Microsoft backpedals on Blu-ray for Xbox 360 comments
HD DVD or die!
Microsoft today stressed that it believes HD DVD is the best optical disc for consumers and that it has no plans to support Blu-ray Disc on the Xbox 360, despite recent comments from company staffers that it might.
The company reaffirmed its love for HD DVD following a news story in which Microsoft suggested it might back Blu-ray if that's what its customers wanted.
After Reuters asked Microsoft’s group marketing manager for Xbox hardware, Albert Penello, if Microsoft would support a Blu-ray Disc drive accessory in the event that HD DVD failed, he said: "It should be consumer choice, and if that's the way they vote, that's something we'll have to consider."
However, Microsoft today said that HD DVD remains the only format to deliver quality experiences at affordable prices.
It won't need to support Blu-ray, because HD DVD isn't going to fail, is it?
Glad we got that one cleared up.
COMMENTS
Single INdustry Standard
Surely that would mean zero competition? That would mean we wouldn't have companies being pushed to get the latest and greatest gadgets..
Having said that, too much competition is bad - there is a fine line been too much and not enough. I personally think this has been a worth while period of time. The two formats are superb, but one will triumph (maybe..). One thing's for sure - Internet Downloadable HD-sources are years away - especially with these speeds and caps. It would take a monumental push to make it happen. Maybe in ten year, but not in the next few..
Still didn't get my Xmas present of Paris and a vat of Honey... :(
Mine's bigger than yours
When are the industry big boys going to stop play little boys games ("Mine's bigger than yours") and develop single industry standards to make life simpler for consumers?
I hope the next new storage standards comes along quickly and blows HD-DVD and Bluray to the crap house.
So no Blu-Ray for the 360
Makes sense, the console's core technology is getting on a bit and an expensive redesign would be a nightmare for compatibility and push back that elusive day when the XBox division becomes profitable.
What Microsoft isn't saying is that whatever comes after the 360 won't use Blu-Ray.
Speaking of which, isn't it time for the next-gen console rumour mill to start up again?
Conundrum
This makes for an interesting situation.
If Blu-Ray wins then all the Microsoft haters can jump up and down with excitement.
If HD DVD wins the all the Sony haters can jump up and down with excitement.
It's the Microsoft and Sony haters I feel sorry for as they will still be bitter.
I wonder....
..if these people who can’t tell the difference between upscaled DVDs and 1080i/1080p sources actually have their players and TVs set up correctly. You know, along the lines of “I can’t tell the difference at all and I’m using a high quality gold-plated scart cable to connect everything up”. The difference to me is night-and-day and my HD TV isn’t especially expensive.
Blu-ray is the ‘original’ HD format, it was created before HD DVD; Toshiba et al are the ones responsible for creating this format war, so all the better that they end up with egg on their faces.
MS could have stuck a HD DVD drive in the 360 but didn’t – why? Because if they had, and HD DVD fails, their product is then hugely devalued relative to it’s biggest market threat (PS3). In other words, they didn’t have enough confidence that it would succeed. Keeping it as an add-on is a smart move as they can just quietly stop producing them if they need to, while using the ‘we want to keep it as a pure gaming platform’ excuse – utter nonsense given it’s ‘media platform’ credentials. If the drive is actually inside the machine it opens up a whole can of worms should things go titsup.
