Microsoft and Blu-Ray
HD DVD has been having a rough time lately, and now that Wal-Mart has pulled HD DVD, it’s pretty much over. Microsoft needs to respond.
Here’s the situation that millions of Xbox 360 owners are in: We want HD movies. Nobody’s going to buy an HD DVD drive for the 360 now, and HD movie downloads, while attractive, are only available in the US. And you don’t get the extras that you get on the Blu-Ray discs.
The best Blu-Ray player is a PS3.
If Microsoft doesn’t introduce a Blu-Ray drive for the 360 soon, a lot of current 360 owners are going to buy a PS3 to use as a Blu-Ray player. I know I’m thinking about it.
February 18th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
While I agree Microsoft needs to come out with a blue-ray player for xbox360, I don’t think they’ll lose sales of xbox to ps3 ‘cos people need a blue-ray dvd player. For one, ps3 is way more expensive than a regular blue-ray dvd player. Also, I don’t think people were buying xbox360 just to be able to play hd-dvd movies.
February 18th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
The cheapest Blu-Ray player at Future Shop is $399 (the Samsung BD-P1400), and that’s the price of the 40gb PS3. Plus, the PS3 is more likely to be able to accommodate Blu-Ray profile updates through a firmware update than the dedicated player. The PS3 is a better Blu-Ray player than any standalone player.
It’s not about Microsoft losing Xbox 360 sales to Sony.. but if a consumer spends $399 on a PS3, that’s money that Microsoft isn’t making on a Blu-Ray drive for the 360.
March 2nd, 2008 at 9:22 pm
I own the HD DVD addon for the 360 but I’ve jumped on the “HD DVD is dead” bandwagon. I will probably buy a PS3 as my BluRay player and I have absolutely 0 interest in the PS3 for gaming, I don’t plan on buying a single game, ever.