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While the shift from physical media has changed the world of music, movies and PC gaming in recent years, console gaming has been a bit more stubborn. After much speculation though, Microsoft is finally trying to give us a not too subtle push towards a digital-only marketplace for our games with the imminent release of the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition. The thing is, youâd be a fool to buy into it at this time.
PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo fans have always been quite vocal on reasons for fearing a digital-only future, and as Deals Editor of TechRadar, I can see why. And nostalgia for a collection of physical games doesnât really fit into it as much as it used too either.
Quite simply, itâs all about the prices for both hardware and software. Microsoft (and plenty of other publisher partners) havenât quite grasped the concept of fair pricing for digital games and now the hardware seems to be following suit. And when you look at the overall bang for your buck and game-buying options delivered by the new Xbox One S All-Digital Edition, itâs an underwhelming piece of hardware, representing poor value for money.
[IMG alt="toJ9ESwghTCsmDy3UiABAJ" width="690px" height="290px"]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/toJ9ESwghTCsmDy3UiABAJ.jpg[/IMG]
The Xbox One S All-Digital price
When considering a digital-only console, it needs a hook to really tempt us away from the traditional disc-based versions. There are at least a few bundled games to get you going in Minecraft, Sea of Thieves and Forza Horizon 3. But how about some technical improvements inside promising slightly quicker loading, or less power consumption? Getting rid of a the disc-drive would surely provide an opportunity to reimagine the chassis of the console for a more compact design too of course? Yeah, youâre getting none of that.
The new Xbox just has a forlorn blank white space where the disc slot used to be, effectively gagging your gaming options for a huge back-catalogue of games and blu-rays. And why bother with expensive redesigns, when you can spend 30 seconds in PhotoShop? It worked out ok for Deadpool after allâŚ
[IMG alt="eUSbTK3UvFkgHQEpFHZC49" width="690px" height="387px"]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eUSbTK3UvFkgHQEpFHZC49.jpg[/IMG]
Image credit: 20th Century fox
The Xbox One S All-Digital Edition will cost $249 in the US and ÂŁ199 in the UK. Microsoft claims thatâs cheaper than the $299 MSRP / ÂŁ249 RRP of the current S model, which is technically true. But decent retailers, ones that youâd have to be seriously unlucky to be unaware of, havenât charged those prices for a long, long time.
Before all the digital-only console rumours really starting emerging over the last few months, the Xbox One S had already become one of the best-priced gaming consoles on the market as Microsoft discontinued the older 500GB models in favour of making the 1TB one the new standard, while keeping the prices the same - the 1TB models used to be $50/ÂŁ50 more expensive.
At the time of writing, over on our Xbox One deals (UK) page you could pick up a standard 1TB Xbox S, a digital copy of The Division 2 and a physical copy of Forza Horizon 4 for just ÂŁ209.99 at Amazon. And itâs not a rare sight to see the console on its own go for around ÂŁ190. Over on the Xbox One deals (USA) guide youâll find highlights from just $199 including either Minecraft or Battlefield V. And donât forget itâs only April, a time of year when console deals are usually a bit, well, awful.
To say goodbye to discs, or more precisely having the option of using discs at least, Microsoft needs to really up its game with a better deal. So naturally, for basically the same amount of money (or less!), weâd certainly advise picking up the regular Xbox One S, instead.
Why rob yourself of the opportunity of buying a physical disc when you spot a bargain online or at your local store for both new and pre-owned games? Or maybe youâll want to play both regular and 4K blu-rays (the Xbox One S is a very reasonably-priced 4K blu-ray player). Even if you love the idea of a clutter-free disc-free future, thereâs zero incentive to shut off the past with the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition at the current price.
[IMG alt=âxbox game pass prices dealsâ]http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vEg...mUuJRDwKDh.jpg
The Xbox Game Pass could make this interestingâŚ
Before the initial Xbox One S All-Digital announcement was revealed (and priced), I was actually intrigued to see what weâd get as Microsoft has been absolutely killing it lately with its not so secret weapon - the Xbox Game Pass.
Like many for the current console generation cycle, the PS4 is my main gaming machine, while my Xbox One would have been slung on eBay a long time ago if delivering heavy boxes and dealing with randos on the selling site wasnât such a hassle. I havenât bought a physical game for it since Rise of the Tomb Raider and Quantum Break before that, with only a a steady supply of Xbox Liveâs Games with Gold and the need to finally finish the backwards-compatible Fallout: New Vegas giving me any reason to turn it on. And then I tried the Game Pass free trial.
