Sony Promoted a Vinyl Turntable While Killing PlayStation Discs—Here's the Full Controversy

The Turntable That Broke the Camel's Back

Days or weeks later—exact timing varies by outlet, but coverage clustered around July 26–27—Sony's Sony Electronics division (a separate business unit from PlayStation) promoted the PS-LX3BT wireless vinyl turntable on social media. The post read: "Rediscover the warmth, detail, and ritual of vinyl with the LX3 Turntable. Drop the needle and experience your music the way it was meant to be heard."

Gamers flooded the replies with accusations of hypocrisy. If Sony still believed in physical media enough to sell a $399.99 turntable celebrating vinyl records, why was the same company killing game discs? PushSquare called the promotion "tone-deaf." GamesRadar described it as Sony's "latest PR masterstroke" and quoted a commenter saying, "If you can do physical for music, you can do it for games."

Multiple outlets reported that the post accumulated over 3,000 comments, most criticizing Sony's disc phase-out. The reactions were so intense that the turntable ad became a secondary front in the larger battle over physical game media.

The 'Don't Kill the Disc' Petition

The most organized expression of gamer anger was the "Don't Kill the Disc" petition on Change.org, started by Jade Pearce, CEO of PNP Games, a video game store in Winnipeg, Canada. The petition argued: "A disc is a real game you own. You can lend it, trade it, resell it, gift it, collect it or pass it down to your kids. A box with only a download code is not the same thing."

Gathering 40,000 signatures in the first 48 hours, the petition crossed 117,000 within four days, 250,000 in a little over a week, and surpassed 320,000 by July 17. By July 20, CTV News reported it had exceeded 333,000 signatures.

Sony's Week-Long Silence and Developer Gag Order

PlayStation's official social media accounts went nearly silent for days after the backlash began. When they did post, it was to promote a third-party fight stick, not to address the disc controversy—a move that only deepened anger.

Behind the scenes, the situation was more controlled. According to former Santa Monica Studio writer Alanah Pearce, Sony issued what insiders called its "strictest ever" social media guidelines to first-party developers, effectively creating a gag order to prevent them from commenting on or criticizing the disc phase-out. TweakTown described the policy as aimed at preventing developers from adding "to the ongoing criticism around the company's decision."

Industry Reactions: Defense from Ubisoft, Blame from a Valve Veteran

Yves Guillemot (Ubisoft CEO) — During Ubisoft's Q1 FY2027 earnings call on July 23, Guillemot was asked about Sony's disc phase-out. He argued the decision "will not disturb the industry too much," pointing to the PC gaming market as proof that going all-digital "helped to grow the market." He also noted that disc-free consoles could be cheaper to manufacture, which might benefit consumers. While acknowledging pluses and minuses, he saw net upside for publishers.

Chet Faliszek (former Valve writer, Left 4 Dead) — In a YouTube video on July 20, Faliszek placed the blame squarely on gamers themselves. "You, the consumer, have made a choice, and your choice is for digital," he said. He argued that consumers voting with their wallets for years—by buying digital over physical—caused the shift, not a corporate conspiracy. "Right now, today—the games we are talking about are available at retail today. The used games are available at retail today, and you aren't going into those stores," Faliszek said. His comments were widely shared and generated significant discussion across gaming media.

The Austrian Factory Is Already Converting

Perhaps the strongest signal that Sony's disc phase-out is irreversible is what's happening at the Sony DADC plant in Thalgau, Austria—Sony's largest remaining optical disc manufacturing facility. The plant currently produces about 600,000 discs per day, approximately half of which are for PlayStation.

According to a report from Austrian public broadcaster ORF Salzburg (covered by The Verge and other outlets), Sony has already begun restructuring the plant to manufacture optical microlenses instead of game discs. Sony has invested €30–34 million (~$34 million USD) in the conversion and is retraining all 300 employees to work with the new technology. By 2028, PlayStation disc production at the facility is projected to drop to just 10% of its current volume.

The Unconfirmed Mexico Antitrust Complaint

A specific claim circulated during the controversy: that an antitrust complaint had been filed in Mexico arguing the PlayStation Store would become an illegal monopoly without discs as a competitive alternative. While the broader antitrust concern—that eliminating discs removes the only real competition to Sony's proprietary digital storefront—has been widely discussed in coverage, no formal complaint filed in Mexico could be verified from the search results reviewed for this article. This claim remains unconfirmed and would require further verification from Mexican regulatory sources.

What's Next for PlayStation Physical Media?

Sony's official position remains unchanged from the July 1 blog post: the company sees the end of discs as an inevitable adaptation to consumer trends. The petition, while symbolically powerful, has not received any public acknowledgment from PlayStation leadership. The factory retooling in Austria suggests the timeline is set regardless of the backlash.

For gamers who value physical ownership, game preservation, and the ability to resell or trade titles, the next 18 months may represent the final window to buy new PlayStation games on disc. The PS5, it appears, will be the last PlayStation console to ship new games on physical media.