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Rumor: A digital only Xbox One might be in Microsoft's 2016 plans.

Gamezone

Gamezone

Gold Member
I came across this article today.

The report comes from Petri, which notes that rumors of a similar device have popped up in the past, but that the "Xbox One lite" might still happen.

"I have heard from internal sources that the company is considering plans for a lightweight Xbox One that may only be for Windows store games and would compete with the Apple TV, but it's not clear if these plans have been scrapped. A similar device was rumored around the initial Xbox One launch and those plans were put on hold but this device is said to be from a similar vein. If this device does materialize, it will not launch until the second half of the year and have a much lower price-point than the Xbox One."

Source: https://www.petri.com/microsofts-2016-more-hardware-software-and-cloud
 
M

Majine

Banned
PSP Go jokes may fly, but I think it's a good idea. They need to make their console smaller and less indimidating. This is one way to do it.
 
B

Bgamer90

Banned
A smaller $199-$249 digital only model might do well. I would probably get it to replace my current Xbox One (all of my games this gen outside of Wii U are digital).
 
J

JAV Actress

Banned
That's Neato but brick and mortar wise I doubt it will do well at all, even if it's 50 dollars less. Like what's the point of having a huge wall of games that you can't use with it? I figure most people who already went the digital only route have already bought it by now.
 
I

ironcreed

Banned
I recently upgraded to a 1TB unit and have a 1TB external drive to accompany it. I'm good. But I can see it being a good deal for those on the fence.
 
B

Blanquito

Member
Quite a few of you are missing the fact that this "Xbox lite" console wouldn't play XB1 or even 360 games natively (at least from what this rumor says)
 
H

Hispanic! At the Disco

Member
_woLf said:
Unless it comes with a 2TB hard drive at the least this thing is toast.
Click to expand...

There are plenty of people going digital only on a 500GB Xbox just fine. Although, most probably have an external hard drive. My external hard drive is only 1TB, but at 1.5TB I don't feel like I really need any more space for a really long time. I have 86 games downloaded with 330~ GB left and theres plenty of games I havent played in a good long while I could just delete if I needed room.
 
P

pastrami

Member
Windows Store implies to me that it'll be mobile hardware. Like a Fire TV or Apple TV. Not a digital only Xbox One.
 
T

To Far Away Times

Member
Microsoft won't do this for the same reason they didn't do it last gen.

The disc drive is just not that expensive, and taking it out makes little sense unless Microsoft values a smaller console versus potential lost game sales at retail.
 
H

hey_it's_that_dog

benevolent sexism
Bgamer90 said:
A smaller $199-$249 digital only model might do well. I would probably get it to replace my current Xbox One (all of my games this gen outside of Wii U are digital).
Click to expand...
You would re-buy hardware you already have for the privilege of losing the option to use disks?

Let me guess, you think the exact same product but in a smaller case is an "upgrade" even though its size has no practical impact on your life.
 
I

IdreamofHIME

Member
Majine said:
PSP Go jokes may fly, but I think it's a good idea. They need to make their console smaller and less indimidating. This is one way to do it.
Click to expand...

The irony of PSPgo is that 99% of my Vita library is digital and I would suspect many are the same. Sony was just one step too ahead of the curve with the go.
MS's original Xbone plans fall onto a similar trap, in 2020 they'll be looked back upon as visionary, but in 2013 it was scary and seemed anti consumer.
 
K

King_Moc

Banned
Majine said:
PSP Go jokes may fly, but I think it's a good idea. They need to make their console smaller and less indimidating. This is one way to do it.
Click to expand...

It's artificially large, to resemble a set top box. If it's less powerful than PS4, there's no reason why it can't be smaller than it.
 
S

Suzushiiro

Banned
That didn't work out so well for the PSP Go, but the PSP Go also launched when digital distribution was less of a thing (Sony didn't even mandate that every physical game also be on the PSN store, which meant that a lot of the better games were unavailable for it) and generally wasn't worth it over a standard PSP unless you didn't mind the library issue and really liked the form factor.

