Xbox to offer digital licences with physical disc purchases

thekarter104 · 2026-08-26T21:18:31+0100

Naster said:
What benefits? Digital games has no benefits except that you don’t need to lift your a$$ to get a game.

So true.
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VigOYSJJ1-A/maxresdefault.jpg

That's the result of being digital only

subcon959 · 2026-08-26T22:00:25+0100

So after 30 years we are basically back to nocd patches..

bonkmaykr · 2026-08-26T22:02:55+0100

Scarlet said:
The press release makes a point of stressing this as a part of a broader commitment to game preservation, potentially suggesting a continued support for physical media in the coming console generation. This new feature is set to go live for Xbox Insiders on August 31st, with sign ups for the programme possible via the Xbox Insider Hub app.

Sounds cool on paper, but I take great issue with the "commitment to game preservation", that is guaranteed to be an empty promise.

If I cannot copy the game, I cannot keep it forever. Period.

This directly contradicts Xbox's business model.

Naster said:
What benefits? Digital games has no benefits except that you don’t need to lift your a$$ to get a game.

Not taking up space in my house for a storage device, which will become pointlessly redundant for many games as updates cannot be written to them.

purple_bandit · 2026-08-26T22:10:32+0100

DeadSkullzJr said:
"one revokable digital licence"

So wait... What if someone who has a physical copy of a game, uses that license on the new system, then sells the physical copy later on. Does license generation just occur on a per account / system basis based on the disc being popped in? So basically, game key cards.

Then ownership switches to the next person with the disc. The key is unique for every disc and built into the discs. Which is impressive they've been there the entire time for the last 13 years. They obviously had this planned originally on Xbox One to LOCK discs to single consoles to STOP reselling but after the backlash dropped it.

And now they have repurposed it to be allowed to be transferred to multiple users.

Bladexdsl · 2026-08-26T22:12:59+0100

wow they are really waving their physical dick in sony faces about going all digital. this is basically the most taunting I've ever see them do to them

The Catboy · 2026-08-26T22:29:15+0100

There’s gonna be a catch with this. There’s always a catch with Microslop

RyanTheArchivist · 2026-08-26T22:51:12+0100

Scarlet said:
View attachment 587846

In the wake of Sony's shift to a digital-only ecosystem within the next year, Xbox have today announced a surprising scheme. Aiming to offer physical buyers the same benefits as digital ownership, including Xbox Play Anywhere and Xbox Cloud Gaming, the company is set to hand out digital licences to owners of physical Xbox One and Xbox Series X discs. Details are a little slim at the moment, but what we do know is that thousands of title will be supported out of the gate, with each disc providing "one revokable digital licence". It is also confirmed that redeeming this digital licence will not affect your ability to use the physical disc, with it continuing to function as normal.

The press release makes a point of stressing this as a part of a broader commitment to game preservation, potentially suggesting a continued support for physical media in the coming console generation. This new feature is set to go live for Xbox Insiders on August 31st, with sign ups for the programme possible via the Xbox Insider Hub app.

Source

I think the only way this could possibly work is if they specifically add it to their TOS that games claimed through this service are unrevocable.

aoimatsuri · 2026-08-26T22:58:37+0100

"Is that a NFT or are you just happy to see me"

Why would one want a XBX again ?
I don't comprehend

Xzi · 2026-08-26T23:10:02+0100

In theory it sounds great, and I'll certainly give Microsoft credit if this allows me to play a large portion of my Xbox/360 disc library on PC. In practice, however, there are gonna be a ton of licensing issues, so it may end up being only Microsoft-owned games that are greenlit for it. You also have to worry about the possibility of them suddenly changing the TOS/EULA for this later, and somehow disabling discs for future use if they've been used to redeem a digital license.

aoimatsuri said:
"Is that a NFT or are you just happy to see me"

Why would one want a XBX again ?
I don't comprehend

The program works with Xbox One consoles as well, and those can be found for like $50 if you know where to look. I probably still wouldn't bother starting fresh on an Xbox library now, but there are some worthwhile exclusives stuck on original Xbox/360.

