Sony Is Reportedly Sticking With Detachable Disc Drives For PlayStation 6

The PlayStation 6 will reportedly launch with a detachable disc drive, as Sony is said to be pleased with their performance during the PS5 era.

This is according to Insider Gaming, which reports that the next PlayStation generation will follow on from the strategy taken with the PS5 Pro. It's said that there will still be a "traditional console" option, but there will once again be a digital-only build that is presumably cheaper, with the option to add on a disc drive later on.

The PS6 Could Be Sticking With The PS5's Detachable Disc Drive

Insider Gaming cites "several sources" with information on the matter, and has previously reported accurately on the state of future PlayStation hardware. In fact, it broke the news of the first detachable disc drive, enabling some with digital-only consoles to play their physical games.

This was controversial with the PS5 Pro, because there was no model that came with the disc drive in-built. Those with a physical library then had to pay even more on top of an already expensive console if they wanted to continue playing their games. It seems that the PS6 will avoid this, at least, since the wording suggests that there will still be a PS6 that supports physical games from the get-go.

It's also worth stressing that this is actually a friendlier offering than what we got when the PS5 launched. Anyone who got a PS5 that was digital-only and wanted to upgrade later on was out of luck and would have had to trade in and buy an entirely new PS5. So, if this reporting about the PS6 is accurate, then everyone will have the option to start building up a collection of physical games.

According to the report, this is being done because the digital disc drive reached its sales targets, making it a safe bet for Sony. It's good news for physical game enthusiasts, since it means the move to digital isn't happening as soon as some of us feared.

This has yet to be confirmed, so we will have to see if this does return for the next console generation. In any case, we can expect companies to try and find some ways to incentivise us to go digital, as we have seen throughout this generation.

Sony