Leaked Microsoft documents corroborate reports about two separate programs aimed at bringing older Xbox console games to PC, handhelds, and future hardware. The reported plans include a disc-to-digital licence conversion system alongside a native PC emulator for original Xbox and Xbox 360 titles.

Under the proposed disc-to-digital scheme, further corroborated by the documents shared by The Verge, players insert an Xbox One or Xbox Series disc into an optical drive console to grant a digital license to their account. That license then carries over to disc-less hardware, including future devices like Project Helix. Details from The Verge note that Microsoft's secondary initiative focuses on running original Xbox and Xbox 360 titles locally on PCs, handhelds, and Helix via a dedicated emulator.

Image credit: The Verge

These emulated titles will reportedly function like standard Xbox PC releases, featuring cloud saves and shared account progress. Microsoft intends to manage the emulator software, certification, storefront integration, and ongoing support, leaving publishers responsible only for opt-ins and pricing. As per the memo, permission for Xbox and Xbox 360 games will have to be given by the publisher on a title-by-title basis.

Original Xbox titles are scheduled to launch first, followed by Xbox 360 games targeting rollout windows across 2027 and 2028.

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KitGuru says: Giving players a path to turn old physical discs into digital licenses while bringing classic Xbox and Xbox 360 games to PC through official emulation sounds like a massive win for game preservation.

Techland has announced that Dying Light: The Beast will no longer be released on Xbox One or PS4. The studio shared the update via its official X account today, confirming that development on last‑gen versions has ended.

In its statement, Techland says the decision came down to technical limitations:

“Dying Light: The Beast was built from the ground up to take full advantage of current‑generation hardware. Its open world, advanced visuals, and fluid combat and traversal all depend on processing power and memory that previous‑generation consoles simply cannot provide”. The studio adds that attempting to bring the game to older systems would have required compromises that “would prevent us from delivering the experience we set out to create”.

The news isn’t exactly shocking as most major releases have moved on from old‑gen hardware. However, it is a bit disappointing for anyone who has now been priced out of the PS5 or Xbox Series X upgrade due to several years of price hikes.

KitGuru says: Props to Techland for trying but this was always going to be difficult to get running on hardware from the early 2010 era. They just about managed it with Dying Light 2 but Dying Light: The Beast had even more ambitious systems under the hood. 

Microsoft is reportedly testing an Xbox disc-to-digital feature that will allow players to convert their physical game discs into digital downloads. Following a preliminary rumour back in May, a new report details how the programme is expected to operate ahead of an anticipated reveal later this year.

The original rumour from Windows Central mentioned that Xbox was working on such a feature but didn't provide many details. The new report from The Verge adds some information, stating that disc-to-digital will exclusively support Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S game discs. Original Xbox and Xbox 360 physical titles won't be supported. Players will insert a compatible disc into their console to generate a digital entitlement that remains locked to that specific physical copy.

Once a game is digitised, users gain full access to associated ecosystem perks like Xbox Play Anywhere or Xbox Cloud Gaming support, provided the game's digital version offers them. Testing feedback notes that compatibility for some Xbox One discs may vary depending on when and how they're manufactured.

So what happens to the disc once you've ‘digitized' your game? Well, the disc remains functional, but the digital game license is tied to the disc. That means that if you sell the physical copy, the digital entitlement will transfer along with it.

KitGuru says: If Microsoft drops the physical disc drive for its upcoming console, a functional disc-to-digital conversion path will be vital for preserving player collections.

Ahead of what will undoubtedly be the biggest gaming release of the year and potentially of the decade, with GTA 6, developer Rockstar and publisher Take-Two are letting players still engaged with GTA 5 have a nice freebie. If you're someone who is still playing your digital copy of the PS4 or Xbox One version of GTA 5 on your current-gen PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, then starting tomorrow, you're getting a major upgrade, as owners of the digital version of the last-gen version of the game are getting a free update to the current-gen version. Announced in a blog […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/rockstar-ps4-xbox-one-gta-5-free-ps5-xbox-series-upgrades/

Prior to the official announcement for Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4, Activision confirmed that this year’s entry would be leaving last-gen consoles behind – marking the first game to be released exclusively on current-gen hardware. At the time, it was unknown what would become of COD’s free-to-play Warzone. Now we know, with Activision confirming that Warzone will be delisted (on PS4 and Xbox One) as soon as next week.

