Next Xbox - No Disc Drive?

[Dazz]

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/exclusive...box/092534

MCV has learnt that Microsoft has been telling partners that the Next Xbox will NOT include a disc drive.

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Although the console will not include a disc drive, it will offer compatibility with some sort of interchangeable solid-state card storage, although it is not known whether this will be proprietary or a more standard format such as SD.

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Furthermore, a 2013 launch date for the hardware has been confirmed...

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The omission of a disc drive signifies the beginning of a new era for games consoles and represents a potentially savage blow to the already beleaguered video games retail sector.

Opinions? I think that while this is a good move for increasing loading times on console games using solid state storage, it does make me question the benefit to the already failing economy this will pose. I know of course that this isn't a major concern for Microsoft since it more concerns itself to personal profits, but it does make me worry about the future of videogame retail stores.

However, these cards might be available for sale in stores, so that's a benefit... I don't think we've yet reached a point where internet connections in a standard home will be able to handle a console with exclusively download-only services.
I also wonder if there's going to be a major change to the LIVE service?

[Vipershark]

Considering that the next "Xbox" won't be a games console at all and more a media center type thing that happens to be able to play video games, that isn't surprising to me at all.

[Dazz]

Which then poses the concern - what about DVDs, Blu-Rays, etc. which we already own? I'm sure as fuck not going to buy them again just to use them on my xbox.

[DioShiba]

Far as I care Microsoft is digging their grave with this thing.

It's going to be a dumb move on their part. How do they expect to even succeed with this thing if there is not going to be a disc drive at all?

[Gors]

There are benefits of using SD memory, as Dazz pointed. But I still think that discs still have a long life. It is much cheaper to produce than SD cards afaik, and is still a popular media device.

Ditching a whole drive in this new X-Box means it'll have less compatibility, and that isn't a good thing.

[Dazz]

It also means that it isn't directly backwards compatible, unless you purchase 360 games online - which nobody does.

[Sengir]

It'll probably end up being like the Apple TV, which iirc doesn't have an optical drive either.

It just means you'll be forced to buy media from Microsoft's new media stores, which I'm not having too big a problem with. In fact, I'm in full support of this. This is how I expect things to happen:

- The Xbox comes out with a port for an SD card, no optical drive.
- You can use SD cards in the same way you can with a 3DS.
- The Xbox Store allows you to download games, music and videos right to your SD card or maybe machine.
- The downloaded media is locked up tight with DRM to prevent piracy.

[Garamonde]

The only benefit I can see to this is that you will no longer have to buy discs and there won't be the potential risk of losing them, getting stolen etc..

[Kriven]

This is cool if and only if when you purchase something, you are actually purchasing those files and not "the right" to use them.

[Dazz]

My concern is that we're looking at a console then which primarily requires an Internet connection strong enough to download potentially massive files. If we're looking at the average connections in the UK, then things will not go well...

And then there will be a point in, say, 10 years time when Microsoft stop hosting games for the console. Making the console useless in th future.
People still buy NES games. That won't happen with this console.

[Kitsu]

But Dazz, they want that. Remember, the games industry doesn't like used game sales.

[Proton]

How do they expect to even succeed with this thing if there is not going to be a disc drive at all?

Yeah, what the fuck are they thinking.

Making your media distributed digitally would never succeed.


I mean, no one could ever even find an example of that succeeding once.

Like any other type of media would ever do this.
Unthinkable

[Kriven]

And then there will be a point in, say, 10 years time when Microsoft stop hosting games for the console.

This whole scenario can be avoided by making the console and its predecessor connect to the same service. I think they're going have to do that between the 360 and Next Box anyways, considering the amount of material already purchased on XBLA and as DLC.

[Viiper]

No disk drive? No sale.

That was easier than I thought it was going to be.
The wiiU still has one right?

[NICKtendo DS]

This came to mind:
Kinect
No backwards compatibility

I'm not worried, since I'm not a big fan of X-Box, but it makes me think. Are they killing an expensive add-on that lasted but a couple of years, or do they have other plans?