Why PS4 Dropping Audio CD’s Is Good For The Music Industry

Gary at TheKoalition.com writes: Kotaku yesterday posted a translated tweet from a Japanese journalist which apparently reveals that the Playstation 4 won’t support CD’s or Super Audio CD’s. Whether this tidbit of information is true or not, it seems that some people are unhappy with the news. However I personally believe that eliminating the use of audio CD’s would be a great direction for the next gen consoles to take, and here’s why..

[Hellsvacancy]

I can see why theyve dropped old skool CD support, A friend of mine came over ages ago (when I had my phat PS3) with his entire Unkle collection, I ripped them all to my PS3 in less than an hour, awesome, my PS3 died a month or two later, I didnt back it up neither

I know PCs can do the same thing, its just a matter of time now until cds go the same way vhs tapes did

Edit: I have since purchased the "best" of what I think Unkle has done off iTunes, so theyve had my money

[jujubee88]

Ripping an entire playlist of lossless audio onto one big bluray, popping it into a PS4, hooking that up to your sound system seems like the future.

And also cloud stuff is convenient, but it all becomes compressed and loses the audio/video quality of the original. Whereas bluray totally retains as much of the original bits of the source (from which it was recorded).

The only transition now seems to lie on car sound systems. But, a lot of car manufacturers lately offer either a CD or MP3 option to a car. Hopefully, that adds blueray audio (if not already).

[dedicatedtogamers]

It's a sign that (hopefully) Sony will focus on making the PS4 a gaming/social console and not a do-everything media box.

Besides, who uploads music with a CD, anyway? 2007 called: USB flash drive, suckas!

[EbeneezerGoode]

CLOUD STREAMING IS NOT GOOD FOR THE ARTIST. NOT FOR 90% OF THEM. ONLY THE TOP 10%.

IT DOESN'T WORK AND LABELS WILL BACK OUT EVENTUALLY.

Sorry for shouting but this streaming music bs really fucks me off. It removes income from an already starved artist finances and gives it all to the top 10% record companies. Small guys and indies get next to nothing.

[Kaneda]

Your PS3 died or your HD died? If your PS3 you still can get the content of your HD..

[Majors]

Dont think there is a way unless he gets his ps3 fixed.. Put the drive in another ps3 and itll format it, put the drive in a PC and it cant read the contents.

[rdgneoz3]

@Majors Not true about putting it in another system. My old PS3 died and I got a new one. I can pop the old HD with all the PS+ and other games on it into the new system, and play it fine without it reformatting it.

But sadly as you sad, a PC can't read it at all.

[3-4-5]

not sure if you could on PS3 but on Xbox 360 I loved loading my own music onto the HD. That way, when a game has a terrible soundtrack, I can listen to my own music.

I would hope Sony would allow people to at least upload their own music via USB or something.

[hazardman]

No PS3 does not have that feature. Some games give you option tho.

[Good_Guy_Jamal]

Well of course almost anything can be spun into a positive if you try hard enough. I still buy cd's. Maybe I'm too old school but I like having the darn things

[I_LOVE_MYSELF]

Same here. When I want to show love for someone I am a big fan of I usually buy the physical CD. I just feel like I truly own what I payed for.

The same people who are saying "CD's are old school, nobody wants them, blahhh blahhh" are going to be complaining when digital distribution of their games becomes main priority.

[EbeneezerGoode]

I also love to own the CD of the bands I love. Something physical and tangible even if I choose to rip it to my iPod afterwards (obviously).

Even lossless downloads aren't so bad, but streaming without paying for it properly? it only pays the Lady Gaga's of this world (and who wants that?)

[rainslacker]

DD proponents like to ignore those like us that prefer physical copies of things. I still buy CD's, and it is my main source for music consumption.

Despite what they want to believe, physical consumption of media is still a huge part of all media industries, and there are more people than not that want to have physical products, either because it means ownership, or because they lack the resources to consume it in other manners, or because physical copies have more quality and content available.

DD has it's place, and I welcome it's place in the market, but what I don't like is being pushed towards services which eliminate my choice, particularly when they aren't up to par with the better choices that physical actually offers in quality and content.

