Updated
Updated · VICE · Jul 1
Xbox Reportedly Drops Disc Drive From Project Helix as Sony Ends New PlayStation Discs in 2028
Updated
Updated · VICE · Jul 1

Xbox Reportedly Drops Disc Drive From Project Helix as Sony Ends New PlayStation Discs in 2028

3 articles · Updated · VICE · Jul 1

Summary

  • Windows Central reported Microsoft’s next-generation Xbox, Project Helix, is being planned without a disc drive, pointing to a fully digital console approach.
  • The reported shift appears aimed at cutting hardware costs and follows Sony’s announcement that new PlayStation games will stop getting physical discs starting in January 2028.
  • Microsoft has not confirmed the claim, and key details on Helix — including price, SKUs and launch timing — remain undisclosed after June’s Xbox Games Showcase passed without an update.
  • The move would revive a strategy Xbox tried in 2013 with the Xbox One’s always-online, disc-light vision, which it later rolled back after a sharp consumer backlash.

Insights

As gamers increasingly buy disc consoles, why are Sony and Xbox planning a disc-less future starting in 2028?
Will the 'RAM-ageddon' crisis make next-gen consoles too expensive for consumers or delay them entirely beyond 2028?
In a future without physical games, what guarantees do you have that your digital library won't simply disappear?