Microsoft tests Xbox tool to convert game discs into digital rights
The Xbox feature would let owners attach compatible physical games to a Microsoft account while keeping the disc as the key.
By Hana Yoshida · Markets Reporter
2 min read
Microsoft is testing an Xbox feature that would let players turn eligible physical game discs into digital entitlements, The Verge reported, citing people familiar with the company’s plans. The work points to how Xbox could support existing disc libraries if the console business keeps shifting away from physical media.
According to The Verge’s Tom Warren, Xbox employees recently began trying the disc-to-digital system. The report said signs of the project surfaced in May, when references to “enable Disc2Digital” appeared in code for the Xbox PC app.
The feature is designed for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S discs, according to The Verge. Warren reported that discs made for the Xbox 360 and the original Xbox would not be supported.
How the test feature works
The process described by The Verge starts with a compatible disc. A player would insert the disc into an Xbox console, install the game and play it while signed in with a Microsoft account.
That step would create a digital entitlement for the physical game, according to the report. The entitlement would be connected to the specific disc rather than locked permanently to one user.
The Verge reported that this means the right to play would follow the disc if it changes hands. If someone lends the game to a friend, or signs in with another Xbox profile and tries to play from that disc, the digital entitlement would move with it.
Warren described the entitlement as similar to owning a title purchased from Microsoft’s digital store. The report also said that if the game is available through Xbox Cloud Gaming, a player with a Game Pass subscription would be able to stream it.
Why Microsoft is testing it now
The Verge reported that Microsoft is expected to follow Sony in ending production of physical game discs. Sony is also moving away from physical PlayStation discs, according to The Verge’s related reporting.
A disc-to-digital option could give Microsoft a way to keep physical Xbox collections usable while reducing reliance on newly manufactured discs. The system described by The Verge would still require the disc, which appears to serve as proof that the player has access to the game.
Microsoft has not announced the feature publicly in the details reported by The Verge. The report does not give a release date, name supported games beyond the eligible console generations, or say whether the test will become available to all Xbox owners.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.