Xbox One S without Microsoft disk: what's the point?

Microsoft has announced that its next version of the Xbox One S will not have a disk slot. Instead, you will download everything.

This is not really a radical change from most games: buy the code, download the game. Of course, the physical games still exist, but the Xbox One S Fully Digital Edition will not be able to play them. Or Blu-Ray movies from elsewhere.

What I do not understand, after taking a moment to digest this news, is how the new Xbox seems to do little for those who might decide that this strange console suits them.

This is not smaller

Is not the idea of ​​getting rid of a disk drive supposed to reduce the footprint? The Xbox One S (which debuted in 2016) is not the same and it's weird. I would like a super-small Xbox to put my coat, or go under a television, like a Mac Mini for games. That's not it Heck, is not it basically the same size as the much more powerful Xbox One X?

This is not cheaper (really)

OK, the all-digital edition of the Xbox One S costs $ 249, which is $ 50 less than the Xbox One S. And Lawrence Hyrb of Microsoft has promised that, even if the Xbox One S was on sale, the edition entirely The Xbox One S's digital still be cheaper: "We plan to maintain at least a $ 50 difference between the Xbox One S and the all-digital version during the sales."

But. BUT. The Xbox One S went on sale frequently and there were holiday deals last December. price as low as $ 199. The Xbox One S is currently priced at $ 299. Still, the only way to consider a diskless Xbox One S as "cheaper" is that its daily price is $ 199 or less.

There are games included for free, of course. But the three free games provided – Forza Horizon 3, Sea of ​​Thieves and Minecraft – are not really the most popular titles.

Microsoft still believes in records

Nor is it as if the disc-based media were disappearing again. Jeff Gattis of Microsoft even admits that he do not see the disk go away. And Microsoft still has two other Xbox One systems that use disks. If you buy the all-digital version, you essentially deprive yourself of a way to play games. Maybe Microsoft will do a hard failover and will engage without disk with a future Xbox, or even switch to more games streaming. But the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition is not this system.

You just limit yourself

The diskless world is an illusion for the moment. You have many ways to buy or borrow affordable disk games that are a great source of value, especially for a multi-year old console. Going without a disc at this point is literally cutting you off one way to play. And if you consider the value you can add to your game over time, the all-digital version of the Xbox One S will eventually become way more expensive for you in the long run.

A funny duck

I like games from the Xbox and I often like the offers offered by Microsoft. But this new console is a puzzle. He does not succeed in using a crowd of micro-consoles. It fails to push the boundaries or create a surprising budget system. Instead, it's an Xbox without a disk drive.

No thanks.