The Xbox Series X 'Brooklin' refresh is dead to me without this feature

By Richard Devine
published

You can take my disc drive and my collection of physical games out of my cold dead hands.

Xbox Series X
(Image credit: Windows Central)

Wow, what a day to be an Xbox fan, huh? The leak-a-palooza of documents coming out of the Microsoft vs FTC court case without any sort of redaction is opening a lot of eyes. One of the more interesting, and closer to happening, leaks concerns 'Brooklin', aka the mid-cycle Xbox Series X refresh. 

It looks like an Xbox One to Xbox One S type refresh, in that the performance will be staying the same, but it'll be a little smaller, more efficient and have a few new hardware features to boast about. 

But it also doesn't have a disc drive, according to the leaks. And whatever else it offers, without this one feature, it is dead to me. 

It's cheaper to buy physical games most of the time

Xbox Series X

I need the drive on the front of my console. (Image credit: Windows Central)
Massive Xbox leak

Xbox Cloud Gaming

(Image credit: Future/Bing Image Creator)

- Microsoft's initial thoughts on PS5
- Xbox Elite Controller Series 2 under $100
- Panos Panay leaving Microsoft
- Microsoft wants to buy Nintendo
- Leak gives glimpse of the future of Xbox

It's a sad fact that one day, the physical game disc will be a dinosaur. Extinct and nothing but a memory. Lots will disagree with me, but I love physical games. I like being able to actually feel like I own the thing I've just spent money on. But I also like the ability to just spend less money on games. 

Going digital only, you're at the mercy of the holders of the key to the kingdom, and prices are almost always higher than at retailers like Amazon for longer. Take this example. 

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy has been out for a couple of years now. On Amazon, in the UK, you can buy a copy of this game for £16.99 at the time of writing. On the Xbox Store, it's £59.99. 

I bought the digital only PS5 when it launched, and I've fallen massively out of love with it. And that's mostly because games are so damned expensive. I don't have the ability to snap up cheaper physical copies anymore, so I just ultimately stopped buying anything for it. I'm actually planning to replace it for the full-sized version with the disc drive. I can't cope anymore. 

No way to play old physical games without a disc drive

How do I play all the physical games I've amassed in the last nine years on this?  (Image credit: FTC)

Here's the other big issue I have with a digital only Xbox. Since I bought my first Xbox One console back in 2014 I've amassed a sizeable collection of games. Granted, I have a lot that are digital, but I have a whole heap of physical copies, too. With no way to transfer a license for these to a digital game, I can't play them anymore without a drive to put them in. 

Some of these games I still haven't played once. I still have a sealed copy of the Tony Hawk remaster! I can't share these games with my son, either, since he can't play them on his Series S. And trust me, he wants to play Minecraft Story Mode a lot. 

This is one of the issues I fell into with my transition from PS4 to all digital PS5, too. All the physical PS4 games I'd built up over the years were now worthless without keeping an old console around. Rebuying games you already own is a stupid way to have to spend your money. 

So, to recap. If Brooklin does indeed turn out like the leaks, I'll be skipping it. I've tried going all digital, and it just doesn't work for me. If the next-gen Xbox is digital only, then Microsoft better kill backward compatibility and give me a solid reason to have to keep two consoles around. 

Richard Devine
Richard Devine
Managing Editor - Tech, Reviews

Richard Devine is a Managing Editor at Windows Central with over a decade of experience. A former Project Manager and long-term tech addict, he joined Mobile Nations in 2011 and has been found on Android Central and iMore as well as Windows Central. Currently, you'll find him steering the site's coverage of all manner of PC hardware and reviews. Find him on Mastodon at mstdn.social/@richdevine

13 Comments Comment from the forums
  • GraniteStateColin
    I long preferred physical discs. Living out in the country where I do, Internet had not been good enough (thank you, Elon Musk and SpaceX, for Starlink: now everyone with a good view of the sky can have decent Internet). But even before we had decent Internet, I had kids. Each kid has his or her own Xbox.

    Unfortunately, because the games all seem to require the physical disc to play, this renders them fundamentally crippled compared to digital downloads for anyone with multiple Xboxes in the same household. This isn't an inherent problem with physical discs -- they could be used to install and then not require the disc, but for what I assume is some form of copy protection, they never seem to work that way.

    With the downloadable versions, even if it took all night or multiple days over a slow DSL or T1 connection, we could download the same game on multiple Xboxes linked to my account and we could all play instead of just one person.

