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Xbox 360 still shunning the idea of Blu-ray Disc support

Those near the playground have undoubtedly seen the teeter-totter on whether or not Microsoft is secretly cooking up a Blu-ray Disc drive add-on for the Xbox 360. A report from Taiwan’s DigiTimes stated that Lite-On is working on such a Blu-ray Disc accessory for the Microsoft console.

Not unexpectedly, Microsoft representatives were quick to deny the report’s validity, saying to TechRadar, “Lite-On is not manufacturing Blu-ray drives for Xbox 360. As we have stated, games are what are driving consumers to purchase game consoles and we remain focused on providing the largest library of blockbuster game available.”

Such comments reflect Microsoft’s attitude around the fall of HD DVD, which the company said would not affect the attractiveness of the Xbox 360.

The Microsoft representative added, “For our customers who want a premium movie experience we offer the largest library of on-demand HD content available and the ability to play back DVDs in high definition.“

Aaron Greenberg, group product manager for Xbox 360, pointed out in an earlier interview that digital downloads were the current focus on delivering high-definition movies to its consumers. “We're the only console offering digital distribution of entertainment content,” he said.

While the constant rumors of a Blu-ray Disc drive for Xbox 360 makes it seem almost inevitable, Microsoft could be holding back confirmation of a device for a number of reasons. For example, it may have contractual agreements not to announce such a product until it is finalized, or perhaps Microsoft is taking a wait-and-see attitude depending on the growth of its Xbox Live Marketplace.

High-def movie addicts who now find themselves without any new content to feed their HD DVD drives may feel compelled to turn to digital download solutions rather than buying a Blu-ray Disc player. Those that demand physical media may look to Xbox 360’s prime competitor, the PlayStation 3 which could help explain the sudden sales rank surge of Sony’s console.

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Denial...
By jadeskye on 4/2/2008 4:55:50 PM , Rating: 5
Didn't microsoft deny the elite even 1 day before it was released. even though we had schematics. leaked photos, pricing and even consoles early on the shelves of walmart or something?




RE: Denial...
By phattyboombatty on 4/2/2008 5:03:42 PM , Rating: 1
Yeah, all the corporations do this. I don't even know why they bother making these public denials because nobody believes a word they say. It's probably a contractual obligation that they have to make a public denial if a leak occurs.


RE: Denial...
By theapparition on 4/2/2008 8:51:47 PM , Rating: 5
Nope, you have it all wrong. It's all in the wording. Ever watch a car commercial? This car gets the best gas mileage in its class . What other cars are in it's class, who defines that? We've already seen the folly of movie reviews by "made up" studio reviewers. All of this is not "lying", per se, but rather careful crafting of wording.

Now, back to Microsoft. They never once denied the Elite, or HD-DVD drive, et al.
What they said was......."We have no plans at this time to announce any new products".

If they said......We're not going to ever release a 360 with HDMI port, than that would be lying. But they never said that. They just said they didn't have plans to announce anything right now. See the difference?

As you said, same with pretty much every company in the world. If you look very closely at Microsoft's press releases reguarding Blu-ray, you'll see the same old loopholes that they always use. They do if for various reasons, partly for competitive edge and partly to reduce cannibalizing sales of current units.


RE: Denial...
By NullSubroutine on 4/3/2008 4:33:21 AM , Rating: 2
MS provided documentation that stated the original Xbox 360 had HDMI output for video and then it didnt. Just suprized no one sued them for it.

I created a home theater system for a uncle of mine that would include a 360 when it game out. I am just glad I had him run a VGA cable to the projector on the ceiling and not just the HDMI cable otherwise we would have been screwed.


RE: Denial...
By Hiawa23 on 4/3/2008 10:30:33 AM , Rating: 2
Yeah, all the corporations do this. I don't even know why they bother making these public denials because nobody believes a word they say. It's probably a contractual obligation that they have to make a public denial if a leak occurs.

I agree, the corporations are as bad as the politicians when it comes to telling you what they want you to hear, or it could be some contractual obligation...


RE: Denial...
By PAPutzback on 4/2/2008 5:08:07 PM , Rating: 5
Yep.

They'll do Blu-ray. It is just a matter of time. They probably had it in the works long before the demise of HD-DVD.

I told my Father In-law to get a ps3 the other day when he finally bought into HDTV. And he'll never play a game. But seeing as Fry's had BD players price for 399 but were out of stock I told him to go with the PS3. Same price, more features. They were more interested in plugging in a usb drive with photos on it then watching Spiderman 3. I was always against Sony but seeing how sleek the PS3 looked and how easy it was for a non tech to pick up the controller and start creating slide shows I have to admit I am pretty impressed. I picked up a blu-ray player for my PC to help me hold out for a Blu-ray player for the 360. but if there isn't one by Christmas I'll be getting a PS3 unfortunately.