ZeroT21 · 2026-08-26T23:11:03+0100

All that effort to dispose physical media by converting to digital and placing whatever DRM they currently have on 'em, no thanks. Giving me digital with a always online DRM. I'm out

Retrojunkies · 2026-08-26T23:18:56+0100

Its nothing new, typical microshit to fail at taking advantage of the competitions fuck ups.

Ohhh let's waste money giving you a dud disc to be forced to download digital.

Tho tbf its just what its been doing already, and its famboys praise as if its new.

Backwards compatibility was just this, its use your disc to download the game, ignored the data off the disc, wasn't even used.

And the amount of times my shitbox would fail to play a game,asking if I owned it, if so, to re download it.... when its a disc.

Essently its just like the Datel Action Replay Max, insert disc, it detects the game ID, takes you to the game cheats

But this digitally downloads....

I can see microshit fuck it up, as they still fail to make its store and AIO store considering shitbox is windows with a custom front.

Why its windows app can't even communicate properly and list console/pc games.

Marc_LFD · 2026-08-26T23:26:06+0100

The Catboy said:
There’s gonna be a catch with this. There’s always a catch with Microslop

There is. Other people can't use it while it's linked to your account.

That's fine by me.

Vixi · 2026-08-26T23:38:05+0100

I like the satisfaction of putting a game into a console, no thanks.

Dimensional · 2026-08-26T23:44:08+0100

If it wasn't for the fact that they would still have actual game data on these discs, it would feel a bit like Xbox version of the Switch 2 Key-Cards, so this feels like a step in the smart direction. Nintendo could learn a thing or two, and most definitely Sony.

Lodad · 2026-08-26T23:50:34+0100

Kioku said:
Akin to current digital licensing, I assume yes. Otherwise, it creates an obvious loophole.

Post automatically merged: Yesterday at 8:22 PM

Why would you not be able to?

I haven't kept up with xbox shenanigans since 2011 I didn't know if they require always online to be able to do anything. Plenty of physical PS4 games I had couldn't be played without ripping the game to HDD and also downloading more in patches and missing content. I've also been locked out of launching games at all on other systems because it knew there was an update available.

BlusterBong · 2026-08-27T00:03:21+0100

Dimensional said:
If it wasn't for the fact that they would still have actual game data on these discs, it would feel a bit like Xbox version of the Switch 2 Key-Cards, so this feels like a step in the smart direction. Nintendo could learn a thing or two, and most definitely Sony.

*Up to a point a few years ago where most publishers who give discs as an option on Xbox and Sony just treat them as a means to download 99% of the actual game data, in which case, it is just Game Key-Discs... which they already were by that time and they just extended it to existing discs before that time, and they don't make it obvious to the consumer and definitely won't with this.

Post automatically merged: Today at 12:21 AM

Xzi said:
In theory it sounds great, and I'll certainly give Microsoft credit if this allows me to play a large portion of my Xbox/360 disc library on PC

this currently works for Xbox One and Series console discs due to them having unique identifable licences on-disc that OG Xbox and Xbox 360 discs lack, so unless they can retroactivelly do the same to Xbox/Xbox 360 discs in the form of a server that tracks every known disc of a game out in the wild... uh get fucked I guess.

CMDreamer · 2026-08-27T00:28:41+0100

It looks that things are not going to be as they seem to.

But if I'm wrong, that would be one of the best moves towards the final user. I would be able to buy a physical disk, and play the digital version of that game while preserving my physical media in the process.

It really sounds very interesting.

Funk you Sunny of the Beach.

Sonic Angel Knight · 2026-08-27T01:52:38+0100

If this means buying a retail game and installing it on the system can play it without the disc, that's good news. But I bet there needs some authentication from time to time to make sure you didn't get rid of the disc and still have access to the game.

Meanwhile I'm still sitting here thinking, what if microsoft made old pc game disc playable on the console. Finding old windows disc from pc from the first xbox generation of game ports like sonic heroes, prince of persia warrior within, & TMNT and such. Surely those old Direct X8 games could work on the high tech. "Direct X-box Series S.One.X"

AkikoKumagara · 2026-08-27T02:03:31+0100

The game gets revoked from your account if you resell the disc and the digital entitlement is redeemed on another console. The reason Xbox One and Xbox Series games are supported first (possibly only) is because they have individual UIDs per disc. Each game disc can reasonably have a license tied to it because of the unique identifier every disc has.

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