This is as close as weâve ever got to a genuine âNetflix for Games.â Sure you download titles rather than stream them, but given how much broadband speeds can vary, not to mention game-streaming is much more data-intensive than movie streaming (weâre still hyped for Googleâs upcoming Stadia service though) thatâs totally fine for us as once a title is on our hard-drives we never need to dread a buffering pause.
The clearest comparison to Netflix though, in addition to a wide choice of nearly 200 titles now, is the value. At $9.99/ÂŁ7.99 a month (or less if you buy a larger amount upfront in a deal) it simply wipes the floor with any of the rival gaming subscriptions services, especially Sonyâs laughably over-priced PlayStation Now. Add in the fact that Microsoft has been adding its latest exclusives to the service, on the day of release no less, and itâs one of the best gaming deals weâve ever seen. Which is why itâs baffling to not see the console released with a free six or 12-month subscription at this price.
The other elephant in the room though when looking at digital-only consoles is the outrageous pricing for new games on digital stores. When a new game is released on disc, youâd generally expect to pay $60/ÂŁ40 for it, maybe a bit more for the likes of Red Dead Redemption 2 or the newest FIFA. Take yourself over to the PSN and XBL stores on your console and youâll find a trap for the overpaid and uninformed.
Although we have to admit the pricing disparity is more of a UK issue nowadays as standard versions of digital version of the games regularly cost ÂŁ60 compared to ÂŁ40 for a physical version. In the US, things have improved and weâre more used to seeing $60 for both physical and digital versions. But still, shouldnât digital games be cheaper than physical ones? Weâve been asking that question for years though.
Physical copies of games of course carry extra value in that they can be resold by the buyer and prices drop on them much sooner than digital thanks to the more open and competitive retail landscape. PC gaming is pretty much all digital now, but even with Steamâs dominance in the digital marketplace, there are at least other stores selling game keys too, ensuring at least some competitive pricing on the scene.
[IMG alt="2VKUf2cv7F8ZygRJnTSa3H" width="690px" height="388px"]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/2VKUf2cv7F8ZygRJnTSa3H.jpg[/IMG]
Could the all-digital Xbox One be a good option though?
If you already have a PS4, but have fancied an Xbox One for a while, the All-Digital Edition could potentially be worth a look. The lack of a physical disc-drive isnât as much of a concern when you can still buy discs for your PS4, and the small number of exclusives on Microsoftâs platform are available quite cheaply in digital format, or are found on the Game Pass. And quite simply, if you have no intention of buying the Game Pass, then I see little reason to pick up this console.
But still, I canât recommend this console as things stand today. You save no money and itâll cost you even more than the disc version at most stores stores. But letâs not forget though, the Black Friday deals are coming.
This will give Microsoft the opportunity to price the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition at at a level it should have been from the start. Honestly, we want to see this for $150/ÂŁ99 to really tempt us to going all in on digital. And even then, it probably wonât cost much more to get a Black Friday discount on the disc-based version.
Nobody knows your buying habits better than you though. We just want you to get the best bang for your buck. So even if youâve already stopped buying physical games, weâd still wait a while for the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition to drop in price.
[IMG alt="yyyvt6uwuyRHRy7aJCDW29" width="690px" height="387px"]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/yyyvt6uwuyRHRy7aJCDW29.jpg[/IMG]
How it could affect the next console generation?
Microsoft has fallen Sony behind this generation. The Xbox One consoles have undersold compared to Sonyâs runaway machine. The exclusives have been few and far between and recent ones like Sea of Thieves and Crackdown 3 have turned out to be disappointments not worth the long wait. It didnât help that the messaging was such a disaster before the Xbox One even launched - remember the always-online/no preowned fiasco? Oh and forcing the âessentialâ Kinect camera on gamers made for an overpriced launch that made the decision even easier for gamers.
Xbox Game Pass is Microsoftâs hottest innovation in years though and the more members it can build up now, the better its chances of making gamers consider the Xbox Two, instead of a PS5 if they know there is going to be an affordable service to give them lots to play on the console.
A super low price on the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition right now would have given Microsoft a chance to show off to gamers how strong the companyâs future is looking and urge them to stick with Microsoft next-gen. We can only hope that by the time this disc-less console reaches an attractive price point we havenât lost interest as we may be too busy saving our cash for a PS5 or Xbox Two if this yearâs E3 convinces us the next-gen consoles are coming next year.
A discount announcement during E3 week could make things much more interesting though - donât make us wait until Black Friday, Microsoft. For now though, weâll keep you updated on the latest prices for all three versions of the Xbox One console via our deal pages below. And be sure to bookmark our E3 page too for all the latest news as it happens live from LA.
