A new All Digital Edition seems primed to follow the Xbox One S, pictured here. — AFP Relaxnews
Ahead of an official reveal, images of a disc-less Xbox One S All Digital model are accompanied by a list price of €229 (RM1,070).
The Xbox One S All Digital console looks identical to its disc drive ancestors and will retail for €229, according to German site WinFuture.
A discless edition of the Xbox One S has been expected since a March report on Windows Central, which had Microsoft's gaming division set on a May 2019 launch, with pre-orders opening in April.
The console could tie in with plans to lean heavily on Microsoft's subscription service for games, Xbox Game Pass, which provides access to Xbox exclusives at launch – Forza Horizon 4, Crackdown 3, Sea Of Thieves among them – as part of a library of over 200 downloadable games.
Microsoft acquisition and generation-defining title Minecraft joined the Xbox Game Pass library on April 4.
Its logo, along with those for pirate crew multiplayer jaunt Sea Of Thieves and driving game Forza Horizon 4, adorns WinFuture's professed publicity material for the Xbox One S All Digital edition.
Prior to launch in 2013, Xbox had introduced the initial Xbox One as console that would prioritise an online-only future in preference to existing disc-owning habits.
It was pillioried for a perceived hostility towards disc trading between friends and via a second-hand retail sector, as well as towards fans unable to rely on a stable Internet connection.
However, attitudes have shifted and subscription services for film, TV, music, and physical goods have become commonplace.
Xbox has adopted the strategy that helped make PlayStation so popular leading up to the PlayStation 4's launch.
Through Xbox Game Pass, Xbox is now well associated with value for money, while its Xbox One X console variant offers more power than the PlayStation 4 Pro.
At current rates, an anticipated European price of €229 equates to US$259 (RM1,071), though Xbox MSRPs have typically maintained a ratio of 1:1 between US dollar and Euro prices.
The news comes just as Xbox prepares to release a new episode of promotional show Inside Xbox.
A new online episode is due on April 16 at 2pm PT / 5pm ET / April 16 midnight UTC / 2am Central Europe / 8am South-East Asia and Beijing, China / 10am Sydney, Australia.
It's to cover segments on Sea Of Thieves, Gears Of War developer The Coalition, a Warhammer Chaosbane beta, and May computer and console release Rage 2, as well as Xbox's plans leading up to the June 2019 Electronic Entertainment Expo, and "some exciting Xbox Game Pass news". – AFP Relaxnews
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