Xbox’s clever disc-to-digital feature was 15 years in the making

<figure> <img alt="Illustration of Xbox logo" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/chorus/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25480192/247141_NOTEPAD_X_BOX_CVIRGINIA.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> </figcaption> </figure> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">When Xbox announced a new feature last month that lets you <a href="https://www.theverge.com/tech/984936/xbox-disc-to-digital-feature-official">digitize existing physical game collections</a>, I immediately thought of the Xbox One. Disc-to-digital seems like a clever new feature for Xbox, perfectly timed as a response to Sony killing PlayStation discs. But the reality is that it has been 15 years in the making and is now a big part of Xbox's ongoing game preservation efforts.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Ahead of the launch of the Xbox One in 2013, Microsoft made a key decision to uniquely identify discs. Sources familiar with Microsoft's plans tell me the company was exploring the idea of true Xbox digital ownership in 2011, including digital gifting, rec …</p> <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/tech/996826/microsoft-xbox-disc-to-digital-history-notepad">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>