The leak at hand is fairly substantial and the
Microsoft Xbox One S All Digital does seem fairly straight-forward and
self-explanatory of a device. At least on the surface that is. Promo materials,
renders, as well as an alleged price point and release date have all surfaced
online on what clearly looks to be an Xbox One S without a disk drive.
Frankly, if the info wasn't quite as abundant we
would have shrugged the whole thing off as a quick Photoshop joke. However,
this step might just make some sense considering the current gaming climate and
recent developments. But more on that in a bit.
The Microsoft Xbox One S All Digital, like its name
suggests, will rely solely on digital editions of games and downloads through
the Microsoft Store and subscription-based content from Microsoft's growing
Game Pass library. Hardware details on the new console are spotty, but the
leaked images do contain mentions of 4K and HDR support, as well as a 1TB hard
drive. All the materials also show a white console, bundled with a single white
controller, which all falls in line well with current Xbox One S bundles.
Meaning that this will likely be the basic Microsoft Xbox One S All Digital package
as well. Of course, other editions could follow later.
Speaking of the package, the leaked box/banner art
also suggests three pre-installed digital edition games. Namely Minecraft, Sea
of Thieves and Forza Horizon 3. Last, but not least, the source claims a retail
price of EUR 229.99 for the Microsoft Xbox One S All Digital and a launch date
of May 7 in Europe.
That would definitely make the Microsoft Xbox One S
All Digital cheaper than the current Xbox One S, with its EUR 299.99 MSPR.
Although, having said that, it is worth noting that Spring Sales are currently
on and the German Microsoft store has slashed that price down to EUR 244.99.
You do only get one game in the Xbox One S basic bundle, but having said that,
it's not uncommon to find even better sales deals with third party retailers.
Regardless, Microsoft's intentions are clear as day.
Barring any surprise "killer features" potentially hidden away under
the familiar shell of the Microsoft Xbox One S All Digital, it simply looks to
be a solid step in a different, all-digital direction. Of course, there are
many ways to look at this. Some might call it a logical move, or perhaps a
reactionary one, considering all the hype around Google's potentially
revolutionary new Stadia game streaming service.
