Shawn Layden argues that a digital-only PS6 would force the PlayStation into compromises it can’t afford – especially with Switch 2 and cheaper handheld PCs reshaping expectations before Sony’s next console arrives.

We’re now in the fifth year of the PlayStation 5 generation, which means Sony is already thinking hard about what comes next. The PlayStation 6 is still a few years away, but rumors around its development have been circulating throughout 2024 and 2025, and early 2026 reports even suggested certain plans could push its launch back. With plenty still up in the air, former PlayStation executive Shawn Layden has weighed in on a direction he believes Sony should avoid.

Layden – who previously led PlayStation Studios – appeared on the KiwiTalkz podcast and was asked a blunt question: could Sony go all-in on a digital-only PS6? His answer was just as blunt. He doesn’t think Sony can pull off a digital-only strategy for its next console. In his view, even if Sony could make it work technically and financially, PlayStation’s identity and the reality of many markets still leave significant room for physical games.

PS6 Can’t Be Digital-Only

Layden’s core point is that Sony has to sell its hardware globally, across regions with wildly different infrastructure. In many places, stable high-speed internet still isn’t a given – and game file sizes keep ballooning. Under those conditions, he argues, forcing an entire user base into a download-only future simply isn’t realistic.

He also stressed that Sony isn’t Nintendo. Layden described PlayStation as a more “high-end” proposition, built around big-budget releases, cutting-edge visuals, and performance – and that makes a hard pivot to digital-only even more likely to collide with practical constraints. Nintendo, by contrast, has spent decades cultivating a different kind of ecosystem and consumer habit built around portability and its own distinct software cadence.

Layden noted that timing matters, too. In his view, the PS6 would arrive into a market where Nintendo Switch 2 is already established, while cheaper handheld PCs are becoming increasingly credible options for players who want digital libraries and flexible purchasing. He argues that a digital-only PlayStation would be stepping into that pressure cooker without a clear advantage.

He also pointed to broader market signals: physical sales are shrinking, but they’re not gone. Layden recalled how the PS5 era saw digital adoption accelerate, yet boxed sales still remain meaningful – and that matters precisely because PlayStation isn’t a niche platform. It has to function everywhere, not only in territories with top-tier infrastructure.

Layden’s bottom line is that Sony could try a digital-only PS6, but he sees it as a high-risk bet that could backfire. For him, one of PlayStation’s foundations is that it works for a wide range of users across the globe – and a download-only model doesn’t fit that reality without causing serious friction.

Source: 3DJuegos