The release of a cheaper, discless Xbox Series X model is another small blow to 4K Blu-ray and its future accessibility to a wider audience. With the new digital edition serving as the cheapest entry into the lineup, there's a good chance it'll become the most popular model, meaning that's fewer people who will stumble upon the discovery that physical media offers far higher quality than streaming and become converts.
The latest version of the Xbox Series X – the 1TB Digital Edition – has been released and is priced at $450/£430 - roughly $50/£50 cheaper than the standard model. The Digital Edition comes without a disc drive whereas the 'standard' model – which may not be one of the best 4K Blu-ray players for pure quality, but does a good job – has one built-in.
With this new Xbox Series X Digital Edition being released at a cheaper price, and it will most likely see discounts and price drops over Black Friday, this could lean people towards opting for it over the disc model – and this would be bad news for 4K Blu-ray.
During its release announcement in June, Microsoft said the three new models – which include the Xbox Series X Digital, Xbox Series S with 1TB storage and the Xbox Series X Galaxy Edition 2TB – would "join its current lineup", suggesting that Xbox Series X disc model will remain an option, but with a cheaper, discless model available, will the disc version suffer?
The PS5 already took the approach of having a cheaper discless model, and then dropped the built-in disc drive totally on the PS5 Slim and new PS5 Pro. Now that Microsoft is seemingly moving towards going discless – though we've no idea what the future holds for the next console generation yet – it's another avenue where 4K Blu-ray has taken a hit, because these consoles provide a chance to test the format without splashing out on expensive player.
It's worth noting there are optional disc drives for an extra $99/£99 for the PS5, but this obviously only will be bought by more hardcore physical media believers anyway, so doesn't help with the casual buyer.
More 4K Blu-ray woes
Both the PS5 and Xbox Series X are an excellent alternative to a standalone 4K Blu-ray player and although they don't offer the same level of features as said regular 4K Blu-ray players, such as the Panasonic DP-UB820 which offers Dolby Vision playback on 4K Blu-ray discs (the consoles don't), they do provide access to 4K Blu-ray playback for a wider ranging and more casual audience than just the dedicated home theater fan.
People buying elite consoles will often have a good-quality TV because they want the latest features – the best gaming TVs tend to look great as well as supporting 4K 120Hz – and a good sound option to immerse themselves in games.
One day, they might try a 4K Blu-ray since they already have the tech built into their consoles, and discover the better picture quality, and the even more clearly better sound. Maybe that leads them pick up more 4K Blu-rays, helping to keep the industry in good health.
But if they don't have the disc drive because they wanted, very reasonably, to save a bit more cash, then they'll never make this discovery.
The world of 4K Blu-ray has been tumultuous in the last 12 months, with signs pointing towards its death. Disney and Best Buy made the move to stop selling 4K Blu-ray, although Sony has since come in and taken over 4K Blu-ray distribution on Disney's behalf, and many retailers signalled a decrease in physical media sales, with customers moving towards the best streaming services such as Netflix instead. But, things have taken a turn.
The efforts of companies such as Arrow Video, Criterion Collection and more have aimed to stop 4K Blu-ray from dying despite Disney and Best Buy's efforts and there's been more positive news in recent months with 2 major stores in the US agreeing to stock more 4K Blu-ray and a major UK retailer saying 4K Blu-ray sales are on the rise as the price of streaming sites across the board continue to rise.
After lots of good news and hard work by 4K Blu-ray publishers, this move away from disc drives in its consoles as standard by Sony Microsoft could not have come at a worse time. Not everyone has the money, space or even a need for a dedicated 4K Blu-ray player, and games consoles provided an avenue for casual 4K Blu-ray collectors to own and play their favorite movies.
Fingers crossed that this isn't the death knell for 4K Blu-ray in consoles, because that really would be a blow to the future of people getting into discs.
