Xbox Project Helix: Microsoft asks fans about disc drives in survey

Microsoft is still launching the new Xbox Project Helix game console with a disc drive? Despite Sony’s decision to pursue a purely digital future starting in 2028, Microsoft is clearly still holding out hope.

Sony sparked an outcry from gamers this year when it announced it would only release games digitally starting in 2028. This also means that the upcoming PlayStation 6 will not require a disc drive. There is widespread speculation in the industry that Microsoft may decide to take this step as well, especially since Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has not recently taken a clear stance in support of the optical disc drive. However, there still seems to be hope that the next-generation platform, Xbox Project Helix, will still have a disc drive to support physical media.

A new survey of Xbox insiders conducted by the company now provides reason for this assumption. The specific question raised is how important it is for these users to continue to be able to use physical media in the form of discs in next-generation consoles. The three possible answers are “not necessary”, “nice to have” and “must have”.

Investigations show that Microsoft seems to have not made a final decision on Xbox Project Helix and disc issues. With proper feedback from the community, or first from Xbox insiders, the company can continue to stick with disc drives.

Sony was heavily criticized for abandoning physical media and had to weather a real firestorm. It’s clear to the company that physical game sales currently make up a relatively small percentage of total software sales.

Given the declining importance of physical media, how Microsoft positions its next-generation console remains an exciting question. With the recently piloted disc-to-digital feature, which allows previously purchased disc-based games to be digitized, we are also preparing for a disc-free future.