This has to be read digitally,no explanation.

[Alhlan Ain Ajeeba]

Recently purchased an old xbox 360 game that I wanted for xbox one used. The disc arrived with literally at least 50 different scratches on the reading side. Yet after applying an update that showed up when inserting disc,it played without the slightest proble.So im thinking its reading it digitally and not from the disc.

[Batman90]

Games really are not on the discs anymore. Honestly there’s really no point in buying discs anymore

[Alhlan Ain Ajeeba]

Originally Posted by PenguinInfinity

When you insert an Xbox 360 game into an Xbox One the system downloads an Xbox One compatible version of the game. The contents of the disc are not copied to the system at all.

So theoretically if I wanted,I could go to town on the disc with a knife,and it would still play without a hitch?

[Vilya]

I prefer to "go to town" on my game discs with a meat cleaver. It's more psycho.

[Batman90]

Originally Posted by PenguinInfinity

That's only true for backwards compatible games on Xbox One (all of which can be played off the disc on Xbox 360). The majority of Xbox One and PlayStation 4 games can be played without downloading anything; patches are optional for most games.

Then why do I have to install the game from a disc?

[Musashi]

Originally Posted by Batman90

Then why do I have to install the game from a disc?

Hard drives are faster than optical drives. Installation means it can load faster and do things not possible if it could only obtain game data from the disc. The disc makes sure you aren't pirating, and allows you to install on other ppl's systems or re-install on your own if bad things happen.

[Hatter]

Originally Posted by PenguinInfinity

Because hard drives are faster than Blu-ray drives. If discs are pointless (as you previously said) than I guess the internet is pointless as well. Both of them serve the same purpose: to transfer content from the publishers to customers' hard drives. Whether you're playing a physical game or a downloaded game all of the content is played off your hard drive.

I care how the game is distributed from the publishers to the customers. And I care that publishers don't have full control over that distribution. After the game is in my possession I don't care whether it runs off the hard drive or the disc.

Except what's in your possession is becoming increasingly obsolete. If you're feeling nostalgic in 15 years to play Master Chief collection for example, your disc will give you a lower res broken mess compared to what it is now. The 99 GB taken up on my hard drive is a complete replacement several times over. Is this true for all current gen games? No. Is it becoming true for most major releases? Yup.

[Derb]

Originally Posted by Batman90

Then why do I have to install the game from a disc?

Verification of authenticity is written on the actual Disc.

The system does this authorization check on every game disc inserted.

The file of the game (Xbox One) is also not the same file that is stored on your physical (Xbox 360) game disc.

[wildhoney66]

i also prefer physical discs as well and you all make good points but i prefer physical discs. i do use game pass sometimes but 9 times out of 10 i buy physical discs