I bang on the drum of a specific topic so frequently, it sounds like a Saturday morning in a sectarian part of Scotland. I hate digital sales for a simple reason: You don’t really own the content, and it could vanish tomorrow. It could also be that I am an old man. I say this as a man that is running out of space, buys more games frequently, and doesn’t have intentions of stopping anytime soon. That being said, as an old man who hates everyone, I also hate going to stores for these physical games.

Now it seems Sony wants to solve a problem that seemingly only I have. Omitting it from their State of Play earlier this week, Sony has launched a whole new online storefront where you can purchase physical games and hardware from Sony directly. With that, it is only select PlayStation titles, PS4 hardware and peripherals, and things like a PlayStation Plus membership. Ok, it is a starting point I guess. I don’t need 160 dollar wireless headphones, but then again no one does.

The storefront was announced yesterday morning, with Sony stating that other than buying from them directly: “[but is] also intended to help gift-givers easily find the right product for their friends or family.” A strange way of giving a gift, in my opinion, as I assume you don’t usually buy someone else a PS4 Pro. Though the storefront does offer free one-day shipping to those with PS Plus, it is hardly a selling point given how little one would buy from the store.

The storefront also explains Sony consolidating their sale of PS4 download codes for themselves, which they stopped selling through retail partnerships in April. Though, that raises its own questions for sure. We won’t know until someone gets their first game delivery from Sony, but does this mean you will receive a box with a code in it? A stupid thought, but one that could make sense if Sony were to continue using their download codes. Alternatively, they may have stopped producing those for less malevolent business reasons.

Many of the select titles on the storefront right now are Sony exclusives and PSVR titles. Some PlayStation hits are included, such as the fantastic Bloodborne, Ratchet and Clank, and Marvel’s Spider-Man. However, there are two notable standouts to the single page: the “Quantic Dream Collection,”(you couldn’t pay me to play that) and the PS4 edition of Minecraft.

The storefront referenced as Direct.PlayStation.com, is currently a US exclusive store right now, one would assume with an idea to roll out worldwide for the looming PS5 release. With the launch, there is a limited-time promotion on the PS4 and the PS4 Pro with a 12-month subscription to PS Plus bundled in. The Standard edition PS4 is $339.99 (normally $359.98) and the Pro edition is $429.99 (normally $459.98).

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