Microsoft denies Xbox 360 Blu-ray reports yet again
Filed under: Blu-ray, Other hardware, Others
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
dman @ May 5th 2008 1:58PM
How biased of an article!
"Right -- which totally explains your prior relationship with HD DVD."
yeah because the relationship with HD DVD worked out SOOO well, right? Ever think maybe MS doesn't want to make the same mistake twice?
Ryan J. @ May 5th 2008 2:06PM
Umm... biased towards what?
Andy @ May 6th 2008 4:53PM
They cant make the same mistake twice. The point was there were competing products then, but there aren't now.
And even back then they could have added HDDVD for games or at least integrated, adding a ton more players into the market, the way Bluray did.
WebDev511 @ May 5th 2008 2:08PM
Um, as I recall, Microsoft's relationship with HD DVD was just a tiny bit more tangible than it currently is with Blu-Ray.
I don't think anyone will be able to predict how well a blu-ray 360 would be received, but at least there wouldn't be too much doubt about it being the dominate physical HD format.
It will not be an add on drive like the HD DVD debacle (MS didn't include it in the Elite because ??? ) It will be built into the August refresh of the console.
If (when) it happens, Sony will have yet another "win" in next gen consoles. The first was the HDMI licensing fee. Granted they won't be making as much off a 360 than MS, but they will be making something off each 360 sold.
Galley @ May 5th 2008 2:12PM
Microsoft will soon abandon the DVD format and produce games exclusively on BD. The new model will be known as the Xbox 360 BD.
See how easy it is to start a rumor?
Mr. E @ May 5th 2008 2:55PM
Change "soon" to "holiday season 2009" and I would believe you, 100%.
What's interesting about Microsoft's wording is they specifically denied "a Blu-ray drive". The latest rumors were about an Xbox 360 with *built-in* Blu-ray. Methinks their denial is either carefully or sloppily worded, depending on whether you believe this rumor or not.
andy @ May 5th 2008 5:08PM
Mr. E, you're dead on. She said "won't release a 'drive'".
In August, it'll be "well, we didn't say anything about not releasing an all new 'xbox 360 theatre' version".
Pip @ May 5th 2008 2:24PM
Kind of pointless as a Blu-Ray player because the system is too loud, even when you're not playings games. The fans are not whisper silent, which is needed for anyone series is investing in movie playback.
WebDev511 @ May 5th 2008 10:04PM
Well, that puts the PS3 right out of the running because it's not silent either.
If MS does a die shrink of the cpu, gpu and memory, redesigns the power supply and throws a revamped heat pipe system into the enclosure it won't be nearly as loud as existing models. In fact it should be quieter than the Elite, as it only incorporates a smaller die cpu.
Matt @ May 6th 2008 10:10PM
Well, you obviously haven't played the most recent versions. I had an original, which I still have and it's ridiculously loud and runs much hotter. The new chip models are much quieter and cooler.
andrewgreene @ May 5th 2008 2:27PM
All of this BD on 360 speculation is quickly moving into the "I'll believe when I see it" realm.
TheDave @ May 5th 2008 2:31PM
Microsoft would be STUPID not to make a Blu-Ray player for the 360.
So many people are buying PS3's ONLY because it plays Blu-Ray's. Even 360 owners. If Microsoft wants the 360 to have a good chance of becoming the best (current round) video game system. They will HAVE to add this.
Otherwise Sony will win out, but only because of the Blu-Ray capability.
DMeglio @ May 5th 2008 2:38PM
People may buy the PS3 because of BD, but I don't think it will hold true for the XBox. Everyone I know who bought a PS3 as a BD player gives me one reason why: the current standalone models suck and nothing but the PS3 can be upgraded to Profile 2.0. Once Profile 2.0 players are mainstream and SA models improve, people won't be buying the PS3 for movies anymore.
