Sony has confirmed the end of physical disc production for PlayStation by 2028. Its last plant in Austria, capable of manufacturing 600,000 discs per day, will be transformed into an optical microlens laboratory. The 300 employees will be retrained, while players face a future where video games will be only digital, losing physical ownership of their titles.
From pressing polycarbonate to polishing optical microlenses 🔄
The Austrian factory, once dedicated to stamping Blu-ray discs, will be converted into a production center for microlenses for sensors and optical devices. This process requires nanometric precision machinery and clean rooms, very different from assembling cases. Operators will receive training in solid-state optics and lithography. Sony is betting on demand for components for augmented reality and automotive applications, leaving behind a business that no longer justified its maintenance.
Your game shelf is now worth as a paperweight 😅
With this news, collectors and nostalgics are starting to look at their game shelves with different eyes. It turns out that those PS4 discs you promised to play someday will be as useful as a luxury coaster. And watch out, if you lose your PlayStation Network account, goodbye to your library. But don't worry: you can always console yourself knowing that your old physical Call of Duty now serves to prop up the wobbly table in the living room.