Microsoft Is Bringing Xbox 360 Games to PC (theverge.com)
(Monday August 03, 2026 @05:00PM (BeauHD)
from the what-to-expect dept.)
- Reference: 0184832536
- News link: https://games.slashdot.org/story/26/08/03/1940240/microsoft-is-bringing-xbox-360-games-to-pc
- Source link: https://www.theverge.com/games/974544/microsoft-xbox-360-games-pc-disc-digital-program
Microsoft reportedly plans to [1]let developers bring Xbox 360 games to PC and next-generation Xbox devices , with a gradual rollout expected between 2027 and 2028. A separate disc-to-digital program would also give players transferable digital licenses tied to their physical Xbox discs, preserving the ability to resell or trade them. The Verge reports:
> With 360 games, developers can opt into making them backward compatible, and they will have control over things like a game's price and if it's available on Game Pass. The feature is expected to have a "gradual" rollout between 2027 and 2028 "across next-gen devices." The "full launch" of original Xbox games on PC is also set for October 2026; the initial program announced in July included just four games.
>
> The document also includes details about a way for players to get a digital version of a game that they already own on a physical disc, which The Verge's Tom Warren reported on in July. The document says that if a player puts an Xbox One or Series game on disc into an Xbox One or Series X console with a disc drive, they'll be granted a digital license that's bound to "that disc and the player's account." The license will stay with a player across Xbox devices, but if the disc "changes hands," the license will transfer to the new person. That should mean that gamers can still trade and sell discs; once the original owner of a disc does so, they can't play the digital version they got from that disc anymore.
>
> According to the document, a public beta for the disc-to-digital program was set for July with general availability set for August. We understand Microsoft had originally planned to test its disc-to-digital program with Xbox Insiders in July, but the beta was delayed. It's unclear if the timeline of August general availability is still accurate.
[1] https://www.theverge.com/games/974544/microsoft-xbox-360-games-pc-disc-digital-program
> With 360 games, developers can opt into making them backward compatible, and they will have control over things like a game's price and if it's available on Game Pass. The feature is expected to have a "gradual" rollout between 2027 and 2028 "across next-gen devices." The "full launch" of original Xbox games on PC is also set for October 2026; the initial program announced in July included just four games.
>
> The document also includes details about a way for players to get a digital version of a game that they already own on a physical disc, which The Verge's Tom Warren reported on in July. The document says that if a player puts an Xbox One or Series game on disc into an Xbox One or Series X console with a disc drive, they'll be granted a digital license that's bound to "that disc and the player's account." The license will stay with a player across Xbox devices, but if the disc "changes hands," the license will transfer to the new person. That should mean that gamers can still trade and sell discs; once the original owner of a disc does so, they can't play the digital version they got from that disc anymore.
>
> According to the document, a public beta for the disc-to-digital program was set for July with general availability set for August. We understand Microsoft had originally planned to test its disc-to-digital program with Xbox Insiders in July, but the beta was delayed. It's unclear if the timeline of August general availability is still accurate.
[1] https://www.theverge.com/games/974544/microsoft-xbox-360-games-pc-disc-digital-program
Get your Dupe on (Score:2)
by Vomitgod ( 6659552 )
Microsoft - can you help /. with dupe detection. [1]https://games.slashdot.org/sto... [slashdot.org]
[1] https://games.slashdot.org/story/26/07/22/1659215/microsoft-announces-xbox-backward-compatibility-for-pc
hate to say it (Score:2)
I hate to say it, but Microsoft has a reasonable approach with their planned disc-to-digital system. All the benefits of physical discs: visiting a friend's house with the disc, selling the disc, plus all the benefits of a digital license: can run on a handled and other diskless systems. The idea that "the last account where the disc was used" would be the licensed owner gives a lot of flexibility, and the 2 biggest are going to a friend's house or traveling with a handheld.
Of course, the devil's in the f
Re: hate to say it (Score:1)
If you hated to say it you could have just not done so, especially since this is not the right way to do this from the consumers' point of view where they are losing resellability.