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Rumor: MS launching Xbox One Mini in October (Truckloads of salt)

I think the lack of a disk drive makes it the perfect companion console to people who already have a PS4.

Cheaper to buy, takes up less space, and your smaller and secondary library of games is contained in its own device.

This is basically perfect and I would buy this immediately.
 
I've had some intent to buy an xbone soon. If a digtial only model came out for under 250 I'd bite. Are the download speeds (not install speeds) more consistent on xbox one compared to a ps4?
 
I think the lack of a disk drive makes it the perfect companion console to people who already have a PS4.

Cheaper to buy, takes up less space, and your smaller and secondary library of games is contained in its own device.

This is basically perfect and I would buy this immediately.
My thoughts exactly. Perfect for people who only need an xbox for the stuff you cant play on ps4
 
To those scoffing at the idea of an all-digital console: Steam, iOS, Android, etc are already all digital. There is obviously a large chunk of the gaming population who prefer it this way. And if this Xbone mini is cheap enough, I think plenty of gamers would accept not being able to resell games.

will the Xbox One ecosystem match the competitive pricing of content on those platforms?

tons of free and freemium content with no subscription required for online play.

lots of deals, bundles and sales that make the current and past XBL ans PSN sales look like a bad joke.

will they match that too or nah?
 
The idea of an all-digital XBONE makes a lot of sense for Microsoft (I still insist they would've gotten away with their original vision if the console lacked a disc drive) - but I'm not entirely sure where it would fit into their gameplan for this Holiday season.

I almost guarantee on Black Friday, you'll be able to buy a 500GB XBox ONE with one AAA release for $300. So how attractive would a mini version of the same console for $200 really be, unless they also pack that version full of bundle options?

Simply enough, the XBox ONE has become cheap enough for the mass market. A new SKU aimed at budget consumers really doesn't make a ton of sense, unless they sell this thing at a crazy loss.

Though hey, if an all-digital box means Microsoft gets a guaranteed cut of EVERY game sale - maybe selling at a serious loss is maintainable. A $150 box that plays current releases would be almost unprecedented in this industry.
 

Vanillalite

Ask me about the GAF Notebook
will the Xbox ecosystem match the competitive pricing of content on those platforms or nah?

Well they have those Games with Gold sales as well as the monthly Games with Gold freebies.

So it isn't as if nothing ever goes on sale.

The whole thing hingies on just how cheap they can get the mini priced. The closer this thing can get to $199 the better the value proposition.
 

Curufinwe

Member
The idea of an all-digital XBONE makes a lot of sense for Microsoft (I still insist they would've gotten away with their original vision if the console lacked a disc drive) - but I'm not entirely sure where it would fit into their gameplan for this Holiday season.

The worldwide PS4/Xbone sales ratio would be 3:1 or 4:1 instead of just 2:1 if the Xbone launched with no disc drive.
 

jelly

Member
Would be awesome if true. It definitely could be a super slimmed down 360, but I assume that machine is well past it's prime (I don't really follow sales figures so I'm just guessing).

My PS4 is all digital this gen, I think I've only ever had a Zumba DVD in it :/

The 360 could be their low cost streaming device against Fire TV, Apple TV etc. but it's not that slick in comparison. 360 is still getting dashboard updates so who knows.
 
The worldwide PS4/Xbone sales ratio would be 3:1 or 4:1 instead of just 2:1 if the Xbone launched with no disc drive.

It would be an entirely different ballgame. Microsoft could've harshly undercut Sony's position by launching at $350 (or lower), kept afloat by all purchases going through Microsoft as a retailer.

Yet at the same time, they would've made an enemy of literally every retailer on earth.

It would've been a sight to see - an actual revolution of the system, instead of the half-step that was the launch XBONE.
 

NickFire

Member
I don't get the truckloads of salt. Skepticism that something like this will happen in the near future and without more reliable leaks is not what I think of when salt is used on a gaming forum.
 

mrklaw

MrArseFace
1/3 the size seems unlikely. Dropping the bluray drive won't get you that much of a drop, although they could reduce the space for cooling if they shrink the dies.

- remove bluray drive (digital only!?)
- no HDD just the minimum flash drive to store the OS. Add an external USB drive of your own choice
- die shrink reducing power and cooling
Then maybe you could get a box that is half the size.

I was thinking I'd be tempted to buy a second one for the study - the auto syncing of saves makes a second Xbox much easier to live with than a second PS4. But with streaming from Xbox to my PC I'm not sure I need one.
 

Kanokare

Member
Why yes, wanting to have complete control over a game after I purchase it is crazy! I wonder why the market rejected MS's digital push last time!?

Because they brought it in a terrible way. Console consumers aren't ready for all digital so choice is a big concern here. If they announced both consoles at the same time with maybe the mini bone being cheaper it would be been more acclaimed.
 

RibMan

Member
No blu-ray drive is a ballsy move. Excited to see if there's any truth behind this.

