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Xbox is reportedly testing a feature that would let users turn their physical game collections into digital game libraries amid a wider industry shift away from video games on disc.

Today, PlayStation became the first of the big three console makers to unveil a plan to completely stop producing disc-based games in 2028 , but the writing's been on the wall for many years now as publishers increasingly choose digital-only releases over the hybrid digital/physical launches that have been the norm for several console generations. Meanwhile, Nintendo's shift toward digital releases and embrace of game-key cards, as well as PlayStation's plan to kill discs entirely and Take-Two's decision to make GTA 6 a digital-only release foretell a bleak future for physical game collectors, but Xbox reportedly has a plan which, in theory, could be a genuine boon for players choosing to embrace all-digital consoles in the future.

The Verge reports that an Xbox disc-to-digital feature is in the testing phase weeks after it found references to "enable Disc2Digital" buried in the Xbox PC app's code. The way it works seems pretty simple. If the version in testing is implemented, owners of a compatible physical game will obtain a digital entitlement by inserting the disc into an Xbox console and installing it.

Digital ownership of the game will be tied to the physical disc and will be transferable from one account to another, meaning you'd be able to trade games with friends and switch profiles just like you would with an actual disc. Naturally, you'll need a Microsoft account to register your disc-to-digital games, but there seem to be relatively few caveats to Xbox's disc-to-digital plan from this limited reporting. The Verge reports that Game Pass subscribers will be able to stream their physical-to-digital games as long as those games are available on Xbox Cloud Gaming, and likewise, if a game is supported by Xbox's Play Anywhere deal, physical Xbox games will be playable on PC via this new system.

As manufacturers seemingly move toward discless consoles – although it's currently unconfirmed whether Xbox's next-gen Project Helix will be digital only – and with older generations of hardware succumbing to inevitable decay, there's a real threat that physical games will become harder and harder to actually play on first-party systems. Microsoft's apparent solution, however, is reportedly in the works for Xbox Series X and Xbox One consoles and won't be available for Xbox 360 and original Xbox games, many of which are compatible with current-gen Xbox hardware.

There's a good chance we'll get the full details from Microsoft itself on Xbox's reported disc-to-digital feature shortly, but in the meantime, I'm more curious to hear if PlayStation has a plan in place for physical collectors considering Sony's the only manufacturer to actually confirm it's ditching discs for the next generation.

PlayStation killing discs is bad for everyone, whether you care about physical games or not

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NHTSA wants to remove brake pedal requirements for driverless vehicles.

Human-driven vehicles would still keep existing braking requirements.

Tesla and Zoox stand to benefit from the proposed regulation changes.

Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are still, evidently, the future, but there are certain hurdles that need to be overcome first. Opening up the path to a future full of AVs seems to include removing physical controls. Now, the federal government is taking a step in that direction. The NHTSA has just proposed a new rule that would eliminate the requirement for manual brake controls in vehicles designed to operate exclusively with automated driving systems.

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More: Zoox Unveils Its Production-Intent Robotaxi, Arrives Later This Year

If approved, the move would clear one of the biggest regulatory hurdles standing between companies like Tesla and purpose-built robotaxis and large-scale deployment. The proposal is part of the Trump Administration’s Automated Vehicle Framework. It exists to modernize Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards written around the idea that every car has a human driver. That said, this isn’t greenlighting a situation where AVs have lower braking performance requirements.

Same Standards, Different Testing

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Autonomous vehicles would still have to meet the same stopping-distance standards as conventional vehicles, just through alternative testing methods. Likewise, vehicles that retain steering wheels and pedals would continue to be subject to the current rules. The real change here is building a pathway so that companies that want to build vehicles without pedals can do so with the knowledge that testing will be lawful.

The agency says it is simultaneously working on broader performance standards for autonomous driving systems and will continue investigating defects, unsafe behavior, and recalls involving self-driving technology.

What It Means For Tesla And Zoox

The change could be particularly significant for Tesla. The automaker’s Cybercab concept was designed from the start without a steering wheel or pedals, but current regulations have put its future into question.

