Is Microsoft prepping a new version of the Xbox One which won't have a disc drive?
According to several reports and rumors that have been gathered by business analytics website Wedbush, Microsoft may be gearing up to unleash a more competitively priced version of its Xbox One console. The catch? This cheaper model will only be able to play digital games.
The reports claim that Microsoft is working on several “product prototypes” for newer versions of the Xbox One including a commercially available model of the console’s white version which will supposedly be available in October (and which was previously only available to Microsoft employees who helped work on the console), a 1 TB version set to launch in November, and a version of the console that will not include a Blu-ray disc drive.
This “discless” version of the Xbox One will supposedly be available for $399, matching the PlayStation 4’s price point, but, obviously, won’t be able to play physical game discs or movie DVD’s/Blu-Rays. Many analysts who have heard the rumors say that this would be a terrible strategy for Microsoft to try since not only would it further enforce the idea that the standard Xbox One console is overpriced, it would also have a huge negative impact on companies like GameStop which thrive on the sale of physical game discs.
Influential game industry analyst Michael Pachter summed up the news rather succinctly: “I have three words for this idea – dumb, dumb, dumb.”
We’ll have to wait and see whether there’s any merit to these new reports but it looks like Microsoft should already be prepping for another 180 reversal.
