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

[iamthemilkman]

Xbox employees recently started testing this new feature, after references to “enable Disc2Digital” appeared in the Xbox PC app code in May. I’m told that Microsoft’s disc-to-digital feature will work on Xbox One and Xbox Series X discs only, and not those for the Xbox 360 or original Xbox console.

Getting a digital copy of a game works simply by inserting a compatible disc and installing and playing the game. This will require a Microsoft account on an Xbox console and will grant a digital entitlement for physical games. This digital entitlement is tied to the specific disc, and it will move from account to account if you swap the physical game with a friend or log in to a different Xbox profile and try to play a disc-based game.

The digital entitlement for a physical Xbox game is similar to buying the title from Microsoft’s 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 an Xbox Play Anywhere title, you’ll also be able to access it on PCs and handhelds.

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[SamanthaSamantha's icon]

That's a good thing for sure.

It's also what I do with my modded PS3 when I play a game often enough to resent inserting the disc over and over again.

 

[Ikagura]

What happens to the disc itself?

 

[RageBurner]

They want to make existing physical discs useless in the long run to further lock people into volatile digital, mark my words.

 

[CraigJinx]

Bullshit, just another way to eliminate psychical discs and so you own nothing, I mean why would you transfer the disc and then keep the disc? There would be no point doing that so you would get rid of it. Needing an account to do this just means they can then remove that game from your library if they so choose at some point in time.

 

[Bakuma1997]

 

[TruxtonTatsujin]

That's a good thing for sure.

It's also what I do with my modded PS3 when I play a game often enough to resent inserting the disc over and over again.

same, though not just the PS3. Basically every console I use.

 

[CraigJinx]

View attachment 204955

That scaremongering advert always made me laugh back in the day, the movie industry is one of the biggest thieves on the planet not just of ideas but lives.

 

[Leon]

I would do this for exactly 4 games, lost odyssey, blue dragon, infinite undescovery and N3 Ninety nine nights, everything else i can play on my pc without issue.

But yeah this is a push to force digital, neither console maker seems to realize that pc got away with it due to piracy guaranteeing you have a copy even if something happened to the storefront, ps6 and helix won't.

 

[Zerpina]

That's a good thing for sure.

It's also what I do with my modded PS3 when I play a game often enough to resent inserting the disc over and over again.

Yeah, when I was playing my JB PS3, I never put a disc in the drive.
I just dumped the "Legal Backups" to the HDD via FileZilla

"Legal Backups"

What happens to the disc itself?

They kick in your door and take it after pepper spraying you.

 

[dkpopman]

Hopefully they don't fire the guys working on this system before it launches. Would be a good way to handle the transition to all digital.

 

[Zerpina]

I would do this for exactly 4 games, lost odyssey, blue dragon, infinite undescovery and N3 Ninety nine nights, everything else i can play on my pc without issue.

But yeah this is a push to force digital, neither console maker seems to realize that pc got away with it due to piracy guaranteeing you have a copy even if something happened to the storefront, ps6 and helix won't.

That's not necessarily true. Like with the PSP, when all its stuff was gone, there was still PKGj... basically a pirate version of the Sony storefront.

But I know that's not what you were getting at. Whether digital or not, someone will upload the files to the internet, and people will still pirate the games. Well, unless they go for full cloud based gaming only, which I don't know if it could be done.

 

[Uitsualnemetia]

Well, at least this gives some use to Microsoft's own worthless physical releases. I have Gears of War: Ultimate Edition and Halo: Master Chief Collection, and neither have the complete games in their discs. Since they are useless from a preservation and ownership standpoint, at least it would be more convenient to convert them to digital.

 

[KenaiPhoenix]

From what they share there it doesnt sound that bad... but it is Microslop, there is always something behind it.

This guys started the trend of 'putting nothing a disc, even if it called 'Physical edition'', like what they did with the Oblivion remake that only has the dungeon on it.


I dont care about their services, I dont care about them owning my shit. I just want to have my games and be able to do with them whatever I want. I want to support the devs so they can make more awesome games, but Im not a moron that will jump on a $100 dollar digital licenses that can be revoked whenever they feel like.

Just put a fucking optical drive on the console, and data on the disc and you will probably become the console of preference for many. Even in Japan where Xbox always struggle to get a foot in it.

 

[iamthemilkman]

Well, at least this gives some use to Microsoft's own worthless physical releases. I have Gears of War: Ultimate Edition and Halo: Master Chief Collection, and neither have the complete games in their discs. Since they are useless from a preservation and ownership standpoint, at least it would be more convenient to convert them to digital.

Both of those games came on the disc, they're just the Xbox One versions. MCC that's on the disc is horribly outdated, and it also didn't come with ODST and Reach since those were additional digital purchases.

 

[Uitsualnemetia]

Both of those games came on the disc, they're just the Xbox One versions. MCC that's on the disc is horribly outdated, and it also didn't come with ODST and Reach since those were additional digital purchases.

No they don't. I know because I have my old Xbox One completely offline and I tried playing them using the discs.

EDIT: So I checked, just in case I was misremembering, and apparently you are right in Halo's case: It works, but the build is really old and it sucks. In GoW's case it tells you that it needs to download files from the Internet to finish the installation.

 

[Vardalis]

Bullshit, just another way to eliminate psychical discs and so you own nothing

Yeah, that definitely feels like the ultimate goal with the move, but by dressing it up as a pro-consumer action so you can "just digitise your discs". And doing that just leaves them open to random delistings if having the disc itself means nothing after doing it.