    One other player advantage to downloaded versions over discs is changing between games. If you just leave the disc in for Starfield for weeks or months on end, then this is moot, but if you play multiple different games or want to watch that 4k HDR movie disc, you have to pop out the current disc, store it, put in the new one, etc. And then be sure to remember when you put the one you removed so you can go back to your original game later.

    Lastly, similar to the short-term hassle of remembering where the discs are, is the long term need to keep them. If I want to go back to play Fallout 4 (which I originally bought on disc), I have to find the disc. For all the games I bought digitally, I just select it from the menu and play. If it's been years, I confess I may never be able to find the disc, meaning that game is lost to me, permanently.

    So for me, while I think it would be a terrible mistake for MS (or Sony) to not offer at least one version of their console with disc support (for people who can't get or afford good Internet), or at least support a USB3 add-on drive, and while I prefer having the drive for my older games and movies that I did buy on discs, I actively avoid buying any new games on discs now due to all those issues.

    Ironically, for music, I'll still go for CD's and rip them. :)
    (That's the only way to get the deep cuts and bonus tracks that are never available via streaming services.)
    Reply
  • Kaymd
    GraniteStateColin said:
    I long preferred physical discs. Living out in the country where I do, Internet had not been good enough (thank you, Elon Musk and SpaceX, for Starlink: now everyone with a good view of the sky can have decent Internet). But even before we had decent Internet, I had kids. Each kid has his or her own Xbox.

    Unfortunately, because the games all seem to require the physical disc to play, this renders them fundamentally crippled compared to digital downloads for anyone with multiple Xboxes in the same household. This isn't an inherent problem with physical discs -- they could be used to install and then not require the disc, but for what I assume is some form of copy protection, they never seem to work that way.

    With the downloadable versions, even if it took all night or multiple days over a slow DSL or T1 connection, we could download the same game on multiple Xboxes linked to my account and we could all play instead of just one person.

    One other player advantage to downloaded versions over discs is changing between games. If you just leave the disc in for Starfield for weeks or months on end, then this is moot, but if you play multiple different games or want to watch that 4k HDR movie disc, you have to pop out the current disc, store it, put in the new one, etc. And then be sure to remember when you put the one you removed so you can go back to your original game later.

    Lastly, similar to the short-term hassle of remembering where the discs are, is the long term need to keep them. If I want to go back to play Fallout 4 (which I originally bought on disc), I have to find the disc. For all the games I bought digitally, I just select it from the menu and play. If it's been years, I confess I may never be able to find the disc, meaning that game is lost to me, permanently.

    So for me, while I think it would be a terrible mistake for MS (or Sony) to not offer at least one version of their console with disc support (for people who can't get or afford good Internet), or at least support a USB3 add-on drive, and while I prefer having the drive for my older games and movies that I did buy on discs, I actively avoid buying any new games on discs now due to all those issues.

    Ironically, for music, I'll still go for CD's and rip them. :)
    (That's the only way to get the deep cuts and bonus tracks that are never available via streaming services.)
    The problem is that modern physical games are just glorified plastic cd keys.
    Their only value today is maybe as a decorative accessory to line your bookshelves (which I don't mind :) ).

    Can you imagine trying to play the launch version of say Cyberpunk 2077 that was on the physical disk? I can't remember a single game in recent years that has not had several essential patches since launch.
    The actual data on the game disk you purchased is practically useless.

    In the end, even after a physical game purchase, you actually play the 'digital' version residing on the remote server with the latest patches, bug fixes, updates etc. You don't want the vanilla version you got on the physical disk. Same applies to modern operating systems (Windows, Android, Linux etc.).

    This is very different from music and movies. Once an album or a movie is released, it is done. Closed and finalized forever. Nothing like a movie patch or a song update lol. Only 'update' possibility is a completely new album or movie sequel or whatever, which, when released, is also done and final.

    Therefore, only for music and movies are physical discs meaningful. For games, they are now plastic license keys.
    Reply
  • GraniteStateColin
    Kaymd said:
    The problem is that modern physical games are just glorified plastic cd keys.
    Their only value today is maybe as a decorative accessory to line your bookshelves (which I don't mind :) ).

    Can you imagine trying to play the launch version of say Cyberpunk 2077 that was on the physical disk? I can't remember a single game in recent years that has not had several essential patches since launch.
    The actual data on the game disk you purchased is practically useless.

    In the end, even after a physical game purchase, you actually play the 'digital' version residing on the remote server with the latest patches, bug fixes, updates etc. You don't want the vanilla version you got on the physical disk. Same applies to modern operating systems (Windows, Android, Linux etc.).

    This is very different from music and movies. Once an album or a movie is released, it is done. Closed and finalized forever. Nothing like a movie patch or a song update lol. Only 'update' possibility is a completely new album or movie sequel or whatever, which, when released, is also done and final.

    Therefore, only for music and movies are physical discs meaningful. For games, they are now plastic license keys.

    Great points. Completely agree. In fact, building on your point, with the day one patching usually occurring for the digital version in the background before you ever start the game, it's actually worse to play with the disk version, because for the disk version, you have to wait for that patch to download while you wish you were playing.

    To take devil's advocate, and support Richard Devine's position, he's right for the perspective he shared: if the only concern is game cost, then they are cheaper to buy physically, especially when factoring in resale of used games.

    However, this misses the cost advantages of Game Pass. I don't personally use it for the same first reason I only buy digital: I have multiple kids and I'd need to buy a separate Game Pass subscription for each kid. Too expensive, not doing it. But if they offered a Family Plan (like they're talking about) or if I didn't have kids, I'd subscribe to Game Pass in a heartbeat and that's even cheaper per game than physical disks if you play more than a very small number of games per year.

    And yeah, not all games are there, but if it includes several that you'll play, that still lowers the average cost per game even if you still buy others outside Game Pass.
    Reply
  • David Steadson
    Windows Central said:
    Without one key feature, the Xbox Series X refresh due in 2024 isn't pushing any buttons for me. Here's why.

    The Xbox Series X 'Brooklin' refresh is dead to me without this feature : Read more
    Or they could just announce support for external CD drives.

    https://www.techradar.com/news/microsoft-has-plans-for-an-xbox-series-s-external-disc-drive
    Reply
  • fdruid
    Disc drives are a thing of the past and will die. The sooner the better.
    You sure don't need a plastic disc or cartridge to play PC games and that hasn't been an issue for anyone ever.
    Let's leave the burdens of physical media behind and stop fetishizing objects that are only meant to carry data.
    Reply
  • NoLifeDGenerate
    Kaymd said:
    The problem is that modern physical games are just glorified plastic cd keys.
    Their only value today is maybe as a decorative accessory to line your bookshelves (which I don't mind :) ).

    Can you imagine trying to play the launch version of say Cyberpunk 2077 that was on the physical disk? I can't remember a single game in recent years that has not had several essential patches since launch.
    The actual data on the game disk you purchased is practically useless.

    In the end, even after a physical game purchase, you actually play the 'digital' version residing on the remote server with the latest patches, bug fixes, updates etc. You don't want the vanilla version you got on the physical disk. Same applies to modern operating systems (Windows, Android, Linux etc.).

    This is very different from music and movies. Once an album or a movie is released, it is done. Closed and finalized forever. Nothing like a movie patch or a song update lol. Only 'update' possibility is a completely new album or movie sequel or whatever, which, when released, is also done and final.

    Therefore, only for music and movies are physical discs meaningful. For games, they are now plastic license keys.

    EXACTLY! So many people don't seem to get this and insist on clinging to games on disc. I remember an article about Babylon's Fall shutting down and being delisted where someone actually whined they were going to look for the disc and never buy digital again. Like...it doesn't work at all without the servers, genius.

    I just want physical games to die a proper death instead of becoming code-in-a-box bullshit like PC did. I also very much want to see an end to Gamestop in the process, but that's another conversation.

    The only real issue I see with dropping disc drives is the draconian licensing that keeps causing digital versions of games to be de-listed. The only thing I've used my Series X disc drive for so far was Deadpool, for that reason. If I could exchange the disc for a digital copy, I would gladly do so. I'll never understand why these companies came up with de-listing in the first place. Marvel should just keep getting a cut of the sales. Problem solved. The game exists. Why leave money on the table de-listing it???
    Reply
  • mymarcio
    Just dropped by to make an observation. Microsoft can't catch a break and more interestingly from it's own users. No wonder non-microsoft users cringe when they hear about Microsoft. These type of articles start painting a negative picture even before we have a chance to see the final product and ruin possible good products that end up getting canned. (In contrast, Apple fans and articles seem to have the opposite feel, regardless of how poor or meh the updates are.)

