As Sony kills physical games, former PlayStation execs recreate now-infamous PS4 game-sharing tutorial, but whoops, there's no disc now
Covered by 3 sources · 3 articles
Sony's pivot toward all-digital gaming has given new weight to a 2013 video that once mocked Microsoft's DRM ambitions. Back then, PlayStation executives Shuhei Yoshida and Adam Boyes released a cheeky tutorial demonstrating how easily PS4 owners could share physical games - a stark contrast to Xbox One's restrictive online requirements. The clip became a defining moment in that generation's console war, spotlighting PlayStation's consumer-friendly stance. Today, with Sony phasing out physical releases, that same video reads as an ironic relic - a reminder of promises the company has since abandoned as the industry gravitates toward digital-only distribution.
- A 2013 PlayStation exec video mocking Xbox One's DRM now ironically highlights Sony's own shift away from physical media and game ownership freedoms.
- The tutorial, featuring Yoshida and Boyes, was a cultural win for PlayStation's messaging at the time, but its premise no longer applies to current PlayStation strategy.
- The contrast underscores how industry attitudes toward ownership and sharing have fundamentally changed over a single console generation.
The video's resurfacing exposes how quickly corporate positions on player rights can reverse once market conditions favor a different business model.
All coverage
Pushsquare
1h ago
Former Sony Suits Recreate Infamous PS4 Game Sharing Skit, Only without the Disc
Hits different these days. Back in 2013, then-PlayStation executives Shuhei Yoshida and Adam Boyes made history with a silly little video that made a mockery of Xbox One's much-maligned DRM plans. 13 years later, a lot has changed , and the…
GamesRadar+
2h ago
As Sony kills physical games, former PlayStation execs recreate now-infamous PS4 game-sharing tutorial, but whoops, there's no disc now
Now-infamous "PlayStation Used Game Instructional Video" hits different today
IGN
3h ago
Former PlayStation Execs Recreate Iconic Disc-Sharing Xbox Diss — Without the Physical Games This Time
Former PlayStation executives Shuhei Yoshida and Adam Boyes have recreated their iconic game-sharing instructional video as Sony helps the industry barrel toward a discless future.