The recent rumors regarding a “discless” Xbox One S might have just been revealed. A German blog going by the name of Winfuture has somewhat obtained and leaked new information regarding Microsoft’s latest stab at the digital service market.
This “All Digital” Xbox One S, pictured above, sports a white coat of paint and is visually similar to the current version of the Xbox One S, minus the Blu-ray disc drive. The leaked pictures also include the box it is reportedly shipping with, which states that this particular model has a 1TB hard drive and ships with three games: Minecraft, Sea of Thieves and Forza Horizon 3.
The Xbox One S All Digital Edition is also reportedly launching on May 7, following its unveiling to the public during an Inside Xbox event expected tomorrow, April 16. This in turn coincides with another report from last month that states that Microsoft will start pre-orders for the console later this month, with the general plan to start shipping in May.
Several pieces of leaked information also allude to the console’s price, which is reportedly 230 euros, or roughly $260. Earlier estimates point this to being a bit higher, as there are previous reports that the console will cost $200. However, since Xbox One S bundles typically go for $250, it is safe to assume that the discless without bundles will go lower than this.
There are also scattered reports that a Microsoft program codenamed “Odessa” is specifically targeted to release with this brand new discless console. The program is reported to be a trade-in system of some sort, wherein discs can be traded in for tokens for use at the Xbox Live store, most likely for digital games.
Microsoft seems to be gaining traction at building a new audience surrounding digital games, and possibly even cloud-based services. While their convenience cannot be understated, some users are still wary on the possible obsoletion of physical media, while some are even saying that you cannot own digital media and you are only leasing it for the time being. Whatever side of the fence you may be on, it will be interesting to see how this trend develops, especially with a new generation of consoles on the horizon.
