Xbox's New Disc-to-Digital Program Gives Physical Games a Digital Future (arstechnica.com) 22
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: For decades, console owners have faced a choice between the convenience of digital downloads and the permanence of physical game discs. Soon, Xbox owners will be able to get the best of both worlds for thousands of supported titles as part of a newly announced disc-to-digital program. The program -- announced today ahead of testing for Xbox Insiders starting August 31 -- will let players claim a "digital entitlement" for "most Xbox One and Xbox Series X disc-based games" simply by inserting the disc into a console and launching it. That game will then be playable completely digitally, without the need to ever insert the disc, as long as you (or a member of your family account) is logged in. The digital entitlement will also allow access to features like Xbox Play Anywhere (for play on PC) and Xbox Cloud Gaming, for supported titles.
Microsoft says that your physical disc will "continue to work exactly as it always has" after the digital entitlement is claimed. But before you get any ideas, the fine print on the announcement mentions that there is only "one revokable license per game disc," so if you resell that disc or loan it to a friend, that digital entitlement could be transferred to a new account when someone else puts it into their console.
A leaked memo obtained by the Verge earlier this month suggests that publishers have to actively opt in to allow their game discs to activate digital entitlements, which could explain why "most" but not all Xbox One and Series X titles are supported. Windows Central separately suggests, based on discussion with unnamed sources, that "some discs may be incompatible due to how they were manufactured at the time," which could explain why original Xbox and Xbox 360 discs are not being discussed for the program. "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 remain with them for years to come," said Xbox Vice President Jason Ronald.
Microsoft says that your physical disc will "continue to work exactly as it always has" after the digital entitlement is claimed. But before you get any ideas, the fine print on the announcement mentions that there is only "one revokable license per game disc," so if you resell that disc or loan it to a friend, that digital entitlement could be transferred to a new account when someone else puts it into their console.
A leaked memo obtained by the Verge earlier this month suggests that publishers have to actively opt in to allow their game discs to activate digital entitlements, which could explain why "most" but not all Xbox One and Series X titles are supported. Windows Central separately suggests, based on discussion with unnamed sources, that "some discs may be incompatible due to how they were manufactured at the time," which could explain why original Xbox and Xbox 360 discs are not being discussed for the program. "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 remain with them for years to come," said Xbox Vice President Jason Ronald.
This Jargon (Score:5, Insightful)
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Little Timmy knows his Forkknife game is a "digital download", while dads old COD:MW2 is a "physical disc". Dads busy with work and changing the oil on his car and stuff. Little Timmy is now the gaming authority in the house, and the suits know it. Being obtuse about the way things are referred to is why young people think us greybeards are out of touch.
It's all very stupid though, I can still play every PC game I've bought on steam for the last 20 years on any x86 computer I please as a digital license, an
Re:This Jargon (Score:4, Interesting)
There are many games that have been removed (sometimes forcibly) from Steam. And Steam can revoke licenses so a game you bought can be removed. It has happened several times. Sometimes it's as simple as Steam not being able to install a game you own (but if you have it installed somewhere else, you can copy it over). Othertimes, it's Steam having the game removed - it no longer is part of your library.
However, on the console side, we've seen it already with the shutdown of the Xbox 360 and PS3 stores where those games are no longer available for download. Same goes for various Nintendo stores.
Anyhow, the only reason Microsoft can do this is because of the old Xbox One DRM. You remember, the one where the disc was treated as an install mechanism? The license is embedded in the disc, and what happens is every disc contains a serial number on it (this is inherent to the Blu-Ray disc specification itself where every pressed disc can have a special serial number embedded in it). It is what let the original Xbox One DRM system transfer the license between people (i.e., resell games) because the license transfer is similar for disc or digital games.
Of course, gamers hated it, so Sony took advantage and we lost the ability to re-sell digital games. It would not surprise me if Microsoft is simply resurrecting the idea again given it's likely more amenable than it was over a decade ago.
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Yup.
The Switch 2 has an argument going on between 'full cartridges' that actually have the installer and game data on the flash cart, and 'game key cartridges' where the only thing on the cart is the digital license, and when you insert it, it downloads the game from the Nintendo cloud, and the GKC lets you run it.
Which means you can loan/sell/give the GKC to somebody, and now they play the game, but without an internet connection, the GKC itself doesn't do anything for you.
Xbox discs since the One have bee
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Furthermore, disks also "spin".
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I think they mean the licensing is "all digital." Just an entitlement associated with your account on their servers.
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Actually discs has to be inserted by hand and so should be called digital.
The names are completely flipped!
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You own a physical disc, which is likely required as proof of having purchased the license to access the software (game).
IMO it's from the point that when home console games shifted from a "the run is running off the disc/cartridge" approach to the "the game is installed from the disc onto the console's own storage" during the a vague point somewhere between the PS3/Xbox 360 PS4 / Xbox One generations that physical media ceased to be nothing more than a physical object for a DRM check.
Easier to maintain the
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Most cringey is when things like digital detox are worded like "being in the analog world" for a while. They just mean: real world. And abuse an
Re: This Jargon (Score:2)
My headphones from 2002 says "digital" on them. They're pure analog headphones, the Sony MDR-V6, which are just budget monitors.
can you ? (Score:1)
I don't own a console. Can you play your discs offline ? or do you have to be logged in all the time.
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And when they kill the license servers? (Score:2)
That game will then be playable completely digitally, without the need to ever insert the disc, as long as you (or a member of your family account) is logged in.
The ability to convert disc-based Xbox games to digital copies could be especially important, as rumors suggest Microsoft’s upcoming Project Helix console won’t be available with a disc drive. That means claiming a digital entitlement could be the only way to achieve backward compatibility for hundreds of millions of Xbox game discs going forward.
IOW, for as long as Microsoft keeps the necessary department funded and the license servers running.
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That game will then be playable completely digitally, without the need to ever insert the disc, as long as you (or a member of your family account) is logged in.
The ability to convert disc-based Xbox games to digital copies could be especially important, as rumors suggest Microsoft’s upcoming Project Helix console won’t be available with a disc drive. That means claiming a digital entitlement could be the only way to achieve backward compatibility for hundreds of millions of Xbox game discs going forward.
IOW, for as long as Microsoft keeps the necessary department funded and the license servers running.
Then you use the disc.
If the license server is gone, you have the disc.
You do know why.... (Score:3)
Does each disc have a unique ID? (Score:2)
Since Xbox already tried to do something related when releasing XBox one, I assume they have been adding a serial number to every disc that can be read by the laser.
So if I borrow a game disc from the library, what happens? It is tied to my account until someone else puts it in their console?
Also I assume Microsoft has been tracking every game with their unique IDs. Steam already creates a unique id for every single individual instance of a game but once redeemed it is forever tied to a single account. Stea
Re: Does each disc have a unique ID? (Score:2)
They would get data on resale as the IDs show up in different accounts
Best of 1 World (Score:2)
This is not 'best of both worlds' - it's the best of 1 world: The online world. Now if you could also convert online-only games to physical media, then yes, it would be the best of both worlds.