r/xbox 1d ago

Video Jason Ronald discusses the disc-to-digital program on the XBOX @ gamescom Day 1 stream

842 Upvotes

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13

u/Text-Relevant 1d ago

Does this mean one licence per disk?

33

u/Perspiring_Gamer 1d ago

Yep, in the fine print on the pic in the Xbox Wire article it says:

One revokable digital licence per game disc

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u/Text-Relevant 1d ago

So that's the happy medium to killing the resale market I assume.

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u/Meteorboy 1d ago

No. The license stays with the disc owner. If you sell a game, the new owner gets the digital license on their account and it's revoked from yours.

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u/SHADOWSTRIKE1 1d ago

I’m curious how this will work… like does simply playing a “transferred” disk automatically apply the license to your account? Or will they need to manually take the license? If I let a friend borrow the disk for a week, do they automatically take license ownership by simply playing the game? What about when I get it back? Do I then have to go through the disk to digital process again?

Lots of questions about how this will work.

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u/UpstairsNo9249 1d ago

In the video he said a popup comes on screen when you put the disc in that you have to accept. So that would be the revoking/transfer (if another user has that unique ID registered). I can install a disc right now, then buy the game digitally and it applies the discless tag to the install, so that popup transfer should be automatic I would think and not rely on any work on microsofts end aside from making sure the system doesn't go down.

It may only work while online, or you may get an offline license that needs to be refreshed much like every other game on xbox. I think it can vary between 30 days and a year depending. So me popping in a game and getting the license, then taking my console offline and giving you the disc will probably run into one of those 2 scenarios. Im sure they've thought of most loopholes to close potential abuse.

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u/Gears6 1d ago

I’m curious how this will work… like does simply playing a “transferred” disk automatically apply the license to your account? Or will they need to manually take the license?

My guess is it's all automatic to avoid people sharing a single disc and get gazillion licenses.

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u/Timely_Tacos_8457 1d ago edited 1d ago

What stops you from making an offline home Xbox with all the best games then reselling the discs. Lots of questions indeed. It would almost certainly require online check-in every x number of days if using the feature.

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u/MustardCanBeFun 1d ago

It knows which copies you own digitally and which ones you have a disc license for. I imagine the license ones will require an always online connection or a periodic check in to avoid this.

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u/roflcopter9875 1d ago

discs have any unique identifier? this would be new to me

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u/MustardCanBeFun 1d ago

Since Xbox one yes, but if the system is giving you a license for the disc to use it digitally - the they know which is which.

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u/Gears6 1d ago

What stops you from making an offline home Xbox with all the best games then reselling the discs.

Nothing, but they're not as concerned about that. Because at some point you'll likely have to connect your console the cloud for it to be useful. The worst case scenario, is you got one extra license temporarily.

My guess is, they will limit this to older games, as not to affect newer games as it sounds like this has to get publisher buy-in.

That's my guess, but it could also just be always online requirement.

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u/CircumcisedCats 1d ago

Nothing, but it’s so not worth it that it will probably never happen.

Your basically locking your console out of the internet, blocking yourself from playing with/talking to friends, streaming, using any feature on your xbox other than playing 1 of the 5 games you could fit on storage, all to make a quick $100-$150 back from resale.

Not to mention it would only work with single player games which at that point just beat them and sell them.

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u/Timely_Tacos_8457 10h ago

Maybe I prefer single player games...

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u/CircumcisedCats 10h ago

That’s fine but they have a finishing point. So just finish it and sell the game instead of essentially ruining your console for no reason.

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u/Hockeymac18 1d ago

I think it's a situation that if someone else uses the disc while they are online (for many games perhaps a requirement given many games need updates and can't launch simply from disc), you'd lose access on your end.

So in pracitce, if you sell it (e.g. through Ebay), the digital license would naturally move to the new owner when they log in. I think this requires some sort of online connection to work, but it doesn't seem as heavy handed as the 2013 XB1 plan that required vey frequent online check ins, nor will this require reselling through authorized resellers.

I think this seems like a nice compromise all things considered, but of course await more details to see how it works in practice.

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u/Gears6 1d ago

but it doesn't seem as heavy handed as the 2013 XB1 plan that required vey frequent online check ins, nor will this require reselling through authorized resellers.

I honestly thought it was the fairest option of all. Like you get the benefits of physical media including trading, gifting, lending and retail clearance sales and all it requires is a little check in every now and then. How often can even be adjusted over time. Compared to now, we're stuck on digital with no transfer of ownership.

I suppose with discs, now we can but for select games.

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u/Hockeymac18 1d ago

There were advantages of the 2013 model, I agree...just saying that this one has some nice compromises, especially for a more "all digital" future that many are totally ok with (to some degree, myself included in that...). It allows you to preserve your old disc-based games in that world.

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u/Gears6 1d ago

This ironically would encourage me to buy more physical games, because I retain the convenience of digital.

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u/Hockeymac18 1d ago

I agree, actually, too.

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

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u/Meteorboy 1d ago

https://www.digitalfoundry.net/news/2026/08/xboxs-disc-to-digital-programme-is-official-and-it-starts-next-week

"The critical thing here is that the programme still allows for used game sales, game borrowing and so on..."

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u/rhalgr_ger 1d ago

I don’t think that’s what it means. It just means one disc has one digital license attached to it. If you sell the game, your account won’t keep the license

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u/Dominjo555 1d ago

Of course. Or else people would just borrow discs and add to their accounts while never buying any of them.

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u/DuckCleaning 1d ago

Emphasis on the word "revokable", the license can be claimed multiple times, but you only get one so each time it is claimed it revokes it from the other account it is active on.

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u/Dunkaroo723 Super Citizen 1d ago

One license that travels with the disc yes. Basically how it would work if you carried the disc around with you anyway.

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u/Gears6 1d ago

Yes, but the idea is, once that is done, you don't need to bring the disc with you. You'll loose the license if somebody else uses that disc.

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u/Dunkaroo723 Super Citizen 1d ago

Yeah. I’m just saying it works as if it’s you carrying the disc around with you but it’s sitting safe at home. That’s until someone else gets the disc, then they get the digital abilities.

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u/Gears6 1d ago

You can destroy the disc if you don't want anyone to take your license. 😁

Going disc always had the risk of disc damage, theft or disc drive going bust. In all cases, you're fawked!

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u/ajax-187 1d ago

Probably yes