As discs fade out, Microsoft reportedly testing Xbox feature to save your collection

The Xbox maker may have a trick up its sleeve to not let Xbox One and Series X physical collections be wasted.

Earlier today, Sony announced a massive change to how players will be purchasing PlayStation games in the future, with physical discs going away entirely. As major games, like Grand Theft Auto VI, take the same route, there is a good chance Microsoft will be announcing this for its consoles too. However, the Xbox maker may have a trick up its sleeve to not let physical collections be wasted.

According to a report by The Verge, Microsoft has been experimenting behind the scenes on a new feature that will let disc owners digitize their games while also keeping the trading value. This Disc to Digital program is said to be in testing already internally, with both Xbox One and Xbox Series X versions of physical discs being supported.

The report says that players only have to insert a physical disc into their Xbox console to activate this feature, which will grant a digital entitlement for the registered Microsoft Account. Afterward, the game should be available for play as if it were purchased from the Microsoft Store, with features like Xbox Play Anywhere and Xbox Cloud Gaming being available.

Meanwhile, if the game disc is lent to a friend or sold later, the entitlement can be swapped to the new console's profile, removing it from the original device. Support is said to be broad too, with disc bundles, included DLC, and any added content all being available digitally.

This disc tracking system of Microsoft may not have been active for at least some early Xbox One games though. The Verge says Microsoft has warned testers of titles not granting the entitlement depending on "how and when the disc was manufactured."

With the next Xbox console now on the horizon, Microsoft could announce the Disc to Digital program as a very useful feature for physical game owners that want to keep their collections as they upgrade to the next generation. So far, Sony has not announced any solution to PlayStation gamers once physical discs stop coming to its consoles.