did the same thing PS5 is doing currently and selling it separately I will do my best to get one.
I picked one up for my PS5 Pro as I always buy games physically when available. I have even been picking up physical editions of games I already own digitally just in case I lose access one day. For example, Like A Dragon Gaiden The Man Who Erased His Name was only released digitally is the US so I went and bought a physical Japanese copy from Play Asia. Call me crazy, but I like to revisit my old games when some time has passed.
@riceNpea
Personally I would have preferred the option to buy one with a disc drive as standard rather than being forced into buying it as an "optional" extra
Just to note California passed a law to prevent “buy it now” or “purchase “ as you do not own the game.
I have a handful of digital games, but owning the physical is by far better for your own purchase protection.
I'm not saying I agree with them not including it on the Pro.. but I will say I've had two disc drives go back in my PS5. I only use it for movies, but tend to use it at least once a week. The first one was a launch PS5 and the disc drive just stopped ejecting discs and scratched the hell out of them... the second was still the 'phat' model, but that disc drive is now flakey where it works sometimes, but often takes like 10-30 re-insertions.
It's at least nice these ones are swappable/replaceable if it fails..... more modularity is a good thing imo
@DonkeyFantasy buy more physical games then or they will die out. What have you got to show with digital games. Absolutely nothing. I can lend my games out, sell them on eBay or cex and put the money towards the next
@Member_the_game I get it, but essentially it's the same thing. The price would reflect the DD addition, so effectively selling a Pro at a single price point is a much smarter thing for Sony to do. Also, PS5 bring modular is FAR better than 2 options of PS5 Pro.
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I probably wont bother with a drive as i have been mostly digital a good few years, so im glad its optional. I dont want to pay more for the drive so glad they have costed it without, but its good its there for those that do.
@Rich33 stop the rot and get back on physical then. I can’t imagine having all my games digital . Why would you lol
I'm currently at 173 PS5 discs so I sure as hell got one. Got more than double that on PS4 too so it was a no brainer.
@KundaliniRising333 An article on a PS-centric site about how the disc drive is selling well is “shameless marketing?”
@Medic_alert 😂😂👊
It is so nice of them to include this option. It wouldn't have been too much to ask for people to repurchase their non-digital games, after all.
Honestly, it is a steal at that price, and aesthetically you could argue that it completes the 'look'.
Plus there's like a complementary box with it with limitless potential for application.
Don't really need one when my Pro arrives.
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@TripleKing333 that’s what I’m talking about mate! Got a ton myself
Why are some people crying over a PlayStation news page covering PlayStation news 😭
If you don’t like or want the Pro that’s more than fine, but say that with your chest and quit the whining lmao
Starting to lose my respect for this page. They are charging a pro model 700 bucks, without a stand and without a drive and they're being flexible? That's a joke.
We want a drive, that's why they are selling out. If we didn't, they wouldn't sell, would they? They are ripping us off, when we don't want a 100% digital future.
They are super flexible as well because they are offering us a variety of Live Service games, huh? Like Concord.
@Member_the_game but the one with the disc drive would be 800 not 700
@KundaliniRising333 what are you on about now?
Sony should be doing a bundle deal where you get the disk drive cheaper if you buy it with a PlayStation 5
@DonkeyFantasy you really should buy some ultra hd Blu-ray discs. So much better than Blu-ray or streaming.
@Dampsponge they did. Ot was the original fat ps5,.and they brought out three revisions of it until the slim came along, with an optional disc drive.
@Artois2
I guess the point I'm making is that for £700 it should come with one as standard.
The fact it's an extra £100 is quite frankly an insult
@Member_the_game yeah they could have done:
1. £700 for pro with 2tb ssd and no drive.
2. £700 for pro with 1tb ssd and drive.
Or something!
@TripleKing333 Hey, would you have any tips on how to store them, please? My collection of PlayStation discs is ever-increasing and I'm struggling storage-wise...
I don't know, forcing me to find a disc drive (and a stand) for my new "upgraded" console, while my "old and inferior" console came with both kinda feels like being nickeled and dimed, and I don't like it. The Pro is supposed to be a premium console, right? Well a premium console should come fully loaded, not barebones and good luck hunting down the accessories.
For those that want them sure as it feels like PS3 again, almost, you want that PS2 BC your limited but for disk drives. Sure I get to cut costs but I mean.....
The Pro being a not all in 1 is just like? So this is how you treat loyal customers or the gamers that are dedicated is make them spend more on separated pieces, what loyalty being rewarded buy everything in pieces customers. What great messaging Sony.
