Last week we talked about Grand Theft Auto 6’s announcement to go digital only and how Sony followed that up by announcing they are ending production of physical disc for Playstation starting January 2028.

All eyes have turned to Nintendo and Xbox to see their next moves. Nintendo has already been training gamers for a digital future with game key cards, a practice I am not letting off the hook. Everyone knows Microsoft will most likely go digital only with the next Xbox generation. So why am I thinking about buying Xbox Series X games?

Well, it’s still in the test phase, but we’re hearing word that Microsoft will be incorporating a process called “Disc to Digital.” At first glance, I assumed this meant the next console was for sure going to have a disc drive. But I heard word immediately after Sony’s announcement that Microsoft wanted a digital only console as well.

If my research is correct, players who own an Xbox One or Xbox Series X can participate in this. Your last gen console will act like a hub. You insert your old disc into your previous Xbox. It will read a code from the disc and grant the next Xbox [Nicknamed Peoject Helix.] a digital license for you to game digitally.

Yeah, its not nearly as great as I thought. Licenses are the bane of physical media as those linceses dry up and redistribution becomes impossible. The licenses Microsoft is suggesting is also one they can revoke when they want. That’s dangerous. But it is leaps and bounds better than Sony. Both Sony and Microsoft are killing future physical media, which isn’t good nor should be supported or celebrated. But we are gamers. There will be games in the future I want to play. If Sony says screw backwards compatibility and screw future physical releases, then I am just out on them entirely and want no part of the PS6 [Ratchet and Clank would be the only game I would sadly miss.]. If Microsoft is still honoring and supporting backwards compatibility, then I consider that a huge plus.

If I hypothetically wanted or was forced into owning a digital only console for next gen, then I would support Microsoft over Sony. Though, admittedly, both are atrocious and probably not worth supporting.

If this program is in fact part of the next Xbox, then that would put Xbox squarely in the middle of Nintendo and Sony. Sony clearly hates the cost of physical distribution as well as the fact that video game preservation exist. They don’t want gamers playing on old hardware. Nintendo will end up destroying Sony in that department as the Switch 2 can play [maybe, I think] all the original Switch 1 games. When Sony moves to the Playstation 6, we already know it won’t be backwards compatible due to not having a disc drive.

This seems so backwards. Sony, to my knowledge, has ensured a majority of the PS4 library is playable on the PS5. As well as most PS5 games are playable straight from the disc [no need for day 1 updates or constant internet access]. Sony should be clinging to physical media like the rest of us. They own and produce blu rays and other forms of physical media. While Microsoft was known for their home computers and digital software of Microsoft Office. That’s why so many of us feel betrayed by Sony and find it ironic we are rooting for Microsoft to do the right thing.

If you are like me, you prefer your games to be available to play offline and without needing updates to play. As a result I’m going to start doing research on what Xbox One and Series X games are playable on the disc in offline mode. Some games are broken messes or incomplete without their day one patches while some games force you to be online to play. I’m not super interested in having those games in my collection.

With that in mind, I’ll do a follow up blog of the games I find that fit this list. I’ll mostly be relying on the internet for this as these will be the games I’m going to start hunting down, not ones I actively own and can test myself. Websites like “Does It Play” will be a huge help, but they mostly specialize in Playstation.

If you know any games that fit that bill on Xbox One and Xbox Series X, leave it in the comments.

Sorry if this post feels disjointed or all over the place. Many of us are still processing what the digital future will look like and what we want to do. Truthfully, Sony has knocked it out of the park with this generation. They’re a little lack luster with their pricing models and exclusives, but the backwards compatibility and games on the disc of the PS5 has been impressive. Too bad this is where Sony dies for most of us.

Anyway, thanks for reading and have a great day.