Tesla has instead focused on launching a limited robotaxi service in Austin while waiting for regulations to evolve. It’s also said that it can add a steering wheel and pedals if it absolutely has to . Zoox, meanwhile, has already secured exemptions allowing it to test its purpose-built robotaxi and is seeking approval for commercial operation.

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The proposal now enters a 30-day public comment period. If finalized, it could mark another major milestone in transforming autonomous vehicles from heavily regulated exceptions into products built around an entirely different set of assumptions than the cars most of us drive today.

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Photos: Tesla

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Two brothers from the wealthy and powerful Medici family died of malaria and were not poisoned as a rumor had suggested, archaeologists have confirmed based on a DNA analysis of the brothers' skeletons. The analysis also revealed a unique, mutated strain of malaria that may hold the key to understanding the evolution of the disease in Europe.

The Medici family rose to power in the 15th century by creating the largest bank in Europe. The family used their extraordinary wealth to fund Renaissance artists and to start a political dynasty that eventually included numerous dukes, four popes and two queens of France.

In the 16th century, Cosimo I took over all of Tuscany as grand duke. But within a span of 25 years, at least five of his family members died from high fevers. This gave rise to a rumor that some of them had been poisoned with arsenic by another family member, although most people believed they died of malaria.

To get to the bottom of the 500-year-old Medici cold case, an international group of researchers tested the bones of two of Cosimo I's sons: Cardinal Giovanni de' Medici and Grand Duke Francesco I de' Medici, for the DNA of Plasmodium falciparum , the parasite that causes the deadliest form of malaria and that is transmitted by mosquitoes.

The researchers extracted ancient DNA from the bones of Cardinal Giovanni, who died in 1562 at age 19 in the same month as his mother and younger brother Garzia, and from Grand Duke Francesco I, who died at age 46 in 1587 along with his wife. The team's study was published online June 17 in the journal iScience .

Because of the almost simultaneous deaths of Grand Duke Francesco I and his wife, a rumor circulated that another brother had poisoned them over a long-standing feud. But the Medicis were known to have frequented their family villas in marshy and swampy areas of Tuscany, where malaria was prevalent well into the 20th century.

Researchers found evidence of P. falciparum in the bones of both Medici brothers, confirming reports from court physicians at the time that described the brothers as sick with "tertian fever," a type of high fever that returns every three days and is a hallmark of malaria. The medical reports also revealed the brothers were treated with bloodletting.

The name plate from the tomb of Grand Duke Francesco de' Medici, who died of malaria in 1587. (Image credit: Courtesy the University of Pisa) "Now we can say with scientific certainty that malaria, not poisoning, killed Grand Duke Francesco de Medici," study co-author Valentina Giuffra , a medical historian at the University of Pisa, said in a statement .

But the ancient-DNA study held two additional surprises.

The Grand Duke's bones were positive not only for P. falciparum but also for Plasmodium malariae , a different parasite species that also causes malaria in humans, suggesting that both species contributed to the severe illness that killed him and his wife.

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Cardinal Giovanni, on the other hand, had only P. falciparum , but the specific strain that infected him was previously unknown. The strain is similar to those found in ancient and early modern Europe, but with two mutations the researchers had never seen before, they wrote in the study.

"The study of ancient DNA offers us an opportunity not only to diagnose malaria in the remains of individuals from the past, but it also offers us a window for understanding the evolution of malaria species, Plasmodium falciparum in this case, which can help scientists better understand how the pathogen adapts over time," study first author Alexander Ochoa , an evolutionary biologist at Yale University, said in the statement.

Further analysis of the brothers' bones is needed to determine the evolutionary relationship between the strains of malaria they carried, the researchers wrote in the study.

What do you know about the bones in your body? Test your knowledge with our human skeleton quiz .

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Plugable 10-in-1 USB-C Hub: 30-second review

The Plugable USBC-10IN1E is a USB hub that, once plugged into your machine, usually a port-limited laptop, expands the port selection from one or two to 10.

In this test, I plugged the hub into several machines, including the Asus ProArt PZ14 - a tablet PC with only two USB-C ports that with the addition of the hub, turned a machine that required careful port rationing into a full desk setup with monitor output, Ethernet, keyboard, mouse, storage, and charging, and all connected through a single cable. The same result followed with the MacBook Air M3 and Pro M1 Max, for which the design matches perfectly.

