Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Cheaper, Disc-Free Xbox One Coming Next Year, Report Says (arstechnica.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the disc-to-digital dept.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Microsoft is planning to release a disc-free version of the Xbox One as early as next spring, according to an unsourced report from author Brad Sams of Thurrott.com (who has been reliable with early Xbox-related information in the past). The report suggests the disc-free version of the system would not replace the existing Xbox One hardware, and it would instead represent "the lowest possible price for the Xbox One S console." Sams says that price could come in at $199 "or lower," a significant reduction from the system's current $299 starting price (but not as compelling compared to $199 deals for the Xbox One and PS4 planned for Black Friday this year). Buyers will also be able to add a subscription to the Xbox Games Pass program for as little as $1, according to Sams. For players who already have games on disc, Sams says Microsoft will offer a "disc to digital" program in association with participating publishers. Players will be able to take their discs into participating retailers (including Microsoft Stores) and trade them in for a "digital entitlement" that can be applied to their Xbox Live account.

75 comments

  1. Re:I HATE /. BULLIES like ZIP & c6gunner... ap by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Mental illness is real, folks.

    Support politicians who believe in improving mental healthcare. These people need help.

  2. Goodbye used games by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I often buy games, play them and then sell them for half of what I paid for them. In the current environment, saving games, or collecting them dosnt make much sense. I dont like the idea of being forced into only being able to use the MS or PS store for my games. Just heard redout was a solid game for the PS4, $39. Steam - $10. No thanks Sony, but I will use your controller to play it. Still, are they chopping off $100 for a .. what... $5 disc drive? Not to bad for xbox fans.

    1. Re: Goodbye used games by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is why I buy few games. Well that and most new games suck. It only makes sense to collect games for yourself to play. So I buy stuff I want to play a lot of. Repetitive but deep games like fighting or RTS. Or a good puzzle like Wario's Woods or Puyo Puyo. That would have made a better crossover than Tetris, it had 2 player and combos to match Puyo Puyo already. /rant

    2. Re:Goodbye used games by ravenshrike · · Score: 1

      You're assuming that the disk drive remains at 1 tb. Watch for it to be 500GB or even 250. The entire thing is a trial balloon for their next-gen streaming only console.

    3. Re: Goodbye used games by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Xbox one with physical media?

      Oh my yes Microsoft..... Why not rape customers Even harder?

      You are both micro and soft Afterall

  3. Great if you live in Chicago by The+Grim+Reefer · · Score: 1

    This should be a big hit in Chicago

  4. Re:I HATE /. BULLIES like ZIP & c6gunner... ap by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    My guess is things would improve dramatically if we destroyed the internet and also reopened mental health facilities to lock some of these people away.

    Now that the ACLU does not care about anyone's civil rights (except those on the far left) they are gone as a force to stop authorities from locking those folks up.

  5. What else are they removing? by qzzpjs · · Score: 2

    There is no way that removing a $10 bluray player would reduce the cost of the machine by $100.

    1. Re:What else are they removing? by RickyShade · · Score: 5, Insightful

      They're setting a plan in motion that will end physical game purchases entirely and move consumers to 100% downloaded/streamed content.

    2. Re:What else are they removing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      New S's sell for $250. If they can downsize the box appreciably and use less connectors it could save them closer to $20. It's likely more a scheme to sell more "digital services" aka drm laden trash.

    3. Re: What else are they removing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Iâ(TM)ve seen this movie. You walk into the Microsoft store and some incredibly slovenly dressed fellow as rude and slow on the uptake as possible tells you there is a two for one after he rings you up. When you complain he points and says thatâ(TM)s the manager

    4. Re:What else are they removing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      And a significant percentage of repair/warranty problems come from hard to read discs and malfunctioning drives. Eliminating both of those issues should save them a great deal of money.

    5. Re:What else are they removing? by im_thatoneguy · · Score: 1

      If WalMart takes a 20% cut for distribution on a $60 game that's $12/game WalMart makes. If you buy 6 games over the life of the console they pocket an extra $72.

    6. Re:What else are they removing? by dissy · · Score: 5, Insightful

      What else are they removing?

      The ability to buy and sell second hand games on the used market.

      They also don't provide refunds on digital purchases except where the law forces them to, aka not most of the USA.
      Physical goods are required to allow this, and most large retailers will do so for longer than required.

