Why doesn't MS make the Xbox One digital only?

[Rafux]

disolitude said:

Rafux said:

disolitude said:
What are you guys talking about (except Xxain)? Xbox 1 is digital console. Retail disks are means of digital game distribution and exist to appease retail outlets who have to sell consoles at razor thin profit margins. Down the road when internet is available everywhere those retail disks will become boxes with a card containing a key for game download. You will always have retail sales of games...

@Corey
X1 supports external hard drives for storage

@everyone
It needs to have a bluray drive because its positioned as an all in one media center type of device, not just for gaming

PS3 and Xbox 360 are also digital consoles, we are talking digital ONLY console and if they want to do that they should offer an incentive. Steam model pretty much but for consoles. Right now they are half-assing it and creation a ton of confusion.

Blu Ray can be sold separately or in a different SKU

I think this is the key to the confusion happening all over the internet about these consoles... We don't know about PS4 yet, but X1 is a digital ONLY console. This is why every game you purchase has DRM (digital rights management), including retail. 

I think everyone is thinking that because you are buying a game on a disk in the store, which is a physical thing, it can't be digital. This is proven to be wrong... Look no further than Lady Gaga albums at your Best Buy that are sold as a code on an iTunes gift card. When you buy that album, you are no longer buying Lady Gaga's music. You are buying the digital rights to download and enjoy that music from iTunes.

The game disk you will see for sale in store is no different. When you buy a game for Xbox 1, you are buying the digital right to enjoy that game on your Xbox One, not the actual game itself.

I know it sounds scary, but its the direction technology and the world is moving towards...  I'm actually curious to read the fine print for this that Microsoft lawyers are cooking up. It will appear when you turn on your Xbox One. The apple iTunes fineprint is pretty crazy. For example, when you pass on, your music movies and apps that you have purchased digitally on iTunes belong back to Apple.

That makes a lot of sense, you are right X1 is a digital only console they should have made it as clear as your post. My only complaint now is that MS should give something in return for being digital only kinda like steam does but maybe they will in the future.