Disc drive for Series S

[TwinChargers]

I know there were some rumors a few months back about the possibility of a disc drive being available for the series S so that legacy media could be played on said system.  Since then, I have heard next to nothing about it.  I know I have a backlog of some original xbox games that I would like to play without hooking up the old system.  I also wouldn't mind having something to play blu-rays and (gasp) and actual music CD, seeing I don't even have anything like that on my current media setup.  Are there any other Series S owners that heard this and was somewhat interested?  Is there a price point that you think this would work, or maybe would be too much?

[MrMaddog]

 

Series S was meant to be a low-end system primary for Game Pass titles.  And Microsoft will never release an external optical drive after their HD-DVD player flopped.

 

You're better off buying a dedicated Blu-Ray player for movies & music instead if you don't want to buy a Series X...

 

And yes I miss using my Xbox One as an all-in-one media player. 😭

[HammR25]

The only thing I've read is about a patent they obtained, no actual concrete plans.

[GlamMetalTapes]

I doubt they will.  I have a series S and honestly I love that it's a compact digital only system.  

 

 

[TheCoolDave]

On 11/14/2022 at 4:25 AM, GlamMetalTapes said:

I doubt they will.  I have a series S and honestly I love that it's a compact digital only system.  

 

I agree.  If they did release one, it would be crazy money like $249.99 to make the Series X look more appealing to most people. For the record, I do own a Series X and a PS5 disc consoles.

 

Microsoft, Sony and even Nintendo, they do not want physical games anymore, it costs them more money to make it. This is what the Series S and the PS5 digital device is.  Sign up for their Game Pass or Sony's pass system (I forget the name). Pay $10-15 a month get plenty of older or new first party games. And if you want a newer game, you can overpay for it. 

 

It's the truth on overpaying... A 2 week to 3-month-old game, you can used for $20-35, on Xbox, or Sony's store, it's still $59.99. This is very common on popular games. Even some odd ball semi-popular games.  I have been watching this for years, about 25-30 games now, I would find a game that was released like 3 weeks to 2 months ago (semi-popular games), search for it used (eBay, Facebook marketplace, etc), I would see games used around $20-40, in the digital stores they were ALL $59.99, full retail pricing. 

 

I get how nice digital games are but, I am a budget gamer, I need to save money where I can, a digital ONLY console is not for me, or will ever be.  IF the next Xbox or PS system is release ONLY in digital format, odds are very high that I won't even buy the console.

 

By the way, I own 95-98% of the consoles from 1978...

Edited November 22, 2022 by TheCoolDave

[Austin]

3 hours ago, TheCoolDave said:

Microsoft, Sony and even Nintendo, they do not want physical games anymore, it costs them more money to make it. This is what the Series S and the PS5 digital device is.  Sign up for their Game Pass or Sony's pass system (I forget the name). Pay $10-15 a month get plenty of older or new first party games. And if you want a newer game, you can overpay for it. 

Phil Spencer has stated on multiple occasions that physical media is not going away. He wants as many options out there as possible. And for the record, disc-based media costs next to nothing to manufacture. As long as people are buying them, they will continue to be made. Switch cards are obviously a different story.

[MrMaddog]

10 hours ago, TheCoolDave said:

It's the truth on overpaying... A 2 week to 3-month-old game, you can used for $20-35, on Xbox, or Sony's store, it's still $59.99. This is very common on popular games. Even some odd ball semi-popular games.  I have been watching this for years, about 25-30 games now, I would find a game that was released like 3 weeks to 2 months ago (semi-popular games), search for it used (eBay, Facebook marketplace, etc), I would see games used around $20-40, in the digital stores they were ALL $59.99, full retail pricing. 

 

 

I used to be able to buy used physical copies of Xbox One games that are even cheaper than digital copies on sale (i.e. Tekken 7 for $20 @ GameStop vs. $25 on sale @ MS Store)...

 

But System S happened and if want to play any physical games on that console, I have to pay full price for digital copies of the game I've already bought!

 

If I had a large collection of physical X1 games and/or Blu-Ray movies, instead of a small handful, I would have to keep my old X1 and only use the Series S for the optimized titles & Game Pass.

 

(I'm not buying a Series X for my current TV that only supports 1080p, that's expensive overkill)

 

That's why I've stopped buying physical games for my Xbox and will only use it for game streaming (both Game Pass & from PC) and any Xbox games on sale that I can't get on Steam.

[Jagosaurus]

I wouldn't speak definitively to this happening but it sure seems like where there's smoke, there's fire for both Sony & MS...

 

Sony is rumored to offer a detachable disc drive in '23:

https://insider-gaming.com/new-playstation-5/

 

Here's the patent info I linked in another AA thread for the XB side:

Microsoft has plans for an Xbox Series S external disc drive: https://www.techradar.com/news/microsoft-has-plans-for-an-xbox-series-s-external-disc-drive

 

... I think both companies are waiting on the other. Make no mistake... the main objective of the Series S is a more affordable method to get more ppl into the XB ecosystem & increase the blast radius to sell more Game Pass subs. I don't think a detachable disc drive realistic hurts this much...

 

Also, physical media drives foot traffic into retailers... thus selling more consoles. Chicken & egg. Selling the digital only versions of consoles is a strange paradox for retailers... this attachment could satisfy both sides.

[TwinChargers]

I don't see this as very similar to the external HD DVD drive they made.  Once that media war was figured out, it made that mostly obsolete, where this drive wouldn't be trying to boost a different format, it would be there to play media and games.  As for the price that was mentioned above, $250 would be a definite no go.  That is WAY too high of a price point and that would for sure not sell.  Thats the current black Friday price of the Series S itself.  I was thinking somewhere maybe around the $150 price, or maybe a touch lower?  I have no idea how much it would cost Microsoft to manufacture such an item?  I'm not sure what percentage of the people who purchase a Series S would be interested in a drive, but if there is potential for money to be made on one, I don't see why Microsoft would be highly opposed to selling one.  People who own the S are going to still be purchasing Gamepass.  This drive won't be hurting that.  Its a loyalty thing for the consumer, and a way to make profit from hardware for Microsoft.

[Rob Merritt]

Sometimes companies patent to make sure no one else does it.

[Jagosaurus]

On 12/8/2022 at 8:56 AM, Rob Merritt said:

Sometimes companies patent to make sure no one else does it.

That's true, but not as an add on to your own system. There's no one to protect themselves from on their locked down system.

 

There's rumors the next "PS5 slim" iteration will be smaller without a disc drive, with an attachable drive option.

 

My guess... if Sony does it, MS/XB will follow.

 

Worth noting I've heard a few times the Series S has a higher Game Pass attach rate which logically makes sense. They're liking holding off as the main goal right now is to sell monthly subs.