Following months of rumors and leaks swirling around the internet, Xbox finally revealed the newest member of its console family: the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition will release May 7th for $249.99. With Xbox preparing for a future of predominantly digital and subscription-based gaming options, the bells and whistles surrounding its upcoming console launch looks to achieve this vision.

Rumors first surfaced of a disc-less Xbox One S console back in November. Details at the time suggested the console would look exactly the same as the standard Xbox One S, minus the disc tray slot in the front of the console. Those rumors have since become fact, with Xbox continuing to push for services such as Game Pass, Xbox Live, and streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu as major selling points for consumers in the market for a new gaming console.

Other rumors had suggested the All-Digital Xbox One S Edition would come bundled with three games: Minecraft, Forza Horizon 3, and Sea Of Thieves. Xbox's reveal announcement today also confirmed those games would be included with the new console, meaning three of the company's more popular first-party franchises will be playable when the console releases on May 7th.

Today has been an active one in regards to news surrounding gaming hardware, both in the current and upcoming generations across multiple companies. With Sony choosing not to attend E3 this year, an exclusive article from Wired revealed details about PlayStation 5, with features such as significantly shorter load times and backward compatibility for PS4 games.

One of the final leaks found just days before the console's reveal was the price point. The Xbox One S All-Digital Edition console will launch at a price of $249.99, $50 cheaper than the standard Xbox One S model. Although some may feel a starting price around $200 would have been a better fit, knowing the barrier to entry is a least a little lower than normal is good to see.

It makes sense for the Xbox team to get ahead of this news for its newest iteration of the Xbox One S model. This year's E3 will see high expectations for the company, as it's possible the next generation of Xbox hardware will be talked about at great length during Microsoft's E3 press conference.

The Xbox One S All-Digital Edition Console will released on May 7th, 2019.

Source: Xbox