Microsoft recently conducted a survey online in which it asked people if they would sell games they had downloaded digitally for 10 percent of the original purchase price. This led many to believe that perhaps Microsoft will start purchasing digital copies from users but the company says that the survey is nothing to get excited about just yet. Microsoft has said that the survey was only “exploratory.”
One major advantage that you get if you purchase physical copies of games as opposed to downloading digital copies is that you can sell the disc to a friend or at a shop that trades in used games. You can sell the disc on Facebook for all you care, you can’t do any of that with a digital copy.
Currently, there’s no way to get at least some money back once you’re done with a game that you downloaded online. It just sits on the console’s storage and even if it’s deleted it can always be downloaded back to the console without having to pay again but that’s about it. The digital copy can’t be sold or shared with anyone.
The survey gave Xbox owners some hope that perhaps Microsoft will buy back their digital copies for 10 percent of the original value. That’s not much but at least, it’s better to get 10 percent than to get nothing at all.
Microsoft has clarified that it’s not “actively planning” to enable Xbox owners to sell back their digital copies, adding that it always asks questions to understand the needs of its customers.
Whether the survey was able to convince Microsoft that it needs to start buying back digital titles remains to be seen, but I think many will just be happy with the fact that Microsoft is exploring the idea, and maybe it will someday enable Xbox owners to sell their digital copies.