Microsoft is planning for an external disc drive for Xbox Series S

Xbox Series S launched to face a lot of skepticism surrounding its digital-only operation. Microsoft, on the other hand, has always marketed it as a next-gen GamePass machine that is all-digital.

Microsoft even launched the Xbox All Access program, wherein you can buy an Xbox Series S console plus 24 months of GamePass Ultimate for $24.99/month for 24 months. This is supposedly an economical way for one to get into the so-called next-gen gaming.

However, everything didn’t go according to the plan for Microsoft. While the sales for Xbox Series S are good, the demand for the Xbox Series X proved to be way above expectations for being more powerful and, more importantly, having a physical disc drive.

Digital games aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. You can’t resell/share your games after playing, and people who enjoy building a physical collection of games don’t enjoy experiencing intangible digital games.

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Xbox Series S DRM issues have been inconvenient

The DRM policies surrounding digital games have always been confusing. During a recent Microsoft Xbox server outage, owners of digital video games were unable to access their purchases for over a week.

So for the majority of gamers, a digital-only console doesn’t simply make sense. Fortunately, Microsoft has acknowledged this, and if the rumors are true, they are working on an external disc drive for the cheaper Xbox Series S. However, the supposed way they are going to do this is still in the air.

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The crux of the matter

According to a patent (https://patents.justia.com/patent/20220134235) filed by Microsoft on May 5, 2022, a system is being developed to somehow validate the license of physical game discs and convert them to digital permits. This way, you might be able to play your physical games digitally by downloading them from the Microsoft Store.

There's no clarity on how this is going to be facilitated yet. Will it render the physical discs useless? Will digital licenses work on multiple systems for the users? Several such questions might get answered by the Xbox team soon.

Games like Fortnite and Apex Legends can have an all-digital future by all means, but gaming giants like Microsoft and Sony are on the verge of forgetting that it's the small details that make or break the experience. The joy of unboxing a hugely anticipated game will stay unmatched.

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A surprisingly detailed patent

The patent is titled "Software Ownership Validation of Optical Discs Secondary Device." The patent also gives a background on how some of the current crops of consoles are being constructed without physical disc drives.

A figure in the patent (Image via Microsoft)

"Players using gaming consoles without optical disc drives cannot play their previously acquired optical discs on the current gaming consoles." states the patent.

The system is called the "first device" and would be akin to any external disc drive you can buy. However, it will be able to authenticate your physical discs from the Microsoft servers online.

However, several challenges like preventing piracy and using discs on consoles that aren't connected to Microsoft servers might create some niggles.

The patent further states that the "second device," i.e., equivalent to a physical game disc containing electronic media, will need to be paired with the "first device". Only after the validity of the ownership of electronic content is confirmed is the access of digital equipment of the media be provided to the disc drive.

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Complicated but useful

This comes off as a little complicated, but for the end consumer, all that matters is the ability to play their physical discs on their digital console. Microsoft has acknowledged the “feelings” associated with physical games.

The patent says, “it may be difficult for some people to justify repurchasing a video game they already own and have already played or completed. Second, many owners of physical video game media have emotional attachments to their physical video game media.”

All said and done. This is exceptionally good news for people who want to buy physical games while investing in a digital-only console such as the Xbox Series S. The choice is now in the consumer’s hands. We hope that Microsoft makes this a reality!