By the way, when I said this article was biased before, what I was implying was that, this site has been so pro-Blu-ray it's amazing. I thought it would end after HD DVD died, but it hasn't. Instead it morphed from the "Blu-ray is better than HD DVD" to the "let's spread tons of pro-Blu-ray rumous" how many times has this XBox nonsense been posted? Then there were the Toshiba Blu-ray player posts, etc. Why can't you guys just stick to the facts? At this point, until MS announces Blu-ray support, I won't believe it.
Nfinity @ May 5th 2008 2:44PM
Well you have understand that Sony pays Engadget a lot of money man. They give them products to review and stuff like that so they have to be biased.
All you have to do is see how many posts are Sony-related on Engadget and you'll get the picture. Add to that, a fan based bias by authors and it's clear what's going on.
This is what Sony has been doing a while now. Not only with review web sites but with retailers too.
And people wonder why many dislike them. Microsoft does the same but Engadget is most definitely not one of the "favored" sites for MS. That's why you see all this speculation stuff. That's famous Sony tactic.
joe @ May 5th 2008 2:51PM
Nfinity,
Thats in interesting idea. Sony is one of the biggest techmakers worldwide. I would expect to see a lot about their products because they make a lot. I see them a ton on other gadget sites also.
I also don't see how publishing an official denial by MS of a BD XBOX is slanted.
I do see that they punched up the pr man a bit based on the previous drive,or lack there of, on HD-DVD support.
Nfinity @ May 5th 2008 3:16PM
Joe that doesn't make sense.. Sony is not the biggest technology maker on the market, you have so many other companies that make and sell more stuff then Sony, not to mention even better quality. They are among the biggest one yes, but Samsung for example is bigger. If you compare just the revenue from both you will see that Sony doesn't even come close to Samsung and is up there with Matsushita etc.
Sony is just more recognized brand name and they use the influence at retailers and now online sites to dictate how their products are presented. Surely if you post bad review about anything Sony, they will not advertise anymore and will most likely cut you off and not give you future products to review.
When you see that Engadget and other sites get most of the user base by reviewing these products it's obvious to understand where the bias comes from.
So essentially we live in a world where reviews are becoming more biased because you can't paint your advertisers and payers in bad light because you will dig your own grave.
It's the situation that's not only represented in sites like Engadget but you will see this issue being raised with Gaming magazines, online gaming sites etc etc.
Spiza @ May 5th 2008 4:03PM
I guess nfinity has never read joystiq.
Joe @ May 5th 2008 2:51PM
MS seems more than a little schizophrenic with the 360. Sony has always had a clear vision of the PS3 and Nintendo has had the same with the Wii.
MS has rushed the machine to market and tries to say that non gaming media is completely unimportant all the while moving into digital movie downloads and adding media extender capabilities. They also supported HD-DVD then said that spinning disk media is a dead end.
I find it more than likely that they will integrate a BD player in the 360 once the drives are cheap enough. If only because it would take a talking point away from the PS3 and be inconsistent with their current talking points.
It's been out for over 2 years now, MS really needs to get their act together on the 360.
Nfinity @ May 5th 2008 3:05PM
What you just wrote makes no sense whatsoever.
If anything we can see that both Nintendo and MS had very clear vision of what their consoles will be.
Microsoft developed Xbox Live system that offered from the get-go never before seen multiplayer connectivity with users and marketplace elements. Except for HDMI Microsoft didn't change anything about the console SKUs either. Sure it renamed them when HDMI equipped versions came out but in essence it kept 3 core SKUs. HDMI is not a feature per se. It's just a convenience for users who want less cables. You don't really lose anything or gain anything by not having HDMI.
The idea was clear. Make a great gamer console with extension to home media entertainment second.
But let's take a look at Sony PS3. It came out in 2 SKUs at ridiculous pricing. Then they took one SKU out, left only 60gb. Then they took out features like partial backwards compatibility and introduced $100 cheaper version because of it. Then that wasn't enough, but they sliced even more features from the PS3 and cut out memory card, total backwards compatiblity and USB ports and released a 40gb version. Then they had one type of controller, now they are shipping another type of controller.
