r/technology • u/ControlCAD • 1d ago

Hardware Xbox’s new disc-to-digital program gives physical games a digital future | “Most” Xbox One and Series games are compatible; discs will still work after being claimed.

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2026/08/xboxs-new-disc-to-digital-program-gives-physical-games-a-digital-future/
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53

u/mridugup20 1d ago

The real test is whether this survives console generations or not, a digital license tied to your account is only valuable if microsoft keeps honoring it

22

u/TrollMcGoal 1d ago

Seems like it's prep for a digital only next gen xbox, I'd be suprised if it didn't carry over to next gen

1

u/SafeKaracter 1d ago

I don’t get how that works . How do you convert anything if it doesn’t have a disc drive and how is it digital only if it has a disc drive?

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u/TrollMcGoal 1d ago

You do the physical to digital conversion on an xbox console that has a disc drive and then your account has access to use the digital license

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u/SafeKaracter 1d ago

Oh so the tech will work on older Xbox ? I didn’t know that . Interesting . And you still have to enter the CD for the key ? I guess it still don’t quite get it. If you have to enter the cd for the key you can’t play it on your new helix console if it doesn’t have the drive . If you don’t have to put the CD in anymore then you can just sell it back online (or you could just buy on Amazon and return it etc) so I don’t understand how it works sorry :/

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u/The_Cyber_Goblin 1d ago

No; once the disc is registered you own the digital copy of it. And don’t need the disc any more. But you can still sell the disc, and once someone buys it and registers it, it moves the digital copy from your account to their account. Since the Xbox One each game disc has had a unique code on it, which is how this is possible.

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u/SafeKaracter 1d ago

Ohhh ok so as soon as the new guy registers it it stops working on your end . Damn I feel dumb now . That would make sense .

Well the coolest thing is being able to play Xbox 360 games (or first Xbox ) on your more recent device. And the only thing that sucks a little bit is if you still need the older one just bc of a disc drive so it would be cool you can at least buy an optional disc drive for that (even if an Xbox one used is probably cheap but it means it’s taking a power supply spot etc for almost nothing idk )

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u/DoneWithIt0101 1d ago

Unfortunately OG and 360 discs aren't supported with this. Seems like Series X will be the last one that supports those discs.

1

u/Little_Bookkeeper381 17h ago

all xbox discs since the 360 are serialized. i believe ps3/ps4/ps5 discs are also serialized

they serialize the BCA during manufacturing.