Disc-Less Xbox to be Called Xbox One S All-Digital Edition, Launch in April: Report

Microsoft's plans to launch a disc-less Xbox One have been leaked previously, and now a new report has claimed that it will be called the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition. This report also claimed that the disc-less Xbox will go up for pre-orders in April 2019 and will be available starting May 2019. Microsoft is reportedly planning to launch the disc-less Xbox in markets around the world at roughly the same time. If true, this report may be exciting for those who use Xbox Game Pass or prefer to buy games digitally, but it's not very exciting news from an Indian perspective.

This bit of information on the disc-less Xbox comes via Windows Central. Microsoft has been betting heavily on an all-digital future for Xbox gaming as we've already seen with the launch of Xbox Game Pass (a Netflix-style subscription service for games) and Project xCloud video game streaming service. The “Xbox One S All-Digital Edition” is likely to be priced lower than its counterpart that supports discs but that's about where the good news ends for Xbox fans in India. An earlier report had claimed the new console price point would be "$200 (roughly Rs. 14,200) or less."

While it's great to see Microsoft investing in new technology for gaming, it's a well-known fact that owning an Xbox One in India is a troublesome experience for most people. Games such as Below, Fortnite, Sonic Mania, and Dead Rising 4 are among quite a few that were either not available digitally in India at launch or are still unavailable.

When you couple that with the fact that lots of people in India still have to deal with slow Internet speeds or small data caps, it becomes clearer that a disc-less Xbox probably isn't ideal for the country. With that said, there's always the hope that Microsoft will continue to support physical releases of games for the foreseeable future. An earlier report had claimed the new console price point would be "$200 or less."

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