Tuesday, November 20th 2018
Microsoft Works On Xbox Without Optical Disc Drive
Microsoft is working on the first major game console to lack physical game media, targeted at markets where downloaded content is prevalent. The console could be a variant of the existing Xbox One / Xbox One S, but will be slightly cheaper for lacking the roughly-$25 optical drive. For those stuck with physical copies of games, Microsoft could roll out a "disc-to-digital" programme that converts your physical disc ownership to a digital ownership.
The way "disc-to-digital" works is you take your physical games to a participating brick-and-mortar retailer, who will verify that the disc is authentic (you probably wouldn't need to provide proof of purchase). Once a disc is deemed authentic, the authorised retailer will keep the physical copy in exchange to adding the game to your Xbox account. To play the game, simply download it to your console's hard drive and play. You can also download to external USB storage devices if your hard drive runs out of space. For some regions, there could even be "mail-in" services. Microsoft could target very specific markets with the console, in which Internet access is both affordable and fast, and in which there already are many customers with large digital libraries. The company is unlikely to stop selling consoles with optical drives, but those will be slightly pricier.
Source:
Thurott
The way "disc-to-digital" works is you take your physical games to a participating brick-and-mortar retailer, who will verify that the disc is authentic (you probably wouldn't need to provide proof of purchase). Once a disc is deemed authentic, the authorised retailer will keep the physical copy in exchange to adding the game to your Xbox account. To play the game, simply download it to your console's hard drive and play. You can also download to external USB storage devices if your hard drive runs out of space. For some regions, there could even be "mail-in" services. Microsoft could target very specific markets with the console, in which Internet access is both affordable and fast, and in which there already are many customers with large digital libraries. The company is unlikely to stop selling consoles with optical drives, but those will be slightly pricier.
28 Comments on Microsoft Works On Xbox Without Optical Disc Drive
That said, I think this is a good move, especially if it makes the console cheaper. If given a choice, I go for digital downloads on my PS4 just so I don't have to hear that blu-ray drive spinning (among a few other reasons).
go with downloads only or get the F out.....
ODD's are sooooo 2004-ish anyways
Let me correct also... ODD's are so 1980-ish actually.
*looks at 50Mbps download speed*
*looks at 50+GB game patches and 100GB game installs*
Yeah lets not, or at least, make game devs compress their games again FFS.
The bill of materials for a 50 GB game copy (doesn't include the cost of producing the game/content itself):
but I was kinda makin a jestful reminder of when (~2004) a certain fruity company FINALLY realized they screwed up by not including ODD's with their rigs and were almost left in the dust of the "just burn it to CD and give me a copy" craze that was in it's heyday at that point in time :)
sorry if that got lost in the translation :)
While I wouldn't necessarily care to turn in my games for digital versions, I could see doing so under a specific set of circumstances.
1) The disc can be verified as original even after it had been damaged or unserviceable. In which case I would prefer to get rid of a nonfunctional game disc for a digital version.
2) Digital versions of game discs became cross platform and thus usable on the successor of the Xbox One.
However, since this is so convenient for the user and would save the user a fair bit of money there is no way in hell this would happen.
Moving parts can be replaced. a disk drive can be replaced easily enough, the bigger issue is the fragile nature of optical media, which blu ray improved on, but still.
Its technically not a truism to simply refer to the XBox One as a 4K streaming box without making exceptions for the older version.
Xbox One X (has HDMI 2.0b)? Yeah, much, much, much more expensive ($400ish) and ridiculously overkill as a streaming device.
www.amazon.com/NVIDIA-Shield-Streaming-Media-Player/dp/B075RXV2VR
Any bluetooth or USB controller will work. You're right, if you include the controller it's $200.And that is what this new version will be based on.
MS is drunk.