BD-ROM drives for Xbox 360

Bamadude

It could still be a rumor, but seems to have picked up more steam lately. It is April 1st so I guess we'll see.

http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20080331PD214.html

Imperitor

I don't think it's going to happen. I've read a lot about how MS is going to rely on downloaded content and movies to avoid adding a Bluray player. But you never know.

AdamRagland

i do think it will happen. MS is in the market to make money. For the first time since it came out the PS3 is beating the 360 in monthly sales. It also started just when HDDVD threw in the towel

Shizelbs

In just my specific case, it would make sense for MS to do it. I would rather buy another 360 with integrated BluRay than a PS3, which I am seriously considering doing. It would be a good way for MS to keep Sony out of my entertainment center.

Bamadude

Shizelbs wrote: »

In just my specific case, it would make sense for MS to do it. I would rather buy another 360 with integrated BluRay than a PS3, which I am seriously considering doing. It would be a good way for MS to keep Sony out of my entertainment center.

+1 on wanting BluRay, but not another game console. I would also like to update my xbox to HDMI and when it comes out the new 45nm CPU for less heat/fan noise.

I rent about 1-2 HD movies a month from Live and love it. But for my favorite movies I still like the idea of owning my own copy to put in my library. I'm not sure MS could move past being a rental service to allowing ownership in time to compete with physical media. Lots of big hurdles there which can be conquered, but still need a good bit of work to solve.

djlogix

It'll never be used for games, so it could possibly be coming. An add-on is more likely, although more costly in terms of comparison to the competition. An intergrated system brings the chance of splitting your market and pissing a few people off. Especially considering their stance in the HD format wars and their decisions made across the board.

Best chance for happiness is release an add-on, keep it for those that wanted it and move on with the mantra you've set for yourself. It's paying off in spades right now and will continue too. DVD was your format of choice for games and it'll likely never change, but don't piss off the market 2-3 years before your next generation system is coming to face. Especially considering you want NEW people to buy your system, not that hardcores that are looking to replace.

There are way too many variables in this, movies is all this would be for. Especially considering there hasn't been one game shown to take the advantage of the larger storage space on newer optical formats. I doubt we'll see one before the next round of consoles.

djlogix

wrote:

It's the rumor that refuses to die. Yesterday, we reported Digi-Times' claim of a built-in Blu-ray Disc drive that Lite-On was supposedly manufacturing for Microsoft. This is not the first time that an industry source, or even worse, Sony, claims that Microsoft is considering adding a Blu-ray Disc option to the Xbox 360, either as an internal drive or as an add-on.

Once again, Microsoft had to issue a statement to deny the rumors. Speaking to TechRadar.com, a Microsoft spokesperson said:

"No. 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."

"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."

Set.

Imperitor

djlogix wrote: »

An intergrated system brings the chance of splitting your market and pissing a few people off.

Sounds like something Microsoft would do.

AdamRagland

that just doesnt make sense to me. downloadable HD movies just isn't there yet. yes i understand xbox live has them but lets be real here. its only about 350 movies in their catalog and only about a quarter to 1/3 or those are HD. also internet connections just aren't there yet. yes with the upcoming of FIOS and other fiber optic services it will be but i have downloaded several HD movies from xbox live on my 3Mbps DSL and it takes 8+ hours just to have it ready to watch. i think the dvd market (or BD in this case) is still a huge chunk that MS is losing out on if they dont bring integrate it into the xbox somehow. especially now that BR has won the war, all new customers looking for gaming consoles and even people just looking for a good bluray player will see the PS3 as the better option. only hardcore gamers are going to appreciate the catalog of xbox exclusives

mutelight

That article was an April Fools joke and MS has no plan on offering Blu-ray with the Xbox 360. Microsoft is way too greedy to pay rights to use Sony's tech in their systems. They are really relying on by not offering a BD-ROM in or with the system that they can force their users to pay to rent HD movies from their video marketplace. The problem I am sure pretty much every user has on this site is that if they are going to watch a HD movie they want to watch it the proper way via HD DVD or Blu-ray and not highly compressed 720p content from their network. While the quality isn't terrible it still doesn't even hold a candle to the optical HD formats.

It makes sense but at the same time if they did offer a BD-ROM for the 360 I think it would really help the sales. When I bought a PS3 shortly after its release the reason I purchased it was as a Blu-ray player and even to this day I only have a few games for it.

djlogix

Imperitor wrote: »

Sounds like something Microsoft would do.

Lemme guess, you're anti microsoft and praise everything that comes out of Sony's mouth as the word of god and the PS3 is your holy grail ?

Mute and Adam. I honestly don't see your casuals doing what people like the early adopters have done. Bottom line, yeah some have bought a PS3 for a Blu Ray player alone, but they tend to be people that will indeed buy games from day to day, or some day down the future.

Blu Ray hasn't won anything yet.

zx_toth

My opinion is that Microsoft should just tuck its tail between its legs and stick to its decision of doing with a DVD drive instead of a high definition drive. Sony put it neck on the line putting a BD drive in its console and is now reaping the rewards (having a BD player in millions of homes, winning the format war, etc) but it had to do at a huge loss and risk.

So Microsoft shouldnt be crying for losing out on potential sales due to PS having a BD drive ... if you dont take big risks you may not have as much potential financial loss but the rate of profit may be lower too if you play it safe.

Rather than looking like a fool and come out with a BD attachment they should call it a day and concentrate on doing what they do .... getting exclusive games, improving Xbox live even further ahead of Sony, etc. Of course businesses dont necessaryily care how they look as long as they profit however, time and time again its been shown that attachments dont sell well ... so MS just give up and concentrate on what you do well and than take a bit more of a risk next generation.

Personally I have a Wii, a 360 Elite and plan on getting a PS3 at the end of the month so I have no allegences. However it should be known that I am buying a PS3 for BD play until a good stand alone player comes out thats worthy of some of my cash ... the BD drive is a tipping point for me for the PS3 plus a few games coming out for PS3 Killzone 2, Resistance Fall of Man 2, Metal Gear 4, so its an added bonus.

Zsolt