They have no idea what to do with multiplayer, so they started building this Home thing, that you don't even know what it is. It's like a virtual thing that I don't think anyone will really use.
The reason of course is because they were totally unfocused, unprepared. They were fighting too fronts and wanted to get money from Blu-Ray so they came out late, COMPLETELY unprepared, PSN and store is a joke, even now and so many other things.
How you see that Sony was focused from the start and Microsoft wasn't is really beyond me.
I mean you REALLY have to be drinking Sony Kool-aid to make statements like this.
Jon @ May 5th 2008 3:11PM
Clear vision .. Um ok .. Clear vision to make and sell great Bluray players , which is why i still own my launch unit , to watch blurays .. Whatelse does it do ?
xemumanic @ May 5th 2008 3:24PM
Nfinity, this is the ONE statement, you have ever made, that I fully agree with. Every word you have said about the consoles is absolutely factual, and without bias.
See? Its not that hard.
In addition, if MS did anything wrong, its this whole RROD deal. The system wasn't rushed to market I don't think, but it still stinks of it because of the timing of its release, a year before the competition. Compare both the PS1 and PS2, they have similar issues with their drives (ever had to play a PS1 upside down to get it to read discs?) where nearly ALL PS1 systems, and just about every PS2 system, will suffer drive failure. IMO, especially with the PS1, the percentage of systems with drive failures were worse than the RROD.
Another failure was not using HDMI 1.3 (the HDMI 360s use HDMI 1.2) when they added it. Other than that, as a GAMING SYSTEM, the 360 is excellent. The 360 has games games and more games. Note that all the media playback and such is software only, even the HD-DVD playback, save for the actual HD-DVD drive, of course.
I own both the 360 and PS3, and I use my PS3 as a (very excellent) media playback box, but very little as a gaming system. The 360 however, I play games on it just about everyday.
Spiza @ May 5th 2008 4:14PM
Ken Kutagari had a clear vision for the PS3, but Sony didn't agree after the slow start. Of course, now the PS3 is outselling the 360, and Crazy Ken is not looking so crazy anymore.
I think both consoles were rushed, but the PS3 was more rushed as a reaction to a planned rush of the 360.
Joe @ May 5th 2008 6:51PM
Nfinity,
You are pretty offbase.
Live is a good service.
HDMI is about as relevant as multiple usb ports.
The XBOX 360 comes in a version without a hard drive. This cripples Live.
It obvious now that MS wants everyone to use live but at launch it wasn't important. Same as the online. What can you do with downloads on a memory card. Both Sony and Nintendo saw the witting on the wall with the xbox 1 and included integral storage.
The 360 HD-DVD add on was firm support of spinning media,or a big FU to their consumers. Even this required the hard drive to meed the hd-dvd storage spec.
It comes down to MS designed a great gaming system and has tried to bolt on media extender and play abilities to that framework and keep going back and forth on it. At launch it was less capable than the xbox1.
EngadgetHD seems to be loosing my comments today so I give up. Lets see if this one comes up.
TreyIM @ May 5th 2008 2:59PM
First off, I own a PS3 but I don't hate on MS. Too grown and mature to be all in that console war non-sense. NEITHER of these companies are paying ME to play their games, feel me? Nor do I have some sort of stock or stake in either so I'm not taking it to that silliness.
I do think, though, that there is something called catching up with technology where MS NEEDS to adopt this, if they can. The storage space, alone, is something that they need to produce more "evolved" games especially since there is no longer going to be that dual layered or whatever HD-DVD. Dude's statement about the movie is just plain dumb and childish to make that a point. I was shocked to read that but, eh, he's human...
Pip said something about the noise levels of the 360 and I have heard that from people and heard it, first hand, as well. Good point about that in regards to playing movies on that thing. MS did a rush job on that system, in my opinion, and that's why it red rings and sounds terrible when compared to a PS3. I wasn't the biggest Sony product fan, but they out did themselves with the PS3 with the reliability, durability, and quietness. Please don't take that as a flame cuz I know many of u immature 360 fanboys will love to make it that, with immaturity at it's finest.
xemumanic @ May 5th 2008 3:31PM
Quote: I wasn't the biggest Sony product fan, but they out did themselves with the PS3 with the reliability, durability, and quietness.
