Xbox's Disc-to-Digital Program Launches for Insiders on Aug. 31
UPDATE 8/28: Microsoft has confirmed it will be rolling out a feature that allows players to digitize their game discs.
The company says Xbox Insiders will begin seeing the feature on Aug. 31. They can insert a supported disc into an Xbox One or Xbox Series X console and claim a digital entitlement for the game. The entitlement can also be used to access the game on devices that support Xbox Play Anywhere and Xbox Cloud Gaming, while the physical disc remains functional.
Thousands of games will be supported at launch, with more to be added later. The company said the move is part of its "commitment to game preservation" and to give gamers more "flexibility in how they access and play supported games across the Xbox ecosystem."
Original Story (08/04):Microsoft may quietly be laying the foundation for an all-digital future for Xbox games. A leaked document has revealed that the company is planning to launch a disc-to-digital program this month to help gamers digitize their physical Xbox games.
The program will reportedly let users insert a disc into an Xbox console and receive a digital license for the game via their Xbox account. Players can then launch the game on any Xbox device, but will lose the license if their physical disc is used by someone with a different Xbox account. The disc will continue to function.
A beta test was supposed to roll out last month, and general availability for Xbox One and Xbox Series X users is expected this month, The Verge reported on Monday, citing a document Microsoft sent to game developers. Since the beta was delayed, it's unclear if the August timeline will hold for Xbox One and Series X users, the report adds.
The leaked roadmap also included several other major updates for the future of Xbox games, including a "full PC launch" of all original Xbox titles in October, following the announcement of the first four games just last month.
The leaked roadmap additionally shows that all Xbox 360 games would gradually roll out to next-gen Xbox devices, including the Project Helix console, Xbox PCs, and handheld devices, by 2027 or 2028. All of this could be part of the "reset" new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma announced in July.
The report arrives just weeks after Sony announced plans to completely shut down its physical disc business by 2028. The all-digital future wasn't well-received by the gaming community, but Sony has said it will proceed cautiously with its decision.
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