Rumor mill: Hot on the heels of the historic announcement that Sony will cease printing physical PlayStation game discs in 2028, reports indicate that Microsoft might follow suit. However, the Xbox manufacturer is also rumored to be developing a method for accessing old discs in an all-digital future.
Sources recently provided The Verge with new details regarding Microsoft's previously leaked attempts to tie physical copies of Xbox games to digital entitlements. The rumor has reignited speculation over whether Microsoft will follow Sony's decision to stop selling physical games.
The feature, currently in testing, would allow users to register an Xbox One or Xbox Series X disc to a digital license on their Microsoft account after inserting it into a console. The disc remains functional and does not need to be inserted again unless someone inserts it into a console logged into a different account, which will transfer the license.
Additionally, the process enables any features normally tied to a digital Xbox game. If the game is available on Xbox Cloud Gaming, Game Pass subscribers can stream it from other devices, and Xbox Play Anywhere titles will enable access to the PC version. However, certain Xbox One discs might not work.
Clues about the program, codenamed Positron, initially emerged in May when code from the Xbox PC app mentioned the ability to "enable Discc2Digital." Furthermore, the feature resembles the digital entitlement scheme that Microsoft attempted to launch on the Xbox One.
The company initially planned to tie physical Xbox One discs to digital licenses, which would be accessible on any console the user was signed in to. However, users would need to verify their licenses with Microsoft's servers every 24 hours. Following sharp backlash, Microsoft backpedaled and scrapped the system before the console's 2013 launch, but many argue that Xbox never fully recovered from that controversy.
Whether Microsoft aims to revive the online DRM requirement remains unclear, but public reception to the strategy might change after the company's biggest rival stops supporting discs entirely. Although some sources indicate that Microsoft's next-generation console, codenamed Helix, will not include a disc-drive option, The Verge reports that the company has not yet finalized its decision. Abandoning optical media would make Nintendo the last console manufacturer to support physical media, and most Nintendo Switch 2 game cards already require digital downloads.
Sony's plan to end disc production in January 2028 strongly suggests that the PlayStation 6 will be a digital-only console. PlayStation 6 and Helix are expected to launch in late 2027 or 2028, but RAM shortages might push the launch prices of both machines beyond $1,000. Helix will support PC games and Xbox backward compatibility.