MS needs to do two things to stay competitive in the next year or two and that is to get blu-ray inside the xbox and also get Cable card tuners available to the public.


RE: Denial...
By Reclaimer77 on 4/2/2008 5:31:37 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
MS needs to do two things to stay competitive in the next year or two and that is to get blu-ray inside the xbox and also get Cable card tuners available to the public.


I don't think MS needs your advice on what they need to do to stay competitive. People like you were probably predicting the complete and total failure of the Xbox and Xbox Live years ago when the first one was being developed.

I think making it a far gone conclusion that Blu-ray is here to stay is a bit too hasty. Beating HD-DVD doesn't mean the sales for Blu-Ray are any less dismal compared to standard DVD sales.

Microsoft never, EVER, claimed the X-box was anything other then a game console FIRST. If you want a game console that thinks its a piece of audio video equipment, buy a PS3. If you want to play great games with a polished online service, get an Xbox. The X-box does not " need " Blu-Ray drives and cable tuner cards of all things to be competitive.


RE: Denial...
By TerranMagistrate on 4/2/2008 7:49:17 PM , Rating: 1
What the Xbox 360 does need is a compelling 2008-2009 gaming lineup and unfortunately that lineup literally pales in comparison to PS3's upcoming.


RE: Denial...
By crazyblackman on 4/3/08, Rating: 0
RE: Denial...
By FITCamaro on 4/3/2008 8:50:14 AM , Rating: 2
Other than MGS4, most titles I'm waiting on are cross platform. And I don't believe GT5 and FFXIII will make it in this year. Can't wait for GTAIV, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Fable 2, Alan Wake, and Gears of War 2. Thats all thats really confirmed for 08.

If you look on a site like IGN for release dates, nearly all the titles on one console are on the other. As far as 2009, I don't look at the following year until the November, December timeframe because any game that says it will be out at a particular time over 9 months away is just guessing.


RE: Denial...
By Hiawa23 on 4/3/2008 10:41:17 AM , Rating: 2
What the Xbox 360 does need is a compelling 2008-2009 gaming lineup and unfortunately that lineup literally pales in comparison to PS3's upcoming.

not sure how you arrived at that. I am looking forward to MGS4, Motostorm 2, Resistance 2, perhaps, Killzone 2 if it ships, but I buy all multiplatform games on the 360, & Ninja Gaiden is my alltime favorite series, so as far as I am concerned, they are even maybe slighted towards the 360 since I only bought the PS3 for it's Blu ray enabled Cell enhanced games, & that pales in comparison to the number of 360 titles I will buy this year.

Ms needs to do what it's been doing which is allow devs to put out the most games, & better multiplatform games on the 360, continue to improve LIVE which is still unmatched by FREE PS3 online. They are games first, & all the movie stuff, blu ray drive stuff is not needed for the console, IMO.


RE: Denial...
By Bioniccrackmonk on 4/2/2008 9:50:30 PM , Rating: 3
quote:
I don't think MS needs your advice on what they need to do to stay competitive. People like you were probably predicting the complete and total failure of the Xbox and Xbox Live years ago when the first one was being developed.


Nothing he said was really negative, what's with the hostility?

quote:
I think making it a far gone conclusion that Blu-ray is here to stay is a bit too hasty. Beating HD-DVD doesn't mean the sales for Blu-Ray are any less dismal compared to standard DVD sales.


The only other HD media available is CH-DVD, but I don't think that one will be adopted outside of China. Besides, when DVD's first came out, they went for $30 a pop and the hardware was $1200 also. Now that a format has won, more companies will start mass producing players and discs and the prices will start falling as production is ramped up.

quote:
Microsoft never, EVER, claimed the X-box was anything other then a game console FIRST. If you want a game console that thinks its a piece of audio video equipment, buy a PS3. If you want to play great games with a polished online service, get an Xbox. The X-box does not " need " Blu-Ray drives and cable tuner cards of all things to be competitive.


They might have called it a gaming console first, but they did advertise it as a media center for the living room as well.

As far as their online service goes, the PS3's is pretty solid now and the best part is, it's free.


RE: Denial...
By Reclaimer77 on 4/3/2008 5:09:06 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
The only other HD media available is CH-DVD, but I don't think that one will be adopted outside of China. Besides, when DVD's first came out, they went for $30 a pop and the hardware was $1200 also. Now that a format has won, more companies will start mass producing players and discs and the prices will start falling as production is ramped up.


There was a big demand for DVD. Before DVD's all there was were Laserdisk if you wanted something better than VHS. There is just not a big demand for high definition DVD's. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Blu-Ray is going to fail. I just think its highly likely that it could due to poor sales.

quote:
They might have called it a gaming console first, but they did advertise it as a media center for the living room as well.


