According to a new leak, Microsoft is planning to release a special edition purple Xbox One S with a few Fortnite exclusives, reports German site WinFuture. The images show a “Gradient Purple" console, controller, and in-game skin for the game.
This is not the first time that Xbox has bundled popular games, especially with its release of the Xbox One S, which is functionally identical to previous versions of the console with one notable exception: it doesn't have a disc drive, so all games must be acquired digitally.
The leak is similar to another Fortnite Xbox One S bundle that can be purchased directly from the Xbox website. This new bundle includes “Dark Vertex," a skin with a complete set of items that matches the purple console and controller, as well as 2,000 V-Bucks to use in the Fortnite store on cosmetic items such as skins, dance emotes, pickaxes, gliders, and more. As with all Xbox One S bundles, there is also a free month subscription to Xbox Live and the Xbox Game Pass.
When the Xbox One S was first announced, critics were less than thrilled by the removal of the disc drive and what seemed like an initiative to go digital. From Microsoft's perspective, overhead costs associated with the production of the physical game and its case would be all but removed, as well as shipping and distribution.
While some players may lament the direction of the Xbox One consoles, there is one point that may change the minds of many skeptics. Microsoft's is currently in the middle of developing a high-quality game streaming initiative named Project xCloud. Although the project is still considered to be in the alpha stages of testing, Microsoft boasts seamless play and a current library of over 3,500 titles spread among the last three generations of the Xbox.
Since Microsoft has been pouring resources into this new project and has shown a steady commitment to making past generation titles accessible on new consoles and those made for the future, the lack of a disc drive may eventually be all but a forgotten concern.
Although the leak has not yet been confirmed to be an official product, E3 is right around the corner from June 11-13, and we can probably expect to see more of the Xbox One S discussed there.