They truly did. They even seem to have fixed the issues that plagued the PS line in terms of drive issues as well. But there just aren't very many games to play on the PS3 that I cant play on the 360 is better form, for less money. So that reliability is sorta a mixed bag.
This isn't a troll, or fan bait or anything, but.............my 360 has RROD twice, and it sucked to be without it for so long when it was out for repair because there's actual worthy games to play on it. My PS3 however, collects dust if I'm not watching Blu Rays or DVDs, and I wouldn't be so put out by it being out for repair because I don't use it for much gaming.
Basically, what I'm saying is, as much as I love my PS3, its not as a gaming system, and I'd rather it be suffering from something as bad as RROD if I had as many games to play on it as on the 360.
Achilles @ May 5th 2008 3:18PM
Toshiba and Sony have teamed up to start Super Duper Red-Blu, a format to end all other formats and the prices will start at 199.00.
So easy to start a rumor.
:)
Bluemanrule @ May 5th 2008 4:31PM
The one omitted comment about HDMI is that the addition of it allows DVD to be upscaled to 1080p. This can't be done via component cables. At any rate, MS is in prime position to "Wow" the gaming market this summer, without the implementation of HD media drives & capabilities.
The Newton controller, Netflix partnership, enhanced Live interactivity via a spring update all amount to a lot of beef on Microsoft's plate. MS needs to prove that it does have a strategy in place for the last section of this generation. All three need to stay focused. Let us examine:
Sony - Said vibration was "last-gen" technology; brought it back
Sony - Said backwards compatibility was CORE to the brand; took it out
Nintendo - Said they're about new ways to play; copies Xbox live multiplayer structure
MS - Said HDMI wasn't important; reconfigured all models to include it
MS - Said they're about games; Added Divx & Xvid compatability and HD-DVD drive to market the "multimedia center"
Spiza @ May 5th 2008 6:22PM
Nintendo didn't copy live. Nintendo's online sucks with all the friend codes. Live was inventive. Its just what microsoft does, they took what was already out there already, combined it into a lukewarm package, and released it for the masses that don't care if its not as good, but that its easy.
Ron @ May 5th 2008 4:56PM
Engadget loves putting articles like this up and watch everyone go Lucille Ball over it.....you are people are fun to read hahahaaa..
lawschoolbound @ May 5th 2008 5:33PM
MS has to deny the rumors or else everyone would stop buying the current model and just wait for the new one. But it sure would be sweet to have a new model with blu ray. Especially if they add in some 45 nm processors, which would help with the fan noise and maybe even drive down the cost enough to offset the blu ray drive so it remains around $350. Sure would be sweet.
carg0 @ May 5th 2008 7:17PM
Bullseye, Lawschool.
It's good to see at least one person with something intelligent to contribute, unlike the rest of these *&^ing 12 year-old's whining about which console is 'better'.
the response by MS was of absolutely zero consequence, niether confirming nor denying the reports concerning Pegatron Technology. they basically ignored the original question and gave a standard, vague response to another which free's them from any culpability should they actually announce a blu-ray drive enabled 360 in the future.
comineeyeaha @ May 5th 2008 6:57PM
In my short (2 month) time working at Best Buy recently I sold more ps3's to old people than actual blu-ray players. If microsoft put one in the 360 and, bear with me, actually included a web browser they would be offering very steep competition for the ps3. And that's just if you consider the movie playback functionality.
We could play if's all day long though, it's probably never going to actually happen.
Nfinity @ May 5th 2008 8:27PM
Joe,
I think the only one offbase in this discussion is you.
Live is not a good service, it's an excellent service. It revolutionized the way we play games online and community with people not to mention get additional content. No other content provider has this type of symbosis.
