We're expecting the successor to the Xbox One to be a two very different consoles, but if the latest rumor is to be believed, the Xbox One S is going to appear in a different form a couple of months from now.

As Windows Central reports, Microsoft is thought to be planning the launch of a new model Xbox One S that ships without a disc drive. The name for this download-only console will be the "Xbox One S All-Digital Edition."

Pre-orders for the new model are expected to kick off in April with availability to be worldwide. The new console would then launch in early May for an unknown price. We also don't know if Microsoft intends to increase the size of the hard drive this model ships with, but as it's a digital-only machine I'd expect no less than a 1TB drive.

Removing the disc drive should allow Microsoft to reduce the price point of the machine, and you could argue they must if they want this hardware to sell. At the same time, it will allow Microsoft to push the Xbox Game Pass service which becomes almost essential for anyone opting to buy this console.

There's also Project xCloud to consider, which allows games to be streamed on demand so as to not take up too much hard drive space and run on underpowered hardware. xCloud could be offered as a service to Xbox One S All-Digital Edition owners as a priority to help bolster sales.

Nothing is confirmed and this launch could end up not happening, but if it does, the price Microsoft charges is essential. If it's only $20-$30 cheaper than a standard Xbox One S then why bother? Alternatively, if it ships for a similar price but includes a free year of Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold, then it should prove attractive to gamers.