Rumors regarding the Xbox 360′s successor are only going to become more frequent as we approach its announcement, whether that be coming at this year’s E3, next year’s, or some other point in time. The latest report suggests Microsoft’s third home game console will ship without what has been a critical component in the past: a disc drive.
According to MCV, partners of Microsoft’s have been told the new system will make use of “some sort of interchangeable solid-state card storage” in lieu of the disc-based media that console owners have become accustomed to for many years now. This flies in the face of previous speculation and reports that Microsoft would abandon DVD in favor of Blu-ray and its superior storage capacity.
This news has been mistaken by many as meaning the so-called Xbox 720 will be a digital-only system, ignoring the fact that — assuming this report to be true — games would presumably be sold both digitally and on SD cards or some proprietary equivalent. It’s a setup employed by the PlayStation Vita, which offers games both on flash memory cards at retail and through the PlayStation Store (with some games only being available through the latter).
While many agree digital-only systems are the future, it’s hard to imagine such a future occurring in 2013, which is when MCV says the new Xbox will arrive. A system without a disc drive would certainly be a step in that digital-only direction without completely abandoning those who still have to rely on physical media. While many gamers do live in areas where it can be hard to find a spot that is not within range of a Wi-Fi connection, nationwide (not to mention worldwide) broadband penetration is not what some believe it to be. A digital-only system would also present a problem for broadband users who are saddled with a bandwidth cap, something that is becoming increasingly common.
There are both pros and cons to a console abandoning discs, making it difficult to definitively state whether such a system would be good or bad.
On the pro side, the removal of the disc drive is one less thing that can break. The Red Ring of Death was far and away the Xbox 360 issue that has gotten the most attention, but disc read errors and other issues related to the system’s optical drive have also been commonplace. Flash cards, meanwhile, can’t be scratched as a DVD can, lessening the likelihood of ruining one of your games in that way. (An SD card is, however, much easier for a dog to swallow… so swings and roundabouts.)
But that same issue presents other problems. Without a disc drive your Xbox can no longer double as a DVD player, and you also would be unable to play any Xbox 1 or Xbox 360 games. It’s not impossible that something akin to the UMD conversion program Vita owners have available to them in Japan would be instituted to allow Xbox 360 game owners to bring their games over to the new system. What’s more likely, though, is that things work as they do for Vita owners outside of Japan — which is to say, digital games can be transferred over to the new system but physical games can only be played on the platform they were originally designed for.
Load times for games located on solid-state media would surely be better than what we’re used to seeing from disc-based games, and the system would also be much quieter without a disc constantly spinning. However, discs are much cheaper to produce than memory cards, and with production costs on games likely to go up as the graphical fidelity of next-gen games increases, publishers aren’t going to be nice and take that hit themselves. If cards prove to be that much more expensive, we could see the standard price of games — at least those at retail — shoot up even higher than the $59.99 we’ve endured through this generation.
There are other benefits to using flash cards as well, although many of them are only beneficial from the perspective of publishers. It’s possible the cards could be used to combat the sale of used games. A Kotaku report earlier this year stated the next Xbox would employ Blu-ray and some form of protection that would ensure a game could only be used on a single console. Many gamers found this highly objectionable for obvious reasons, but it’s easy to see why those in the industry would love it: Why face the criticism of employing an online pass (meant to dissuade the purchase of used games) when even more far-reaching restrictions could be implemented at the system level?
It bears mentioning that not everyone in the industry would necessarily be in favor of such a scheme, as there are those who believe used game sales (like piracy) can turn a used-game player into a future new-game buyer and/or DLC buyer.
That rumors of a Blu-ray drive being used would not pan out is not a shocking development. Microsoft is clearly in favor of a digital future, and not supporting Sony is simply an added bonus.
Some have suggested two different models of the system could be made available: one with an optical drive and one without. That would alleviate the concerns of those who do not want to be without a disc drive, but it would also result in a great deal of confusion. While the multiple SKU setup did work for Microsoft with the Xbox 360, it also caused a number of problems, and those would be even worse in the case of a system that may or may not have a disc drive. Would retailers have to stock games on flash cards and discs? What happens when an uninformed mom or dad walks into a store and purchases a disc-based game for their child who has the system that doesn’t take discs?
As you’d expect, Microsoft didn’t offer much of a comment regarding the report, simply telling MCV, “Xbox 360 has found new ways to extend its lifecycle like introducing the world to controller-free experiences with Kinect and re-inventing the console with a new dashboard and new entertainment content partnerships. We are always thinking about what is next for our platform and how to continue to defy the lifecycle convention. Beyond that we do not comment on rumors or speculation.”
By even lasting this long Microsoft has already defied the typical lifecycle of a home console, so launching a new console later next year remains a distinct possibility. Whether it will indeed abandon discs is hard to say; some may see it as an undesirable scenario, but that hasn’t stopped things like online passes from becoming an oft-used scheme. A system where used games no longer exist and downloads are pushed stronger than ever may not appeal to everyone, but with the way things are going it would hardly be a major surprise.
[Image courtesy of Edge.]
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