"It's really a breakthrough in how we think about physical and digital media" – Xbox's latest announcement is a lifeline for physical media and a direct response to Sony's huge Blu-ray disc fumble

An Xbox on a black background with a Gears 5 game disc sticking out of the disc drive. A caption to the right reads "Your Discs. Also now Digital. Bring the benefits of digital to your physical XBOX Series X and XBOX One discs. Coming soon.".

A few weeks ago, Sony announced that its next-generation PlayStation console will ditch physical discs, which has (quite rightly) sent gamers and cinephiles alike into a frenzy.

Seeing this as an opportunity to one-up its arch-nemesis, which has dominated the home console market for years now, Xbox has announced a new feature that will give physical discs a lifeline – for now, at least...