Xbox Unveils Disc-to-Digital Feature for Existing Game Collections

Xbox is expanding its digital offerings with a new feature that allows users to digitize their physical game collections. The disc-to-digital feature, which was exclusively revealed by The Verge last month, will allow Xbox owners to convert their existing games into digital versions.

According to Jason Ronald, VP of next generation at Xbox, '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 console and launching the game. This digital entitlement is tied to the specific disc and will move from account to account if you swap the physical game with a friend or log in to a different Xbox profile.

Microsoft will start testing this new feature with Xbox Insider testers on August 31st, followed by a broader rollout to Xbox One and Xbox Series X consoles. Once users have a digital version of an Xbox disc game, they'll be able to access it on PC through Xbox Play Anywhere or stream it to multiple devices with Xbox Cloud Gaming.

However, not every game will be supported initially due to publishers having control over the feature. 'We're starting with thousands of titles, and we'll continue to add more over time,' says Ronald. Microsoft is also bringing Xbox and Xbox 360 games to PC in a move that could allow the next Xbox console to play every Xbox game ever made.