Sony chews the Blu-ray fat with Microsoft
Apple too
Sony has confirmed that it's in talks with Microsoft about supporting Blu-ray Disc. Apparently, it has also been chatting to Apple, even though the Mac maker is already a Blu-ray Disc backer.
The Japanese electronics giant’s US president, Stan Glasgow, told the Financial Times this week that Sony is talking to both companies. He didn't explicitly state that the conversation with Microsoft is about offering a Blu-ray add-on for the Xbox 360, but what else could they be discussing?
Until now, Xbox 360 owners could only play HD DVDs, by buying an add-on drive. Following Toshiba's decision to abandon HD DVD production, Microsoft canned that peripheral. It has often said in the past that it will offer a Blu-ray add-on if the punters want one.
It’s too early to say exactly how Blu-ray will be brought to the Xbox 360, if at all. Most likely, gamers may be offered an external Blu-ray drive. But now there's a clear winner in the format war, Microsoft might well decide to integrate a Blu-ray drive into a future version of the console.
Glasgow told the FT that Sony is also talking to with Apple, presumably in the hope the Mac maker, which has been a member of the Blu-ray Disc Association since March 2005, to start offering computers with integrated BD drives.
Unlike Apple CEO Steve Jobs, Glasgow believes Blu-ray isn’t being threatened by online downloads and streaming because that medium's popularity will take years to grow. Instead, he expects Blu-ray Discs to succeed thanks to falling player prices that he claims could see a standalone Blu-ray player cost just $300 (£150/€200) by December and $200 by the end of 2009.
COMMENTS
@ AC PS3 fanboy, @ PIB
"As far as xbox vs PS3 sales go, xbox only outsells PS3 in UK and USA and is currently outsold by everyother format in Japan."
You said it yourself, mate, not bad going outselling the PS3 in the the two biggest gaming markets in the world. I'll a few quid that MS is worried but not losing any sleep about the Japan situation.
"Not to mention the release of HOME (at last), which will wipe the floor of XBox Live."
You are joking, aren't you?
Yeah Tim is back!!
Nice to see Tim back making the usual totally off the point, random and ill conceived comment. Of course the BR back catalogue is lacking some key interesting titles because many are tied up in HD-DVD exclusivity for the moment. But as happened with DVD, the mass market mainstream releases come out first to get the sales, THEN the back catalogues get released once the costs can be offset against sales.
A 'more interesting' back catalogue means fk all if you haven't got the volume of sales the moronic comedy films give you. HD-DVD was the absolute personification of that. Get over it, get some perspective and educate yourself about the lead time of manufactured goods and how profit and loss effects this. Because you still have no idea.
Oh yeah, have you had the "welcome to the format" from anyone you were having a tantrum over?.......
Oh and there are only three Adam Sandler films out on BR!
@Dave Cumming
You said:
"...there isn't a single PS3 game I can think of worth having that I can't get for the 360."
Oh really? So if I mention Metal Gear Solid 4, Gran Turismo and Little Big Planet, just off the top of my head, you wouldn't be interested?
Not to mention the release of HOME (at last), which will wipe the floor of XBox Live.
By the way. I own an XBox 360 too and hated Halo 3.
Who are you kidding?
(Paris because she'll want to star on HOME.)
