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Physical Media

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RPCS3 emulator adds direct disc-drive support for PS3 games on PC

The RPCS3 development team announced that its open-source PlayStation 3 emulator can now run games straight from physical Blu-ray discs, provided users have a compatible internal or external drive from an extensive supported-hardware list. The update also brings faster installation times for package installs from disc and extends support beyond Windows to Linux, FreeBSD and macOS, including PS4 and PS5 consoles running Linux.

RIAA data shows CD and vinyl revenue up sharply in first half of 2026

The RIAA reported that US recorded music revenue rose 6.9% in H1 2026 versus H1 2025, with physical formats up 25.9%—vinyl grew 17.7% and CDs jumped 58.6%. Streaming still dominates overall revenue at $4.9 billion, but the outsized physical growth stands out amid rising anger over digital ownership issues.

RIAA data shows CD sales jumped 45.7% in first half of 2026

The RIAA reported that 17.5 million CDs were sold in the US during the first six months of 2026, up from 12 million a year earlier, generating $171.1 million in revenue. Vinyl sales also grew nearly 21 percent to 26.5 million units, while other physical formats like cassettes and DVDs rose over 73 percent to 1.6 million units. Streaming still dominates overall, growing 4.7 percent to $4.9 billion in revenue, far outpacing physical formats combined.