The space-grey metal body of the hub gives it a clean aesthetic that matches Apple hardware, and at 109g and 216mm, it slips into any laptop bag neatly, although its length can be a little tricky to accommodate in a standard backpack pocket.

Connecting the hub to your chosen machine is easy enough with a single 17cm USB-C that enables you to tuck the hub neatly behind the machine. As I maxed out the ports during the test, I was also pleased to see that the port spacing along the hub's row of ports, which are all positioned along one side, enabled all ten connections to be used at the same time without the plugs blocking each other.

Through the test, the features that impressed me the most were the 2.5GbE Ethernet port that enabled fast wired network connections in the studio and office and the HDMI 2.1 output that enabled the hub to be used with my 4K monitors without reducing their potential resolution. For that alone, this is one of the best docking stations around.

The one surprise was that the SD card reader is only UHS-I rather than UHS-II, which features on the company's cheaper Plugable 9-in-1. If you’re a photographer offloading files from a Sony A7 IV, the reader works, but it is not the fastest option available; it’s still good if your laptop lacks port connectivity as standard.

Plugable 10-in-1 USB-C Hub: Price and availability

How much does it cost? From $74

When is it out? Available now

Where can you get it? Directly from Plugable or Amazon

The Plugable USBC-10IN1E is priced at $84 USD and is available directly from Plugable's website , as well as retailers including Amazon.com , Best Buy , and Staples .

However, outside the US, I'm not seeing much availability at all.

Value: 4.5 / 5

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings) Plugable 10-in-1 USB-C Hub: Specs

Connection : USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps), 17cm/0.56ft

Video : HDMI 2.1 (4K 144Hz)

Power delivery : USB-C PD 3.1 EPR, 140W input / 125W output to host

Ethernet : 2.5Gbps

USB-C data : 2 × USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps, data only)

USB-A data : USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps, BC 1.2 charging) + 2 × USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5Gbps)

SD card reader : SD UHS-I + microSD UHS-I

Dimensions : 216 × 34 × 15mm

Weight : 109g

OS support : Windows 10/11, macOS 11+, ChromeOS 100+

Plugable 10-in-1 USB-C Hub: Design

When I put the USBC-10IN1E next to most of the USB hubs that I regularly use, the one notable feature aside from the huge array of ports is that it’s noticeably longer, at 216mm; it’s roughly the width of a 14-inch MacBook. This length is able to contain all those ports, an amount that is usually restricted to either a desktop machine or, more commonly, a powered USB dock.

Taking the hub from the box and the styling is instantly recognisable with Apple; the main casing is space-grey metal and gives the hub a premium feel as well as ensuring that it feels good and durable.

Connecting the hub to your chosen machine, Mac, PC or ChromeBook is made through the 17cm cable that’s an integral part of the accessory and and therefore non-removable. I like this design as it means the hub is all together and you won’t lose the cable or mix it with another in transport.

In use, that cable is also long enough to tuck behind either the Asus ProArt PZ14 or MacBook Air M3, keeping the sides of the workspace clear.

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings) Port spacing along the hub is well thought through, with all ten connections: two USB-C, three USB-A, HDMI, Ethernet, SD, microSD, and the PD pass-through, all arranged so they can be occupied without the next cable blocking them. This isn’t always the case with compact hubs.

Through the test with SSDs, a monitor, controller, and several other accessories connected to the hub, did run warm under the load, the build of the hub with the aluminium casing was able to dissipate the heat well.

If you regularly plug accessories into your laptop and want more ports, then the Pluggable is a great option, especially with the simple design, plug-and-play nature and the fast wired network potential.

Design: 4 / 5

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings) Plugable 10-in-1 USB-C Hub: Features

The Plugable 10-in-1 USB-C Hub is a USB-C bus-powered hub with a 10Gbps bandwidth. This bandwidth is shared by the 10 ports, so each new accessory that’s plugged in takes a portion of that bandwidth, with the older USB-A 3.2 (Gen1) taking a small amount and the USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gbps) having the potential to take all of it.

