Xbox Project Helix will also ditch discs for digital, though Microsoft may be working on a solution

It's better than nothing, we suppose

(Credit: Microsoft)

• 💿 Microsoft is reportedly ditching physical discs for its upcoming Project Helix console

• 📅 The report follows Sony’s confirmation that its stopping physical disc production for new PlayStation titles in January 2028

• 🤔 Instead, Microsoft is working on a “disc to digital” feature to allow the rights of a disc to be transferred to a digital game, tying it to the account of the console the disc is inserted into

• 🤷‍♂️ We don’t know when Project Helix is set to launch, although Microsoft is sending alpha dev kits out next year

Microsoft is reportedly set to ditch discs for digital with its upcoming games console, but it could also be working on a solution for those who prefer buying physical copies.

As per a Windows Central report, Xbox Project Helix is set to drop the disc drive altogether, leaving digital games as seemingly the only option for purchasing and playing next-gen games.

This news follows yesterday’s bombshell that Sony is discontinuing physical game disc production for all new PlayStation titles starting January 2028.

In a statement, Sony called it a “natural direction” as a result of “consumer trends as the general preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs.”

However, a report from The Verge notes that Microsoft is working on a solution to help digitize existing games you own.

A so-called “disc-to-digital” feature will allow players with Xbox One and Xbox Series X games to obtain digital licenses for the discs they own, negating the future need for the disc to play the game. However, it reportedly doesn’t cover original Xbox or Xbox 360 games, according to The Verge’s sources.

The digital entitlement is reportedly tied to the specific disc, meaning it’s possible for players to share discs. When a disc is shared, the entitlement travels from one account to another, but it seemingly can’t be used by two separate accounts concurrently.

The idea of the feature is to save you from inserting a disc every time you want to play without taking the freedom that comes from owning a physical copy.

Intriguingly, though, Warren’s report notes that Microsoft hasn’t fully decided on whether Project Helix will ship with a disc drive or not, so it’s up in the air whether we’ll get physical games on Microsoft’s next-gen console or not.

We don’t know much about Project Helix in terms of release date, but Microsoft has stated that the next-gen console’s price will be affected by the memory.

Alpha dev kits for Project Helix should be rolling out next year, as Microsoft confirmed in March, which could point to a release in 2028 or 2029 at the latest.

Up next: PS6 release date likely 2028 – and it’s almost guaranteed to be a digital-only console

Reece Bithrey is a journalist with bylines for Trusted Reviews, Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, TechRadar and more. He also has his own blog, UNTITLED, and graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in International History and Politics in 2023.