    7. Re:What else are they removing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Probably most of that consists of software and patent licenses. UHD playback is not exactly cheap in the world of personal computing either.

    8. Re:What else are they removing? by Gilgaron · · Score: 1

      It may lower the value that much, though, when I got a 4K TV it seemed to me to be the best value for a 4K Blu Ray player. Not sure why I would want a set top box with no optical drive.

    9. Re: What else are they removing? by Cmdln+Daco · · Score: 1

      If you'll instead step into the Apple Store someone there can help you disable "smart" quotes on your iGadget.

    10. Re:What else are they removing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's an interesting point as the people who are likely to buy the cheapest consoles are also likely to buy used games or have worse internet connections. We have a fitting saying here: "köyhät kyykkyyn", that is roughly "the poor do submit and cover."

    11. Re: What else are they removing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As the XBox One already tries to download 100s of GB of internet at the slightest hint of a software update, I pity anyone who owns one on a poor or limited internet connection. I know as I have one and a router that tells me how much each device using.

    12. Re:What else are they removing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Aren't we already well down that path given that for about 10 years now if you ever bought a physical PC game you're just given a basically empty disc with an installer and an unlock code for Steam or Battle.net?

      The PC has been leading the way on this for some time to the point it already has much more restrictive DRM than most of the consoles. Steam requires you to phone home much more frequently than either console, and is much more restrictive about playing on other systems.

      With an Xbox One I can for example declare my wife's console as my home console so she can access and play all my content without any password prompts whilst I can login on our second console which isn't my home console but it lets me play all my stuff through my account whilst my wife continues to do so on her account via her home console.

      In contrast on Steam or Battle.Net I need two copies of each and every fucking game for us to play on both our own PCs.

      Not only that but Steam has distributed malicious software before because it doesn't do any meaningful vetting and has decided to declare itself a libertarian dream where anything goes (except when it hypocritically doesn't) meaning it's not like you're even getting any degree of confidence that what you install from Steam isn't going to fuck your system up. At least if they did that it would justify the grossly invasive DRM that's forced upon your PC that spies on all your other files and the lack of vetting against malicious software.

      It's not like there's even any truth in Steam being cheaper now with most AAA releases now being £45, which is the same as on consoles, and sure it has sales, but so do Xbox and Playstation; cheapest price for Shadow of the Tomb Raider on Steam; £45, on Xbox, £27.50 for example. Most other AAA titles this year have been on sale on consoles before on Steam, and sure Steam has bargains on older games quite frequently, but again, so do Xbox and Playstation. If you're going to complete a game in a month then you can play any first party Microsoft title for £7.99 game pass subscription and cancel any time, or use a plethora of free month, or £1 a month, or half price for 6 months offers.

      Right now, as much as PC gamers refuse to admit it, their rampant fanboyism towards Steam has already pushed gaming down a dark path over the last 10 years. As those of us who remember the uproar when Steam was first introduced said at the time - this is going to be shit for gamers, and it is. You no longer own PC games, you no longer can re-sell them, and it's been like that for over a decade, yet people feign surprise now when over 10 years later a console manufacturer suggests the same thing even though their DRM at least lets you play it on 2 devices at once?

      Wake up, this shouldn't be a surprise. For gaming, the disc based Xbox and PS4 are the least restrictive systems in terms of resale and ownership, followed by this new discless console, followed by PC - the plan you're complaining about being set in motion has been in motion for 15 years thanks to Steam.

    13. Re:What else are they removing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      they have a product for poor people who don't have internet... it's that right Don Mattrick

    14. Re:What else are they removing? by noodler · · Score: 1

      That's not the main thing.
      The main thing is that they're luring their customers into a walled-garden store where competition does not exist and they can pull the plug at any time.

      The wet dream of monopoly markets.

    15. Re:What else are they removing? by tlhIngan · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The ability to buy and sell second hand games on the used market.

      They also don't provide refunds on digital purchases except where the law forces them to, aka not most of the USA.
      Physical goods are required to allow this, and most large retailers will do so for longer than required

      Bullsh*t. Used games are not a thing anymore, just perpetrated by a vocal minority.

      Because "The PC Master Race" has gotten over this years ago - after all, stores like Steam make it much hard to "resell" games (some people do elaborate "make a new account for 1 game" and sell it on eBay thing, but that's a rather big PITA).

