After Sony's call to drop discs by 2028, leaks suggest Microsoft may be following a similar path: the next Xbox, known internally as Project Helix, reportedly won't include a disc drive. Xbox is said to be trialing a system called "Disc2Digital" (previously "Positron") to smooth the shift — a way for owners of physical copies to tie those discs to their Xbox accounts and receive a corresponding digital license. In plain terms (i.e., for practical use), that means you could play without inserting the disc and access features like cloud streaming and cross-platform play. The caveat: the license appears to be tied to the account exclusively — give or sell the disc to someone else and the digital entitlement on your account would stop working. Note that this trial does not extend to Xbox 360 or original Xbox titles; those remain outside the program for now. Official word on Project Helix and the wider fate of physical media is expected later this year, so take early reports with some caution.