I can totally see MS selling a cheap XBone (like, $199 or less cheap) with no disc drive at a loss and then banking on making the money back due to the fact that they cut out the used game market that way. And it might even work out for them!

Hell, as someone who already buys most of his games digitally and the rest as new full-price physical copies I'd go in on a digital-only XBone if the price was right. But I may be in the minority.
 
B

Bsigg12

Member
King_Moc said:
It's artificially large, to resemble a set top box. If it's less powerful than PS4, there's no reason why it can't be smaller than it.
Click to expand...

It being so large also makes it silent. Easily the best thing about the hardware is that you don't hear a fan ever with the Xbox One.
 
B

Bgamer90

Banned
hey_it's_that_dog said:
You would re-buy hardware you already have for the privilege of losing the option to use disks?

Let me guess, you think the exact same product but in a smaller case is an "upgrade" even though its size has no practical impact on your life.
Click to expand...

1. I care about space (as a pretty big neat freak and organizer), and would prefer a smaller model in my A/V setup. It's a big reason why I bought a slim PS2 about three years ago even though my "phat" PS2 was perfectly fine.

2. I never use discs on the Xbox One (or my PS4).

3. Why do you care so much about me being interested in a possible model to the point in which you need to state what "impact" it has on my life?
 
K

Kayant

Member
Xbox One that may only be for Windows store games
Click to expand...

This is either not an XB1 or the site mistakenly used Windows store as to mean Xbox store which will echo their mention of the same rumor we get every year.
 
D

dragonelite

Member
Bgamer90 said:
1. I care about space (as a pretty big neat freak and organizer), and would prefer a smaller model in my A/V setup.

2. I never use discs on the Xbox One (or my PS4).

3. Why do you care so much about me being interested in a possible model to the point in which you need to state what "impact" it has on my life?
Click to expand...

Legit points, same reasons i would want a digital only xbox on or ps4.
 
Stilton Disco

Stilton Disco

Member
The perfect console for an America increasingly struggling with data caps!

Seriously, unless either general broadband infrastructure, price and speeds drastically improve, or game sizes get smaller and the post launch patch culture goes away, this is going to either sell to a super niche audience or end up pissing a lot of unaware customers off.
 
S

Suzushiiro

Banned
To Far Away Times said:
Microsoft won't do this for the same reason they didn't do it last gen.

The disc drive is just not that expensive, and taking it out makes little sense unless Microsoft values a smaller console versus potential lost game sales at retail.
Click to expand...

It's not about the direct cost of the drive, it's about the cost of the money they lose from the existence of the physical market, specifically the second-hand physical market. The short-term loss from the fact that they'd sell this at a loss, or at least at a price point that would get them less profit per unit sold, would (hopefully!) be made up for by the increased profit they get from the fact that people with these units would be buying all of their games digitally instead of physically.
 
S

Sydle

Member
Now that Xbox hardware is under the same team as Windows and all other MS hardware it's only a matter of time before that team tries some things out to gauge consumer response. Having a digital-only Xbox is not a radical idea.

I wonder if they'll have multiple models with different HDD sizes, similar to the options provided by the Surface line-up.
 
The Faceless Master

The Faceless Master

Member
To Far Away Times said:
Microsoft won't do this for the same reason they didn't do it last gen.

The disc drive is just not that expensive, and taking it out makes little sense unless Microsoft values a smaller console versus potential lost game sales at retail.
Click to expand...

exactly.

ODD can't cost them more than $15 in the quantity that they purchase.
 
G

Genio88

Member
That's sound more like a Microsoft Windows 10 TV, something like the Apple Tv but with the Windows store apps, netflix and all that media stuff, not really related to Xbox besides the fact that your Xbox account can be the same and you can earn achievements from Xbox branded games and use the Xbox App like every Windows 10 device already does.
That said i guess Xbox One will remain as it is, getting a few slim revision when it'll be the time, i hope instead for next Xbox Microsoft will put the Surface division on it, they showed to be the best in doing great design and technology in a small device.
I can already see it, next Microsoft console will be the Xbox Surface, a 499$ console powered by newest intel i5 CPU
 
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