Edit: This actual decision, if true, wouldn't bother me personally as I don't use my game machine to play CD's, but it still seems like it's unwarranted since I'm sure there are people that do.

To those saying they haven't brought a CD in ages, realize that you aren't the entire market, and no one should ever welcome features being stripped out, even if it doesn't affect them. You may not care about this decision, but that doesn't mean that you won't care about another one that comes along later. How would you feel if people told you the same thing when a valued feature to you was no longer available?

[riverstars86]

That's like saying, taking disc drives out of consoles is good for the game industry. Dumb article

[SwiffEpics]

That's not the same thing.

[Majors]

youre right its totally different

[The Meerkat]

Haven't bought a CD since the 90's.

Couldn't care less that the PS4 doesn't play them. Just like I couldn't care that my fridge doesn't play VHS and my microwave isn't compatible with a 12" LP.

[lovegames718]

Havent touched a Cd in ages. Like really what are you guys like 70? jking. Pulling a CD out now is like pulling out an 8 trac cartridge for music lol

[Rainstorm81]

When the PS4 releases most people won't even realize that it doesn't play CDs........the last time I used a cd was to put music on my Xbox 360 since I can't transfer music via USB flash drive

[Fluke_Skywalker]

I don't think I have ever put a music CD in my Ps3, come to think of it I don't ever remember putting a music CD in my PS2 either, Ive always had a cd player for that!
Seriously though anyone who tries to use this as some big negative on the PS4 is an idiot.

[kreate]

Who buy cd these days? I just download what I want to hear and transfer it to ps3.

This is another one of those "features" no one will ever use but ppl will be all dramatic about.

I never even used a cd in a ps1.

[r21]

Havent ever used a CD since probably 2000 something. Wont affect me from buying a PS4. I just want to play games and try out all those neat features packed in :D

[TechnicianTed]

'I never even used a cd in a ps1. '

I did, when I played Vib-Ribbon.

[Fluke_Skywalker]

You missed out then, there was some really awesome visuals when you put a music CD in the PS1. Cajt remember what it was called but some program came on the demo disc you got with it put some mad visuals on the screen :)

[kreate]

I still have a ps1. But I dont have any demo disc to see those visuals. I hav to look thru my garage for music cds which I dont feel like doing.

[Mookie]

I brought kendrick Lamar's album and played it on my ps3

[Ck1x]

Kendrick Lamar's album is fire by the way!
People are sleeping on him hard... Ever since I heard him on Bboyz I just knew its a matter of time before he blows up

[Tundra]

Rip the CD onto a PC/Mac and transfer it to the PS4. Problem solved.

[etownone]

No biggie....

I mean, I'm sure it's relatively cheap to include it, but.... With digital downloads, streaming, and Music aps. Cds will go away same route as tapes and vhs.

[black911]

I'm old School. I cant stand todays music.

[nevin1]

Kind of odd it doesn't though.

[abzdine]

i havent used CDs for a while!
i'm also thinking of subscribing to Music Unlimited. i've heard good things about it and i can have it on the go as well on my phone.

[Soldierone]

I buy CD's and keep them as backups. I've had my entire digital collection wiped before and it sucked. All my digital purchases were a pain to get back due to DRM crap. (You bet "pirates" helped there)

Amazon has made life much easier, but I still prefer physical discs. If anything I'll buy the CD, keep it closed to collect it, then go download the songs. Or is that still considered stealing?

I normally buy direct from the artist if I'm capable.

[Majors]

No its not stealing as you own the CD.
But have you noticed your early CD's that turn brown and flake rendering them useless. I have lost a good chunk of my collection due to this and im pleased Ive ripped each and every one of them to mp3.

[Soldierone]

I've never had that happen to me lol

I have CD's from the 80's (my parents gave them to me) and they all work perfectly fine still lol I don't think I've ever seen that.

[Hicken]

So instead of exploring whether or not it's true- and it doesn't make any sense, technologically, for it to be true- they work on the assumption that it IS true, and then explain why it's not a problem.

First of all, it WOULD BE a problem: it would mean CDs and thus PS1 games were not playable on PS4. I can't really see this. Why?

