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Microsoft has officially announced a feature that owners of physical Xbox games have been waiting for for a long time. The new solution will allow supported disc-based games to be converted into digital entitlements tied to the player’s account. Just insert the disc into an Xbox One or Xbox Series X console and launch the game on it. After obtaining the digital entitlement, the user will gain access to the features available for digital versions. Importantly, Microsoft assures that the disc itself will still work as before. However, the feature could also accelerate the industry’s shift toward digital distribution.
How disc-to-digital works on Xbox
The new feature will initially support thousands of games, and Microsoft plans to add more titles over time. According to Jason Ronald, Xbox's vice president responsible for the next generation, most disc-based games on Xbox One and Xbox Series X will be compatible with the solution. The process is simple. A player inserts a supported disc into an Xbox One or Xbox Series X, launches the game, and can then redeem the digital entitlement. That way, if a title supports the relevant features, the user can take advantage of Xbox Play Anywhere and Xbox Cloud Gaming. Microsoft also stresses that the physical disc will still work. However, there is one important condition: you have to keep it.
Discs still work, but there's one catch
If a player sells their disc and the new owner redeems it to obtain the digital version, the previous owner will automatically lose access to their digital copy. That means the physical medium still plays an important role in the overall system. Microsoft also notes that physical games will not require an internet connection to verify the disc. The company presents the new solution as part of a broader plan to protect and preserve games for the future. The disc-to-digital feature will debut on August 31 for participants in the Xbox beta program, and will later be made available to all players. For now, the solution requires a console with a physical drive and, of course, the appropriate game disc. At the same time Microsoft describes the digital entitlement as a "revocable digital license" and notes that additional terms will apply. The company has not announced any plans to stop releasing games on discs.
However, the new feature arrives at a very interesting time. Sony earlier announced that starting in January 2028, new PlayStation games will no longer be released on physical media. Xbox is going the other way, allowing disc owners to obtain digital entitlements, although the solution could paradoxically drive even more gamers to Microsoft's digital stores and services.
Source: FlatpanelsHD
