Initially, only Xbox Insiders will be able to test the program, but the Redmond-based tech giant will make it available to everyone later on.

We had already heard rumors (and written about them) that Microsoft was working on a program that would allow us to convert game discs to a digital format so that we could play our physical games later on without needing an optical drive (for DVDs and Blu-rays). Microsoft only mentions Xbox Series X and Xbox One discs. This makes sense for the Xbox Series X, since it never had a Blu-ray drive. The Xbox One, on the other hand, still had a disc drive. Even back then, though, Microsoft was experimenting with a digital future. The public booed the idea, however, and Sony shrewdly capitalized on it. How the world has changed in 13 years!

Most Xbox One and Xbox Series X disc-based games support this new feature. Players can claim a digital entitlement by inserting a supported disc into an Xbox One or Xbox Series X console and launching the game. Once the entitlement is claimed, players can experience the benefits of digital, including Xbox Play Anywhere and Xbox Cloud Gaming, where supported. Meanwhile, your physical disc will continue to work exactly as it always has. We’re starting with thousands of titles and will continue to add more over time. While not every title will be available at launch, this is an important step toward a future where players can have greater confidence that the games they buy will remain theirs for years to come,” Microsoft said in the announcement.

This move was, of course, timed so that Microsoft could strike back at Sony, which announced that its games would no longer be released on disc starting in 2028. (Given the share of disc sales in the U.S., which we’ve also written about, this further strengthens Sony’s argument.) But it’s only a matter of time before that particular turnaround happens here as well.

Source: Gematsu, Microsoft