Because, as previously stated, it doesn't make sense from a technological standpoint. The PS4 plays Blu Rays> it plays DVDs> it plays CDs. My PS3 is a one-lens setup, and that one lens does it all; for the PS4 to NOT play CDs, they'd have to DESIGN it that way.

That would be stupid, extra work to do.

Just... stop.

Edit: The example you give isn't a parallel. They would "consider" it because it's something that would actually COST them money to implement; CD playback would cost NOTHING.

Sony coming out and saying they're about the gamers kinda tells me they're not likely to do something like remove CD playback. Yes, they can offer games digitally, but we all know they'll probably not have ALL of the thousands of games from PS1 and PS2. There are already games that, for whatever reasons, aren't available on PSN BEYOND them not getting around to it.

Yes, Sony is out to get money like everybody else. But they don't necessarily DO IT like everybody else does or would.

In any case, we'll find out soon enough whether this is true or false.

[maniacmayhem]

Why?

It makes sense from a business standpoint. Dropping ps1/ps2 support and offering the games through a paid service like Gaikai will make Sony money. Imagine all the back catalog of games that a user could buy instead of having BC or emulation.

I remember an earlier article where a Sony boss said they are considering having PS3 PSN game support transferred over to ps4. Why "consider"...busines s and money that is why.

[rainslacker]

The laser itself could be attuned to not play CD's. While it uses the same laser diode of DVD, the actual wavelength is different, which means they could not support CD's as a cost reducing measure. I doubt highly though that the cost is high enough to make a difference on the bottom line. I looked at OEM laser assemblies a while back, and most companies retail cost between a CD only and DVD/CD only laser was averaged 3 cents for 1 unit.

If it doesn't support CD's, then it means it's a software thing, which doesn't make sense, because there is no real reason to cut it out. Could be for PS1/some PS2 emulation, but that is also software so the two aren't directly connected.

This particular decision doesn't bother me personally as I don't play CD's in my game system, but it just doesn't make sense when every PS system to date has been a media machine that offered any current tech available at the time of it's release(outside some lesser known formats).

For the time being I'm chalking it up as a rumor or misunderstanding, something that could have been alleviated if journalist did their job and verified what they report instead of trying to get immediate hits.

I personally wouldn't worry too much about this rumor. We've seen it before where a rumor comes out, then we get a plethora of articles that say why it's good, then another plethora saying why it doesn't matter, then another plethora saying why it will doom the system. Then one article that says it's not true, and then the ones that say that since it's not true it's a bad decision, then the ones that say why it's a good decision, and then we all forget about it.

[maniacmayhem]

"But they don't necessarily DO IT like everybody else does or would."

Oh Hicken, I'm afraid Sony DOES do it like everyone else in the world. Emulations are easy, common and cheap to make or purchase on PC's that can run PS1 and PS2 games. They could easily put one in their PS4 architecture. Especially now that it's guts are closer to a PC more than ever.

"There are already games that, for whatever reasons, aren't available on PSN BEYOND them not getting around to it."

You don't release all your best games in one sitting and especially when you know PS4 is right around the corner. You save your gems for holidays, promotions when sales dip or sag. No, they won't release all their titles but eventually in years to come most if not all will be available.

And yes, eventually we will find out the truth. Either way makes none to me since I havn't inserted a ps1 or a music CD in my ps3 since I got it. I own a copy of Jumping Flash.

[dcbronco]

I think it could be a good thing if they plan to offer uncompressed versions of music(DRM free) for sale on their services. Apple was working on a vinyl quality audio format. Maybe Sony has come up with something.

[StreetsofRage]

Wow. What a stupid article.

I still buy cds and will continue too until iTunes and all those other mp3 services start selling lossless. I refuse to buy 256kps tracks at a premium price. The whole mp3 market has been suckering millions of people. The biggest scam of our era.

[NateCole]

Had the PS3 since 2007. not once i used a CD in it. If i want music on it i just plug my external HD and access my 80,000 music collection.

Not a big deal for me at all and most PS fans. It's obviously big to x360 fans that will never buy a PS console though as it seems.