Xbox is testing a disc-to-digital feature that digitizes a physical game collection

Microsoft will likely soon Follow Sony And stop producing physical discs for Xbox games. But rather than leaving physical discs behind entirely, sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans tell me that the company is quietly working on a disc-to-digital feature that will allow Xbox owners to digitize their existing physical game collections.

Xbox staff recently began testing this new feature, after references to “Enable Disc2Digital” appeared in Xbox PC app code in May. I’ve been told that Microsoft’s disc-to-digital conversion feature will only work on Xbox One and Xbox Series

A digital copy of the game is obtained by simply inserting a compatible disc, installing the game and running it. This will require a Microsoft account on the Xbox console and will grant digital entitlement to the physical games. This digital entitlement is tied to the specific disc, and will transfer from account to account if you switch the physical game with a friend or sign in to a different Xbox profile and try to play a disc-based game.

Digital entitlement to a physical Xbox game is similar to purchasing the title from the Microsoft digital store. If the game is available on Xbox Cloud Gaming and you have a Game Pass subscription, you’ll be able to stream it. If it’s Xbox Play Anywhere, you’ll also be able to access it on PC and mobile devices.

Xbox’s disc-to-digital conversion feature will also work with discs that came with a console and multi-disc titles, providing access to everything the disc normally offers, including downloadable content. However, some Xbox One discs may not work with this new feature. “It all depends on how and when the disc was manufactured and may not have the features we need for this software,” Microsoft warns internal Xbox testers.

Discs will still work after they’re digitized, and you won’t lose your digital rights unless you loan the disc to a friend or sell the disc to someone else. Microsoft is currently testing this new feature internally, and I expect we’ll hear more about it in the coming months.

I know Microsoft hasn’t fully finalized whether the next-gen Xbox, codenamed Project Helix, will ship with a built-in disc drive, but if Helix is ​​disc-free, the feature could be a must-have for current Xbox owners who want to digitize their game collections in time for future Xbox consoles.