Which is the best Xbox One for playing discs?

Related: Black Friday means it finally makes sense to buy an Xbox One S All-Digital Edition

Best Xbox Black Friday Deals

What is the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition?

The Xbox One S All-Digital Edition is Microsoft’s latest addition to the Xbox family, framed as a new entry-level living room device. Built upon the same foundations of the existing Xbox One S, it’s a new low-cost disc-less alternative fully embracing digital downloads and streaming. Despite near-identical hardware under the hood, the connected console drops the optical disc drive, passing savings to buyers. In short, the Xbox One S All-Digital trades Xbox One game discs, 4K Blu-ray, and DVD compatibility for a $50 cut on the retail price.

By ditching its internal disc drive, this means the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition can’t play any disc-based media. Microsoft has removed the essential components to read discs, with a fresh, streamlined casing that blocks where the drive used to be. The Xbox One also doesn’t support external disc-drives over USB, making it impossible to regain disc compatibility after purchase.

The best Xbox One for discs

The Xbox One S All-Digital Edition won’t support a disc collection, making the standard Xbox One S an ideal alternative. First launched back in 2016, the Xbox One S has been Microsoft’s budget offering for nearly three years. And unlike the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition, this device features an optical disc drive, with support for physical disc-based Xbox One games, 4K Blu-ray and DVD playback. The Xbox One S is the feature-rich console of the duo, ideal for budget-conscious gamers and media enthusiasts alike.

Although Microsoft pitches the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition as its cheapest console yet, nearly three years on the market has driven the Xbox One S cost down. The Xbox One S is almost universally priced below its $300 price at third-party retailers, with some high-profile bundles dropping closer to $200. The $200 Xbox One S 1TB Gears 5 bundle at Amazon is an excellent alternative, packing the Xbox One S 1TB console alongside the hit Xbox shooter.