Xbox 360 Blu Ray Poll

[boatofcar]

Which do you think is more likely to happen? I'll weigh in after a few responses.

[walrusmonger]

I don't think they'll use blu ray for anything. Maybe next gen they'll throw it in, but if there's any other option I think they'll go with it.

[Half Japanese]

If anything this generation, there might be an add-on. If they wouldn't put an HD DVD drive in the 360 as a separate SKU, they'd be quite daft to do it with a technology they'd have to pay substantial licensing fees for.

Just curious: why wait for replies before chiming in with your own? Usually that sort of thing is used to preface shocking or otherwise big news, so it seems to me that unless your follow-up is neither of those things then it's pointless build-up.

[TonyTheTiger]

I think they'll definitely sell a Blu-ray add-on if they can make it affordable (like $150-$200). They want to undercut the PS3 as much as possible and one way to do that is to say "Hey, 360 plays them too and for less."

[swlovinist]

They will never support this format. They will never make an add on. They will go downloadable only before they give Sony one red cent.

[boatofcar]

Just curious: why wait for replies before chiming in with your own? Usually that sort of thing is used to preface shocking or otherwise big news, so it seems to me that unless your follow-up is neither of those things then it's pointless build-up.

Because I haven't made up my mind yet.

[Kejoriv]

I don't believe they will support the format with the current 360. Maybe with Xbox 361 they will incorporate Blue Ray.

[udisi]

I don't think they'll support either format this generation. They'll drop HD-DVD and ignore Blu-ray because HD formats as a whole aren't really established yet, and they probably wouldn't profit well from adding blu-ray support.

[Berserker]

I voted for never, because it just doesn't seem like Microsoft's style. I think the day they support Blu-ray is the day they buy Sony.

[TonyTheTiger]

They will never support this format. They will never make an add on. They will go downloadable only before they give Sony one red cent.

If companies were that cutthroat, even at their own expense, Sony Vaio computers wouldn't be sold with Windows on them. Nor would Microsoft allow Sony brand CD/DVD drives to work with Windows.

[Berserker]

If companies were that cutthroat, even at their own expense, Sony Vaio computers wouldn't be sold with Windows on them. Nor would Microsoft allow Sony brand CD/DVD drives to work with Windows.

Right, but in those cases the two aren't in direct competition. Sony's handling the hardware, Microsoft's handling the software.

[64Bits]

I don't believe they will support the format with the current 360. Maybe with Xbox 361 they will incorporate Blue Ray.

or 720?

[mnbren05]

I doubt it will ever happen. Blue Ray will be the arch nemesis of the Xbox 360 for the remainder of their natural lives. If by some odd one in a million chance something is released the unholy offspring will be an add on to the 360 similar to the HD player. I will say that you are probably more likely to see someone struck by lightning 15 times while winning the lottery, than Microsoft to announce a Blue Ray deal.

[zektor]

Microsoft *probably* could have saved HD-DVD had they started creating games for the add-on and incorporated an HD-DVD player in the elite. If they had, the existing games would have still been compatible with the system, and they could have utilized the larger HD-DVD space for some upcoming big games. Heck, they could have utilized the fact that HD-DVD's have the ability to be dual format (DVD AND HD-DVD) and incorporated two versions of a game on the discs...one for the owner without HD-DVD, and a higher end version for the folks that do.

All just fun thoughts I suppose, but they could have done a whole lot more than just a movie add-on. Now they are pretty much stuck to DVD for the rest of the system's life...unless they buy into BR or create a new format themselves.

[TonyTheTiger]

Right, but in those cases the two aren't in direct competition. Sony's handling the hardware, Microsoft's handling the software.

Yeah and when it comes to a video format they aren't direct competitors either. The PS2 and Xbox were both DVD players after all. And it's not like HD-DVD was Microsoft's own format. They just invested in it. I think they're investors in Blu-ray too. It would just be flat out dumb to not support Blu-ray. Sony wanted Betamax to win back in the 80s but when that format sunk Sony wasn't about to let pride stop it from jumping in with VHS.

[Ze_ro]

I think the better question to ask is "Can Microsoft make more money off a Blu-Ray add-on than they could make without one?" After all, they're a company driven by profit. Having a Blu-Ray option would be a bullet point in PS3 comparisons, but might negatively impact XBLVM sales (but then, so would the HD-DVD player).

I certainly don't see them ever building Blu-Ray into the Xbox 360.

--Zero

[Icarus Moonsight]

Before they adopt Blu-Ray Microsoft would create their own proprietary media format =|+ than Blu-Ray and use that instead. Unless they decide one day to buy up Sony... then I could see them implementing Blu-Ray but, that's the ONLY way I see it happening.

[p_b]

I'd assume they'd rather go with the downloadable videos. If they release a Blueray-player, they couldn't realistically release games on the format, simply because there are too many consoles already out there which couldn't play the games. I don't think it's feasible to release the games in two versions. So it's really down to movies. Being Microsoft and thus being interested in the general computer market as well, having a downloadable video marketplace would benefit them as it's easily transferable onto the traditional computer market, I'd assume.

[j_factor]

The HD-DVD add-on was pretty unceremoniously put out there with little promotion. It seemed like the sole reason it existed was to push back at PS3's blu-ray. I don't really see any impetus for Microsoft to create a blu-ray add-on.

[slip81]

I guess I'm in the moronity cause I think they will at some point, though not really to support the movies, but more for the storage option.

Wasn't rockstar already having trouble fitting GTAIV onto a DVD? And that's only really a second string game. I don't think it'll be good for MS if two years from now every big name game coming out for the system requires multiple discs.

I think it's either that, or MS will start having to release tons of extra content for their games on live to make them even with the PS3 versions, which would be fine, if the content was free, but you know it won't be.

[Mason P.]

I'd assume they'd rather go with the downloadable videos. If they release a Blueray-player, they couldn't realistically release games on the format, simply because there are too many consoles already out there which couldn't play the games. I don't think it's feasible to release the games in two versions. So it's really down to movies. Being Microsoft and thus being interested in the general computer market as well, having a downloadable video marketplace would benefit them as it's easily transferable onto the traditional computer market, I'd assume.


didnt they release PC games in 2 packaging (CD and DVD)? For some reason I remember them doing that for like 5 years or something. Now it's just one SKu at the store. If they did that, it would buy them enough time to release the next system in 3-4 years with a Blu-Ray drive in it.

[heybtbm]

I don't see MS adopting blu-ray for the 360 at all. They're too concentrated on the successor to the 360. The 720 (or whatever it ends up being called) will probably have a blu-ray drive. What other choice do they have? DVD just doesn't have the capacity.

In short: The 360 is already on its way out. MS isn't going to be adding anything to it for the remainder of this generation.

[MachineGex]

Since Bluray has been announced as the winner, a lot of people have said they are gonna buy a PS3 so they can play movies. I would think MS may want to release a Bluray add-on in order to cut into the PS3 sales. That may keep some 360 owners from buying a PS3, keeping the customer away from sony is a good reason.