Oh ? I can't even remember seeing one. They certainly aren't pushing that as the MAIN selling point. They are pulling no punches, they have stated time and time again its a GAMING console first.

quote:
As far as their online service goes, the PS3's is pretty solid now and the best part is, it's free.


Depends on your definition of " solid ". Apparently Sony has been in the habit of giving its customers a break ?? Stupid me, I had the opinion that it was free because nobody would pay for it .


RE: Denial...
By omnicronx on 4/2/2008 5:35:24 PM , Rating: 3
You forget that the 360 is incapable of outputting true-hd and dts-ma.. As BD starts to catch on features like these will make a difference, whether it be a Bestbuy employee telling you a PS3 is better because of the added support, or the enthusiast who knows what they are talking about just not wanting a mangled product..

The only advantage i can see for MS here, is BD players are not falling in price (no surprise here), an addon could force Sony and co to lower their entry level prices in fear letting MS take away from its sales. This could also mean the PS3 would no longer be the cheapest BD player, taking away much of its appeal.

Either way I do not think MS is currently too worried about BD..for now ;)


RE: Denial...
By phattyboombatty on 4/2/2008 5:42:19 PM , Rating: 1
quote:
You forget that the 360 is incapable of outputting true-hd and dts-ma.

I think its safe to assume that if a future revision of the 360 included a Blu-Ray drive, it would also include any necessary updates to implement the full potential of Blu-Ray.


RE: Denial...
By omnicronx on 4/2/2008 6:11:21 PM , Rating: 2
Not if its an addon. I very much doubt we will ever see a Xbox360 with an internal Blu-ray player. The reason being.. common sense, why would Microsoft want to tell its 15+ million previous customers that they are shit out of luck? Thats a lot of potential buyers.

As an internal version, it would only market to new customers, it would cost them more money, and it probably will not help sell 360s.

As an external version you now have all those people who already bought a 360, plus some new customers, and margins on the device itself will be much higher than the 'we lose money on every sale' Xbox 360 ;).


RE: Denial...
By phattyboombatty on 4/2/2008 6:23:48 PM , Rating: 2
I disagree. I think you have it backwards. If Microsoft ever goes Blu-Ray, it would be internal only. The Add-On made sense for the HDDVD drive because 1) the drive was too expensive to incorporate into the 360; 2) the drive was much cheaper than any other HDDVD players at the time and 3)Microsoft was not willing to take the risk of incorporating an HDDVD into the 360 when there was a possibility of it becoming obsolete. None of those factors apply today.

First, by the time Microsoft incorporates Blu-Ray (if they do) stand alone players will likely be the same cost as an Add-On drive (so why would anyone buy the Add-On drive when they could just buy the stand-alone?).

Second, there's no risk involved with choosing Blu-Ray, because there is no longer a format war. Third, with the production cost of the 360 dropping, Microsoft would not take as much of a hit by including a Blu-Ray drive internally.

Finally, I don't think anyone has a right to complain that their 360 purchased in 2006 has less features than a 360 available in 2009. Microsoft isn't telling early-adopters "you're shit out of luck" its simply giving new purchasers additional features. 360 games will always still be produced in a DVD format, so its not like the old 360's will be obsolete. My 360 doesn't have an HDMI output, and I'm not pissed that new 360's have this additional feature.


RE: Denial...
By daftrok on 4/2/2008 6:32:14 PM , Rating: 1
Yes that's true but this is a major thing. This isn't like HDMI out or quieter drives, this is a major feature. This would HAVE to be external because you are alienating your 17 million consumers. The whole point for Xbox 360 not having HD format was to give people a choice no matter what happens.

My prediction is that they will wait until they can afford to make a $99 Blu-ray add-on. Most consumers won't care about Dolby-TrueHD or DTS master audio but so long as the picture looks as good as any other Blu-ray player and has surround sound (generally).

Once they can sell a $99 dollar add-on, they will bring the price down to 199/299/399. That way adding 100 dollars to that will just be 299/399/499, direct competition with the PS3.

This will most likely occur during the holiday season, and to compete against this the PS3 will probably get another 100 dollar price cut to 299/399. This is the most likely scenario IF 360 chooses to make a Blu ray add-on.


RE: Denial...
By phattyboombatty on 4/2/2008 6:46:00 PM , Rating: 3
quote:
This would HAVE to be external

In that case, the DigiTimes' sources at Lite-On are lying because they are claiming that they are designing internal Blu-Ray drives for the 360.

You make some good points, but I am still failing to understand the "alienating" position. Microsoft isn't taking anything away from current owners by offering something additional to new owners.

Also, Microsoft won't be giving away the Blu-Ray drives for free. I fully expect a price premium f