      Plus, both Sony and Microsoft are big into the "Day 1 Digital" or even "Early Digital Release" in their game stores. And in fact, it's been shown the digital game sales outweigh the physical sales by a large amount - not only do you often get to play a weekend ahead of release, but you don't have to line up and pick up a disc only to download another disc's worth of day 1 patches. (or larger - Fallout 76 was apparently a 45GB game on disc, with a required patch of 52GB. WTF?).

      And the stores know it too - I don't think I've seen ads for midnight store openings for a big game release in a long while. There used to be plenty - every big AAA game would have a midnight release party. Now people just wait at home for it to unlock. The biggest thing that's happened in recent memory was Best Buy offering to break a street date on Battlefield - they were going to sell it to you a day early so you could go and download the patch and be ready for it to unlock the next day.

      Hell, Microsoft tried to promote used digital game sales in the initial Xbox One release, but everyone hated that, so now we're struck with a model that doesn't allow it, in either store. And Sony's "Yes you can give it to someone else" thing worked, it only lasted a couple of years before they too were heavily into the promotion of digital downloads. (Except of course, they didn't have to worry about Microsoft offering used digital game sales as a competitive factor).

      And in the practical end, I also learned by the time the used games came into reasonable prices at the store, you could just pick up the game on sale either new or via a store sale.

      It's a romantic thought. Really, it is. But physical sales are down through the industry - movies and music are now almost all digital sales with few physical sales (despite physical offering better quality, the convenience of not going to the store beats quality, or even getting it through Amazon - digital means not having to find the disc). PC games have embraced digital for at least a decade now. It's basically inevitable. I don't know what people with poor internet connections do, because they generally are also in places where they can't get to Best Buy to buy the discs easily enough.

    16. Re: What else are they removing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Slashdot can adapt or die. Linux sucks. Android sucks.

    17. Re: What else are they removing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Such a pity, you wasted all this time to formulate the opinion and the message that are incorrect. Mostly anyway. Physical game stores still thrive in the world - try to think outside the glorious US of A, I know it's hard. But even Gamestop is still doing fine. Same with GAME or CEX (UK). They're ripping you off and treating you like shit but they exist and do fine in terms of profit.
      But you're right in that we're moving towards digital and it's inevitable. After all it's easier for the kid to snag dad's credit card than to go out and buy a disc. Doesn't require a brain either.

    18. Re: What else are they removing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      When is the last time you bought physical media for something other than Xbox or PlayStation? Did you wait in the line a few weeks ago for your android Oreo box?

      I have an Xbox one and itâ(TM)s not purchased a single physical game. I buy this thing in a heartbeat if it saved me money

    19. Re:What else are they removing? by drinkypoo · · Score: 2

      Bullsh*t. Used games are not a thing anymore, just perpetrated by a vocal minority.

      Poppycock. Used games are very much a thing. Retrogaming seems to have a steady popularity these days, probably just because it's retro but possibly also because it doesn't have any of these problems.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    20. Re:What else are they removing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      RTFA. "Sams said the new hardware doesn't mean that Microsoft is giving up on distributing games via disc."

    21. Re: What else are they removing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >Physical game stores still thrive in the world

      LOL. He was right that digital copies are the future, just as nobody really need to buy a DVD or BluRay anymore. Sure things like Redbox and stores will continue to sell them for a decade as sales slump, but the future has no paper books, no disc racks, and no manufacturing costs on those goods. You just keep dreaming of your world where we all use paper money and drive around in Ford Fairlanes.

    22. Re:What else are they removing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >Poppycock. ... Retrogaming seems to have a steady popularity these days.

      Grandpa, did you forget your meds again? Let's get you back to your room so you can play your C64 games.

    23. Re: What else are they removing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You forgot 'Apple fanboys suck'. And Apple too for good measure.

    24. Re: What else are they removing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The fact that the media isn't physical and thus you can't resell games automatically makes it the opposite of money saver, dumbass.

      But by all means, go buy that shit in a heartbeat.

    25. Re: What else are they removing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      On an interesting parallel path, alot of pirates started going the digital way with emulated discs cos the pirates, buying $1 blank cds sold em for $10 a disk.

      It used to be colour printed discs, then b&w printed, then now its a marker on a generic cd. Price still the same. Pfft,digitsl for me.

  6. Stop trying to make the Xbone happen. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's not going to happen.

  7. Physical, or GTFO by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I don't own an Xbox One, but contemplating it for Red Dead Redemption 2. I want to buy a physical copy that I can still play in the next decade, potentially on another console if mine fails. When those servers are decommissioned, say bye to your games.