You can hate them for it, but it's a simple fact. I have both and I simply enjoy using Xbox 360 for online experience. From movies, TV shows, to communicating to your friends, IM-ing, Media Center and so much more. The only ones who are again limiting the HD movie experience with Xbox Live are the studios not MS. Otherwise we would already have a completely awesome way of getting HD content.
I'm really interested to see how you base your logic where you compare the HDMI to USB. HDMI provides you pretty much nothing but another way to connect your Xbox 360 to your TV. As Engadget also said HDMI 1.3 Deep Color crap is just hype and nothing else. No benefit. Other then that you would gain nothing with HDMI but better cable management.
On the other hand USB is a device connectivity port. Lacking ports means you can connect less devices to your PS3 and if you want to use more then default 2 now, you will need to buy a USB hub that will again cost you between $25-$45 or so.
The one has nothing to do with other.
As for Xbox 360 coming without the drive, it's pretty ridiculous. It doesn't cripple Live. Basic live functions are working, the only thing you can't do is download movies and TV shows or game demos. Actually you can, you can download to USB memory stick but you don't need to. Primary function of Live is not to offer demos and movies, it is to connect people and allow great multiplayer and achievement environments.
The idea of having cheap SKU was completely valid one. A person who buys the cheapest Xbox 360 most likely won't spend Live points to buy TV shows. And if they do, sometime in the future, they have the ability to buy a hard drive. They don't even have to buy it, they can still use USB or Memory cards.
Third, HD DVD add-on was an ADDON. That's it. It wasn't forced on consumers. You didn't need it for games. It didn't take away anything from an Xbox user. It added value of course, just like anything else does with accessories. How you can see this as big FU to consumers I don't know.
But, let me ask you, what would you do if Warner flipped to HD DVD and HD DVD won. This was an equally possible scenario at that time. What would you do with Blu-Ray? Could you justify the premium you paid for the console that literally gives you nothing because we already see that you need to install Blu-Ray games to your hard drives because the drive is almost unbareably slow. It's a most recent concern and a valid one. I have to wait 10-20 mins at least to install almost every game I get for my PS3. That's absolutely ridiculous for a game console. What happens when you have 10-20 games? Do you have to keep buying bigger drives?
I don't even know what you are talking about when you say that Xbox 360 was less capable then Xbox 1? Are you joking? Media Center capabilities were present from DAY 1. Pretty much everything I use on Xbox 360 was accessible at launch (well they didn't have MSN messaging and social networking aspect of it with friends-of-friends approach and they revamped the user interface several times to accomodate users to easier find their way around) and the only difference really was that they kept pumping up content at Marketplace. At the beginning the Marketplace was pretty empty, but that was to be expected. You look at Marketplace now and you realize that they have almost EVERYTHING you wish.
To say that Xbox 360 had same feature-set as Xbox 1 is absolutely laughable. That's some really ignorant commenting
Spiza @ May 5th 2008 11:50PM
Personally, live is crap. I've got better tools on my PC.
D@n @ May 6th 2008 5:52AM
Oh I wouldn't say HDMI provides you with pretty much nothing.
Digital video and audio neatly wrapped in a single cable? Pretty handy I'd say.
=)
joe @ May 6th 2008 12:42PM
Nfinity,
Like I said live is a good service. I have friends who use it a lot more than me so I defer to their opinion. Being long time PC gamers live does some nice things.
It's no revolution unless you count the selling of micro-transactions.
The USB Sony uses is nice and standard. It rare that you will need more than 2 devices connected at one time. I have used 3 when charging a controller while transferring files between an external hard drive and a camera. I could have just use the controller wireless.
You can not use usb storage on the xbox360 like you said without using a hacked console or hacked memory card. MS incorporated quite a fair bit of Drm to ensure that standard devices could not work.
You are very confused about the expandability of the xbox360. It absolutly can not take flash or usb devices. The hard drives are only available from MS at premium prices in sizes of 20 or 120 gb. For a gaming system this is fine but this is not good for a media system.
