Recently, the Sony LX3 vinyl record player caused a public relations crisis on social media. This was originally just an ordinary product promotion - Sony released an advertisement for home electronic products on the platform, but the copywriting chosen by its marketing team collided with the current public opinion environment full of gunpowder, instantly igniting the anger of players.
Sony Electronics' official account posted the following: "Together with the LX3 vinyl record player, rediscover the warmth, detail and ritual of vinyl records. Put down the needle, press the play button, and enjoy music the way it should be." At any time, there is nothing wrong with this sentence in itself; but for Sony at the moment, it is tantamount to stabbing itself in the head.
The source of the anger has clear time and space coordinates: Sony announced earlier that it will stop producing PlayStation physical game discs starting from January 2028. The decision sparked a sustained and fierce criticism among the gamer community, so much so that almost every post on Sony's official social accounts - even if it was completely unrelated - ended up being inundated with angry comments.
While praising "the correct way to open a physical medium", while personally ending the life of another physical medium - this contradiction will never be let go by the Internet. The tweet was quickly flooded with thousands of comments calling out the hypocrisy in it. PlayStation fans have asked: If vinyl records are worth preserving in the form of physical media, why should game discs be eliminated?
The irony of this incident just raises a question that is really worth thinking about: What is the fate of physical media in the gaming industry? Vinyl records have been declared dead many times over the past few decades, but they have not only survived, but have found a loyal following of collectors, becoming a highly sought-after collectible. PlayStation game discs may follow a similar path - becoming a market segment with nostalgic appeal for collectors.
In any case, what Sony gained from this LX3 promotion was the negative public sentiment ignited by itself - and this fire seems to be burning for a long time.