Make better decisions then trying to milk customers. Have better leadership or people with actual brains then trying to milk us these hired for their position then working their way up, these HR/accountants/other types that don't get games but just want to milk customers more and more. There's a thought. XD
Sure many disk models exist but Sony baiting people into the addon drive is just disgusting. It's an option sure but is it really though? They would do anything to separate things and sell it to us if they could.
iPhone people either upgrade because they need to or buy it immediately aka pay it off over time. XD They are social/camera devices to most people or their whatever app fulfillment of time they have to spend right?
You just need a lifestyle device, hobby device or a social one to be a thing just encase? When dumb phones are catching on with a small group.
They don't care whether we people buy it and think it messages things. They have limited stock, still do whatever they want and don't care. They know collectors exist, they know they put codes in boxes, they know who buys physical.
How many Indies/LRG sales for PS/Switch do you think this changes. Anything is possible there for 1K or however many copies. DVDs I'm surprised are even a bonus with blu-rays for anime. It's just like why is this a bonus an older 480p format when you can spend $40 less ($100+ for the edition then the $65 standard blu-ray, no artbook, or stickers or other stuff and DVDs but the digital bonuses are only on the blu-ray standard or other edition anyway not on the DVDs so...... why bother)
It's messaging, it's purchasing but I don't think much will change.
At least they offer it then don't but even as an option I find it just a bit disgusting. They can hate physical media for pre-owned copies or production cost or otherwise but eh.
Give us a send the physical in and convert it to digital program? Why doesn't one exist Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo? Give us a send phyisical to digital.
The closest I can think of is the 3DS eshop app you download for free to convert saves for physical to digital. That's about it.
Or robotcache digital reselling on PC as a thing. Console it won't be a thing for a reason. Unless games are broken or other factors/pre-order refunds then yeah it won't happen.
Sure less setup of a console to swap it for the disk drive to be installed on the digital one already version as it's just an addon not a resetup for the disk edition console.
The servers/whatever authentication side of things because of course they do for movies/tv shows not just games but it's all just fishy.
For those wanting them go for it.
For collectors who want a separate drive sure. For scalpers or those wanting to resell things they will go for it and make them seem like easy to resell, people will game manuals because logic there so anything is possible.
@Mikey856
A plus in having a digital library over physical in this instance is being able to upgrade to any Pro enhanced games without having to purchase another disc drive.
It should have been included at that price.
Well, the mistake here of Push Square is that they think UK is the world and if smth is in UK then it is all arround. Nope.
In Bulgaria for example Disk drives quickly vanished and now they are soled for double the price by all retailers. All are on same price - 120 EUR.
Got my stand and disc drive ready (£125 for both) now just waiting for the Pro to to go on pre-order at retail and I am all set!!
@Member_the_game Agreed. I wouldn't bought a 1TB model with a drive for £649 or £699 especially if they included some kind of stand, even if it was a cheaper one with the option to buy the fancy one. But £825 with a drive and stand is too much right now, the optics of an additional £125 feel awful.
Fans bought them? More likely scalpers preparing in advance... You'll see them explode on Ebay for double the price after the console's launch, when the low stocks dry up completely...
I'll take the guess as well alot are scalpers being scalpers
@Whately86 I fully agree, PushSquare is becoming more of a marketing outlet than anything else, pathetic.
@tangyzesty This, so much. Sony's Apple-fication. For a console generation of remasters and less than mediocre games.
@Mostik congrats, £825 for your PS5!
@Shinnok789 💯
@Foxhound I just live in a house made of unsold Conchord game cases so it’s absolutely massive.
In all seriousness, I just use IKEA Billy bookcases.
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@SuzannahE The fact that you're replying like this to my comment PLUS that you registered on here half an hour ago is hilarious. Are you an intern and happened to draw the shortest straw? 😂
The last time that any of us completely owned a game we bought physically was the Dreamcast/PS2/Xbox/GameCube generation.
Ever since then, we've had games requiring updates, patches and optional DLC.
This will definitely be the last gen where I buy any physical games but mainly because of space in my house.
Nice to see plenty of pro users also want a drive. I have no use for a drive, and have always used my console horozontaly, so no extras required here. Except we have 2 ps5s and my misses has already stated we should upgrade them both, so this is a doubly expensive mid gen refresh for me!
Nvm, its only money 😁
@TripleKing333 Thanks! Will look into getting one or two.
@Member_the_game 👍
If you can even find one. I'm considering moving all digital if the situation stays like that till end of the year where it actually costs here 180 Euros through Scalpers.
@Foxhound I also get extra shelves for the units so they fit the profile of the cases better to get even more games in the unit.
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