Earlier this year, it was reported that PlayStation would cease all physical media in 2028, and Xbox appeared poised to follow suit. Leaks suggested that the next console, codenamed Project Helix, would not have a disc drive at all. Those have not been confirmed yet.
This has caused a major uproar in the gaming community. Because PlayStation announced its intentions, everything they do now is met with “no disc, no buy” comments. It probably hasn’t hurt the wallet yet, but there has been plenty of outcry.
Smartly, Xbox has begun to position itself as the anti-PlayStation (hey, the console wars are back on!). CEO Asha Sharma announced yesterday the previously rumored feature that the next console would allow previous physical games to be digitized and added to the library.
In a way, this is obviously a good thing. But it’s being met with universal praise that seems to miss the fact that it’s not actually preserving physical media. Maybe it is technically preserving it by making it playable, but it’s not saving the industry or going to lead to more physical media down the line. It’s still barreling towards an all-digital world.
New Xbox Feature Won’t Save Physical Media
Let’s get one thing straight. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma’s announcement that players will be able to digitize their physical games is a good thing. As of now, PlayStation has announced no such plan, and it could drive users to the alternate console instead.
I wanted to save money, so I purchased the digital-only Xbox Series S, so this doesn’t apply. But I have a PlayStation 5 with a disc drive and I have several physical games, including Marvel’s Spider-Man, The Last of Us Part II, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and God of War. The Marvel’s Spider-Man is a special steelbook, too. Theoretically, those will be obsolete on the PS6.
So, I hope PlayStation announces something similar, and it is a good thing that everyone’s physical library won’t just go away on Xbox. That is a welcome breath of fresh air. It is not, however, the savior of physical media like people seem to think. It’s a net positive, but it’s still taking physical games and making them digital. Even if they can now go anywhere and even be available on PC, it’s still digital.
“Your physical game library is more than a collection of discs. It holds years of memories and stories worth preserving. Starting next week, XBOX Insiders can unlock a digital entitlement for supported physical games. We’ll start with thousands of titles and add more as we can,” Sharma announced on social media.
But when asked if the next console would have a disc drive, Sharma was coy. Leaks suggested it won’t, and Sharma didn’t really answer the question. “This next generation, we have to be thinking about efficiency and affordability alongside performance,” the CEO said. She would also add, “Our job as Xbox, as we continue on in our next generation, is to take into consideration what’s happening in the world and build the best experience for our players.”
That doesn’t exactly sound like someone who’s fully committed to saving physical media. Eventually, discs will still be obsolete; it’s just that the ones you have now won’t be totally useless. Your old copy of Halo 3 or Forza Horizon 2 can still be used. Just not in the same way.
What they have done with the digitization of the physical library is a positive change that will help gamers. It gives them a leg up over PlayStation, too. But it does not save physical media, because those games are simply becoming digital to fit in the modern landscape, not the other way around.
