Xbox has unveiled its long-rumored new disc-to-digital service, which will let players who own physical copies of games claim digital entitlements, playing them as if they own digital copies. In an announcement, Microsoft confirmed support will include digital benefits such as Xbox Play Anywhere and Xbox Cloud Gaming.
"Players have spent decades building their XBOX libraries. Some games were purchased on disc. Some were purchased digitally. Many span multiple generations of hardware," the company stated in a blog post on Xbox Wire. Microsoft says the new feature "brings the benefits of digital to physical discs." Xbox Insiders can test the feature from August 31.
The company says that "most" disc-based games for Xbox One and Series X support the new feature. If you insert a game disc into your Xbox One or Series X, you can claim a "digital entitlement" by launching the game.
That means that games you own on disc will be accessible through your digital library, including support for Xbox Play Anywhere and Xbox Cloud Gaming "where supported."
You can also keep using your physical copy as normal. Microsoft says that "thousands" of titles are supported, with more being added over time, but confirms that not every title will be available at launch.
The news will be of some comfort to fans of physical media, especially given recent developments in the gaming sphere, notably Sony's decision to end physical media with its next console. While the move does give physical media a new lease of life in some regards, it still marks a shift away from physical media towards online, digital libraries, encouraging users to transition from physical to digital.