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Microsoft has already officially announced the Xbox One S All Digital edition (or Xbox One SAD, as it’s being dubbed), which is exactly the same as the original One S, just without a disk reader. The company is pitching this as “the most affordable way to play Xbox games,” but that isn’t stopping the whopping 40% dislikes the video has received on YouTube along with the roasting comments.
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The console starts at $249 and comes with three digital games included—Forza Horizon 3, Minecraft, and Sea of Thieves. Despite the slight reduction in price, many users feel that the starting point is simply too high to be willing to commit to a single locked-down ecosystem.
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Via YouTube
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Some have also mentioned their disappointment that the console is just a downgrade, holding no real advantage over the current Xbox One S that does include the disk drive.
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Via YouTube
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Both commenters make compelling arguments, especially given that there are many cheaper Xbox One S bundles on other retailers such as right now. Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy are selling the systems for the same price if not less than the diskless version right now, which not only doesn’t accept physical games but also can’t read DVDs and BluRays.
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Of course, Microsoft seems to be willing to help those commit to an all-digital gaming life, as Thurrott’s Brad Sams has recently pointing out that “there will be a ‘disc-to-digital’ program that, as the name states, turns your physical games into digital downloads. The idea is that you can take your disc to a participating retailer (like the Microsoft store) and trade in your disc for a digital download.”
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For now, we’ll just have to wait and see how well consumers can adapt to digital-only games and movies, if they’re willing at all. Could you see yourself living inside of Microsoft’s walled ecosystem?
\n\nFurther reading: Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox One S, Xbox One S All Digital