- Xbox is reportedly working on a disc-to-digital feature for existing consoles called “Positron”
- The feature will allow Xbox users to insert a disc and convert their game to digital format
- A separate report also claims that Project Helix will not have a disk drive.
Like PlayStation, it appears Xbox is moving away from physical games as new reports claim Microsoft is testing disc-to-digital functionality for existing consoles and could launch a next-gen Project Helix console without a disc drive.
According to The Verge, sources close to Microsoft’s plans say the company is currently working on a way for Xbox users to digitize their existing physical game library following a reference to “enable Disc2Digital” found in Xbox PC app code in May.
The new feature, called “Positron,” would only work with Xbox One and Xbox Series X discs, not the Xbox 360 or original Xbox consoles. However, some Xbox One discs may not work with this new feature.
“It all depends on how and when the disc was made and it may not have the features we need for this program,” Microsoft told its internal Xbox testers.
To convert a physical game to a digital game, it is said that users will only need to insert a compatible disc, install and play the game. A Microsoft account on an Xbox console will grant a digital entitlement for physical games, which are tied to a specific disc and can be moved between accounts if users swap the physical game with a friend or log in to a different profile and try to play a disc-based game.
The feature will also work for physical games bundled with a console and multi-disc titles. Players can still use the discs after converting them, but they will lose their digital rights if they lend or sell the disc to someone else.
More information will arrive in the coming months, so it seems like this is a feature that could be planned ahead of the next-gen Xbox console, Project Helix.
Speaking of which, it looks like Microsoft is going all-in on the digital market by launching Project Helix without a disc drive, according to sources at Windows Central.
No further details were provided, but it looks like new details about the console will be revealed later this year.
The Xbox reports came after Sony announced that no new PlayStation games would be released on physical disc starting in January 2028.
The company shared a post saying the move is “a natural direction for Sony Interactive Entertainment to adapt to consumer trends as the general preference for digital media far exceeds physical discs,” and “will allow us to more closely align with how most of our community prefer to access and play games today.”
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