Last week, Jacob Novak, an ex-Square Enix business strategist, claimed that Sonyâs push toward a digital only future, seen in its impending ceasing of PlayStation disc production, could actually result in lower prices for digital games down the line, as he argued that physical game prices are âholding digital hostage.â The idea that a complete monopoly on how people buy something would lead to lower prices without competition to incentivize them sounds incredibly naive considering human history, and earlier this week, I got a big slap in the face when I encountered firsthand what weâre losing as PlayStation doubles down on the digital future.

I want to replay the Kingdom Hearts games ahead of Kingdom Hearts IV. Given that the next entry in Square Enix and Disneyâs world-hopping RPG series is a little over a year away and that the series currently has over a dozen games to get through, Iâd better get started ASAP, right? Well, I logged on to the olâ PlayStation Network and went to check how much all the games were going for. If physical prices are âholding digital hostage,â then you would think that a PlayStation Store price would be competing with the ones in the physical space, no?  The awareness that no, I would in fact have to pay a lot more on PSN hit me like a boulder smacking Goofyâs noggin in Kingdom Hearts II. 

Kingdom Hearts III is a seven-year-old game. Itâs not even the most recent Kingdom Hearts game, and Square Enix is still selling full-priced digital copies at $60 as if it were January 29, 2019. A quick Google search shows that some physical retailers are selling it for half that price, while others have it listed for as little as $10. This is a last-gen game that, in a physical-dominant industry, would have gone on to be part of a Playerâs Choice or Greatest Hits-style branding and sold at a discount price years ago. And yet, on Sonyâs own digital platform, itâs still sitting at the same price it was given at launch. 

Kingdom Hearts IIIâs price has fluctuated over the years on PSN as temporary sales come and go, with some databases indicating that itâs gone as low as $15 during some events. But Iâm trying to play these games now, and cannot be arsed to wait until its next big discount. But you know what I can do? Buy physical copies for a reasonable price. In fact, I was able to buy the Story So Far compilation disc, which includes almost all the games, on top of a physical copy of Kingdom Hearts III for less than it would cost to buy just one of those on the PlayStation store. If I want to play these games on my TV, this is remarkably cheaper than what Sonyâs offering me, and while the Steam version of the series is even less costly right now thanks to a series sale, thatâs not gonna put all these games on my big-screen TV instead of my tiny gamer laptop.

Weâre losing a lot as physical discs go away. Collecting games is a pastime for many and a means of affording and playing games for those on a budget or stuck in places with poor internet speeds. A store shelf can give some games visibility instead of overwhelming players like a crowded digital storefront can. But make no mistake: the biggest threat that looms over a digital future is that Sony will have full control of PlayStation video game prices, and there will be no alternative to whatever theyâre selling them at come 2028. At least Kingdom Hearts IV will be out before then according to Square Enix, so it should be available on discs as well.