Rumor: Microsoft Planning on Xbox Series X Digital Edition - News
by William D'Angelo , posted on 02 September 2023 / 5,097 Views
Microsoft is rumored to be planning a digital-only version of the Xbox Series X, according to XboxEra co-founder Nick Baker speaking during the latest XboxEra Podcast who spoke with "a couple" of sources.
Baker didn't provide any more details on the possible digital-only Xbox Series X, however, he did speculate it could be a revision of the Xbox Series X that could make the console smaller.
Baker has also claimed Microsoft has more plans for "other hardware" in 2025. But didn't say what this hardware could be.
Microsoft in November 2020 released the Xbox Series X for $499 and the digital-only Xbox Series S for $299. A 1 TB model of the Xbox Series S in Carbon Black is set to release on September 1 for $349.99.
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.
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Hopefully this also means a disc-based series S in the future? Should allow Microsoft to cover most price points then.
A digital Series S might be in a slightly larger case (perhaps moveing to a new process node would help limit the size increase).
Alternatively, they could make a Series S with an external power supply to free up room for the drive. I might be the only one who doesn't have external power supplies, though (I like them for being easily user-replaceable).
Anecdotally, I've noticed a lot of commenters on YouTube have said they'd love to have a Series S with an optical disc drive. They want a Series S for its small size and its inexpensive price, as a second system to complement their PS5 or gaming PC. And they don't even mind being digital-only going forward. But they have a bunch of Xbox 360 games on disc that they want to play via back-compat.
Ah, gotcha. Perhaps they could release a white one with an optical disc drive and 512 GB at $349.99 to match the black 1 TB model?
Or perhaps the plan is to drop the 1 TB model down to $299.99 once they've sold through the current model, at which point a new model with 512 GB and an optical drive could be released at $299.99?
I just remember Sony filing one or more patents for optical disc drives, around the time the rumours of a PS5 with a removeable disc drive were first in full swing. And then Microsoft filed a patent for one console connecting over a home network to another to use its disc drive (AKA a Series S using the disc drive of your old Xbox One). So it left me with the impression that maybe there was something in the way. It left me worried that Sony had a patent that was specific to game consoles that was in the way. Perhaps something that affected the security/anti-tampering. But I'd be pleased to be proven wrong. :)
I just do not believe MS has the bandwidth for it. Hell they are struggling just to get consoles on shelves and the Series S is suppose to be the cheap option. I doubt MS care more about coverage in this area then they do about staying as cheap as possible but not losing as much on each console to stay competitive price wise.
You may be right. It's a shame though, there are lots of people who were 360, but then went PS4, who might be tempted to get a Series S for Game Pass (but who also want to play their 360 games on disc via back-compat). So the question was whether this option can expand the market for Xbox consoles, or not. I think it could.
My Series X is already a Digital Edition:)
Yah me too :) Since the end of the 360; they are all "digital" editions :)
Same for my Switch (as painful and limited it can be compared to Xbox/Sony) and Play Station
My last AAA release that I bought on disc was Gears 3 on the 360. :) I went with the Series S in part because I lucked out and found it available in December 2020 when Series X and PS5 weren't, and in part because digital-only was no problem for me. A lot of my disc-based games were Halo, Gears, and Forza, and they were all in Game Pass anyway.
Better be $100 cheaper!
Maybe, but the thing about the Series S is that it never had a disc drive to begin with and only added storage. If the Series X internals are remaining the same, then removing the disc drive should put it in line with PS5/PS5 Digital in terms of pricing model.
Well, that's what we all would assume lol but you right about MS not willing to lose too much on revenue since they already sell at a loss.
Disc drives don't cost $100. Plus would you rather buy the $1 TB Series S at $350 or spend $50 more and get a digital Series X if they were to charge $400 for it.
If Microsoft did what they had done in the past with Xbox the Series S would probably be $200 at this point and the Series X $400.
This sounds logical as Sony is now fighting MS using the pure power of a lower cost PS5. I am guessing this is Sony way to try and nuke some much needed sales MS is looking to gain with Starfield which in business is a pretty smart move. Sony wants to limit as much momentum MS can gain with the price reductions and it appears they have more flexibility on this front than MS does.
Getting a Digital only Series X with a nice competitive price against the PS5 is what MS will definitely need if they want to move consoles against Sony.
Digital X needs to be $350, instead they made the Series S Black $350. LMAO. Microsoft is in trouble.
Here's my prediction for list pricing as of holiday 2024:
Series X with disk drive: $499
X w/o drive: $399
S with 1tb ssf: $299
S with 500gb ssd: discontinued in early 2024
But, the S and the X without drive will be routinely discounted below those price points.
makes sense considering 99% of xbox games dont even have the series game on the disc they put the xbox one version on them and make you download the series version only just starting to see series only games but alot of them will be on gamepass. i went all digital on my series x.. i have a big PS4-5 and switch physical collection :)
It seems inevitable. Microsoft is the most DRM-heavy of the big three and at least having an option for a digital-only Series X is likely something they have planned for years.
