Insider Claims XBOX is Quietly Following Sony in Going All-Digital

Earlier today came the news that Sony will no longer be making physical copies of their games starting in 2028. It was a shocking, albeit somewhat unsurprising, announcement given the fact that the PS5 Pro does not come with a disc drive by default.

It also reminded us, especially in the wake of Grand Theft Auto 6's physical copy simply being a box with a digital download code, that the future of gaming is digital, whether we like it or not.

While Nintendo seems to be performing a balancing act in this regard with their Game Key Cards, which don't look so bad anymore, don't be surprised if XBOX will follow Sony's lead.

Windows Central is reporting that Project Helix, the next XBOX console currently in development, will be a digital-first product.

As things stand, I'd be surprised if Sony even offered an optional external disc drive [for the PS6]. As for Project Helix, our sources also suggest that Microsoft's next-generation console will drop the disc drive, too.

This Wouldn't be the First Time an XBOX Console Focused on Digital Gaming

Back when Microsoft revealed the Xbox One in 2013, they had a clear vision of the future of gaming and entertainment, and it was all centered around the new Xbox console as an "all-in-one" entertainment device.

Yes, their reveal event was rightfully memed for focusing more on TV, movies, and music rather than, you know, video games, but the strict always online requirements and digital infrastructure were also much maligned. While they were looking to emulate Steam in the home console space, they won very few, if any, people in the process.

One of the bigger issues was the fact that Xbox One owners wouldn't be able to sell or even lend their physical games. The backlash against the Xbox One was even mocked by Sony during a demonstration on how to share your physical games on PS4, a video that has now aged pretty poorly with today's news.

As I mentioned earlier this morning, I get the logic behind these decisions: a large majority of game purchases are digital today. Then again, I can't help but wonder if people are unfairly being funneled to digital game sales. If it's extra money to purchase a console with a disc drive, it's just easier to avoid the hassle and buy a disc-less copy of a PS6 or Project Helix and pick games up either on sale or through Game Pass.

XBOX Is Currently in the Middle of a "Reset"

Any official confirmation of a future XBOX console without a disc drive will likely be on the back burner given the fact that the company is in the middle of a reset, per new CEO Asha Sharma.

Not only are we about to see price hikes for XBOX consoles, but we've seen senior leadership depart the company. There's also the looming threat of massive layoffs hanging over the company, and this wouldn't be the first time in 12+ months that XBOX has undergone massive layoffs.

I understand the logic that shipping a console with a disc drive, especially when you're expecting the price of hardware to continue to rise in the future, is adding unnecessary costs, but you also have to take into account the consumer sentiment here. People have made it very clear that they like having access to physical games.

Given the backlash to Sony's announcement today, it'll be interesting to see what ends up happening with Project Helix.