[ul]
[li]Xbox One bundles (USA) | Xbox One deals (UK)[/li][li]The best Xbox One X prices, bundles and deals[/li][li]E3 2019: Everything we expect to see at the Electronic Entertainment Expo this year[/li][/ul]
Continue readingâŚ
PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo fans have always been quite vocal on reasons for fearing a digital-only future, and as Deals Editor of TechRadar, I can see why. And nostalgia for a collection of physical games doesnât really fit into it as much as it used too either.
Quite simply, itâs all about the prices for both hardware and software. Microsoft (and plenty of other publisher partners) havenât quite grasped the concept of fair pricing for digital games and now the hardware seems to be following suit. And when you look at the overall bang for your buck and game-buying options delivered by the new Xbox One S All-Digital Edition, itâs an underwhelming piece of hardware, representing poor value for money.
[IMG alt="toJ9ESwghTCsmDy3UiABAJ" width="690px" height="290px"]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/toJ9ESwghTCsmDy3UiABAJ.jpg[/IMG]
The Xbox One S All-Digital price
When considering a digital-only console, it needs a hook to really tempt us away from the traditional disc-based versions. There are at least a few bundled games to get you going in Minecraft, Sea of Thieves and Forza Horizon 3. But how about some technical improvements inside promising slightly quicker loading, or less power consumption? Getting rid of a the disc-drive would surely provide an opportunity to reimagine the chassis of the console for a more compact design too of course? Yeah, youâre getting none of that.
The new Xbox just has a forlorn blank white space where the disc slot used to be, effectively gagging your gaming options for a huge back-catalogue of games and blu-rays. And why bother with expensive redesigns, when you can spend 30 seconds in PhotoShop? It worked out ok for Deadpool after allâŚ
[IMG alt="eUSbTK3UvFkgHQEpFHZC49" width="690px" height="387px"]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eUSbTK3UvFkgHQEpFHZC49.jpg[/IMG]
Image credit: 20th Century fox
The Xbox One S All-Digital Edition will cost $249 in the US and ÂŁ199 in the UK. Microsoft claims thatâs cheaper than the $299 MSRP / ÂŁ249 RRP of the current S model, which is technically true. But decent retailers, ones that youâd have to be seriously unlucky to be unaware of, havenât charged those prices for a long, long time.
Before all the digital-only console rumours really starting emerging over the last few months, the Xbox One S had already become one of the best-priced gaming consoles on the market as Microsoft discontinued the older 500GB models in favour of making the 1TB one the new standard, while keeping the prices the same - the 1TB models used to be $50/ÂŁ50 more expensive.
At the time of writing, over on our Xbox One deals (UK) page you could pick up a standard 1TB Xbox S, a digital copy of The Division 2 and a physical copy of Forza Horizon 4 for just ÂŁ209.99 at Amazon. And itâs not a rare sight to see the console on its own go for around ÂŁ190. Over on the Xbox One deals (USA) guide youâll find highlights from just $199 including either Minecraft or Battlefield V. And donât forget itâs only April, a time of year when console deals are usually a bit, well, awful.
To say goodbye to discs, or more precisely having the option of using discs at least, Microsoft needs to really up its game with a better deal. So naturally, for basically the same amount of money (or less!), weâd certainly advise picking up the regular Xbox One S, instead.
Why rob yourself of the opportunity of buying a physical disc when you spot a bargain online or at your local store for both new and pre-owned games? Or maybe youâll want to play both regular and 4K blu-rays (the Xbox One S is a very reasonably-priced 4K blu-ray player). Even if you love the idea of a clutter-free disc-free future, thereâs zero incentive to shut off the past with the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition at the current price.
[IMG alt=âxbox game pass prices dealsâ]http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vEg...mUuJRDwKDh.jpg
The Xbox Game Pass could make this interestingâŚ
Before the initial Xbox One S All-Digital announcement was revealed (and priced), I was actually intrigued to see what weâd get as Microsoft has been absolutely killing it lately with its not so secret weapon - the Xbox Game Pass.
Like many for the current console generation cycle, the PS4 is my main gaming machine, while my Xbox One would have been slung on eBay a long time ago if delivering heavy boxes and dealing with randos on the selling site wasnât such a hassle. I havenât bought a physical game for it since Rise of the Tomb Raider and Quantum Break before that, with only a a steady supply of Xbox Liveâs Games with Gold and the need to finally finish the backwards-compatible Fallout: New Vegas giving me any reason to turn it on. And then I tried the Game Pass free trial.
This is as close as weâve ever got to a genuine âNetflix for Games.â Sure you download titles rather than stream them, but given how much broadband speeds can vary, not to mention game-streaming is much more data-intensive than movie streaming (weâre still hyped for Googleâs upcoming Stadia service though) thatâs totally fine for us as once a title is on our hard-drives we never need to dread a buffering pause.
