Microsoft is still hesitating whether the new console Project Helix will retain the optical drive and has not yet been finalized

With Sony announcing last week that it will stop producing physical discs for PlayStation consoles starting in 2028, discussions about the "all-digital future" in the gaming industry have heated up again. Many players have called on Microsoft not to make the same mistake, and the issue of whether the next-generation Xbox (codenamed Project Helix) will retain optical drive support seems to have yet to be finalized.

It was generally believed that Project Helix would no longer come with a standard optical drive. However, The Verge reporter Tom Warren reported last week that Microsoft has not yet made a final decision on whether the next-generation Xbox will have a built-in optical drive: "As far as I know, Microsoft has not yet finalized whether the next-generation Xbox (codenamed Project Helix) will have a built-in optical drive as standard."

This information is inconsistent with previous reports. Jez Corden of Windows Central said in the Xbox Two podcast that Microsoft seems to be re-evaluating its solutions related to physical discs, although he personally still thinks it is unlikely that Project Helix will come with a standard optical drive: "Tom Warren mentioned in The Verge's article that Helix-related matters have not yet been finalized. But there has been a decision before, but the latest information Tom has shows that Microsoft is evaluating what other possibilities are available for Helix in terms of disc support."

Corden speculated that Project Helix will most likely not come with a built-in optical drive as standard, but Microsoft may provide an external optical drive accessory for this console that can be purchased separately to satisfy players who still need physical games.

At the same time, The Verge’s report also mentioned that Microsoft is developing a “disc-to-digital” feature that allows players to convert their physical game discs into digital licenses. The emergence of this feature has inevitably led to speculation - did Microsoft deploy this conversion tool in advance because it foresees that it will no longer produce or support optical discs in the future?

In the context that Sony has clearly moved towards a fully digital future, how Microsoft will ultimately balance industry trends and player needs remains to be further officially announced.