A new patent suggests that Microsoft is designing a system that would allow the Xbox Series S to play physical game discs. Although Microsoft hasn't confirmed the product, the speculative system would allow owners of the digital-only console to turn their physical games into downloadable copies.
As GameRant discovered, the patent describes a system that would validate your ownership of a physical game, before giving you access to its digital version for download online. The system would involve two devices: one that includes an optical drive capable of reading game discs and verifying their ownership; and a second that you would use to download the games.
It's like pairing a console with an external hard drive, but with a drive that can connect independently to Xbox servers. If implemented for the latest generation of consoles, it would effectively allow Xbox Series S owners to run physical copies of their games through the console.
In the patent, Microsoft claims that such a system would address backward compatibility issues. Some gamers are hesitant to upgrade to the next generation of consoles because they can't transfer their existing library of physical Xbox games to digital-only systems.
"Many next-generation gaming devices in development are configured without hardware components to play physical game media," the patent states.
“Therefore, when the owner of a previous generation video game device purchases a next generation video game device, the owner cannot play their physical video game media,” it continues.
"Instead, the owner must repurchase the digital version of the game content for the next generation gaming device. This scenario is undesirable for a number of reasons.
we can wait
The device described in the patent seems like a practical feature. Not only would this give console owners access to their catalog of Xbox titles, but it would allow them to purchase games without going through the official Xbox store. Physical editions of games can often be found for less than the listed price on Microsoft's digital marketplace, so bolstering your game library with disc copies can sometimes be a more affordable route.
However, the patent leaves many details up in the air. On the one hand, it is not clear what the device described in the patent would look like. It could take the form of a traditional external drive that would have to be purchased separately from the main console, but it could be something else entirely. An Xbox One, for example, seems capable of reading optical discs and connecting to Xbox servers, so it seems capable of performing the same function.
Finally, the patent does not specify what happens to the disk copy of a game once you verify it. It's likely that each disc could only be authenticated once, in an effort to prevent digital piracy, though it's unclear if it could still be used on a console that isn't connected to Microsoft's servers.
As with all patents, nothing is confirmed. The device presented in this patent could take years to come to market or never see the light of day.