    I know that's the way the industry is heading. Easier to milk the $$$ if you licence and don't own the game.

    One of the reasons I still like playing on my older consoles. Just brought an AV cable this month for my Sega megadrive and dreamcast.

    1. Re: Physical, or GTFO by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      RDR2 just isn't that good of a game.

    2. Re:Physical, or GTFO by mentil · · Score: 3, Interesting

      The Xbox Live service is the ONLY reason the Xbox division is profitable. The hardware is a massive loss leader for the Xbox Live Gold service (sure they're not sold at a loss anymore, but factor in marketing and exclusivity deals). Those servers aren't getting decommissioned until the Xbox division is completely dead, in which case you'll be playing version 1.0 single-player software on unsupported hardware. PC (even emulation) is a safer bet.

      --
      Corruption is convincing someone that the selfless ideal is the same as their selfish ideal.
    3. Re:Physical, or GTFO by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Any idea what the back-end of XBox Live is like? Specifically, are older multiplayer games run on lesser hardware/cloud instances? I find I am being disconnected fairly regularly on an XBox 360 title in the midst of gameplay.

    4. Re: Physical, or GTFO by bn-7bc · · Score: 1

      Well you have never realy owned the fame, that is some of what the EULA is about, mor often than not it grands you a note n transferable licemce(Atleast on pc, I've never owned a console so thing might be different. The only thing you realy own are the physical discs the licensed contents on. Well that is as far as I understand it, not beeing a l lawyer in London have probably missed so ting blindingly obvious so anny correction is greatly appreciated

    5. Re: Physical, or GTFO by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Neither is your mom, but people have been playing it for decades. Microsoft want to lock your mom so she can not play with anyone else after your new dad is bored. That is just sad. Do you want your mom to be sad?

    6. Re:Physical, or GTFO by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      XBLA for the original Xbox was already shut down and you've been unable to download those games for years. It will probably stay around significantly longer for the 360 though.

  8. trade-in... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    your re-sellable (usually) physical disc for a one-time-use code that is then forever tied to your own xbox live account and cannot be transferred. of course they're offering this; and publishers would be foolish to not participate in this scam.

    unfortunately for everyone, this will work. mainly because the bits on the physical disc become obsolete as games get updated. the first update post-release can even be (and has, recently, for at least one 'aaa' title) larger than the initial pre-release download or the total size of the contents on the disc.

    1. Re:trade-in... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >your re-sellable (usually) physical disc for a one-time-use code that is then forever tied to your own xbox live account

      You're not paying attention, or you haven't actually played any games in the last five years. Rockstar and EA already have a one time code inside the game case that does precisely that, physical copy or none. You can't play a used copy of Deadspace 2 online without buying a new EA pass. The Nintendo Wii and Switch both have digital only licenses as their primary method.

  9. Sounds like a great way to get rid of used games by skam240 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This sounds like a great way to begin to get rid of the console used game market.

    There's no way getting rid of the blu-ray player in an xbox saves Microsoft $100. What it does do is create a level of consumer that can no longer engage in the used game market.

    --
    I ignore Anonymous Coward posts. If you want to discuss something, that's awesome. Log in.
  10. Please Try Harder Ivan by skam240 · · Score: 1

    Please try harder Ivan. Clearly your post is meant to be the most unsympathetic denunciation of known conservatives on Slashdot. You're not even being clever here...

    --
    I ignore Anonymous Coward posts. If you want to discuss something, that's awesome. Log in.
  11. Re: I HATE /. BULLIES like ZIP & c6gunner... a by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Orange man bad

  12. Good luck DLing anything on 10 GB/mo by tepples · · Score: 2

    The ability to buy and sell second hand games on the used market.

    And the ability to make use of the console at all in areas where the best available Internet connection is slow and/or harshly capped, especially rural areas that rely on satellite or fixed cellular. How practical is it to drive a console and monitor into town to complete a download in the tens of gigabytes over public library Wi-Fi? (I didn't think so.) Andy Tanenbaum's "station wagon full of tapes" argument was one of consoles' biggest remaining advantage over Steam, and a console without a disc drive erases that.

    1. Re: Good luck DLing anything on 10 GB/mo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So build an fleet of wifi repeater drones and conveniently crash one in a tree every so often on the way to the library.