Have you noticed how most electronic devices are sold without a physical drive nowadays ? Even laptops don't have them any more.
Most people are digital-only on phone, tablet and PC already, it's just a matter of time before it reaches consoles.

Phones and tablets have never shipped with physical drives, and their gain in popularity has nothing to do with the lack of a physical drive. Most laptops and desktops do have a physical drive -- Apple computers and Chromebooks being the exception. PC's still command over 80% of the market, and all of the top PC vendors -- Lenovo, HP, Dell, Acer -- ship desktops and laptops with physical drives.

With that said, I completely agree that it's a matter of time before a disc-less console from one of the big three arrives. The important question is, with 50GB games and frequent > 1 GB patches, will a disc-less console benefit or hurt the current console experience?
 

mrklaw

MrArseFace
I don't get the truckloads of salt. Skepticism that something like this will happen in the near future and without more reliable leaks is not what I think of when salt is used on a gaming forum.

take this rumour with a pinch of salt. I.e don't completely put your faith in it, it might not pan out.

just because the word has been twisted and used for other things these days - its being taken back.
 
Alternative crazy hypothetical - Microsoft stuffs their new fancy 360 emulation into an HDMI stick with a Windows 10 front end, bundled with a wireless 360 controller for $75.
 
So basically it's like the psp go? Lol I'm all up for a slimmer version of the Xbox one but dropping the blu ray drive is a really bad idea.
 

Journey

Banned
Do you own any current gen console? No matter what version of the game you buy physical/digital it requires mandatory full install of the game. Memory argument makes no sense. And you can get 4TB HDD for 100$


good question. i did a quick check and i see $115 lowest.

Deals happen. I got a 5TB Seagate Expansion HDD for $109 a few weeks back, best purchase in a while.

Went back to $129 but it's still a great deal for 5TB.
 

Vanillalite

Ask me about the GAF Notebook
So basically it's like the psp go? Lol I'm all up for a slimmer version of the Xbox one but dropping the blu ray drive is a really bad idea.

The PSP Go was ahead of it's time and also ran on proprietary memory that is expensive. It also wasn't any cheaper either.
 
The 360 could be their low cost streaming device against Fire TV, Apple TV etc. but it's not that slick in comparison. 360 is still getting dashboard updates so who knows.

I think things like the Chromecast and Firestick basically salted that earth in terms of price point, plus I think they'd need to maintain a disc drive to really make an impact at retailers for a big holiday push. But I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility.
 

oti

Banned
So will they also sell download cards that retailers can drop in price? Otherwise I don't see myself getting one, even if it was something crazy like €100.
 
That's the thing.

It all comes down too pricing.

Too many people with knee jerk negative reactions IMO until we know the price.

Honestly? Bluray drives aren't that expensive, and that saving would probably be lost in the R&D in reducing the size of the rest of the console and/or bundling in a bigger hard drive.
 
Honestly? Bluray drives aren't that expensive, and that saving would probably be lost in the R&D in reducing the size of the rest of the console and/or bundling in a bigger hard drive.

I think ms would be willing to take a bigger hit if it means forcing it's consumers to only use their digital store front.
 

Zenner

Member
I'd be down for an Xbox One Mini, for a second unit in the den or bedroom. Keep the biggie with Kinect in the living room. While it's not convenient for everyone's 'net connection yet, optical drives (and physical cable inputs) are definitely on the way outta here.

Keep the retailers happy by letting them sell games as download codes on a gift card inside the packaging.
 

Journey

Banned
Honestly? Bluray drives aren't that expensive, and that saving would probably be lost in the R&D in reducing the size of the rest of the console and/or bundling in a bigger hard drive.


Slim drives are more expensive. Also there are other cost reduction when creating a slim console, the combination of losing the drive could be as much as $100 bucks. Xbox One for $249 can change some minds, especially for $199, if they could go that low it would be a home run imo.
 

EGM1966

Member
Thought that was a mod title edit at first. Guess OP advises approaching with a very big pinch of salt, which makes sense as I'm not sure I get the target audience/value proposition for an Xbox Mini that ditches BR and goes fully digital. I mean I'm sure there's an audience but a big enough one?
 

SwolBro

Banned
i would love love love an xbox mini but it has to come default 2tb of memory, at least, right? i never use the bluray player and most of the games i buy i buy digital (unless i really don't think i'll want it after playing it a month) i also think this might be too soon. I could see them releasing something like this mid to late next year.

why this year? they already have a great fall coming up
 
Thought that was a mod title edit at first. Guess OP advises approaching with a very big pinch of salt, which makes sense as I'm not sure I get the target audience/value proposition for an Xbox Mini that ditches BR and goes fully digital. I mean I'm sure there's an audience but a big enough one?
There's an audience for almost anything as long as it's cheap enough. If they hit a good price point, an all digital xbox would do very well.
 

Mifune

Mehmber
I would totally be interested in this, except that I would miss the BC for all of my 360 games. Hmm but if the price is right...
 
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