Microsoft is reportedly planning to launch a way to digitise your physical Xbox games collection, as the era of disc-based games appears to be coming to an unceremonious end.
The Verge reports Xbox employees have begun testing the new feature, which would make it more convenient to preserve the physical games in forthcoming era where games consoles will not carry discs at all. Indeed, it seems this is more evidence that the next-generation Project Helix console will be digital only too. Windows Central‘s sources claim the disc drive is going the way of the dodo.
Today’s report from The Verge comes after the line of code reading “enable Disc2Digital” was spotted in the Xbox PC app back in May. Now Tom Warren’s sources say the feature is planned for Xbox One and Xbox Series X discs, but not for the Xbox 360 and original Xbox discs. According to the sources, the owner of the disc gains a digital license for the game, which will then be playable on a machine minus the disc. However, there’s a caveat. If the gamer then lends the disc to a pal or seeks to sell it, then the digital license will then transfer to a different player.
The Verge’s report suggests this is potentially a way for gamers to prepare for the new order where there are no consoles with discs drives.
It comes on a black day for fans of physical media, with Sony announcing it will cease the production of game discs from 2028. That too, is surely preparing for a PS6 without a physical drive.
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