The pricing depends on when it releases. If it released by the end of 2023, it would probably be $400-$500. But if it's around 2025 like the rumor says, it could be around $350. And by then the 1 TB Series S could probably be $250-$300.
What are you talking about lol
The DRM between the 3 are basically exactly the same, what does that even mean?
https://youtu.be/9E983349p7Q
Smart Delivery (most games) requires the internet for current-gen versions, as it is just the Xbox One version that can be installed from the disc. Xbox Series X?S requires the internet right away (PS5 Standard Edition doesn't) during setup and also has more frequent online checks.
PlayStation and Nintendo still have a lot of DRM, but it's not quite as bad.
That's the setup of the console... While it sucks, this has nothing to do with DRM and the rest is EXACTLY the same on the Play Station 5... I have one and there is literally no difference at all when the checks are done (and the main console system is also identical on both platforms).
As far as game check, this is also the same and you can find videos about it too for Play Station 5. If you buy the disk edition, the majority of the game works out of the box without any internet connexion required (on Xbox and Play Station 5).
Whatever this guy is experiencing in the video for some game (Tomb Raider, etc..) is not the norm and you can install/launch the game without any problem and without the need to be connected to the internet if you have the disk version (again, not sure how the hell he managed to get in that situation with his console in the video but this is not how it works for everyone). And this is the same exact behavior on the Play Station side. If not; then it will check ONLY the first time on your main console, and if you are playing with your account on another console, it will check every time (like Sony and Nintendo).
As far a digital games, the guy in the video has probably his Play Station as the main (which lets you start any game digitally or not offline) and not his Xbox (which is also normal not to let digital game starts, like on Play Station) and does not really understand how the concept of main/home console works... Because that's the only explanation I can see for the behavior he is experiencing...
FYI: https://support.xbox.com/en-US/help/hardware-network/connect-network/using-xbox-one-offline
Should have been like this from the start in 2020. Same route as PS5 and PS5 Digital.
Let's just hope they don't abandon the series s
Series S is a mistake, MS should have just released Series X disc version and Series X disc-less version.
Nah. Series S is actually selling decently, definitely was the right choice.
Agree. I wouldn't have bothered with an xbox if not for the series s.
Selling decently rn does not imply it's a good long term strategy.
Series S made development harder on Xbox platform. This costs more development resources like time, and what's worse it damage's 3rd parties' willingness. Checkout this vid from DF: https://youtu.be/Ke5CRnJYzUY
Financially for Microsoft it's been a success.
Many people like the level of power, form factor and power consumption and other features.
I own a PC, Xbox Series X, Playstation 5 Disc... And I also own a Series S. - Why? Because it's small and light enough I can throw in my backpack when I am traveling to the minesites for confined space rescue, so I got something to play on my downtime.
So whilst yes, some developers ARE struggling with the Series S, that doesn't detract from how intrinsically successful the console is.
Devs are incompetent.
Strongly disagree. I do think the Series S should have had 12 GB instead of 10 GB, but I think it was otherwise the right strategy.
Releasing the Series S meant Microsoft could immediately cease production of the Xbox One, and that's a win for ending cross-gen as soon as possible. Sony went the opposite route of a powerful next-gen console only, meaning they have had to keep selling the PS4, coming up on 3 years and counting, as a budget option. Just as they did with the PS3, the PS2, and the PSOne before it.
I predict Microsoft will address the Series S' short-coming by releasing a next-gen architecture sooner than Sony does.
Series S made development harder on Xbox platform. This costs more development resources like time, and what's worse it damage's 3rd parties' willingness. Checkout this vid from DF: https://youtu.be/Ke5CRnJYzUY
I'd previously seen that DF clip, and I didn't take from it that developers (full stop) hate the Series S. Many have defended it, in fact.
Releasing the PS4 Pro last-gen made development harder on the PS platform. Ditto the One X making things harder for developers last-gen. The Series X|S is the same thing, except they were both released at launch rather than somewhere in the middle of the gen. Arguably there's an advantage to developers understanding both power specs from the get-go, rather than halfway through the gen.
So yes, the Series S makes development harder, for sure. But that's also true of Sony continuing to sell PS4s, which puts pressure on developers to support cross-gen for longer. Low-spec PC units complicating things for developers of PC games. If the Switch successor is backwards compatible, and especially if Nintendo continues to sell the existing Switch for a while after the new model releases, then that will make Switch development harder.
So 2 or more power levels to target is far from unique to the Xbox platform. And I'd argue that since the Series S replaced the Xbox One, that's actually preferable as a budget option (vs. continuing to make last-gen units, as Sony has done).
Speaking of DF, they have consistently said they think the Series S is a good design, and was overall the right call for Microsoft.
These digital-only consoles always make me think of the Phantom. Concept or not, it was absurdly ahead of its time.
