XBox 360 to get Blu-Ray

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After months of rumors and denials, the XBOX 360 with a Blu-ray disc drive is due to be manufactured soon and shipped in Q3 of 2008. Pegatron Technology, an OEM subsidiary of Asustek Computer, is reported to have received the winning order from Microsoft for a Blu-ray equipped XBOX 360.
Click to expand...

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/xbox-blu-ray-360,5272.html

http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20080502PB200.html


Wow. Just wow...

Now realize that MS says "no comment", and that the main source is a Chinese Economic newspaper. Still, this just runs counter to everything MS has been saying, adds yet another SKU to the Xbox 360 line-up, and throws every system buying decision out the window this year.
 
It would be pretty dumb of them not to do this.
 
Well ... it can't be used for games because it would fragment the user base. The vast majority of 360's don't have Blu-Ray drives, so no one will make games for it. MS made the same mistake by not including a HDD of some sort in the bare bones 360 package, so now no games are able to fully exploit the HDD. The difference here is that you will see no 360 Blu-Ray games, period. This will just be a player.

In addition it also means that for every 360 with Blu-Ray functionality, Sony receives royalty fees. This adds up even more when you consider the expanded market penetration for BR titles, assuming this move has any significant effect on the market.

I'd also be interested to see what this does for the price, and what they add to the 360 for it to compete as a premium console (built-in Wi-Fi and free Gold membership would put it about even with the competition, assuming they don't sell it at a higher price point).

On the other hand this is great for people who prefer a 360 but also want a Blu-Ray player. But seeing as this is targeting high-end users, I'd think the vast majority would've already taken the plunge and either gotten a PS3 or an earlier 360. I really don't see what MS is trying to achieve with this.
 
So, does this mean the HD/DVD vs. Bluray format war is finally settled?

In any case,

HD/DVD:0

Bluray:win

Especially since M$ is jumping ship to a Sony invention, no less. :p
 
just add the blu ray optical drive to the xbox 540 and bring it on.

Then the Xbox 540 should be able to play Blu Ray GAMES, Blu Ray Movies, and Xbox 360 games, as well as the Xbox [1] games that are compatible.

That way you can still sell your 360 systems, 360 games and peripherals, and have a whole new system with new 'blu ray only' games, complete with MS first party and 3rd party exclusives.


So when you are in the store, you should have a selection of new games for the 360 (with it's huge user base) or the 540. The 540 can play 360 or 540 games, like I said.


Eventually, the 540 would overtake the 360 in sales, but sales of the 360 and games will still do extremely well. (like PS2 games probably still do) Its the perfect transition into pushing a new system, because you don't alienate 360 or 540 users, since there will be new games for both systems.


God damn I'm a genius.



Microsoft will probably actually do this. That's how good an idea I think it is.
 
I'm not suprised. In fact I'll be suprised if anyone is suprised.
 
* goes back to playing Alpha Centauri, ignoring the hilarious e-cock contest between consoles *
 
Saturos said:
So, does this mean the HD/DVD vs. Bluray format war is finally settled?

In any case,

HD/DVD:0

Bluray:win

Especially since M$ is jumping ship to a Sony invention, no less. :p
Click to expand...

It was settled months ago when Toshiba discontinued productions of HDDVD players...
 
We all knew it would be done it's just that MS's stiff upper lip kept saying that they didn't care :|
 
People still going on about this "blu-ray" gimmick?.
 
Seems like a bad decision for this generation though. Like what has been said earlier, their user base is not going to be pleased about this at all, esp if it comes out this year. Since their next console is due much earlier than Sony's, I don't know why they would not wait. Plus, with every disc sold or manufactured that is putting lots of money right into Sony's pockets. Very interesting to see how this will work out.
 
I don't see why not do it as an add on like HDDVD. It would make more sense instead of making people buy your console again - which people just won't do - after all their next console probably announced by 2010 i'm betting will inevitably have blu-ray functionality anyway
 
About time...
Too bad they can't use the higher disk capacity for games...same with their poor choice not to include a hard drive as standard.
nurizeko said:
People still going on about this "blu-ray" gimmick?.
Click to expand...
Explain.
 
Blu Ray keeps screaming to me that it is just an expensive (for us!) anti piracy tool, other than that it's a nice format.

I mean, if it limits piracy, why charge so much too?


the blank discs are around $25 each
the movies are around $25 or $30 each


......?????????????????????????????????????????????????

I mean, I know it's better, and more precision, but come on, essentially, it's a piece of plastic the same size and shape of a CD-Rom. trying to tell me they are charging nothing for the actual movie content on it? Might as well act like it


I'm not ignorant, but that is insane. Hate to burn a bad disc with one of those.... especially since they are so slow and the discs hold so much data.

Not that HD DVD was really any better on any of these things.


I just don't know. Prices come down some, but I'm still skeptical because I have a bad feeling that the price of the blank discs will stay near the prices of the movies themselves.


tl;dr

This is what I was saying since before the PS3 came out:

I think that blu ray blank discs will always be horrendously over priced and will only be used by professionals or the very rich, for at least a decade.


PST - you can buy a hard drive for about 5.4 times cheaper!

$1 per 1 gigabyte for Blu Ray blank discs

$1 per 5.4 gigabyte for my HDD (WD 750GB AAKS)


now which is really more difficult to manufacture + materials cost a piece of plastic, or a hard drive?


I might one day want to back stuff up on to one disc, but they make it so economically retarted. I can get DVD's for .20 at a retail store

so that is

.20 for 4.7 GB DVD
or
$1 for 23.5 GB [blank DVD]


I know I know. whatever. sorry for making you fans type.
 
Nibwoddle said:
So the 360's getting Blu Ray and a Wiimote. Dear God.
Click to expand...
It's an M$ conspiracy to monopolize the entire video game industry. Bastards. :hmph:
Do you guys know what that would mean?

M$ monopoly+No competition = crappy games & crappy hardware.
 
Blu-ray movies aren't that expensive. On the high street you'll be robbed blind, but online you'll get most movies for 10-15 pounds. I remember paying that much for dvds years back.
 
If I'm not to get this Xbox 360 + Blu-Ray, I would not buy a Blu-Ray player over $100 USD and I wouldn't start buying movies until the $19.99 USD pricepoint.
 
Blank DVDs were really expensive when they came out too Virus. Its just a new technology at the moment, and in a year or two the prices will drop significantly.
 
Why didn't they just use HD-DVD instead of DVD drives in the first place?Well, so much for "No need to upgrade your console every couple of months unlike a PC".I Am sorry but **** addons.If i wanted cluttered up shit, i'd stick to my SEGA 32X.
 
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