You are also right. Had Sony lost the BD war I would have felt that I over paid for my PS3. Boy am I glad that didn't happen! That would suck and would have been right.
I also doubt that you have an xbox 360:
1 Why would you buy any games for the PS3 when you have a 360, the games that have installs are all cross platform. Given your preference for live and Sony hate it doesn't fit.
2 You think you can use usb storage devices on the 360.
Spiza @ May 6th 2008 12:47PM
Deez, I'll give ya the fact that neither Sony or Nintendo have done a decent job with online. I guess if you ignore the better PC options for gaming, then live is good. But if you ignore the better Live options for consoles, then Nintendo and Sony don't look so bad. In the end, I like Sony's model better though. They are at least allowing user generated content at a much higher level. I just don't see myself paying for maps, mods, skins, servers I can't control, voice that I can't control, etc. Live puts so many limits on online gaming when you are coming from playing online on the PC for almost a decade.
Gus @ May 5th 2008 11:24PM
Isn't MS supposed to be working with Toshiba and Panasonic with regard to DVD 2.0?
Supposedly DVD 2.0 is to include MS's HDi and have increased disc capacity. IF this is the case, wouldn't it make more sense for MS to include this drive and receive HDi royalties rather than support sonys BR and pay sony roytalties??....... especially with the current, almost dormant state, of BR, it's not exactly setting the world on fore now is it.
Time will tell I guess though, money talks and lots of it has changed hands so far in the HD war, I guess if MS was to receive a payment in the vicinity of the rumored Warner payment and or maybe a royalty free arrangement could be struck, the 360 might indeed sport a shiny new BR drive, it modernizes the 360 and that maybe would be just what sony needs to really kick start BR.
Blake @ May 6th 2008 5:35AM
Yeah! Cos a 360 HD-DVD did wonders for the format!
LMAO!
GhostDoggy @ May 6th 2008 7:30AM
Considering the lengths I had to go to in order to resolve heat issues while playing HDlite video games on the 360 (even when room temps were below 60ºF and the unit in open space, not on carpet) I doubt I'd spend a dime on making it capable of playing Blu-ray.
Now, this isn't to say the PS3 is any better, because my 60GB NTSC version PS3 is generating noise from the cooling fans as well. I can only hope both Sony and Microsoft learn that function over form is better then spending millions on repairing and replacing hardware due to poor cooling designs.
Thamix @ May 6th 2008 9:38AM
Heared that there is going to be a Bluray drive installed internally in the Xbox by November/December, this is confirmed to my source by Microsoft.
The only reason they deny is to keep people from waiting untill this new model comes out, before purchasing a new xbox 360. Now they keep a healthy salesout, and are able to clear their stocks before announcing this new model officially.
eric @ May 6th 2008 11:07AM
Heard in a top-level executive briefing at Microsoft...
Ballmer: "Now that we have given up on Yahoo!, what is our next move?"
XBox division head: "We're in negotiations to buy out 3D Realms. If we succeed, we'll be able to release Duke Nukem Forever along with Windows 7. That way we can more readily explain the delay of Windows 7 for at least the next 15 years."
****Chair crashes through window.****
retro77 @ May 6th 2008 2:01PM
My theory: They are going to have a Blu-Ray drive in the next X-Box, the 720! Ya if turning completely around once wasn't fun enough, then turning around twice will be completely off the charts.
Adis @ May 7th 2008 12:20PM
WOW. they found a unit without the red rings.....
BigHill525 @ May 8th 2008 10:05AM
I definitely think MS is missing the boat. I am a huge fan of my Xbox 360 but once MS announced (repeatedly) that they had Blu-Ray plans for the 360 I bought a PS3 ONLY b/c it is a blue ray player. I've bought 6 blu ray movies and 0 games for my new PS3. MS dropped the ball big time in my opinion.
BigHill525 @ May 8th 2008 10:07AM
...Meant to say the MS annoucned that they had NO plans for blu-ray support.