In reality, in use, it all balances out, and the range of ports opens up direct connections for a host of laptops that are notoriously limited on port space, often just offering a couple and one that is usually taken up by the power supply.

This hub offers a staggering 10, which includes an HDMI 2.1 port that supports up to 4K at 144Hz or 8K at 30Hz, though the available resolution and refresh rate depend on the host machine's video output capabilities. The ProArt PZ14 and MacBook Pro M1 Max were both tested at 4K 60Hz via the Lepow TriScreen Pro, which is the display's maximum resolution.

The HDMI 2.1 modes require DP 1.4 with DSC on Windows (12th Gen Intel and later) or macOS 26 with M1 Pro/Max, M3 or newer on Mac. If you need 4K 144Hz, checking that your host hardware meets this specification is a given.

One of the surprises for the hub is the inclusion of the 2.5GbE Ethernet port, which means that when connected to the UGREEN DXP4800 GT NAS during the test, the hub delivered approximately 150 MB/s over the network.

Pass-through charging at up to 125W output worked with the ProArt PZ14's 65W power supply plugged into the hub's PD port. The PZ14 charged normally throughout the test with the hub as the sole connection. The 140W EPR input requires a PD 3.1 EPR-compatible charger and cable to deliver the full 125W; with a standard 65W charger, the output is limited, but matched the laptop I had connected.

The two USB-C 10Gbps ports are data-only, which means that they can’t be used for video output. Video output is catered for by the HDMI.

A nice addition and quite common for a hub is the SD and microSD readers, although these are both UHS-I. When checking the website, I noted that the cheaper Plugable 9-in-1 ($49.95) includes a UHS-II SD reader, which, for photographers shooting on Sony A7 IV UHS-II cards, might be a better option despite the drop in ports.

As you’d expect from a hub of this type, there are no drivers needed on either Mac or PC, and during the test, the ProArt PZ14 (Windows 11 Home) and the MacBook Pro M1 Max (macOS) recognised all ports without issue.

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings) Features: 4.5 / 5

Plugable 10-in-1 USB-C Hub: Performance

As the hub is bus-powered, essentially it draws power from the host machine through the USB-C cable that’s a permanent fixture, there’s no need for any type of external power supply. Therefore, getting started simply involves plugging in, and then the hub is instantly recognised and ready for use,

Once connected, all 10 ports share that single USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) connection, which means that if you use all ports at the same time, then the bandwidth is split between almost all, with two exceptions.

The HDMI output uses a separate DisplayPort Alt Mode channel, and its bandwidth is not limited by USB activity, so even if all other ports are in use, you won't see any effect on the visuals on screen.

The Ethernet port also uses a separate controller channel. But the rest, the five USB data ports, two SD card slots, and PD pass-through, all share the 10 Gbps USB pipeline.

In practice, this means high-speed transfers when you plug several drives, readers and accessories are less than that that headline 10Gbps, but in real terms this isn’t usually an issue. On the MacBook Air, for example, I found that plugging power and a CFExpress Type-B reader into the hub, and then the Crucial X10 into the machine, offered the best performance when it came to transfer rates, compared to having both plugged into the hub.

Checking out the difference in performance, I transferred files to both, then downloaded those files to the internal SSD of the MacBook Air M3. Individually, copy one then the other, the rates were Crucial X10 Read: 868MB/s Write: 792MB/s, and the Lexar 1800x read: 88MB/s and Write: 76MB/s. With both in use, the speed Crucial X10 Read: 782MB/s Write: 771MB/s, and the Lexar 1800x read: 87MB/s and Write: 60MB/s. The actual drop in speed with two storage devices was minimal, and throughout the test, I found that the 1GbE bandwidth was more than sufficient for most day-to-day tasks.

I also discovered that some SSDs, such as the Seagate Five Vault and the LaCie Rugged Pro5b, had too great a power draw from the USB-C 3.2 Gen2 ports to be used and needed to be plugged directly into the machine. It’s also worth noting that even with a power supply connected to the pass-through port, this still did not enable these higher-demand drives to be directly attached.

