PlayStation has been on a bit of a roll lately, and not well. It has made a series of decisions that have left its user base feeling very frustrated. The planned shift away from physical media has quickly gained momentum with users feeling so concerned with their PlayStation lot that as many people as possible go offline or not use their PS5s for an entire week.
PlayStation Blackout
Is it Playable, the latest moves by PlayStation, the long-ago champion of physical media and the ability to play games without the need to connect to the Internet, seem to be leading the movement. It has support from other groups, including Stop Killing Games, which has been pushing for studios to shut down games and enact laws preventing them from being unplayable, especially those paid for by people.
The blackout, suggested by Can It Play and support groups, asks PlayStation owners to stop using their consoles for an entire week, or at least take their consoles offline. The blackout is planned for the end of August and will last from August 23 to August 30, 2026.
In an attempt to send a message to Sony, those who want to participate in the blackout must do, or not do, three things for that seven-day stretch. Don't log into anything, don't play any games online, and don't buy anything in the PlayStation Store. If enough people do that, PlayStation may take notice and possibly be forced to respond to the ongoing backlash over plans to ditch the discs in 2028.
Everything that has led to this
As outlined in the statement calling on fellow players to participate in the blackout, it's not just PlayStation's desire for an all-digital future that has led to it. Other reasons given include Bluepoint's sudden shutdown, its simple live service push, and its fans wanting to see classic PlayStation franchises resurrected.
Twisted Metal and Sly Cooper are listed among the sluggish PlayStation-owned series that users want to see make a comeback.
Answers to the statement are, somewhat predictably, filled with pessimism. By and large, people are saying it won't work, even if everyone who sees it participates, it will still be a very small piece of the overall PlayStation user pie. Those who log on to play Fortnite and Call of Duty every day won't see it, and even if they did, they're unlikely to care.
Still, those worried about PlayStation's decision to release the code in the box to every physical PS5 from January 2028 have already proven that they are bigger and more dedicated than Sony expected. It's been almost a month since PlayStation dropped that particular bombshell, and there's still no sign that those who were upset by it will accept and accept their fate.
- brand
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Sony
- Original release date
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November 12, 2020
- Original MSRP (USD)
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$499, €499, £449, ¥49,980 (base) // $399, €399, £359, ¥39,980 (digital),
- operating system
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Orbis OS
- processor
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Custom 8-core AMD Zen 2
- resolve
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720p – 8K
