The original Xbox One is done, or has been for some time, according to reports from Glixel.
The beloved behemoth launched in November of 2013 at a price tag of $499 with next-gen Kinect included, and was approaching its fourth birthday, but it is now running out of stock at retailers and is no longer sold through official Microsoft channels.
It makes sense to drop the aging model, and manufacturing of the device apparently ceased in June of 2016 when the Xbox One S, a slimmed down, more efficient model, was announced.
With the impending launch of the high-powered One X in November it is prudent to trim down the menu for the benefit of distribution and the customer. The One S is lined up to be the mass market device and Microsoft will want to focus on getting that into the hands of the consumer this Holiday. You never want to make the mistake of confusing potential shoppers(many of whom may not be gamers themselves) with too many models, especially with the One S offering technology like High Dynamic Range and 4k upscaling, which the original model does not.
The One X will offer true 4k gaming and high-performance features for the more hardcore gamer.
It’s possible this could also signal the end of the Kinect add-on, neither the One S or X have native ports for the device and require an adapter to use it, as there has been no refresh to the device and no word about its future. With VR becoming more affordable it’s likely this would be a bigger focus for accessories going forward. I wouldn’t be surprised if eventually they halt manufacturing for it as Microsoft continues to pivot from their original vision for this generation.
Xbox One S bundles currently sell for $249
Xbox One X launches this Fall at $499