    2. Re:Good luck DLing anything on 10 GB/mo by dissy · · Score: 5, Informative

      And the ability to make use of the console at all in areas where the best available Internet connection is slow and/or harshly capped

      Pretty much. And to keep everything in context, that has been Microsoft's plan for the Xbox One since before its launch.

      Many have forgotten, but the E3 prior to the consoles release, it was going to require "always on" internet connectivity to even launch a single player game, let alone actually need the network for anything.
      They were also going to put unique keys in with discs for use in locking a game to your hardware and prevent reselling. A used game without an unused key would be useless, and require the purchase of a new key at full retail price (on top of whatever you paid for that used plastic disc)

      https://www.theverge.com/2013/6/12/4422014/xbox-360-is-offline-alternative-to-xbox-one

      Xbox chief Don Mattrick offered up his own thoughts on the Xbox One online requirement ahead of Microsoft's E3 keynote,

      "Fortunately we have a product for people who aren't able to get some form of connectivity, it's called Xbox 360," says Mattrick. "If you have zero access to the internet, that is an offline device." Mattrick's comments appear to ignore scenarios where internet connectivity can be unstable or unreliable.

      They only back peddled quite some time after massive backlash from pretty much everyone.

      https://www.ign.com/articles/2013/06/19/microsoft-reversing-xbox-one-internet-used-game-policies

      Xbox One will also no longer restrict used games, and will instead allow discs to be exchanged in the same way they are on Xbox 360. There will be no additional restrictions for trade-ins or lending games to friends.
      and
      "Since unveiling our plans for Xbox One, my team and I have heard directly from many of you, read your comments and listened to your feedback," Microsoft's Don Mattrick wrote. "I would like to take the opportunity today to thank you for your assistance in helping us to reshape the future of Xbox One. You told us how much you loved the flexibility you have today with games delivered on disc. The ability to lend, share, and resell these games at your discretion is of incredible importance to you. Also important to you is the freedom to play offline, for any length of time, anywhere in the world."

      Those facts are not important to Microsoft, and they don't even claim so. They just want peoples money, and this back peddle was the best way to get more of that.

      5 years ago for many people this day and age might as well have been over a lifetime ago.
      Microsoft will continue to keep trying until raping their customers makes more money than giving them what they want.

    3. Re:Good luck DLing anything on 10 GB/mo by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

      this back peddle

      Back pedal.

      There's no such thing as a back peddle but if there was it would mean returning something for a refund.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  13. No Modding == No Sale by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I used to love games that can be modded. Either officially or unoficially.

    Portal 2 has a large amount of community mods, all steam games do. Then again,that is one advantage to the PC platform.

    XBONE, and PS* games have little in the way of re-playability or mods. Play it once and done. Multiplayer gets old real fast.

    I usually buy the games cheaply, a "digital entitlement" isn't worth the digital bits its stored on. Here today, gone tomorrow, $0 resale value, 0 re-playability.

    the PS3 was my last console, and the PC is relegated to work , or older more moddable steam games.

    the fun isn't there anymore, and I am tired of "micropayments" and other loot boxes and other b.s

  14. Xbone Redux by mentil · · Score: 3

    Noone's yet brought up how this echoes what MS tried to do with the Xbox One at launch? They wanted to mandate that all games be tied to an account before they'll run, and can't be resold/traded without also transferring the license. There was a huge backlash against this, with the cheaper PS4 not requiring any such thing, so MS backpedaled and had a day-one patch that killed the last remnants of the registration system. Seems they're bringing it back as an option. I guess the lower price is for casual gamers who might jump on a $200 Xbox but not a $300 one? That also have fast broadband to download their games? Who are these people?

    --
    Corruption is convincing someone that the selfless ideal is the same as their selfish ideal.
    1. Re:Xbone Redux by skam240 · · Score: 1

      " I guess the lower price is for casual gamers who might jump on a $200 Xbox but not a $300 one? That also have fast broadband to download their games? Who are these people?"

      Fast broadband is not at all a requirement to downloading games. Why on earth would it be? Furthermore, this lower entry point for gamers of lesser means is highly attractive as it requires a very significantly lower cost initial investment. What many of them will miss however, is that by participating in this they will be missing out on the secondary market. Unfortunately this category of consumer rarely votes, let alone flexes its muscles in any meaningful context so this subtle erosion of property rights will likely go un-noticed.

      Steam for the PC is a perfect example of this. More and more, we don't own our software anymore.

