{"id":1124809,"date":"2026-08-01T21:41:20","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T21:41:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1124809\/"},"modified":"2026-08-01T21:41:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T21:41:20","slug":"could-xbox-get-its-revenge-on-ps6-by-supporting-physical-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1124809\/","title":{"rendered":"Could Xbox Get Its Revenge on PS6 by Supporting Physical Games?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Could<\/a> Image: Push Square<\/p>\n

Even though it happened 13 years ago, I think there\u2019s still a deep-seated resentment among some Xbox enthusiasts for Shuhei Yoshida\u2019s infamous \u201cgame sharing\u201d video<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It was the PS4\u2019s \u201cfinish him\u201d moment on the Xbox One \u2013 a blow which truly turned the tides, and pushed PlayStation back out in front, after the PS3 and Xbox 360 had traded blows.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also looked upon with deep irony over a decade later, as Sony has now announced plans to cease manufacturing physical games in January 2028<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But could Xbox get its own back with its next-gen console Xbox Helix and recommit to physical media at a time when Sony has managed to p*ss off its most vocal fans?<\/p>\n

Comments from Digital Foundry\u2019s John Linneman<\/a> have gone viral this weekend, when he said that \u2013 according to his sources \u2013 Microsoft had planned to include a disc drive in its next device.<\/p>\n

He notes that he\u2019s uncertain of the situation since new CEO Asha Sharma\u2019s arrival, and stresses that the drive may have been included purely for legacy support.<\/p>\n

In other words, according to his information, the console would have played your old discs \u2013 but no word on whether it\u2019d make new ones.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

To be fair, Sony has not yet communicated its plans for the PS6, and I\u2019d be surprised if it didn\u2019t at least offer an optional disc drive accessory for legacy physical media.<\/p>\n

The company may be coming across cold hearted<\/a>, but it knows there are millions upon millions of PS4 and PS5 discs in the wild \u2013 it\u2019ll need to find a way to make them compatible with the PS6, even if that is a digital-only device.<\/p>\n

Of course, this conversation has led to a lot of hot takes on social media, with many almost willing Microsoft into continuing to support physical media as a means to strike back at Sony.<\/p>\n

So could it happen?<\/p>\n

Well, anything is possible, but I think it defies the realities of the market as it exists today. PlayStation may be controversially pulling back on physical media in 2028, but the irony is I think it supports it better than any other manufacturer in the present.<\/p>\n

Microsoft, for example, has been shipping discs with very little data all generation. One recent example includes Halo: Campaign Evolved<\/a>, which requires a download on the PS5<\/a> \u2013 but Bethesda efforts like DOOM: The Dark Ages<\/a> and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle<\/a> have shipped with literal megabytes on the disc<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, I think it\u2019s really important to underline just how non-existent Xbox\u2019s store presence is around the world. You may still find a few boxed games in US shops, but there are barely any physical game retailers in the UK anymore \u2013 and the brand has practically evaporated in Asia at this point.<\/p>\n

Perhaps there\u2019s an opportunity for Microsoft to claw back store space from Sony once it ceases making physical games, but I can\u2019t see it. I think shops will just focus on the Switch 2 instead, and its Game Key Cards.<\/p>\n

\"Could<\/a>If you squint, you’ll see the Xbox section right at the very back \u2014 Image: Sammy Barker \/ Push Square<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also worth underlining that the Xbox is even more digital than PlayStation these days, and boxed media makes up just 15% of Sony\u2019s software sales<\/a> at most.<\/p>\n

According to Circana\u2019s Mat Piscatella<\/a>, PlayStation \u201cphysical software outsells Xbox [physical software] in the US by a multiple now far higher than the install base gap\u201d.<\/p>\n

In other words, Xbox physical software is a fraction of the percentage of PlayStation physical software in the US, which is already a tiny proportion of Sony\u2019s software sales.<\/p>\n

So could Xbox Helix hit PS6 with a gotcha? In theory, it\u2019s possible \u2013 Microsoft may think the PR win is worth the costs associated with supporting physical media.<\/p>\n

But realistically, at a time when the Redmond firm is cutting staff and focusing firmly on profitability<\/a>, I can\u2019t see it.<\/p>\n

Frankly, I think the writing is on the wall for all console makers, and that\u2019s why even a month after Sony\u2019s decision, you haven\u2019t really seen anyone go in for the kill on this.<\/p>\n

Do you think Xbox will keep making physical games? (458 votes)<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Yes, they’ll stick it to Sony and the PS6<\/strong>16%<\/li>\n
  2. Maybe, I’m not entirely sure<\/strong>20%<\/li>\n
  3. No, evidence suggests they’re done too<\/strong>64%<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \"Sammy<\/p>\n

    As the Editor of Push Square, Sammy has over 15 years of experience analysing the world of PlayStation, from PS3 through PS5 and everything in between. He\u2019s an expert on PS Studios and industry matters, as well as sports games and simulators. He also enjoys RPGs when he has the time to dedicate to them, and is a bit of a gacha whale.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Image: Push Square Even though it happened 13 years ago, I think there\u2019s still a deep-seated resentment among…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1124810,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[7],"tags":[507,90438,341,53,16,15,289],"class_list":["post-1124809","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-microsoft","tag-ps6","tag-sony","tag-technology","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-xbox"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/117022431163564598","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1124809","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1124809"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1124809\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1124810"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1124809"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1124809"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1124809"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}