Microsoft has officially announced a new Xbox feature that lets you digitize your physical game discs.

In a blog post, Microsoft revealed a new system that allows players to "bring the benefits of digital to physical discs," with the aim of giving people more flexibility. This disc-to-digital program was leaked a while back.

Microsoft said "most" Xbox One and Xbox Series X disc-based games will support the new feature. Here's how it works, in Microsoft's own words:

"Players can claim a digital entitlement by inserting a supported disc into an Xbox One or Xbox Series X console and launching the game. Once the entitlement is claimed, you can experience the benefits of digital, including Xbox Play Anywhere and Xbox Cloud Gaming where supported, while your physical disc continues to work exactly as it always has."

Reporter Tom Warren, who originally broke the news of this program, said the entitlement is "tied to the specific disc, and it will move from account to account if you swap the physical game with a friend or log in to a different Xbox profile and try to play a disc-based game."

To boil it down, here's how the disc-to-digital program works, based on that report and what Xbox boss Jason Ronald said during a Gamescom livestream event:

"Thousands" of games will support this new feature, and more will be added over time. "While not every title will be available at launch, this is an important step toward a future where players can have greater confidence that the games they buy remain with them for years to come," Microsoft said.

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