Microsoft considered to release the Xbox One without an optical drive until mid 2013. Eventually, the company decided to equip the console with a Blu- ray drive. The information comes from an interview with Phil Spencer from Microsoft Studios.
According to Spencer, the disc -less" Xbox One console concept was considered until shortly after the E3 presentation of the new console. Players would no longer purchase games on a physical disc but instead download them from an online game download store.
In the end Microsoft decided to add a Blu-ray drive in the Xbox One, just like Sony did with the Playstation 3 and 4. According to Spencer the company decided to add the drive because Xbox One games can take up several Gigabytes and in many countries the available bandwidth would not be sufficient. Also many players still prefer to purchase a game on a physical medium to be able to sell or lend it.
Shortly after the E3 presentation Microsoft had to change several of the proposed features of the Xbox One as it received lots of criticism. The best known example is that the console required a working internet connection to play a game, as part of the console's copy protection. Once it became known, the company received so much negative responses, that it decided to remove this requirement.