      --
      I ignore Anonymous Coward posts. If you want to discuss something, that's awesome. Log in.
    2. Re:Xbone Redux by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I guess the lower price is for casual gamers who might jump on a $200 Xbox but not a $300 one? That also have fast broadband to download their games? Who are these people?

      Níggers. They can't figure out why getting knocked up at 16 is a bad example of future-orientation. Likewise they can't understand why this Xbox is a bad investment. See the connection?

    3. Re:Xbone Redux by Voyager529 · · Score: 1

      The $200 price point is for parents whose kids keep begging for an Xbox, but the price is just a bit out of reach.

      As far as fast broadband not being a requirement for downloading games, I used to have 3Mbit/sec DSL, which was closer to 2Mbit/sec most of the time. Destiny 2 is a bit over 80GB, meaning that it would take nearly four days to download if I did literally nothing else with my bandwidth during that time. Fast broadband not being a requirement is, as CGP Grey would put it, "technically correct, in the most pointless kind of way". A four day delta between "buying game" and "playing game" is not exactly preferable to a 30-minute game install from a plastic disc. Even for those who are okay with it would then be left out of multiplayer, and while I personally am all too happy to limit my library to single player titles, the trend for the proportion of games for which multiplayer is either a primary focus or a sole focus rather than a single player campaign is not a source of hope.

      On the topic of Steam for the PC, I submit that owning games is sadly a lost cause at this point. A handful of indie titles notwithstanding, what larger titles use standalone installers anymore? EA delivers all their games through Origin, Activision/Blizzard through Battle.Net, Stardock through Impulse (until the Gamestop situation went left), and Steam for basically everybody else. Meanwhile, finding plastic disc releases of PC games is rare anymore...so while I agree with you that games are impossible to have any meaningful level of ownership anymore, it's been a long time coming.

    4. Re:Xbone Redux by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I guess the lower price is for casual gamers who might jump on a $200 Xbox but not a $300 one?

      I'd guess the lower price is for the pirates who aren't interested in physical discs and which would allow MS to inflate their install base numbers. Personally, what I've come to realize is that if I wait long enough (say 10 years), then a lot of older games will go on sale on Steam or through bundles for the equivalent of $1. I'm okay with that sort of "killing the used market". I'm not inclined to buy even a PS3/XBox 360, let alone a PS4/XBox One at this point, even if I could pirate all the games they have. Honestly, there's so few new games that remotely interest me.

    5. Re: Xbone Redux by Cmdln+Daco · · Score: 2

      You can still download stand-alone installable games from GOG. Even some brand new releases are available there. The installers are always broken into 4gb chunks that can be easily burned to cheap dvd-r media. I'm not sure I am missing that much by not having logged into steam for about a half year now.

    6. Re:Xbone Redux by skam240 · · Score: 2

      "The $200 price point is for parents whose kids keep begging for an Xbox, but the price is just a bit out of reach."

      Kids don't make money and are therefore not at all the primary drivers of gaming sales. This is well demonstrated statistically with adult titles driving overall game sales.

      "As far as fast broadband not being a requirement for downloading games, I used to have 3Mbit/sec DSL, which was closer to 2Mbit/sec most of the time. Destiny 2 is a bit over 80GB, meaning that it would take nearly four days to download if I did literally nothing else with my bandwidth during that time. Fast broadband not being a requirement is, as CGP Grey would put it, "technically correct, in the most pointless kind of way".

      For lower income people the time delay in downloading a game is meaningless if they are able to play the game after the fact. When you are lower income you make due. I know this from personal experience.

      --
      I ignore Anonymous Coward posts. If you want to discuss something, that's awesome. Log in.
    7. Re:Xbone Redux by edwdig · · Score: 1

      Destiny 2 is one of the largest games released for the current consoles. The vast, vast majority of PS4 & XB1 games are under 20 GB.

      Also don't forget that for large games, both the PS4 & XB1 allow you to start playing before the game is fully installed. I'm not sure what the current limit is, but until fairly recently the limit was a 5 GB downloadable to be playable.

    8. Re: Xbone Redux by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So your solution to "I have slow internet and need the disk to install it" is to tell them.to download it.... Then four days after they start the download and it finishes, they should then burn 21 distinct dvd discs that they can then... Not put them in their non existent disc drive?

      Is your solution for thirsty people several premium prices cans of dehydrated water?

