We seem to have quite the reversal of the eighth console generation happening. Back then, Xbox overstepped with the digital DRM of the Xbox One, giving away the generation – and the next one – to PlayStation. But now Sony Interactive Entertainment has announced that it’s ending game discs come 2028. Contrasting this is something that a recent report has brought to light – Microsoft’s videogames division is currently testing tech that’s loosely designated as Disc2Digital. It looks like the idea with the tech is turning game discs into something akin to Game-Key Cards for the Nintendo Switch 2.

According to the report by The Verge, Xbox has been working on the disc-to-digital feature as a measure to let Xbox owners digitise their physical game library. That being said, the tech will be limited to games of the Xbox One and Series X era, not the first two generations. And even then, it won’t work with every Xbox One disc. The report cites Microsoft telling internal testers “it all depends on how and when the disc was manufactured and it may not have the features we need for this program”.

As mentioned, the idea is similar to the Game-Key cards, but with one exception. Per the report’s description, putting a disc into an Xbox console with your Microsoft account signed in will tie that disc to said account. From then on, as long as you’re logged into that console, you can play the game as if it was a digital title from Microsoft’s digital store. You don’t even need the disc in the console at this point, until it gets inserted into another Xbox with someone else’s account.

For context, the Nintendo Switch 2 requires the Game-Key Card to be in the console at all times while its game is being played. But on the flip side, this still allows the disc to be sold second-hand, just like a Game-Key Card. The disc will then tie its game to the new owner’s console and account. It’s not ideal though, since just like with the Nintendo solution, you’re still bummed out of luck if you don’t have internet access.

All that being said, it’s still unclear for now if Project Helix will be released with a disc drive, considering what PlayStation announced and what implications it has for the PS6. But even if it ends up not having a disc drive, Xbox Series X owners can still digitise their libraries in preparation, though it will be rough to add back to their libraries games that they’ve sold off and bought back at a later time. It’s also interesting to see an analogue of the Game-Key Cards, previously disliked near-universally, looking like a positive alternative to the complete discless future that is post-2028 PlayStation.

(Source: The Verge)