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Published: August 28, 2017 | Source: Engadget | Author: Mark Campbell

Microsoft discontinues their Original Xbox One

Microsoft discontinues their Original Xbox One

Microsoft discontinues their Original Xbox One

 
Microsoft has now officially stopped selling new Xbox One consoles on their online store, with most major retailers having “sold out” the console’s original models. It looks like the Original Xbox One is now retired, with its replacement, the Xbox One S, officially replacing it as Microsoft’s lowest-end Xbox One offering. 
 
Back when the Xbox One launched in 2013, many complained about the console’s bulky design, which looked more like an old VHS player than a modern console, especially given the fact that the PS4 was smaller, contained more powerful hardware and did not require an external power brick. 
 
With this original design, Microsoft planned on avoiding the “Red Ring of Death” issues that plagued their original run on Xbox 360 consoles, though they went a little overboard on the console’s cooling and size.

This was addressed with the Xbox One S, which uses a lower power SoC (16nm rather than 28nm) and scaled the console down to a smaller form factor while also offering higher GPU clock speeds. This new unit also did not require a bulky power brick, which saves the user a lot of space when managing the console cables. The Xbox One S also supports HDR video and 4K Blu-ray movies, with the original Xbox One supporting standard Blu-ray disks. 

 
In effect, the Xbox One S is superior to the Xbox One “classic” in almost every way, with more features, a small GPU clock speed boost and support for 4K Blu-rays. The only real downside is higher reported fan noise in certain scenarios. 
 

  

Microsoft discontinues their Original Xbox One

(Xbox One X (Left), Xbox One S (Right))

  

Microsoft’s standard Xbox One will remain available, but only with refurbished or second-hand units. The Xbox One X will be releasing later this year, which will likely increase the number of second-hand classic consoles in stores as the launch of this 4K-ready Xbox One X approaches. 

This move isn’t exactly unexpected, given the Xbox One S’s position in the market as a “superior” Xbox One base design. This move was inevitable, just as inevitable as scratching that glossy top on the Xbox One “classic”.    

 

You can join the discussion on Microsoft discontinuing their original Xbox One on the OC3D Forums. 

 

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