Cheaper Xbox One Coming This Year?
New rumors suggest that a cheaper Xbox One could hit shelves this year.
The move would make Microsoft more competitive against Sony’s PlayStation 4. The price point of the Xbox One has been a sticking point for many undecided gamers, leading some budget-minded former Microsoft faithfuls to switch to Sony.
According to gossip, it won’t be the same Xbox One that sold like hotcakes last holiday season. Many assumed that making the console less expensive would be as simple as removing the Kinect from the bundle. But reports suggest the Blu-ray drive will get the boot.
The $399 console, which would more than likely arrive November, is said to have a Bluetooth adapter and a 1TB hard drive to compensate for the lack of a disc drive. Gamers would need both—to download games instead of loading them via discs.
Will gamers embrace a disc-less console?
It makes an Internet connection more important, and digital downloads aren’t likely to get cheaper. Furthermore, publishers and gamers have seen firsthand how unstable servers can completely derail a game, and there hasn’t been much progress toward fixing that issue.
Would retailers embrace it? During a recent interview with CNET, Michael Pachter, a game industry analyst, said, “I think that if Microsoft doesn’t have GameStop pushing its content, it’s going to sell fewer consoles in the long run and it’s going to lose a lot of money.”
Microsoft hasn’t outright denied the rumors, but exec Aaron Greenberg tweeted: “No, don’t believe everything you read on the internet.”
Kotaku reports the company is looking to pursue legal action against a NeoGAF poster who leaked the information.
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Cheaper Xbox One Coming This Year?
New rumors suggest that a cheaper Xbox One could hit shelves this year.
The move would make Microsoft more competitive against Sony’s PlayStation 4. The price point of the Xbox One has been a sticking point for many undecided gamers, leading some budget-minded former Microsoft faithfuls to switch to Sony.
According to gossip, it won’t be the same Xbox One that sold like hotcakes last holiday season. Many assumed that making the console less expensive would be as simple as removing the Kinect from the bundle. But reports suggest the Blu-ray drive will get the boot.
The $399 console, which would more than likely arrive November, is said to have a Bluetooth adapter and a 1TB hard drive to compensate for the lack of a disc drive. Gamers would need both—to download games instead of loading them via discs.
Will gamers embrace a disc-less console?
It makes an Internet connection more important, and digital downloads aren’t likely to get cheaper. Furthermore, publishers and gamers have seen firsthand how unstable servers can completely derail a game, and there hasn’t been much progress toward fixing that issue.
Would retailers embrace it? During a recent interview with CNET, Michael Pachter, a game industry analyst, said, “I think that if Microsoft doesn’t have GameStop pushing its content, it’s going to sell fewer consoles in the long run and it’s going to lose a lot of money.”
Microsoft hasn’t outright denied the rumors, but exec Aaron Greenberg tweeted: “No, don’t believe everything you read on the internet.”
Kotaku reports the company is looking to pursue legal action against a NeoGAF poster who leaked the information.