Xbox is planning to roll out a disc-to-digital program to general users this month, according to internal documents viewed by The Verge.
The publication, which first reported on the existence of this feature, outlined Xbox’s roadmap for new backwards compatibility-related features. In it, The Verge reports, is mention of “general availability” for the long-rumoured disc-to-digital program.
With this functionality, Xbox users would be able to insert a physical game into their Xbox Series X or Xbox One disc to receive a digital licence for that game. Because this would be tied to your Xbox account, you’d then be able to take that title across all supported platforms, from the disc-less Xbox Series S to regular PCs and even handheld gaming PCs like the ROG Xbox Ally and Ally X. In the roadmap, Xbox says it would handle all of the engineering work, with companies only having to opt in and set commercial terms. (It should be noted Xbox recently laid off the lead architect of backwards compatibility as part of its wider layoffs of thousands.)
The roadmap also mentions that Xbox is planning a full launch in October for backwards-compatible original Xbox games on PC following the rollout of four titles last month. This would culminate in Xbox 360 games being backwards compatible across next-gen Xbox consoles between 2027 and 2028. (A release window for Xbox’s next system, the PC-like Project Helix, hasn’t been confirmed, although AMD had previously suggested it would come in 2027.)
Clearly, all of this is Xbox laying the groundwork for an all-digital future. With the majority of game sales now being digital, we’ve already seen PlayStation double down on plans to end physical games production in 2028. This is despite the fact that there are many reasons why the lack of physical media is damaging to the future of the industry, from a preservation standpoint to eliminating more affordable options like used sales and borrowing from friends or even libraries.
While PlayStation’s digital push has proven controversial, Xbox has been facing its own scrutiny in recent months. In particular, the company has come under fire for the aforementioned layoffs that are part of a big “reset” that’s gutting the brand, all while it continues to invest many billions in AI slop. Further, there have been mounting calls to boycott Xbox amid Microsoft’s dealings with the Israeli military.
Image credit: Xbox
Source: The Verge
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