On the same day that Sony declared the physical game collection dead, it appears that Microsoft is working on some kind of disc-to-digital program to help people transition to digital copies. As reported by The Verge, this is allegedly in the testing phase and will be limited to Xbox One and Series X games, but will “digitize” discs so that users can play digital copies of games they currently own.
The outlet writes that it will work by having users insert a disc into their consoles and then installing the game in full. Users will need to have a Microsoft account and Xbox console (obviously), but it will grant a digital copy to that account which no longer requires the disc. If you lend the disc to your friend and they ‘digitize’ it, however, then you will lose access to your digital copy. You can rescan discs, it appears, as the process is not a one and done deal.
In a nice move, the feature is stated to work with console bundled discs and multi-disc titles, granting users access to DLC add-ons and full installations without disc swapping. A Microsoft employee told The Verge that some Xbox One discs may not work as, “It all depends on how and when the disc was manufactured, and it may not have the features we need for this program.”
This sounds awfully similar to the system Microsoft proposed for the original Xbox One. Initially, games were set to become entirely digital with physical versions acting more like CD keys. Games would install from the disc, but grant users a license to play a digital copy. You couldn’t resell those discs, however, as they were a one-time activation. This system, conversely, allows you to retain some options for ownership, even if it’s not much.
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Written by Peter Glagowski
Peter has been a freelance gaming and film critic for over seven years. His passion for Nintendo is only matched by the size of his collection.
