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The Forgotten Kiosk Concept That Physical Media Needs
17 hours ago
- Physical game retail struggles with supporting many platforms and outdated stock, despite disc formats being standardized for decades.
- The UK once had the EDOS (Electronic Distribution of Software) system in the early 1990s, allowing stores to duplicate games on demand across multiple formats (cassette, floppy, CD).
- EDOS was operated by Software on Demand Ltd and supported by over 20 game publishers and retailer John Menzies.
- The system duplicated and verified each copy at the point of sale to reduce returns, but failed financially due to losses of £311k in 1994.
- The concept was ahead of its time and could be revived today with modern storage like dual-layer Blu-ray discs.
You Should Get to Own Your Media, Not Rent it Forever
5 days ago
- Digital purchases have shifted from ownership to temporary access, allowing corporations to alter or revoke content without permission.
- Ebooks can be retroactively edited, erasing original versions and misleading readers about historical context.
- Streaming platforms remove films and shows to cut costs, often with no physical backup available, risking cultural loss.
- Cloud storage services can delete personal data (photos, videos) if users fail to pay or meet conditions, akin to losing family heirlooms.
- The convenience of digital media has eliminated social interactions tied to renting movies, buying albums, or browsing stores.
- To preserve ownership, individuals should download files to hard drives, buy physical media (CDs, DVDs), or set up local servers like Plex.
- Consumer choices matter: avoiding purchases from companies that abandon physical formats can pressure them to change.
Physical Media vs. Digital Media
6 days ago
- Digital media offers convenience but is gradually replacing physical ownership, limiting consumer choice.
- Sony announced it will stop producing physical game discs for new PlayStation games by 2028, sparking debate.
- Physical copies provide true ownership: they can be lent, resold, or traded, unlike digital licenses tied to accounts.
- Physical retail competition leads to varied pricing, while digital stores often set fixed prices with occasional sales.
- EA's The Sims 4 exemplifies issues with digital-only models: bugs, expensive DLCs, and reliance on mods for playability.
- Digital media can be removed from services due to license expirations or shutdowns, whereas physical copies remain accessible.
- Consumers should retain the choice between digital and physical media based on personal preference.
Sony CEO Just Sold over Half His Stock
19 days ago
- Sony's PlayStation will stop physical disc manufacturing in 2028, moving to digital-only.
- Sony CEO Hiroki Totoki sold 56% of his stock after the announcement, netting $4.7 million.
- Fans are protesting by canceling PS Plus subscriptions and signing petitions (over 237,000 signatures).
- Developers like Baldur's Gate 3 support physical media despite low profit margins.
- Sony's stock value increased post-announcement, remaining stable despite backlash.
- Experts believe backlash won't significantly impact Sony due to higher profits from digital sales.
- Major upcoming PS5 releases (Marvel's Wolverine and GTA 6) may boost console sales.
GitHub offering CD-ROMs of your code for a few days
25 days ago
- GitHub is offering a limited run of CD-ROMs containing users' public repositories from July 2 to July 6, 2026, with the first 1,000 eligible submissions receiving one free copy per person.
- This move is seen as a humorous marketing response to recent developments in physical media, particularly referencing Sony's shift toward digital-only PS6 games and Microsoft's past DRM controversies.
- While GitHub promotes the CD-ROMs as a way to physically own and share code, the practicality is limited as many modern PCs lack built-in disc drives, and alternative storage like thumb drives or SSDs offer similar longevity without specialized hardware.
- The announcement contrasts with Microsoft's Xbox testing a disc-to-digital feature for game preservation, highlighting industry differences in physical media approaches amid reports of potential layoffs in Xbox's gaming division.

physical media

The Forgotten Kiosk Concept That Physical Media Needs

You Should Get to Own Your Media, Not Rent it Forever

Physical Media vs. Digital Media

Sony CEO Just Sold over Half His Stock

GitHub offering CD-ROMs of your code for a few days