New Xbox without a disc drive: Alternative could appeal to fans – under one condition

A few weeks ago, Reddit users were already discussing whether the next Xbox, codenamed Project Helix, would still include a physical disc drive. Many would like to keep that option, especially for existing game collections or playing Blu-rays. Recent rumors, however, have further reduced those already limited hopes.

The report comes from Microsoft insider Jez Corden at Windows Central. According to Corden, anonymous sources mentioned two new Xbox codenames that were later found in current Xbox Insider builds. Alongside “Project Saluki”, which apparently refers to new Game Pass offers for the Chinese market, the codename “Positron” also appears. Corden believes this could refer to a disc-to-digital program.

Disc-to-digital program hints at Xbox without a disc drive

Specifically, “Positron” could allow physical Xbox games to be converted into digital licenses. That would make disc-based games permanently available in the digital Xbox library. It would also suggest that the next Xbox may no longer need a built-in disc drive, while Microsoft could still give users a way to carry their existing disc collections into the digital Xbox ecosystem.

Microsoft could take a similar route to Sony with the PS5 Slim and offer an external disc drive as a separate accessory. Another possibility is that games could be digitized through older consoles such as the Xbox Series X (available on Amazon for $648) or Xbox One. In a recent Reddit thread on the topic, disappointment over the possible loss of a disc drive appears limited. That is likely because Microsoft’s rumored solution sounds fairly promising for owners of physical games – provided it works the way fans hope.

Fans hope for real digital licenses instead of disc checks

If a one-time digitization process makes a game permanently available on the console, “Positron” could make the shift more convenient without reducing the value of physical games. However, the disc may still need to be verified through an external drive before each play session, even if the game itself then runs digitally. In practice, Microsoft would merely be moving the disc drive outside the console. At this point, however, all of this remains pure speculation. Microsoft has officially confirmed neither the absence of a physical disc drive nor the rumored disc-to-digital program.