Could new Xbox 360 with inbuilt HD DVD drive help beat Blu-ray?
By Dave Parrack
Microsoft could be working on a new Xbox 360 entertainment hub to compete with the PS3. This new version of the Xbox 360 games console would have a built in HD DVD drive, larger internal hard drive and possibly even a dual HD TV tuner and a docking port for an MP3 player. Insiders at Toshiba (owners of the HD DVD patents) claim Microsoft are already actively working on the new machine.
A senior Toshiba executive reportedly told SmartHouse that:
“An Xbox with a built in HD DVD drive is critical. They and we are working on it. It also has to be more than a gaming machine. Microsoft recognise this. A version of the device may also be sold under the Toshiba brand name.”
This already sounds like a done deal and it wouldn’t surprise me as it would greatly benefit both Microsoft and Toshiba to work together to pull this off.
The Sony PS3 already comes with a Blu-ray drive inbuilt and this is not only increasingly making Blu-ray the HD format of choice, but also driving sales of both games software and Blu-ray DVDs.
Add to that the fact that games developers are already reporting problems with fitting games content on to a single DVD and you have yet another reason for Microsoft to take this route. The makers of both Assassin’s Creed and Unreal Tournament 3 have bitterly complained about the lack of space available to them on the Xbox 360 current format of choice.
Microsoft recently launched an Xbox 360 HD DVD attachment, but sales have so far been very low. It seems the only way to get consumers to choose is to force a particular on them from the start.
Scott Browning, the Marketing Director of JB HiFi told Smarthouse:
“The device is a lay down mis`ere and essential for the HD DVD camp. We are told that one is coming. The PS3 has been extremely successful for Sony in getting Blu-ray off the ground and for Microsoft, the omission of a built in HD DVD player is set to hurt sales going forward as consumers are aware that the PS3 comes with a Blu-ray player.”
The new Xbox 360 would not only become a cheap HD DVD player but also an entertainment hub with gaming still at the core. This new model could put right all of the omissions from the original Xbox 360, such as an HDMI port (available on the Elite model) which was originally left out due to high production costs.
This could be a huge weapon in the console war AND DVD format war over the next year. I fully expect the rumours to increase exponentially over the next twelve months before the machine finally gets released late in 2008 or early in 2009. Time to put off buying that newly lower priced Playstation 3?
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Stumble It!
October 19th, 2007
This will be a great games console, whether people will buy it or not, because of problems with the current 360, i for one are now giving xbox and microsoft a miss after 2 xbox 360s failures in 2 years.
October 19th, 2007
Two years ago this would have worked, now not a chance.
Sales of the 360 have nose dived this year worldwide and despite the lift from Halo 3 there is nothing on the horizon that looks like reversing that trend whereas Sonys sales are set to rocket next year with all of the huge titles due for release exclusively on the PS3.
HD-DVD haven’t got a chance in hell quite frankly because its more than likely there will be a PS3 (and therefore a Bluray player) in over 1 in 10 homes in the US and 1 in 5 in the UK and Japan by the end of next year.
If this story is true its a confirmation of what a lot of people have known for a while now. Sony have got it spot on. They are taking an initial sales hit because of the high PS3 price but everyone can see its winning the BluRay war and the extra development time on the PS3 has created a phenomenal piece of home entertainment hardware.
October 19th, 2007
Future 360 games requiring the hd-dvd drive would be catastrophic.
It would be less hurting for their adopters if they launched an ‘Xbox 720′ but kept supporting the 360 in the shape Sony supports the Ps2 while pushing the Ps3.
October 19th, 2007
Mustang, that’s a good point as if a new inbuilt HD DVD drive made all prior games void, that would be terrible news for all Xbox 360 owners without the drive.
October 19th, 2007
Frazer has it right
The tables have turned and smacked MS in the chin
rip hddvd
October 20th, 2007
This is the problem with putting a HD-DVD drive in a console:
Right now, the HD games being released for the PS3 are 25GB+. Developers are even saying that some new games that they are working on are over 40GB. So now if a developer makes a Multi-platform game that is 30GB+, you have to compress the graphics in order to fit it on a HD-DVD Disc.
The lack of Disc space puts microsoft back in the same boat they were in with the 360. This move makes no sense in the long run. If the new XBox had a blu-ray drive, M$ would actually give Sony a run for it’s money.
M$ is alway one step behind in the VideoGame industry.
October 20th, 2007
PS. HD-DVD would NOT make the new XBox incompatible with 360 games. The Drive has nothing to do with backwards compatibility.
October 24th, 2007
Bustin’s caps mofo zippy zoo chi Masta cheif sux muh nadz
October 24th, 2007
Superdynamite, it’s not so much a case of making any new XBox incompatible with 360 games but the reverse. If game publishers start bringing out titles on HD-DVD because of the extra capacity it will leave existing 360 owners just two options, paying the extra for an HD add on drive or not playing them at all.
October 24th, 2007
@Speedy: Thats absolutely right, but the HD-DVD addon drive that is available now is for video only. It will not support games on HD-DVD as it is only USB rather than the much higher speed SATA interface that an internal drive would have. Load times over USB would be excruciating. Face it.. MS shot themselves in the foot when they rushed the 360 to market. Between the now outdated hardware and the 33% failure rate, it is probably the best selling disaster to date.