PlayStation just got a taste of its own medicine for choosing to end physical PS5 discs in 2028, but it's not Xbox getting revenge. Instead, it's Evercade cartridge maker Blaze taking shots at Sony with a satirical homage to the company's "this is how you share your games on PS4" campaign, and the gag has never been more relevant.
Just like the original PlayStation video from 13 years ago, Blaze has shared a "This is how you share a game on Evercade" tutorial on its social channels. In the clip, the retro handheld maker's head of communications, Sean Cleaver, hands a physical copy of the Neo Geo collection to marketing manager Ben Grunbaum. The result? Absolute cinema.
Naturally, this video is just a bit of fun, but it serves the same pro-physical media purpose as the 2014 clip with former PlayStation president Shuhei Yoshida (who just shared a Steam Machine review, FYI) and then vice president Adam Boyes. Just like if Microsoft went through with its DRM plans that would have tied physical Xbox One games to an internet connection, ditching discs altogether brings an end to simply handing friends and family the games you paid for.
I can say without a doubt that if it weren't for borrowing games from friends, renting from video stores, and buying second-hand, I would not be in this job. Gaming as a hobby would have been financially out of the question in my working-class household, and that's why I will fight to keep physical media alive and advocate for preservation.
Of course, if any modern retro console maker were going to start shouting about physical media in response to Sony, it'd be Blaze. We're talking about a company that has built its own physical cartridge ecosystem over six years, and there are now over 500 ports of games spread across multiple cased releases with their own manuals.
Not only that, but Blaze has managed to create a specific piece of hardware for every playstyle that will work with its carts. The range includes everything from the very affordable Super Pocket, the same handheld that just got Banjo-Kazooie via a Rare Edition, to an Evercade VS-R home console designed for your TV, and even an Evercade Alpha bartop arcade machine that puts its rivals to shame thanks to its physical game support.
Naturally, Blaze is a different beast to PlayStation, and while there's crossover when it comes to retro games, Sony's platform is arguably more complex. That's not to say I think it has a right to end physical media, but it will have a bunch of reasons at the ready for an all-digital future, some of which will include controlling what you do with your games.
Where Blaze could really benefit from taking the physical media fight to Sony is by releasing more classics that you could also buy on a PS5. You can already buy even some of the PS1's biggest hits for your Evercade, including the Tomb Raider Trilogy, so the retro console maker could snatch players who'd normally buy said oldies in disc form.
The Evercade could also become a haven for Indie games, especially since it already has a bunch of collections by Mega Cat Studios and Bitmap Bureau, and since the upcoming Evercade Nexus boasts beefier specs, it could welcome more elaborate outings to its library. I'll be keeping a close eye on the company as we sail towards an all-digital mainstream future, and I'm hoping remaining physical rivals throw Sony's plans off course.
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