Do Consoles Need a Disc Drive? Hands-On With the All-Digital Xbox Series X - CNET

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The new all-digital configuration of the Xbox Series X ditches the disc drive and (slightly) drops the price to under $450.

The newest Xbox gaming console is the discless, All-Digital Xbox Series X, which costs a little less given it has less hardware. It kind of exists in between the launch version of Series X and lower powered but more affordable Series S consoles. Since the new system is aimed at digital-only players who want to save a bit of money, it raises the question of whether game consoles even need a disc drive anymore.

The original Xbox Series X launched in November 2020, and now four years later we get the first revision in the form of this All-Digital white version (Microsoft calls it robot white). It looks real sleek without that disc slot, though some people on the internet think it looks more like a fridge than ever. This also isn't Xbox's first discless console, a distinction that goes to the Xbox One S All Digital edition that came out in the last generation. If we look at the current generation, we've got the less powerful and smaller Xbox Series S, which has never had a disc drive.

What's unique about this new one is that you now have Microsoft's most powerful game console, the Xbox Series X, less the capability to read discs. And that's the extent of the difference here. Just like the launch Series X, it has 1TB of solid-state storage, comes with the standard controller, has the same CPU with eight cores running at 3.8GHz and 12-teraflop GPU, and its size and footprint is also identical. There is one other minute difference: The original black model's top vent had a green interior (the only color anywhere on the console), while the white one is just that: white all over with no accent color.

The All-Digital Series X is almost identical to the launch Series X.

Losing the disc drive comes with a reduction in price as well. The white all-digital Xbox Series X retails for $448, which is about $50 cheaper than the standard, black Xbox Series X. You actually have a few different options if you're in the market for an Xbox right now, but here is my recommendation.

This new white Series X just isn't discounted enough to make it worth forgoing the disc drive, and I say that as someone who hasn't put a disc in a game console in probably over a year. With that said, playing used games or sharing a disc with a friend are very popular ways to play, so I would advise you to get the launch black model and pay the extra $50.

We're also heading into a holiday shopping season, especially with Black Friday right around the corner, and Microsoft often discounts its Xboxes accordingly. Considering this robot white model is brand-new, there probably won't be much of a discount, but I can almost guarantee that the launch model with disc drive will see a reduction. In fact, based on past sales, I've seen it come in even cheaper than the All-Digital's $450 price.

The Series S (right) is still the cheapest Xbox by some way.

On the other hand, Microsoft is offering another Xbox Series X that launched along with this white one, the Galaxy Black Special Edition model. This console has the same performance specs as the other Series Xs and includes a disc drive, but the bonus is that it doubles the internal SSD storage capacity up to 2TB. That model retails for $600, a $100 bump over the standard black Series X. Considering Microsoft sells external storage drives that are suitable for upgrading any current-gen Xbox, and those usually run about $150 for 1TB, you're actually saving a bit by getting the Galaxy edition.

If you're looking for the cheapest current-gen Xbox console, there's always the Series S. This is the least powerful, smallest and cheapest Xbox of the lot, retailing for $300 with 512GB of storage. But alongside the two previously mentioned new consoles, Microsoft is introducing a new $350 model that doubles the SSD capacity to 1TB.

It's worth looking at how this all compares to what Sony is doing with disc drives in its PlayStation consoles. At the moment, PlayStation offers two versions of the PS5 (redesigned in smaller-format Slim editions): the PS5 Disc Version, which retails for $500, and the PS5 Digital Edition, which doesn't have a disc drive and costs $450, essentially the same price breakdown as Xbox Series X. However, PlayStation has the added benefit of being able to attach a PS5 disc drive to its Digital console later on. The external disc drive retails for $80. Despite costing more in total than the Disc version alone, it's a nice safety net if you change your mind after purchase, something you can't do with Xbox.

And looking ahead to Sony's next console, the PS5 Pro (which launches this fall), it is only being sold in a non-disc drive configuration. However, you can still attach that same external drive as an afterthought.

It's clear that discless, all-digital consoles are the future, as we see both Sony and Microsoft leaning more and more in that direction. When it comes to the Xbox lineup, I feel like the discount you're getting with this new robot white model just isn't enough of a deal to warrant the purchase over one that can read discs. Considering how often physical media goes on discount, not to mention the lower price of used games, you'll easily make up that $50 difference before long. But what I prefer overall is PlayStation's option to allow users to add an external drive at any time and not get locked to one option at the time of purchase. I would love to see Xbox adopt a similar strategy in the future.