According to recent reports from The Verge and Windows Central, Microsoft is still considering whether its next-generation console, codenamed Xbox Project Helix, will support physical discs. A final decision is reportedly still pending internally.
Rumors are circulating that this is a glimmer of hope for collectors. Quite the opposite is true. This is damage control in advance. Microsoft, of all companies, is supposed to play the savior of the physical market? An absurd notion. A company that has built its brand entirely on the purely digital foundation of Game Pass for years isn't going to suddenly include an optical drive for the next generation out of the goodness of its heart.
The perfect shield through Sony's digital dictatorship
On July 1st, Sony officially announced the end of physical PlayStation discs for all new releases starting in January 2028. This move has drawn maximum ire from the community, and the backlash is raging. For Microsoft, this is the perfect opportunity. A withdrawal from the physical market, following in the footsteps of its competitor, halves the damage to its own image. Anyone still considering a disc drive is throwing away strategic advantages that will prove costly in the long run.
The apparent hesitation regarding Xbox Project Helix, as in the current Xbox Two Podcast What has been hinted at is not a genuine assessment. It's a pacifier for the remaining retail customers before they are presented with a fait accompli. The simultaneously leaked "Disc-to-DigitalThe feature called Positron supports this theory. Microsoft isn't building a drive, but rather a digital bridge to gradually devalue the old Xbox One and Series collections and convert them into account-based licenses. Eliminating the drive in the factory drastically reduces production costs. No manufacturer would voluntarily forgo this saving when the competition is already paving the way.
Microsoft has also made it clear that sourcing optical drives is increasingly becoming a logistical nightmare because consoles are sometimes the last remaining customers for this dying hardware category. No one willingly lugs this behemoth through a new generation and for the next 5 to 10 years.
The figures on retail closures
The market has already made its decision. Physical games now account for only a single-digit percentage of total revenue across all platforms. In practice, the disc drive versions of current consoles mostly serve as expensive dust collectors. Publishers like Rockstar Games are demonstrating with the purely digital pre-orders for "GTA 6" that the disc will be nothing more than a relic by 2026.
Microsoft won't stop this trend to end up as the sole remaining retail enthusiast. Their supposed evaluation is pure stalling. An optional external drive as an expensive accessory will remain the absolute maximum customers can expect. It won't become standard.
Microsoft's supposed change of heart is a PR tactic. Physical media is dead, Sony has pulled the plug, and Microsoft will follow suit without hesitation. The discussion surrounding Project Helix is merely a way to soften the harsh transition for the community. Anyone clinging to discs won't be buying next-generation hardware after 2028.
I have Xbox, PlayStation 1, 2, 3, and Xbox Series X, and I've always bought all my games on CD or Blu-ray, and that should stay that way. Because if something is sold online, it's not our property if we pay for it. Then the companies that release the games online wouldn't have to charge as much as €80 or €100; they could only charge €20. And then they wouldn't make any money. I'm not just talking about GTA, but all games. It's money that's needed for a game that might eventually be removed from the online market and would never belong to us. It's just that you don't want CDs or Blu-ray anymore, which, for some people, is a sign of ownership.
Andreas Wiesel, as a supplement, says that digital devices—in the case of the Xbox, and in my case the Series X as well—certainly have their place, because digital devices do have one huge advantage: they don't require physical space, especially in small apartments—like mine—a significant advantage! Otherwise, I'm also in favor of disc drives; they should be preserved! The petition is a very good approach, but I wouldn't call it "disgusting digital garbage."
The article perfectly reflects what I had thought from the very beginning when I first read it.
As if Microsoft still needed to test anything; they've known since 2013 that things should move digitally, and that's their goal.
Furthermore, it is alleged that only PC games will run on the new Xbox, since the new Xbox is essentially just a finished PC.
Does anyone here really believe that PC games will be available on physical discs again when the new Xbox is released?
Never.
The industry has gradually eliminated almost all the advantages that physical media once offered. Back then, you inserted a CD, ran the installation, and could then play—even without a day-one patch or an internet connection. And as long as the CD was still readable, there was no risk of the game becoming unplayable simply because it suited the publisher. You owned the software, not a license that could expire.
I'd be interested to know what the digital/physical sales figures would look like if all games were finished on data carriers and playable forever!
But since that can't be determined, it's easy for the industry to claim that customers don't want physical media anymore anyway. What nonsense! Of course I want physical media. But if it doesn't offer any added value, then there's no point in wasting shelf space on it.
Honestly, I really appreciate Steam. I can always play the games, even those well over 20 years old, regardless of the console generation. Sure, it's all digital, but so far, no game has disappeared.
In the end, people will still buy the consoles. I have absolutely no concerns, especially with Sony.