Making the surprise announcement on their blog, the team at Activision revealed that they are leaving last-gen Warzone behind in a rather rapid fashion.

Though the game will technically be playable on PS4 / Xbox One up until the arrival of MW4 Season 1 (likely sometime in November / December), the last-gen version of Warzone is being officially delisted from storefronts next week on the 4th of June.

As mentioned, you’ll still be able to redownload the game and keep playing for now, but come Season 1 of MW4 all last-gen support will be officially ended.

The full post (including an FAQ detailing what will happen to you COD Points etc) can be found HERE, with more information on Modern Warfare 4 itself available HERE.

KitGuru says: Are you surprised by this upcoming delisting? What do you think this means for the future of Warzone? Let us know down below.

Video game studios don't often comment on rumours, but when they do they offer welcome points of clarity for players. Today, Activision chose to comment on a rumour that ran rampant yesterday and most of today, which was that the next Call of Duty game (which is largely reported to be Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4) is being made for last-gen consoles, specifically PS4. The official X (formerly Twitter) account for the shooter franchise cleared the air on that, and seemingly confirmed one of the biggest questions surrounding 2026's Call of Duty entry. "Not sure where this one started, […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/call-of-duty-no-longer-ps4-xbox-one/

Battlefield Hardline remains one of the more interesting entries in EA’s massive FPS franchise, with the 2015 title being primarily developed by Visceral Games (as opposed to DICE) while moving away from military conflicts in order to focus on the “war on crime” – having you play as either police special response units or bog-standard criminals. Over a decade on from the game’s initial release, EA have now announced that BF: Hardline will officially be delisted from consoles this May; though it will remain playable and purchasable on PC.

Taking to Twitter to make the announcement, the official Battlefield Comms page confirmed that “On Friday, May 22nd, Battlefield Hardline on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 will be removed from digital storefronts, and you will no longer be able to purchase it and all extra related content, such as DLC.”

They continued, “Online services on these platforms will end on Monday, June 22nd. While Hardline will no longer support online functionality on Xbox One and PlayStation 4, players who own the game will still be able to play the single-player component.”

As mentioned, this delisting only pertains to the console version of Hardline, with EA confirming that “Today’s update does not impact PC. Battlefield Hardline on PC will remain available, including online services.”

No direct explanation was given for this decision, however it is safe to assume that the game no longer has enough of a population on console to justify it remaining online. Of course, Hardline released in an era prior to the rise in crossplay, and so the game relies on there being a healthy playerbase across each platform individually.

Given that Battlefield Hardline was a PS3/PS4 generation title, it is unlikely that many console players are going back to experience what was a pretty controversial release. All that said, here’s to hoping that the PC servers remain online and active for years to come.

KitGuru says: What did you think of Battlefield Hardline back in the day? Are you glad that pretty much all multiplayer titles released nowadays include crossplay? Let us know down below.

Security researcher Markus Gaasedelen delivered a presentation at the RE//verse 2026 conference, where he unveiled a boot ROM-level exploit for the original Xbox One. This discovery is particularly significant because the Xbox One has long been regarded as the “unbreakable” console, having survived over a decade without a public hardware breach.

According to Tom's Hardware, during his talk at RE//verse 2026, Gaasedelen demonstrated that by targeting the platform security processor's boot ROM, he could patch, decrypt, and boot code from the very bottom of the firmware chain. This level of access sits effectively below the OS and standard security layers, granting supervisor-level control over the hardware.

Note that this is not a simple software modification or an easy end-user “softmod”. The exploit requires physical intervention via a two-stage voltage-glitching process named Bliss. The first glitch bypasses the Memory Protection Unit (MPU) setup, while the second hijacks execution during a header read. Furthermore, the researcher explicitly stated that this breakthrough applies only to the original “fat” Xbox One model from 2013. The more modern Xbox One S, Xbox One X, and current-gen Xbox Series consoles remain unaffected by these findings.

Gaasedelen's motivations appear to be rooted in the technical challenge and the long-term viability of the hardware rather than the traditional piracy associated with console hacking. Having published work on Xbox security for several years, his focus remains on hardware preservation and repairability. He mentioned during the talk that he views the project as a way to prevent these machines from becoming e-waste. Unlocking the hardware at this level could eventually allow for the installation of third-party operating systems, turning these platforms into functional Linux workstations or media centres.

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KitGuru says: It was only a matter of time before someone with enough patience cracked the Xbox One. Still, it took a lot longer than anyone expected.