The Future of Gaming: A Shift Towards All-Digital Consoles?

In a recent announcement, Microsoft has revealed its plans to launch a brand new Xbox that will have no disk drive, marking a significant shift in the gaming industry. The Xbox One S all-digital model is expected to hit stores on May 7th and will come with one terabyte of storage onboard, pre-installed games such as Minecraft, Sea of Thieves, and Forza Horizon 3.

This move has been met with interest from gamers and analysts alike, who are eager to see how this new technology will shape the gaming industry. The Xbox One was originally slated to launch with an always-on connectivity requirement that was scrapped after a massive outcry from the gaming community. Since then, we've seen a rise in digital game sales and the advent of game streaming services.

Analysts have predicted that by 2022, game industry sales revenue would be 100% digital, which may seem ambitious but is supported by declining physical game media sales since the introduction of digital buying options. The rise of monthly game subscription services such as Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Now has also added to this trend.

However, not everyone is ready for an all-digital console just yet. Sony's next-gen PlayStation will have a disk drive, with backwards compatibility with PS4. This suggests that while some manufacturers may be moving towards diskless consoles, others are still committed to offering physical media options.

So what does this mean for gamers? If the sales of this new Xbox go well, it's likely that at least one iteration of hardware in next-gen consoles will not have an optical drive as a standard feature. This could lead to the development of secondary non-physical disk hardware that complements classic consoles, offering customers a more affordable option.

However, for the shift towards all-diskless consoles to become the norm, we need better infrastructure to support it. 5G is still in its infancy, with widespread availability and consistency in connection being a long way off. As such, gamers should hold onto their game libraries if they feel strongly about nostalgia value or physical media.

Moreover, there's no indication that games will get any cheaper, despite the rise of digital buying options. Triple-A games are still expensive to make, and manufacturers will likely continue to produce physical media for next-generation consoles. Subscription services such as Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Now will also continue to eat into gamers' wallets every month.

In conclusion, Microsoft's decision to launch an all-digital console is a significant step towards changing the gaming industry. As we navigate this "in-between" period where diskless consoles are not yet the norm but are gaining traction, it's essential for gamers to stay informed and make plans accordingly. With better infrastructure on the horizon, perhaps one day diskless consoles will become the standard, but until then, gamers should be prepared for a future that is rapidly changing.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enI got it you just deleted the district do it again you just press delete everyone so Microsoft just announced some really interesting news it's launching a brand new Xbox that has no disk drive the Xbox 1s all digital whoa I mean a post disc world what is that even gonna look like well here's what we know it looks a lot like the current Xbox 1s except for you know the optical drive it's got one terabyte of storage onboard it'll have some games pre-installed minecraft sea of thieves and Forza horizon 3 and it'll hit stores on May 7th and I'll set you back about 250 bucks here in the US when it launches for context this isn't exactly a shocker or a huge surprise but it definitely marks a shift in the gaming industry Sony actually considered launching the PlayStation 4 without a disk drive but then decided against it after recognizing emerging markets and US military personnel may not have the same kinds of internet connections that most gamers enjoy on top of that the Xbox one was originally slated to launch with always-on a connectivity requirement that was scrapped after a massive outcry from the gaming community it's been years though since the ps4 and the Xbox one launched and since then we've seen two things happen one arise in digital game sales and 2 the advent of game streaming services one analyst even predicted in a 2018 report that game industry sales revenue would be a hundred percent digital by the year 2022 that feels a little bit ambitious as an estimate but I will admit that physical game media sales have been on the decline ever since we've been able to start buying games digitally and I don't think that's a trend that's going to change anytime soon there's also those monthly game subscription services I mentioned Microsoft already offers Xbox game Pass and sony has PlayStation now which are relatively new places for those companies to find profit compared to previous console generations then you have other non-native services like Google stadia trying to muscle into the space and on top of that you have platforms like Steam and the epic game store which are surely looking into their options so what does that mean for you person who likes video games one it's the sales of this thing go really well you should probably expect that at least one iteration of hardware in next-gen consoles will not have an optical drive in an exclusive with wired executive mark Cerny revealed Sony's next-gen Playstation will have a disk drive and backwards compatibility with ps4 but that doesn't mean they won't launch a secondary non physical disk hardware that kind of complements the classic PS 5 if you will on that it's a really nice thing if you want to save a couple bucks on your console and put that toward the cost of a game or maybe you just don't like physical dist both of those things are equally good but I definitely think that it's going to be a long while before we see a tipping point in these diskless consoles becoming the norm and also the standard for video gaming so maybe 10 or 15 years - we should start demanding better more reasonably priced internet from your ISPs 5g is a long way off especially in the way of widespread availability and consistency in connection so if we're gonna do this as a gaming community and switch over to diskless consoles we have to have the infrastructure to support it which means we've got to start demanding better from our internet service providers 3 you should hold onto your game libraries if you feel really strongly about nostalgia value or anything else that makes you want to hold on to physical media if you feel really strongly about keeping physical copies of your entire media library more power to you I am NOT here to change your mind about that and honestly you do you but you should always always keep in mind that these changes are occurring in the industry and make plans accordingly and for get your wallet ready because none of this news means that games are gonna get any cheaper triple-a games are still really expensive to make they are still going to make physical media for the next generation of consoles because as we heard PlayStation 5 or whatever and ends up being called is going to have an optical drive and on top of that we have the potential loss of use games as an avenue to buy games and then of course we have subscription services which keep coming out of your pocket every month so sorry to say it's not gonna get any cheaper Indian this is all super interesting stuff and I'm really curious as to what Sony and Microsoft and maybe even Nintendo are gonna do in this kind of weird in-between place where we're not quite ready as a gaming society globally for diskless consoles as the norm or the default but there are enough people out there demanding them that they are making something like the Xbox one s all digital if you got that just drop them down below you can head over to cnet.com from our details that's all I got today peace\n"