Stefan Mächler: Yep. The few hundred thousand fewer consoles Sony will sell don't bother them at all. It's been standard practice on PC for years. I haven't regretted switching after the PS3 either. Sony's exclusive games are always the same generic gameplay and I couldn't care less. Just like GTA 6.
Dennis Zahn, yeah, sure, but the PC also has hundreds of ways to get cheap games. The console is only tied to the store, and then you can conveniently buy overpriced games on top of the overpriced console. Wow, so clever! 😂👍🏽
Nils Szykowny: Hundreds of possibilities? I also play on PC. The big titles are only available on major platforms like Steam. And there they have their regular price at the beginning.
Dennis Zahn says Steam keys are available on plenty of legal key reseller sites, often for a fraction of the price compared to Humble Bumble or Gamesplanet. Alternatively, you can take advantage of all the offers on Steam itself. The selection is enormous, and you can use mods and adjust settings that simply aren't possible on consoles.
Physical media is the reason I own a PS5 and a Switch 2 in addition to my PC. I recently sold four titles and bought a new game with the proceeds. Here, Sony is packaging us junk in the form of a burger.
I personally won't go along with that. Even though I think it's a shame about all the exclusives I'm missing out on because of it.
Andreas Wiesel: You can also get discounted PlayStation credit from resellers. They also have PSN offers available all the time. If you combine all of that, it's not expensive anymore.
Even the €100 edition of GTA 6 cost me €85. That's because...
I very rarely use mods on my PC and they are not an argument for me.
Dennis Zahn: The biggest argument is that Steam doesn't have a monopoly like the PlayStation Store. If the PlayStation Store closes, your account is useless. Should Steam close, there's still GOG, the Epic Games Store, the EA Launcher, etc. And anyone, and I mean anyone, can easily find the games elsewhere after 10 minutes of research, should that worst happen. You can't compare PC digital gaming with PlayStation digital gaming.
Andreas Wiesel: All of this also applies to Steam. You'll still have to buy everything again, if that's even possible.
Nils Szykowny, you can also buy game keys for Xbox. I bought AC Black Flag Resynced for €48 for Series X from Instant Gaming. Redeemed it and that was it. But of course, it's not that simple on PS. One reason why I use Xbox.
Nils Szykowny, I don't quite see it that way. With the Xbox—though I originally came from PlayStation—there are now good deals in the store, and not that rarely, so there's really no question of them being "overpriced." I'm not up to date on whether it's the same with Sony.
85% of sales are digital. In short, this "discussion" is being led by a minority 🤷🏾♀️
We're sticking with Sony. We already own most of the games digitally, and anything other than PlayStation is not an option for us.
Klaus Dieter Markwald: Yes. Just keep letting Sony rip you off with constantly increasing prices and disappearing paid content. It's great to have to pay money just to play online. What a fanboy…
For us, video games are only available on consoles, and the games WE love are on the PS5 🤷
Furthermore, if anything, not just FanBOY, but also FanGIRL, because my wife is also there, as well as a very good friend of ours.
Mike Lipinski
Klaus Dieter Markwald, no Nintendo Switch 2?
No Disk No Deal
Mike Traceur, don't talk nonsense. You'll buy them anyway…
Marcel Siemon Oh man, so you know me? I didn't know that. What have I ever bought purely digitally, and what was the last thing I bought? Nothing, and I'm not going to start.
Mike Traceur: Because you still had a choice. You'll cave in just like so many others. I welcomed digitization on the PC. No more endless disc swapping and no more ridiculously loud drives. At least on the PC, I can make almost all games playable in other ways if necessary.
Marcel Siemon
Why are these purely digital gamers talking about how we disc gamers will react and supposedly cave in? I didn't think we knew each other. I own over 6000 movies on disc and about 1000 games. Comics and audiobooks adorn my shelves. I've never spent money on electronic licenses that just sit on servers. Because I think that's the biggest load of crap, but you want to tell me what I'm going to do. At least I have a backbone. So yeah, provide some proof for your bold but nonsensical statement. Why should I do anything? Because I want to consume something specific and just let them do whatever they want to me? What I find funny is the last sentence, which basically says that you engage in piracy and don't actually want to rely solely on licenses. 😂👍 Which also basically says that you won't let them do whatever they want to you. Bravo, you've shown yourself how you don't rely on them either.
Adrian Kienel
It's ridiculous how itchy you are, otherwise you wouldn't have responded to me. 😂👍 You don't seem to be the sharpest tool in the shed.
Mike Traceur: I find it funny how all the disc fetishists are whining and complaining. As if there aren't more important problems.
Adrian Kienel
I find it interesting how much this bothers the digital types. Are they being deprived of something? Do you experience any disadvantages because of it? Even those who don't use it benefit from the secondary and used markets, since Sony doesn't have a monopoly in their stores. So tell me, what makes a purely digital device better?