We recently reported that Xbox's disc-to-digital entitlement program and the new CEO's refusal to address questions about Helix's disc drive suggested that the gaming giant was moving towards a new all-digital future, starting with Project Helix. However, a competing rumor—via Eurogamer Spain—appears to be taking shape, claiming that there is internal chatter at Xbox about Helix being "100% physical."\n\nThe same report from Eurogamer claims that this rumor has placed pressure on Sony, who has already seen massive player backlash over its decision to end physical media production, to postpone its shift to all-digital consoles. The rumor claims that Play Station has "realized it is leaving an opening for other market players to shift their strategy," by announcing the end to physical media early, with Microsoft being mentioned as one of the key "market players." The suggestion is that the December 31, 2028 deadline for an all-digital Play Station ecosystem would be pushed back by "one or two years."\n\nA recent report that claimed the Xbox Project Helix would be a series of consoles, instead of a single device, lends credence to the rumor of an Xbox with a physical disc drive, since it opens the door for a continuation of the current split of digital and physical drives on the Series X|S consoles.

However, we are likely still two years away from the official launch of Project Helix, so things may still change drastically ahead of the official launch.