    9. Re:Xbone Redux by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, and most of those 20+GB games have several multi-GB patches.

    10. Re: Xbone Redux by Cmdln+Daco · · Score: 1

      To be honest, I had forked the topic off to PC games, but I am not alone in that as others had mentioned Steam first.

      But you're right. This whole discussion is about slack-jawed motherfuckers, i.e. console gaming.

  15. Not sure if that will work by SuperKendall · · Score: 1

    I still mostly buy physical media myself, but pretty much every game I've bought for a long time now has multi-GB patches from day-one on. Even if you have the physical media will you really be able to play even single player when the servers are decommissioned? I wonder.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:Not sure if that will work by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      If you have no net connection when you put in a new disc, it will let you play it. If there is a net connection and it sees an update available, you can no longer play the game until you apply that update. Haven't tested the scenario where it sees the update, then I unplug the net connection, reboot, and try to play the game again.

  16. Re:BeauHD is a dumbass by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    The 'digital' used in the topic is for Digital Equipment Corporation, or DEC. It's not a generic catchall for everything that could be considered 'digital', i.e. 'not analog', but it's pretty clear that the current slashdot editors are ignorant of this. as are you, apparently.

  17. PS4s & XBoxs are already $200 during sales by rsilvergun · · Score: 1

    so removing the blu-ray is really just going to be some cash in Microsoft's pocket.

    As a PC gamer the only time I use my DVD drive is installing Windows. But I've also got Gog. Plus when I do buy a game on Steam it's at such a steep discount I don't really mind that it's really a rental.

    --
    Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
  18. Obvious and overdo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    These game discs are barely more than an installer anymore. You put the disc in your console in a proceeds to download 2 GB of updates. If your laptop doesnâ(TM)t have a physical dvd drive I donâ(TM)t want to hear you complaining about that

    1. Re: Obvious and overdo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Correction

      You put the disc in your console and it proceeds to download 50+ GB of updates.

  19. Since then, Microsoft has discontinued Xbox 360 by tepples · · Score: 1

    "Fortunately we have a product for people who aren't able to get some form of connectivity, it's called Xbox 360," says Mattrick.

    Since then, Microsoft has discontinued the Xbox 360. Thus they no longer "have a product". In order to return to Microsoft's original plan for Xbox One, Microsoft would first have to relaunch Xbox 360.

  20. IMPERSONATING ME AGAIN? apk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Zach Paterson/ZIP + c6gunner 'Greatest Hits': "I'm a much better programmer than APK" - by Anonymous Coward ZIP on Monday October 08, 2018 @11:27PM (#57449082)

    BIG TALK - ZIP has no programs to show as proof.

    I do https://news.slashdot.org/comm...

    (From registered /.ers liking/using/praising my work + 100k users worldwide)

    ZIP tried to take credit for what I solved before him https://tech.slashdot.org/comm...

    He codes? He can't EVEN READ!

    I show 2 ways to do it YOURSELF https://tech.slashdot.org/comm... - he can't.

    Delphi/FreePascal/ObjectPascal HAS no null-term'd string bufferoverflows https://developers.slashdot.or... - C does, C++ can UNLESS you do what I said 1st.

    He likes CODE SIGNING (it's been STOLEN & ABUSED) https://www.helpnetsecurity.co...

    MY METHOD CAN'T BE (upmodded +2 INTERESTING in CODING FOR DEFCON) https://it.slashdot.org/commen...

    ZIP says he has no /. acct "I don't have an account so I don't have mod points" https://news.slashdot.org/comm...

    Yet ZIP says he downmods me (IMPOSSIBLE w/ no /. acct.): "I down-modded a few of your post" - by Anonymous Coward "ZIP" on Thursday October 11, 2018 @11:31AM (#57461058)

    APK

    P.S.=> KEEP IMPERSONATING ME like https://science.slashdot.org/c... (I'd never say that OR bitch to do-NOTHING "ne'er-do-wells" like ZIP OR c6gunner https://linux.slashdot.org/com... (he 1st mocked me & impersonated me TWISTING /.ers words & after I FAIRLY challenged him to show HE DID BETTER & that was his response (weak))!

    Above EXPOSES your BLOWHARD incompetence... apk

  21. Pass with extreme prejudice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is NOT what a gaming console should be, quite the opposite. The mind boggles.
    The xbox can burn and die. PS5 on the other hand, wow! Fight the streamerbox!!