It’s not the Xbox Two, but Microsoft is gearing up to release a new console in the coming months. Per reports and leaks, Microsoft’s upcoming console is a little brother to the Xbox One S, offering a cheaper way into Microsoft’s Xbox ecosystem for new gamers. It’s rumoured to be called Xbox One S All-Digital, and it’s said to ditch the Blu-Ray disc player in favour of downloadable digital content.
Here’s all you need to know about the disc-less Xbox One S, including release date rumours, pricing speculation and the main features of the console.
When will the disc-less Xbox One S be released?
While Microsoft hasn’t officially confirmed the existence of a disc-less Xbox One S console, a flurry of leaks suggest we don’t have long to wait. The original report detailing Microsoft’s plans to release a digital-only console claimed it’d get a mid-April reveal, with follow-up documents obtained by Windows Central claiming that it’ll be released on 7 May 2019.
Of course, this could all change as nothing is set in stone just yet, so we’ll keep our ear to the ground and will update this section as soon as we hear any new release date details.
How much will the Xbox One S All-Digital cost?
The Xbox One S All-Digital doesn’t feature a built-in Blu-Ray player, which should allow Microsoft to offer the console at a cheaper price point than the standard 1TB Xbox One S, which already costs an affordable £249.99 in the UK and $299 in the US (bundled with a game) at the time of writing.
This is backed up by Windows Central sources, and while we don’t know exactly how much cheaper it’ll be, we expect to hear details about pricing in the coming weeks ahead of pre-orders allegedly going live in mid-April.
What will the Xbox One S All-Digital offer?
While we’re yet to see the console officially revealed by Microsoft, a Windows Central report gives us a good idea of what to expect. Per documents obtained by the site, the Xbox One S All-Digital is said to be almost identical to the Xbox One S, in both dimensions and general design.
Unsurprisingly with an all-digital spin, the Blu-Ray drive has been ditched, along with the (now moot) eject button.
In its place, it’s said that the Xbox One S All-Digital will offer 1TB of storage, like the standard model, alongside digital codes for Forza Horizon 3, Sea of Thieves and Minecraft in the box. But if you were expecting a free trial to Microsoft’s Netflix-esque game subscription service, Xbox Game Pass, think again; documents suggest this won’t be the case.
Microsoft is rumoured to be creating an option to ship the console with a choice of pre-installing amazing Xbox One games so owners won’t have to wait for downloads once the console is delivered, which could prove popular if true.
It’s said that Microsoft is keen to position the All-Digital console as a member of the Xbox One family, as opposed to a replacement for the standard Xbox One S console, and that it’ll be cheaply priced to tempt newcomers to the ecosystem. That suggests, to us at least, that Microsoft isn’t quite ready to ditch physical media for its next-gen Xbox Two, currently being worked on quietly behind closed doors at Microsoft HQ.
Whatever the Xbox One S All-Digital is set to offer, we don’t have long to find out now.
