‘Xbox One S All-Digital Edition’ Preorders Available Next Month

We all knew that there would be a disc-less Xbox coming in the future, and saw on Thurrott last year that Microsoft was planning to launch it this year around Q1, but no official announcement came from Microsoft. Close sources to this matter are saying that the Xbox codenamed Maverick is going to be named “Xbox One S All-Digital Edition.”

According to Windows Central, preorders of this new console will start in mid-April this year and should be available in early May. Expect to see it launched all over the world where Xbox markets exist.

This console seems more of an experiment to ditch discs, making users only go for digital game licenses. Is this another move in the ‘greater scheme’ of Project xCloud and Xbox Game Pass?

Project xCloud is a streaming service that will let players use the Xbox One S hardware in servers, but stream games on various platforms like PCs, consoles or mobile devices. Later this year, the project will begin its first trials. Xbox Game Pass is a subscription that will let you access over 100 games.

Xbox One S All-Digital Edition, Xbox Anaconda, and Xbox Lockhart “Scarlett”

A disc-less console should also mean a cheaper console since the Blu-ray drive will be removed. The sources did not mention a change in design or how much the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition will be priced at.

Meanwhile, there are rumors that Microsoft might release a Fortnite edition console with a unique design, but whether it will be a regular S edition, an X or the disc-less version it still is a mystery.

Even if the sources are 100% correct, we should take it all with a grain of salt, remembering that plans can always shift. However, we can be sure that there will be a disc-less console from Microsoft.

How much success will the disc-less version have? It depends, as there are many pros and cons:

The advantages are that it will be cheaper than other new Xbox consoles, it will pre-load games very fast, and you can get instant refunds. The cons are that not all digital games offer 4K (outside the USA), compared to the 4K Blu-ray discs you can purchase.

We can only wait and see more from Microsoft and maybe we’ll learn more about the other rumored next-gen consoles – Xbox Anaconda and Lockhart “Scarlett.”