It has been revealed today that Microsoft were thinking about releasing the Xbox One without a disc drive at all, but decided against it due to bandwidths and game sizes.
Head of Microsoft Studios Phil Spencer spoke with the Official Xbox Magazine UK and had this to say about the console:
“Obviously, after the announcement and E3, there was some feedback about what people wanted to change, there was a real discussion about whether we should have an optical disc drive in Xbox One or if we could get away with a purely disc-less console, but when you start looking at bandwidth and game size, it does create issues.
So we decided — which I think was the right decision — to go with the Blu-ray drive and give the people an easy way to install a lot of content. From some of those original thoughts, you saw a lot of us really focusing on the digital ecosystem you see on other devices — thinking of and building around that.”
I know a lot of people want an all digital future for their consoles but personally I do not think that is the right way to go. Owning physical versions of the product ensures that you fully own the game and can do with it what you please. An all digital console would mean that returning, renting and trading games would become very difficult and almost impossible. This gives the console creator way too much power over your purchases.
Having become on Xbox One owner last week, I must say that I am glad that they have included the disc drive. It allowed me to rent Ryse which I do not consider worthy of a full priced purchase. I’d be interested to hear what you think about Microsoft’s decision. Do you believe in an all digital future? Let me know in the comments below!