The clearest comparison to Netflix though, in addition to a wide choice of nearly 200 titles now, is the value. At $9.99/ÂŁ7.99 a month (or less if you buy a larger amount upfront in a deal) it simply wipes the floor with any of the rival gaming subscriptions services, especially Sonyâs laughably over-priced PlayStation Now. Add in the fact that Microsoft has been adding its latest exclusives to the service, on the day of release no less, and itâs one of the best gaming deals weâve ever seen. Which is why itâs baffling to not see the console released with a free six or 12-month subscription at this price.
The other elephant in the room though when looking at digital-only consoles is the outrageous pricing for new games on digital stores. When a new game is released on disc, youâd generally expect to pay $60/ÂŁ40 for it, maybe a bit more for the likes of Red Dead Redemption 2 or the newest FIFA. Take yourself over to the PSN and XBL stores on your console and youâll find a trap for the overpaid and uninformed.
Although we have to admit the pricing disparity is more of a UK issue nowadays as standard versions of digital version of the games regularly cost ÂŁ60 compared to ÂŁ40 for a physical version. In the US, things have improved and weâre more used to seeing $60 for both physical and digital versions. But still, shouldnât digital games be cheaper than physical ones? Weâve been asking that question for years though.
Physical copies of games of course carry extra value in that they can be resold by the buyer and prices drop on them much sooner than digital thanks to the more open and competitive retail landscape. PC gaming is pretty much all digital now, but even with Steamâs dominance in the digital marketplace, there are at least other stores selling game keys too, ensuring at least some competitive pricing on the scene.
[IMG alt="2VKUf2cv7F8ZygRJnTSa3H" width="690px" height="388px"]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/2VKUf2cv7F8ZygRJnTSa3H.jpg[/IMG]
Could the all-digital Xbox One be a good option though?
If you already have a PS4, but have fancied an Xbox One for a while, the All-Digital Edition could potentially be worth a look. The lack of a physical disc-drive isnât as much of a concern when you can still buy discs for your PS4, and the small number of exclusives on Microsoftâs platform are available quite cheaply in digital format, or are found on the Game Pass. And quite simply, if you have no intention of buying the Game Pass, then I see little reason to pick up this console.
But still, I canât recommend this console as things stand today. You save no money and itâll cost you even more than the disc version at most stores stores. But letâs not forget though, the Black Friday deals are coming.
This will give Microsoft the opportunity to price the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition at at a level it should have been from the start. Honestly, we want to see this for $150/ÂŁ99 to really tempt us to going all in on digital. And even then, it probably wonât cost much more to get a Black Friday discount on the disc-based version.
Nobody knows your buying habits better than you though. We just want you to get the best bang for your buck. So even if youâve already stopped buying physical games, weâd still wait a while for the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition to drop in price.
[IMG alt="yyyvt6uwuyRHRy7aJCDW29" width="690px" height="387px"]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/yyyvt6uwuyRHRy7aJCDW29.jpg[/IMG]
How it could affect the next console generation?
Microsoft has fallen Sony behind this generation. The Xbox One consoles have undersold compared to Sonyâs runaway machine. The exclusives have been few and far between and recent ones like Sea of Thieves and Crackdown 3 have turned out to be disappointments not worth the long wait. It didnât help that the messaging was such a disaster before the Xbox One even launched - remember the always-online/no preowned fiasco? Oh and forcing the âessentialâ Kinect camera on gamers made for an overpriced launch that made the decision even easier for gamers.
Xbox Game Pass is Microsoftâs hottest innovation in years though and the more members it can build up now, the better its chances of making gamers consider the Xbox Two, instead of a PS5 if they know there is going to be an affordable service to give them lots to play on the console.
A super low price on the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition right now would have given Microsoft a chance to show off to gamers how strong the companyâs future is looking and urge them to stick with Microsoft next-gen. We can only hope that by the time this disc-less console reaches an attractive price point we havenât lost interest as we may be too busy saving our cash for a PS5 or Xbox Two if this yearâs E3 convinces us the next-gen consoles are coming next year.
A discount announcement during E3 week could make things much more interesting though - donât make us wait until Black Friday, Microsoft. For now though, weâll keep you updated on the latest prices for all three versions of the Xbox One console via our deal pages below. And be sure to bookmark our E3 page too for all the latest news as it happens live from LA.
[ul]
[li]Xbox One bundles (USA) | Xbox One deals (UK)[/li][li]The best Xbox One X prices, bundles and deals[/li][li]E3 2019: Everything we expect to see at the Electronic Entertainment Expo this year[/li][/ul]
Continue readingâŚ