I think launching without a controller is an amazing idea actually why not sell the Lockhart at $239 and give you the option to buy a controller with it for $60 instead of just putting it on the market at $299.

For those who already have a bunch of controllers laying around is a no brainer to save even more money.

Rand's video he just put out discussed that his tweet mentioned "a Lockhart." So possibly two SKUs of a controller and one without one.

I think regardless of whether you buy a Series S or X, they'll come with at least a month of GamePass. Idk about 3.

They would be dumb to not include 1 month of game pass on Lockhart.

Lockhart without controller is a very smart idea.

Besides, retailers could easily make an unofficial bundle with a controller.

Ding ding ding 🔔 

Retailers have lots of X1 peripherals that they can bundle with an eventual controllerless Lockhart. There are used games/controllers in the bargain bin, that will be bundled with the console for parents and grandparents whom will think it’s a great deal.

Are we in the Apple thread were we "stan" how Apple sells phones without a charger? 

Doubt that's comparable.

A charger costs Apple like $5 or less so there's not much point in not including one.
A brand new controller costs MS probably around $30 to produce, so they can offer the console at a significant lower price.

Also we're talking about the budget solution here, not the Series X.

You are joking, right? Accessories are highly profitable.

Probably Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo are producing their controllers for less than $10, especially when they order them in the millions.

Lockhart without a controller is a smart idea. Controller MSRP price is 60$. If let's say an SKU without controller can be priced 249$ instead of 299$, it's a huge win for Microsoft, because they will get more money if a customer of such console buys console separately as he'll pay 309$ instead of 299$ and bring a bit more money. Because I think in this case the shelf price of a console is what matters. 249$ for a next gen console is a really nice price. I also agree that Blu-Ray drive SKU needs to happen but unfortunately seems unlikely. I would definitely buy a Lockhart with disc drive if it happens especially considering how small it would be according to rumors. But digital only kinda kills it for me. Also, it's not the first time when console manufacturers were selling their consoles without some accessories to keep the price down. Nintendo sold 3DS without chargers and not that many people complained about it.