Sony is exiting the physical disc business, raising concerns about the future of Blu-ray as a format. The company officially discontinued its last 4K Blu-ray player, the UBP-X700/K, in Japan on Oct 22, 2026. This player, released in spring 2025, was Sony's final standalone UHD player on the market. While still available from some retailers outside Japan, the discontinuation follows Sony's broader shift away from physical media.
The PS5, equipped with a disc drive, is now Sony's only UHD Blu-ray player in Japan. However, it lacks Dolby Vision support for 4K movies, making it less capable than the discontinued UBP-X700K. Sony also confirmed in July that physical PS5 game disc production will halt beginning January 2028, with new releases available only digitally.
With LG stopping Blu-ray player production in December 2024 and Samsung exiting the market in 2019, Panasonic remains one of the few major manufacturers still supporting the format. The trend suggests a challenging future for UHD discs, leaving many to wonder if the PS6 will even include a disc drive.
Source: Engadget · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing