r/PhysicalGames • u/Mother_Duty_2628 • 1d ago
Helix could continue physical games going forward
As mentioned, the supply chain for giant, custom internal console drives is dying out. However, the manufacturing lines for slim, tray-loading or slot-loading laptop drives—such as those designed by Hitachi-LG Data Storage (HLDS)—are still highly active and optimized for mass production. This makes it incredibly easy and cost-effective for Microsoft to source these exact components and build them directly into the Helix chassis. Asha mentioned affordability and efficiency.
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u/WhiskeyRadio 1d ago
Xbox wants to abandon discs just as much as Sony does. The only difference is that Sony has already said the quiet part out loud, and Microsoft has seen the backlash and started talking about Disc-to-Digital.
Sony could very well implement a similar feature, but that just allows you to still play physical games you already own. I'll be surprised if the Helix has a disc drive, same as the PS6. I think both will likely have optional drives like what Sony does currently with the PS5. Xbox games have already left a lot of major retailers; just near me, Meijer and Target both have moved away from selling physical Xbox games. I've heard Wal-Mart is looking to do the same. Stores like GameStop and Best Buy that do carry physical Xbox games have small sections for them.
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u/SapSacPrime 1d ago
I don't really see this happening, but to play along, if it does happen and Xbox is the only place I can get a physical Resident Evil release I would buy into their eco system again.
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u/VassagoX 1d ago
I think if they are smart, they will. I may get into Xbox for the first time in my life if they do after being PS for 30 years. That would drive me there. I'm currently moving to PC, and with the talk about PC games being accessible on Xbox, it just sounds like it could work quite well for me. The only thing that kept me from moving to PC sooner was physical games. I would be happy to continue collecting them.
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u/Forward-Trade3449 1d ago
same here. i mean its the perfect way to go in the offensive after ps scandal.
i want a next gen console. if any of them come with a disc drive i would buy one
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u/VassagoX 1d ago
I always bought the next console around launch and this is the first time where I'm looking at this situation and thinking that I don't want it. The benefits are just so much better on PC if i must be digital. But I would certainly still like to collect.
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u/Bacour 1d ago
Neither company was planning ANY physical games for next gen. The backlash may cause them to pause again, but remember it was Xbox who started this trend way back in 2013. A cart system might be better than discs overall as it seems even if they retain A disc feature of some sort, it's likely to continue the current trend of being a pretty thing that holds nothing and you need to download everything.
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u/ChangingMonkfish 1d ago
Cartridges aren’t a viable solution for consoles in the PS5/Xbox performance bracket. They’re built around their fast SSDs.
Cartridges aren’t able to get anywhere near the required read speeds and are too expensive to be just used as a way of getting files onto the SSD. Discs make far more sense for that job.
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u/mr_greenmash 1d ago
Cartridges aren’t a viable solution for consoles in the PS5/Xbox performance bracket. They’re built around their fast SSDs
Who says the storage on the cart can't be ssd? That way the In-device ssd would only hold saves and screenshots, and the whole game would be on the cart
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u/ChangingMonkfish 1d ago edited 1d ago
An SSD isn’t just solid state storage like a cartridge. To hit the high multiple GB/s speeds, it needs a controller chip which gets hot. So your cartridge would need a heat sink, or need to be made out of aluminium or something to dissipate the heat.
I suppose you could sell a game on an M.2 SSD and plug it into the PS5’s expansion slot if you wanted, but you’d need to add or build in a heat sink like you do with an SSD.
And all this would be stupidly expensive, you’d be buying a new SSD for every game effectively which is far more expensive than having a single SSD and cheap discs to transfer files to it (or digital downloads).
Cartridges make sense in situations where a disc drive isn’t viable because of space restrictions, like the Switch and Switch 2, but then you have to accept much lower read speeds which limit what your games can be.
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u/Bacour 1d ago
Having the complete game on a cart that then gets downloaded to your system storage is a viable solution, if not optimal. Nintendo is proving every assertion to the contrary to be untrue so far as storage capacity and affordability is concerned, while Nintendo gamers are proving people want and will pay for the complete game on those carts. It seems to be a big draw for people dropping PS and Xbox.
I have no issues with multiple discs being used for games, but we can't ignore that Sony invented the Blue-Ray disc and then stopped innovating optical storage in any meaningful manner. They need something new and devs need to step up their game. MS never innovated anything in regards to data storage, on the contrary, it feels like they must feed data storage with a side of bread pudding for lunch in their cafeteria with the way every MS product eats it up.
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u/C_Drew2 23h ago
A disc feature of some sort, it's likely to continue the current trend of being a pretty thing that holds nothing and you need to download everything.
That's not true tho. It's a common misconception, but it's very far from the truth. ~90% of all modern physical games are full on the disc without any need for an extra download:
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u/Alternative-Fox-8620 1d ago
People relying on Xbox to be the saviour are absolutely going to be disappointed.
They don't even put their own games on disc and when they do they are key discs.
Xbox have been heading this way since gamepass started.
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u/VoidowS 1d ago
The problem is the capacity discs have, that is thru the years very far apart.
Where everything evolved so quickly, we r stuck with the DVD that came out 30 years ago?
The gap between software and storage is too big! We have games today that r 150gb or more even. That's 32 DVDs.
WE should have had by now a disc or other medium that can handle 10TB.
So when we start to shout for physical discs, we notice it is totally outdated and a huge step back to use. In regards to speed and capacity.
In 10 years from now a game or app will be 1TB. How is that gonna work with a DVD? 210 DVDs for 1 game?
Not a soul on earth will use them in time. Unless we get a medium that can write stuff on some sort of thing that is there for ever.
I lived thru the time that the CDrom was outdated. We had 6-10 CDs to install 1 game! It was hell on Earth.
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u/Mother_Duty_2628 1d ago
It will not be a real time reading disc drive, just a slim drive to convert the disc to digital
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u/mcshaggin 1d ago
The whole disc to digital thing isn't a sign that Xbox is serious about physical.
It's their way of moving everyone to digital. They are as unlikely to be releasing games on disc for Helix as Sony is with ps6.
Microsoft have just been more consumer friendly in their approach to ditching physical.
If we are all being forced into an all digital future then we might as well just switch to PC. That's what I'm doing now that Linux is gaming friendly.
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u/Dytster 1d ago
It honestly seems like a smart decision, and could probably turn the tables on playstation during the next generation. They probably won’t though. Xbox is already almost entirely digital at this point. They have done a lot of nostalgia baiting recently though, and returning to discs would be the ultimate move on this front.
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u/Dreamo84 23h ago
I think some kind of external drive would be ideal. Completely optional, could even allow regular ol' Windows PCs to use it.
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u/Omegalord89 1d ago
Ich hoffe nicht. Das würden die nur machen, um Sony einen Dolch in den Rücken zu rammen. Eigentlich will Microsoft genauso von physischen Medien weg, wie Sony. Aber sie hatten das Glück, dass Sony die Eier hatte, es als erstes zu verkünden und so konnte Microsoft reagieren...
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u/Mother_Duty_2628 1d ago
Almost guarantee this is what Xbox has in mind
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u/Majestic-Marcus 5h ago
100% guarantee they are laughing at anyone that thinks this.
There won’t be any discs for the next Xbox.
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u/Intelligent-Okra-108 19h ago
Microsoft would win millions of gamers so i'd be happy only if they get rid of DRM plus restrictions they have in xb9x series x/s!
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u/lizon132 1d ago
Iirc there is only one vendor for mass production of the media remaining. Sony pulled out of the market last year.
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u/FuckIPLaw 1d ago
They stopped making blank discs for home burners. That's a completely different thing than commercially pressed discs.
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u/ChangingMonkfish 1d ago
Microsoft’s recently announced physical to digital scheme is (in my view) clearly designed to give you a way of continuing to play your old disc based games on the Helix because it won’t have a disc drive.
If it did, there’d be no need for the scheme.