Xbox 360 closing day-and-date digital release gap

Simultaneous digital and physical launches on Xbox 360 are almost a reality.

Payday 2 was available to buy on Xbox Live Arcade just a week after it was launched at retail. Microsoft had previously insisted on a three-month wait between the physical launch and its digital release.

It’s still not quite day-and-date, which is what the firm says it will start doing from the launch of Xbox One. Day-and-date digital releases are already a reality on Wii U and PS3.

Microsoft had insisted on the gap between retail and digital in a bid to protect the High Street from the digital threat.

But this has seen the company fall behind its rivals. PlayStation and Nintendo already allow consumers to buy their games digitally and physically at the same time.