 

[CraigJinx]

Yeah, that definitely feels like the ultimate goal with the move, but by dressing it up as a pro-consumer action so you can "just digitise your discs". And doing that just leaves them open to random delistings if having the disc itself means nothing after doing it.

Yep, having the digital version that only exists if you have an account just means if they want they can remove it and you lose access to that game. The state of modern day gaming is a joke, I would say that passionate gamers love having the discs so it seems like they are the ones that they want rid of in favour of smartphone gamers that don't care about that and love in game purchases.

 

[iamthemilkman]

No they don't. I know because I have my old Xbox One completely offline and I tried playing them using the discs.

EDIT: So I checked, just in case I was misremembering, and apparently you are right in Halo's case: It works, but the build is really old and it sucks. In GoW's case it tells you that it needs to download files from the Internet to finish the installation.

Gears of War Ultimate Edition installs just fine offline on Series X. It should be just over 44GB.

 

[CraigJinx]

When they say testing what they really mean is fuck you this is what we are doing.

 

[Psychonara]

That's not necessarily true. Like with the PSP, when all its stuff was gone, there was still PKGj... basically a pirate version of the Sony storefront.

But I know that's not what you were getting at. Whether digital or not, someone will upload the files to the internet, and people will still pirate the games. Well, unless they go for full cloud based gaming only, which I don't know if it could be done.

This is where I think the push to digital is going to put them in a harder bind than they realize. They're entering a territory they aren't really accustomed to in the same way Steam/Valve is used to it. Valve only sells licenses for digital PC games, but they also are less aggressive towards piracy and the prices on Steam are reasonable and what digital buyers expect. If anything, Valve lives in a bit of a symbiotic relationship with piracy, since there is still motivation to buy the game on Steam for convenience's sake. And of course, GOG exists as a legal alternative for those looking for more real digital ownership without the hassle of trying to safely pirate, and many PC owners double dip on both services for that reason.

Playstation, Xbox & Nintendo may not be prepared for that environment in the same way and may be over-estimating their ability to deal with the transition smoothly. Sure, the numbers might say "Oh, only 20% of game sales on PS5 are physical!" but what if you effectively lose that 20% or even more and on top of that are trying to make up for it by attracting a new demographic that takes certain practices for granted or who may be much more piracy-savvy than your average console player up to this point?

Between the Big Three, I think Xbox is the most prepared because they've already spent years creating their own self-contained digital environment with a customer base that sorta knows the score.

 

[Zerpina]

This is where I think the push to digital is going to put them in a harder bind than they realize. They're entering a territory they aren't really accustomed to in the same way Steam/Valve is used to it. Valve only sells licenses for digital PC games, but they also are less aggressive towards piracy and the prices on Steam are reasonable and what digital buyers expect. If anything, Valve lives in a bit of a symbiotic relationship with piracy, since there is still motivation to buy the game on Steam for convenience's sake. And of course, GOG exists as a legal alternative for those looking for more real digital ownership without the hassle of trying to safely pirate, and many PC owners double dip on both services for that reason.

Playstation, Xbox & Nintendo may not be prepared for that environment in the same way and may be over-estimating their ability to deal with the transition smoothly. Sure, the numbers might say "Oh, only 20% of game sales on PS5 are physical!" but what if you effectively lose that 20% or even more and on top of that are trying to make up for it by attracting a new demographic that takes certain practices for granted or who may be much more piracy-savvy than your average console player up to this point?

Between the Big Three, I think Xbox is the most prepared because they've already spent years creating their own self-contained digital environment with a customer base that sorta knows the score.

"Piracy is almost always a service problem and not a pricing problem"

You're right on all fronts. Valve already knows people pirate, and I don't think I have ever heard of them seeking legal action over it. I'm sure they have, I just don't recall it. Being on the PC, Valve knows people are going to weather lack of money or just want to try it out before fully committing to a purchase. And yeah, Valve keeps prices pretty reasonable themselves.... you can't hold that against them when, like the DOA people, they want nearly 500 bucks for their DLCs. That's not on Valve's head.

Xbox is in the same boat more or less, being from an OS producer and intrinsically tied to computers and piracy, as you said... knows the score. They know people will pirate and will find a way to do it, there's never been a question about that. But I will give Microsoft a bit of credit here, they do have damn good console security on their systems, and again, I will give them that.

But nothing is unhackable, and they know it. Someone will always find a way...

When Xbox inevitably turns all digital, they won't be as blindsided by it. Yes, they will feel it a bit, but it won't hurt them in the long run. As much as we would like it to, it'll be a drop in the bucket.

Sony, however, is not as prepared for this. They are and always have been a home console company... not counting the PSP and Vita, which they didn't care about anyway. When they go all digital, and fans become fully fed up with it, the flow of money from the PlayStation brand will start to dwindle, much like a small river that's 90% blocked off. They will have done nothing but harm their brand, losing a massive amount of income and the faith of whatever fans they have left.

Now, I'm not saying this will cause Sony to crash and burn or go bankrupt... like Microsoft, they will feel it, but they won't just pack up, throw their hands in the air, and say "Well, I guess we fucked up!" then go home. They'll continue on, just like every other multi-billion dollar company.... greedy, not learning a damn thing, and moving on to the next way to rip off whoever still buys their slop.

 

[rosemarymenace]

as someone who went big on all digital with my switch due to it being a handheld and never really being able to go back afterwards this is a really neat feature
but I'd still like physical discs to remain around so I have the *option* of buying a game secondhand or at my retailer of choice
there are a ton of xbox one and xbox 360 games that I would've never played if I had to pay microsoft store prices for them for their entire life