The best approach is, of course, downloading one device at a time rather than running multiple transfers together, as this avoids that bandwidth bottleneck.

Having recently upgraded my network to 10Gbe, it’s great to see a hub like this use 2.5GbE Ethernet rather than the more standard 1GbE. This means that I can connect directly from the hub into my switch and then to the Ugreen DXP4800 GT.

This connection managed 150 MB/s, which was fast enough for some light network editing, although doing so does warm up the hub more than the other connection types when in use. Still, that heat is well handled and warm rather than hot.

The HDMI output worked as expected and enabled me to connect the hub directly into a Lepow TriScreen Pro monitor, with the visuals seeming stable through the test.

What did stand out was the cross-platform capability of the hub as it seemed to work identically on the MacBook Air M3 Max and the Asus ProArt PZ14.

Performance: 4 / 5

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings) Plugable 10-in-1 USB-C Hub: Final verdict

(Image credit: Alastair Jennings) The Plugable USBC-10IN1E is a neat hub that enables port expansion for today's slimline laptops and just adds a convenient and easy way to connect multiple devices and accessories to those machines. The single body design and fixed cable make it easy to pop into a kit bag and take with you, or leave connected to your workstation, and the design is durable in the first instance and aesthetic in the other to be suited to both uses.

It can’t be stated enough how much more convenient it is to have a single cable that connects to the keyboard, mouse, monitor, Ethernet, charging, and storage to your machine, and the fact that it can be moved between the ProArt PZ14 and MacBook Pro M1 Max by unplugging and replugging a single connector just makes working across multiple machines that much easier.

The 2.5GbE Ethernet is a great feature for creative professionals, and if you look for a dedicated 2.5GbE adapter, then the price for a decent option and then for this isn’t too different. Then there's the HDMI 2.1 support for 4K 144Hz displays, which is again a step up from most other hubs of this type.

The UHS-I SD card reader is disappointing, especially as you’re paying more for the premium model, and it features a slower card reader than the cheaper version. Plugable also prove some great software additions for their range of Docks, and it would have been great to see an option that worked with the hub, primarily a one-click ejects all option for Mac users.

For the price, the USBC-10IN1E is a great value if you’re someone who regularly switches between machines or needs to expand a two-port laptop into a full desk setup. While it does have limitations compared with a powered dock, through the test, it proved to be one of the best single-cable hubs I’ve tested.

Should I buy the Plugable 10-in-1 USB-C Hub?

Value

For $84, with 2.5GbE Ethernet, HDMI 2.1 and 125W pass-through, this offers exceptional value

4.5

Design

The space-grey metal build, decent port spacing, and 17cm cable make it a great option in the office or out.

4

Features

The 2.5GbE and HDMI 2.1 are surprising additions at this price; it’s just a shame that the SD slots are UHS-I rather than UHS-II.

4.5

Performance

The hub is able to balance the bandwidth well, and through the test, even when downloading from multiple devices, there was only a marginal drop in speed.

4

Overall

This is the best-spec’d bus-powered USB-C hub I have seen at this price and all at a great price for the volume of ports.

4.5

Buy it if...

You want a single-cable desktop hub.

The ASUS ProArt PZ14 has two USB-C ports. One cable into this hub provides a monitor, Ethernet, keyboard, mouse, storage, charging, and card readers.

You run a 2.5GbE NAS or network.

The 2.5GbE Ethernet specification is one that no other bus-powered hub at this price matches. For photographers and videographers working from a high-speed NAS, the step from 1GbE to 2.5GbE makes a huge difference.

Don't buy it if...

Fast SD card downloads

The UHS-I SD reader is slow compared with UHS-II, so if you use an SD card on a regular basis, you may want to look for an alternative, such as the cheaper Plugable 9-in-1 (approx. $50).

You use high-performance portable SSDs

All USB data ports share a single 10Gbps connection, so firstly, the bandwidth is split between each connected device. There are also limits on the power that can be drawn through the hub, so the likes of the LaCie Rugged Pro5’s power demands are too great for use with this hub.