Xbox announces disc-to-digital feature that lets you digitise physical Xbox One and Series X games

UPDATE 11.25AM BST: Xbox CEO Asha Sharma shed a little more light on the feature in a BBC interview. The gaming chief said 1,000 titles will be initially supported across Xbox One and Series X. The interview also clarified the point about transfer of the digital license, confirming it does indeed move with the disc, allowing the next owner to take advantage of the same disc-to-digital feature.

Sharma, however, wouldn't say whether or not Xbox's next-gen console, Project Helix, will have a disc drive, though she hinted that it's going to support older titles.

"I know players love physical media, and I know there's a lot of benefits in digital media, and I want to make sure people have a choice," said Sharma. "We've long pioneered backwards compatibility and so you'll continue to see that as we go forward in the generations."

ORIGINAL STORY 11.03AM BST: Microsoft has announced a new Xbox feature that allows players' physical libraries to move forward with them across generations. In plain terms, the feature allows disc-based Xbox Series X and Xbox One games to be digitised, removing the need to insert a disc.

The Xbox disc-to-digital feature was revealed in a July report from The Verge, and this week's official announcement confirms much of what we learned then. The feature will be available for testing to Xbox Insiders starting 31st August.

"Today we are introducing a feature that brings the benefits of digital to physical discs, giving players more flexibility in how they access and play supported games across the Xbox ecosystem," wrote Jason Ronald, vice president of "next generation" at Xbox.

"This is part of our broader commitment to game preservation. As technology, devices, and distribution continue to evolve, preserving access to the games people own matters more than ever."

Here's how it works: when you insert a supported game disc into either an Xbox One or Series X console, you can choose to claim a digital license for that game. That entitlement means you no longer need to insert the disc each time you want to play. It also gives you all the other benefits of digital, such as Play Anywhere on PC and streaming via Xbox Cloud Gaming where supported.

سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://www.eurogamer.net/xbox-disc-to-digital-one-series-x-details