As digital distribution rose to prominence, that's the direction console bundles went. Cheaper than manufacturing a physical product, buying a new Xbox, PlayStation, or Switch often means one or more codes to redeem for games. In the grand scheme, it's fine; taking 30 seconds to punch in a string of random digits is a little clumsy but it gets the job done.
Xbox has a solution that's far more elegant. When setting up a new Xbox, users will be prompted to claim whatever came bundled with their purchase. Games, subscriptions, DLC -- all of it is tied to the console and available as part of those first steps during setup. Microsoft calls this "Digital Direct," a name that seems perfectly apropos. Microsoft also warns that the content will be entitled to the first account that redeems it, so don't jump the gun and grant it to whichever account does the initial setup.
