r/PhysicalGamesForever

Hi everyone, Chris here.

We all know where things are heading: boxes with nothing but a download code inside, consoles without a disc drive, games vanishing from digital stores overnight, libraries tied to an account you don't really control... The best answer I've found is simple: keep buying physical, and keep the copies that already exist in circulation.

That's why I built Mesodrome. I'm a solo developer from Italy, and it's a search engine for physical video games, consoles and retro stuff across Europe.

You type a game (or console/case/manual), pick your country, and it compares listings from European marketplaces in one place: Vinted, Wallapop, Leboncoin, Subito, Kleinanzeigen, Blocket, OLX, Rebuy and Medimops (plus eBay, all optional). These are the sources available for now because of traffic limits. Prices already include approximate shipping to your country, so you see what you'd actually pay.

(Pro Tip: filter by your own country, it gives you more accurate local marketplaces and deals.)

Second-hand games in Europe are scattered across a dozen national platforms, each in its own language. Every copy sitting unseen on a site in another country is a copy that might end up in a drawer, or in the bin, instead of on someone's shelf. I wanted one place that treats Europe as a single market for the stuff we actually own.

It's free, no account needed, no ads, no corporate BS. (If you want to help with server and proxy costs there's a donation option, but it's completely optional.)

It's brand new and still in testing, so honest feedback is real gold: missing marketplaces, countries you'd like added, wrong results, anything that feels off etc... There's also a small flag next to each listing you can use to report anything that looks wrong.

A disc on your shelf doesn't need a server to keep working. Let's keep it that way. Let's all Preserve physical media forever!

Abstract. In July 2026, Sony announced it will stop producing physical discs for new PlayStation games from January 2028. Together with the “licensed, not sold” terms of digital stores, this raises a question about what it means to own a game. We are studying how players perceive these changes: their buying habits, their sense of ownership, their trust in platform holders, and whether they would consider other platforms.

Who we are. Two undergraduate students at Universidad Externado de Colombia (Bogotá), for a course assignment on analyzing current events.

About the survey. About 5 minutes, English or Spanish, anonymous (we collect no names or emails), 18+ only. No compensation is offered. Results will be used in an academic assignment and reported in aggregate, and we are happy to share them in this thread afterwards.

Discussion points (feel free to answer here even if you skip the survey):

1. Does the end of physical discs change what “owning” a game means to you?
2. How much do used games and resale matter to how you buy and play?
3. Who should be responsible for keeping old games playable: companies, the law, or archives?
4. Would this affect which platform you choose next?

Our working hypotheses (hidden so as not to lead your answers): >!We expect most players to feel they don’t fully own their digital games, and that this perception is stronger among people who buy used games.!<

Survey link: Encuesta académica: el fin de los discos de PlayStation y las licencias digitales: Rellenar formulario

Let me know your thoughts and do you have this variant or any other Favoritos....

Companies shouldn’t be allowed to use the word “buy” if you don’t actually own what you’re paying for.

Like Sony said themselves, “reasonable people know” that when they buy something on the PlayStation Store, they don’t actually own it. I think that wording creates a lot of confusion.

That’s why I think Sony should make it clear before you buy anything on the PS Store that you don’t actually own the game. They could change the “BUY” button to something like “Acquire a digital license” or “Rent.”

That way, everyone knows exactly what they’re getting and there’s no confusion about ownership.

/s?