PS6 all-digital reportedly delayed as Xbox considers next-gen console with disc drive

Sony's plans to go all-digital with the upcoming PS6 have gathered significant resistance from the gaming community and its chief competitor, Microsoft's Xbox. Headlines have already suggested that Gamescom attendees are boycotting the company's booths after it unveiled plans to ditch the physical drive. Reports have also hinted that publishers have opposed the move. Notably, CD Projekt Red has promised that the upcoming Witcher 4 will be released in a box edition regardless of whether consoles go all-digital.

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Utilizing this moment of bad PR for the upcoming PS6, Xbox has reportedly announced plans that its next-gen consoles are going to retain the physical drive. This confirmation comes from Eurogamer Spain, rolling back previous expectations of both console makers going fully digital starting the next iteration. Microsoft has apparently told publishers that Project Helix will be "100% physical" while retaining the ability to convert physical games into digital licenses.

Is Xbox turning physical game compatibility into a key advantage for Project Helix?

Microsoft has already confirmed its Disc-to-Digital program. This was set to turn most physical media into digital licenses when you insert the game disc into a Series console. From the next play, you don't need to rely on the disc at all. Importantly, the disc continues functioning normally, while the digital license can provide access through Xbox consoles, Play Anywhere, and cloud gaming where supported. Microsoft says thousands of games will initially qualify for this.

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While the interpretation does not necessarily mean “Xbox suddenly loves discs,” digitizing players' existing libraries offers a smoother path to a future console without a drive.

Importantly, CEO Asha Sharma hasn't confirmed whether the upcoming Helix will include a disc drive. That's still up for speculation and mostly hinted at by what industry insiders and analysts have reported. However, for Sony, even this bad PR could have handed Xbox one of the easiest differentiators of the entire next generation.

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It's worth keeping in mind that the Blu-ray physical drive costs extra to build and chews on valuable console hardware real estate that could have been utilized for cooling the CPU or GPU.

Sony's physical-media gamble has earned significant backlash for the PS6

Sony has reportedly announced that it intends to fully stop producing physical discs for new PlayStation games from 2028. That only checks out for an all-digital PS6. The reasons are well-founded. A large chunk of gamers have gone digital-only. Moreover, dropping the disc slashes manufacturing and distribution costs, which results in higher profits.

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However, the significant backlash the company has gathered at Gamescom 2026 might make it reconsider the decision. This is even more important now that Xbox has released plans to capitalize on this gap.

Gamers are mostly advocating for retaining physical media as they make for collectables. Discs also allow significant freedom to resell, which greatly reduces the cost of ownership. Some reports have suggested that this community reaction has prompted Sony to delay the all-digital PS6 in response. Take these developments with a grain of salt, as we will have to wait and watch for how the next-gen consoles actually pan out.

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