Gee, we didn’t see this one coming. Almost as fast as we told you about the latest rumor that the Xbox 360 would be getting a Blu-ray drive, Microsoft’s Robbie Bach denied those reports in an interview with SFGate for the umpteenth time. Bach believes customers are not yet willing to pay the extra money for something they don’t see as a marginal improvement over DVD. Oh well, we just think it’s a matter of time until they change their mind to Blu. In the meantime 360 owners will have to be content with HD downloads on Xbox Live Marketplace.
[TVPredictions]
Tags: Blu-ray Drives, Blu-ray News, Xbox 360
It looks like all those rumors about Microsoft delivering a Blu-ray drive for the Xbox 360 might finally come true tomorrow. A tipster told CrunchGear that Microsoft is going to announce the Blu-ray drive for the Xbox 360 right before Apple’s annual WWDC, in an attempt to upstage Steve Job and his keynote.
The tipster wrote the following.
I‘ve got a close friend who works at Microsoft, previously with the HD-DVD division and now in the E&D division (Xbox, zune). I’m told MS will upstage Apple with a Monday 9am PDT announcement (1 hour before WWDC) via press release that the Xbox 360 will get Blu-Ray before Christmas. Price was “under the current Elite”, but i could get any more details.
If this indeed true, it’ll put to rest the countless rumors surrounding Xbox 360’s Blu-ray drive. It seems like the natural step for them to take now that HD-DVD is nothing more than a distant memory and Blu-ray is here to stay. Both a system with a Blu-ray drive and an add-on for the Xbox 360 would no doubt boost sales for Blu.
[CrunchGear]
Tags: Blu-ray Drives, Blu-ray News, Xbox 360
In what seems to be a weekly habit, Microsoft once again says it has nothing in development for any type of Blu-ray disc add-on. This time the denial comes from Shane Kim, head of Microsoft Games Studios, during a roundtable at the Microsoft’s 360 Spring. It’s only been 12 days since Microsoft’s last denial and frankly we were getting worried there wouldn’t be another denial soon.
Apparently Kim doesn’t think too highly of Blu-ray’s current status, as some analysts believe. He states that, “Blu-ray provides some visual boost for people who want a physical HD format, but we’re not seeing that format taking off, in general.” He believes the DVD format is doing well and it won’t be until Blu-ray players come down to $150 that ‘the value proposition of a $300 or $400 Playstation 3 as a game console and movie player will be impacted’.
Microsoft’s current focus is on the service Xbox Live Video Marketplace which has had over 380 million pieces of entertainment downloaded, including free game trailers, demos, movie trailers, and of course SD and HD movies and TV shows. “Video Marketplace helps us to speak to the more casual gaming audience,” says Kim, who added he believes Microsoft chose the right strategy for distributing entertainment via Video Marketplace.
At this point Vegas might as well start an over/under bet on how many times Microsoft will deny a Blu-ray drive for the Xbox 360 until they finally give in and release one.
[Home Media Magazine]
Tags: Blu-ray News, Microsoft, Xbox 360
Microsoft has denied a report stating the release of a Blu-ray drive for Xbox 360 would be coming this fall. In an email to GamePro on Monday a Microsoft official said, “As we have stated, we have no plans to introduce a Blu-ray drive for Xbox 360.” This denial from Microsoft will have to have to eventually end as rumors for a Blu-ray drive keep becoming more prevalent.
Come on Microsoft, now that HD-DVD is finally dead, come to the Blu side!
[Joystiq]
Tags: Blu-ray News, Xbox 360
