Microsoft is planning to launch its latest console, the Xbox Series X, later this year, and being that it"s a successor to the Xbox One, it"s natural to expect those consoles to be phased out at some point. However, a report by Australian website Press Start (via OnMSFT) suggests that may be happening sooner rather than later.
The Xbox One X seems to have gone missing from Microsoft"s Australian website, which now only mentions the Xbox One S and Series X as of the time of writing. Additionally, the Xbox One X has gone missing from Australian retailers such as EB Games and JB Hi-Fi, with both confirming to Press Start that they don"t expect new units to arrive.
Over in the United States, Microsoft"s website does still list the Xbox One X, but every bundle is apparently out of stock - though, to be fair, the options for the Xbox One S are also pretty scarce. Additionally, some Amazon listings for the Xbox One X indicate that it"s discontinued, including the standalone console and the NBA 2K20 bundle.
Since the company is making cross-generational compatibility a big focus for its Xbox consoles, it makes more sense to discontinue older models faster, since you can always get the best experience for the same games on the new hardware. However, Microsoft hasn"t given any official indication that it plans to discontinue the Xbox One X so soon, and we"ve reached out for clarification on the matter.
Update: Microsoft has responded to our request for comment, confirming that it"s stopping production not only for the Xbox One X, but also for the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition, which was launched just last year. The regular Xbox One S will continue to be produced and sold. Here"s the full statement from the company:
“At Xbox, we’re making massive investments to forge the future of gaming—a future that puts the player at the center of the Xbox experience. We continue to build great games for Xbox One. We continue to build out Game Pass, now with more than 10 million members across Xbox console and PC. We’re previewing Project xCloud in 15 countries so gamers can play games with their friends on any device. And we’re working hard on the next-generation of console gaming with Xbox Series X—the fastest, most powerful console we’ve ever built which includes backward compatibility with thousands of Xbox games and all Xbox One accessories. As we ramp into the future with Xbox Series X, we’re taking the natural step of stopping production on Xbox One X and Xbox One S All-Digital Edition. Xbox One S will continue to be manufactured and sold globally. Gamers can check with their local retailers for more details on Xbox One hardware availability.”
Microsoft is expected to announce the Xbox Series S sometime in August, and it"s previously been suggested it will sport similar levels of power to the Xbox One X, so it makes sense to reduce complexity when marketing these products. However, discontinuing the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition might come as more of a surprise since it was still pretty recent.