PlayStation is getting rid of physical games, and that much has been confirmed. Starting in January 2028, PlayStation will stop distributing all physical discs and all future PS5 and PS5 games will only be released in digital versions.
Windows Central then reported that Xbox would probably follow suit, claiming that the company's next console (Project Helix) would not include a disc drive and would be an all-digital system. For many, this essentially signals the end of physical video games, with only Nintendo offering cartridges for some of their games.
This news is understandably making many people worried about what will happen to physical libraries. If the next generation of consoles are all digital, does that mean the current library no longer exists and is useless? Do I need to keep my existing system to play games I already purchased? What about backwards compatibility?
Xbox is reportedly developing disc-to-digital capabilities.
We don't have the answers to these questions yet, and probably won't until PlayStation and Xbox get ready to sell us on their next-gen consoles in 2028. But a new report has claimed something rather promising, at least on the Xbox side.
According to The Verge's sources, Xbox is reportedly testing a disc-to-digital feature that would allow users to fully digitize their physical collections. To get a digital copy of a game, simply insert the physical copy into your system and then install the game. This grants you digital rights and links the game to your account for as long as you own the disc.
Do you still think digital media is the future? PlayStation removes 500 movies from customer accounts
If you've purchased one of the more than 500 movies from StudioCanal on PlayStation, you'll soon lose access to them without compensation.
If you rent or sell a disc to a friend, you lose your digital rights. It is claimed that this system will only work with Xbox One and Xbox Series
If the reports are true and Project Helix is set to launch without a disc drive, setting up a system like this on the Xbox Series That said, it's currently being tested internally and nothing has been confirmed yet, so we'll have to wait and see what this feature looks like or if it actually happens.
- brand
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microsoft
- original release date
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November 10, 2020
- Original MSRP (USD)
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$499
- operating system
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Proprietary (Windows-based)
- processor
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Custom AMD 8-core Zen 2 3.8GHz
- solve
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720p – 4K UHD
