Microsoft’s ‘Xbox One S All-Digital Edition’ Pre-Orders to Start in April

A report from Windows Central has claimed that Microsoft’s “Xbox Maverick” diskless Xbox One will become available for pre-order in April, shipping under the name “Xbox One S All-Digital Edition”. 

At this time it is unknown what the new console will look like, as the removal of the console’s 4K Blu-Ray disk drive would enable Microsoft to significantly reduce the console’s form factor. Alternatively, Microsoft could opt to keep the console in the same Xbox One S shell as before, with the only major change being to the console’s front section, which will no longer include a disk slot, as shown in the edited Xbox One S picture above. 

With Microsoft moving their focus onto their digital “Game Pass” subscription service and towards console streaming with “Project xCloud”, it is easy to see why creating a diskless console makes a lot of sense for Microsoft. This will also act as a great testing ground for Microsoft’s next console platform, which could also release with digital-only models. 

The “All-Digital Edition” of the Xbox One S will include one huge downside (outside of the inability to use Xbox One game disks), which is the lack of 4K Blu-Ray playback, which is a big selling point for the Xbox One S, given the already high cost of a 4K Blu Ray players. 4K Blu-Ray players can cost £100 or more, a factor that makes the Xbox One S a great choice for 4K movie buffs who also want to game a little on the side.