    This reminded me of the time Microsoft unveiled Digital lending - allowing users to share digital games as if borrowing a CD. The premise, if I recall correctly, would allow a user to lend a game to a friend. The friend would be able to play the game for 7 days, with the requirement of being online to validate that the lending was still active. The owner would not have access to the game while lending the game, but could revoke it at any time. The owner would need to validate lending again if the 7 day deadline was met. All in all this was a very logical solution to a convention we have with CDs.

    Because of a similar article like this, trashing the feature before it was released, Microsoft canned the project -- after gamers lost their mind. Then there is the point some people made above... Games are released so unpolished nowadays due to their extensive features and unfinished parts to align with launch dates... Digitally seems to be the best way to go given how many patches you need to download by the time you put the CD in on day 1.
    Reply
  • NoLifeDGenerate
    mymarcio said:
    Just dropped by to make an observation. Microsoft can't catch a break and more interestingly from it's own users. No wonder non-microsoft users cringe when they hear about Microsoft. These type of articles start painting a negative picture even before we have a chance to see the final product and ruin possible good products that end up getting canned. (In contrast, Apple fans and articles seem to have the opposite feel, regardless of how poor or meh the updates are.)

    This reminded me of the time Microsoft unveiled Digital lending - allowing users to share digital games as if borrowing a CD. The premise, if I recall correctly, would allow a user to lend a game to a friend. The friend would be able to play the game for 7 days, with the requirement of being online to validate that the lending was still active. The owner would not have access to the game while lending the game, but could revoke it at any time. The owner would need to validate lending again if the 7 day deadline was met. All in all this was a very logical solution to a convention we have with CDs.

    Because of a similar article like this, trashing the feature before it was released, Microsoft canned the project -- after gamers lost their mind. Then there is the point some people made above... Games are released so unpolished nowadays due to their extensive features and unfinished parts to align with launch dates... Digitally seems to be the best way to go given how many patches you need to download by the time you put the CD in on day 1.

    No, that was total shit, and nobody wanted to deal with online check-ins. The digital licensing system is perfect as is and better stay that way. People game sharing the way things are is enough to suit your purpose. We don't need garbage like selling/trading digital licenses cocking things up.
    Reply
  • GraniteStateColin
    David Steadson said:
    Or they could just announce support for external CD drives.

    https://www.techradar.com/news/microsoft-has-plans-for-an-xbox-series-s-external-disc-drive

    That seems like an ideal solution, just use the USB 3 to work with an external USB 3 Bluray drive. Keeps the cost out for those who don't need it, makes it available to anyone who does, AND simplifies the purchase decision, because you don't have to pause to think about which model to buy, "Will I really NEED a drive? Hmm...."

    Indecision at time of sale is a killer. Anything that makes that process simpler serves as a sales driver. Choice is good. Choices that are hard to make between options may still seem good, but not if you're the company offering that choice.
    Reply
  • GraniteStateColin
    mymarcio said:
    Just dropped by to make an observation. Microsoft can't catch a break and more interestingly from it's own users. No wonder non-microsoft users cringe when they hear about Microsoft. These type of articles start painting a negative picture even before we have a chance to see the final product and ruin possible good products that end up getting canned. (In contrast, Apple fans and articles seem to have the opposite feel, regardless of how poor or meh the updates are.)

    This reminded me of the time Microsoft unveiled Digital lending - allowing users to share digital games as if borrowing a CD. The premise, if I recall correctly, would allow a user to lend a game to a friend. The friend would be able to play the game for 7 days, with the requirement of being online to validate that the lending was still active. The owner would not have access to the game while lending the game, but could revoke it at any time. The owner would need to validate lending again if the 7 day deadline was met. All in all this was a very logical solution to a convention we have with CDs.

    Because of a similar article like this, trashing the feature before it was released, Microsoft canned the project -- after gamers lost their mind. Then there is the point some people made above... Games are released so unpolished nowadays due to their extensive features and unfinished parts to align with launch dates... Digitally seems to be the best way to go given how many patches you need to download by the time you put the CD in on day 1.

    Well, Richard Devine is a Linux and Steam Deck guy, so not exactly mainstream on the bell curve of user preferences. Of course he loves technology in general, so his point of view is great to read, but by his articles on Windows Central, compared to most other Windows Central writers, he's not a Microsoft fan.

    Full disclosure, I have plenty of non-mainstream beliefs too. That's not in indictment on either of us, just something to keep in mind when reading those articles -- they reflect a very niche point of view.
    Reply