Former Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios CEO, Shawn Layden, believes Sony cannot afford to release a completely digital, disc-less PlayStation 6. While acknowledging Xbox's success with this strategy, Layden highlights Sony's significantly larger global market share. Eliminating physical games would alienate a substantial portion of their user base.

Layden points out that Xbox's digital-first approach thrives primarily in English-speaking countries, unlike Sony's widespread global dominance. He questions Sony's ability to provide reliable digital access to players in regions with less robust internet infrastructure, citing examples like rural Italy. He also mentions the reliance on physical media among specific groups, such as athletes traveling or military personnel stationed at bases with limited connectivity. Layden suggests Sony is likely assessing the potential market loss associated with a disc-less model. The key question, he emphasizes, is identifying the acceptable level of market share loss before abandoning physical media.

The debate surrounding disc-less consoles has intensified since the PlayStation 4 generation, fueled by Xbox's digital-only console releases. Both Sony and Microsoft offer digital-only versions of their current consoles (PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S), yet Sony has resisted a complete shift. This is partly due to the option to add a disc drive to even their digital-only PS5 models, providing backward compatibility. However, the rise of subscription services like Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus's Games Catalog raises questions about the long-term viability of physical games.

Declining physical media sales and the increasing prevalence of games requiring online installation (even those distributed on disc) further fuel this trend. Layden notes examples like Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Shadows and EA's Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, which necessitate internet connectivity for installation, effectively rendering the physical disc a mere download installer. This effectively eliminates the need for a second disc (often used for installation in the past), transforming it into downloadable content.

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