Digital Vs Physical 👊 | Episode 64 | Xbox Restructure, PS Digital Only + Much more!

🎙️ Join Heather, Stu, Tommy and Tom as this week's episode dives into gaming's biggest talking point: physical versus digital. With PlayStation reportedly moving away from physical releases from 2028, we unpack what a disc-free future actually means for gamers — plus the usual pickups, gaming news, and chaos. Stick around for the quiz at the end too!Timestamps:00:00 - Intro & What We've Been Playing28:30 - Gaming News 📰39:53 - Questions from Discord ❓50:27 - Main Topic: Physical vs Digital Gaming 💿1:37:41 - Gaming Quiz Time!1:50:48 - Shout Outs and Goodbye!Find all of our links here:Linktree: https://linktr.ee/gameolder2024Discord: https://discord.gg/VzmAnSA7xaTwitter/X: https://x.com/GameOlderPodYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GameOlder2024Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/game_older_podcast__/Contact us: [email protected] codes and shout-outs:Bitmap Books — 5% off all purchases: OLDER5bitmapbooks.comTimeless Gaming Convention, Liverpool — 12th August. Use code OLDER26 for 15% off tickets!Please don't forget to rate and review us wherever you listen, along with hitting the follow/subscribe button!- - - - - - -🎮 What we've been playing:Tom had a big pickup week for his birthday:Grabbed three Wii games — Mad World, House of the Dead: Overkill, and Ghost SquadPicked up Road Avenger and a pricey PAL Sonic CD on the Mega CD, plus retro Master System title Basketball NightmareGifted an OSSC upscaler by a listener, and a Street Fighter diorama cart from his brother for his birthdayFinished Yakuza Kiwami 3 (not thrilled with the changed ending) and is deep into Resident Evil Village in third-personTommy has been quieter on PlayStation but busy elsewhere:Hooked on Pokopia, building alongside Stu in the Cloud WorldCompleted Resident Evil Code Veronica via Dolphin emulator, door-skip mod and allStarted Silent Hill 4 on PS2 emulator and GTA IV: The Lost and Damned on XboxShouted out the horror film Obsession — "go and watch it, please"Stu kept it lower-key:More Pokopia building with Tommy — "so addictive, so easy to play"Finished a short playthrough of Star Fox (aka Starwing back in the day)Played Replaced, a 2.5D sci-fi side-scroller — cool combat, but pacing left him wanting moreHeather has been unwinding with something cosy:More Outbound, the campervan game — new beach map and a dog companion unlockedPicked up a rare 30th Anniversary PlayStation Panini sticker set (sealed, one of only 4,000 made)Also nabbed an Incredible Hulk Mega Drive cart📰 Gaming News Highlights:PlayStation Digital-Only Backlash: Sony confirms physical discs end in 2028; a major Austrian disc plant is already being retooled for optical lensesSteam Machine Scare: An early adopter reported a GPU failure just 20 minutes in, drawing Red Ring of Death comparisonsPS3 & PS Vita Store Closures: Sony will shut down digital storefronts for both platforms in July 2027, reigniting preservation concernsXbox Restructure: Roughly 3,200 roles affected; Double Fine and Compulsion go independent, Ninja Theory and Undead Labs change ownership, and Arcane Studios remains under review🎮 Upcoming Releases:Assassin's Creed Black Flag Remake — 9th JulyPalworld 1.0 — 10th JulyHeave Ho 2 — 16th July💬 Side chats & moments:Would you commit to one ecosystem — PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo, or Steam? 🤔