Should Microsoft Release a Blu-ray Addon for Xbox360 in 2008?

if blu-ray ends up winning, then yes.

Agreed and it's certainly looking that way at the moment, but I still think HD-DVD will be around at the end of 2008 and it's just going to create confusion if M$ release another add on drive to play blue ray but not HDDVD before HDDVD is dead. So on the basis of that I said no they shouldn't release one in 2008, if the question was should MS release an addon drive capable of doing blueray and HDDVD, my answer would be without question yes. People would be far more likely to "jump in" then, Microsoft should never have taken sides in this disc war between Toshiba and Sony, however they subscribed to the art of war quote "The enemy of my enemy is my friend".
Worth noting with all this, the blueray drive has not helped PS3 sales much in fact it's probably been to their detriment.
(fixed spelling)

i think m$ did a smart thing by having the hddvd drive seperate from the console, that way no matter which format wins they can always change it. however sony is kinda screwed with having the blu-ray built in. and would be devastaing to them if it fails.
but in the long run it may help sony if things go they're way, even now some games are being made to take advantage of the extra disk space available on the bluray format

i guess only time will tell

Hmm but on a purely blu-ray player type scenario?? (which is all we're talking about with the 360). Micrsosoft have repeated over and over again they will not release games on HD disc format this gen, we're probably talking about a handful of games that would use that much space, eg Blue Dragon. I think the next xbox model will almost certainly have bluray / HDDVD drive standard in the box, in fact I hope it does both bluray and HDDVD (or the oposite of whichever one dies).
Got a bit off topic there sorry, I do feel bad for all the 360 users out there who bought the HDDVD addon drive. I held off simply because I don't actually have a HDTV and I'm of the opinion HDDVD has already lost in Australia. I would have considered buying one of the addon drives had Toshiba done the right thing in AU but they bumped off their distributor to AU just at the start of the HD war (stupid). They've only just started pushing out some HDDVD titles in AU in the last 3 months or so, where as bluray has been everywhere.

Doesn't make sense since Microsoft's focus seems to be HD downloads via live and the fact that they are still supporting HD-DVD. If both of the others tank though it would make sense but for one fact. I don't see MS paying royalties to Sony for the technology (which they would have to).

I voted no, mainly because I think the 360 is far too noisy to be a media player, I also already have a PS3 for BluRay which is far quieter. The 360 is a games machine and currently the best one, which is what it should concentrate on being.

might as well

i want a built in blu ray player no more addon crap holes lol

To add to my last comments, if MS insist on having a HD player then why not just add BluRay to the HD DVD drive making it dual format? I believe this is the future anyway, my new PC drive suppports both.

For me it depends , I would like to see a drive sure why not, but how much would the drive cost $300+ or more? or we talking a drive thats under $200.

If the drive is $300 , why would anyone buy it especially if its just a strait up bluray disc player. You could invest your $300 into a ps3 and even add a bigger game libary to your home and have a bluray blayer for what $99 more.


The only way M$ would benefit from releaseing a bluray drive is if it was a dual format drive and fliping the bird at everyone who already purchased a hd-dvd drive.

I also believe M$ is just the company to do this to , flip everyone the bird who bought the hd-dvd drive they already did to people who purchased older 360's by releaseing one with Hdmi.

I debated on what to choose for this poll.

On one hand, blue-ray = eh. Yes, I'm slightly bias towards HD-DVD and the Microsoft platform. I don't even own a Playstation, Playstation 2, or Playstation 3 because I'm not very fond of Sony's gaming products. And because the PS3 incorporates a blue-ray player, I tend to tie the two together and hate both.

But, if I step back from my opinion and look at it rationally, if blue-ray wins (Which some declared it has).. then I guess it would be the better economic move to bring a blue-ray add-on to the Xbox 360. We all know the Xbox 360 is the better gaming platform (..not biased opinion.. completely truth. lol), so bringing the "best" of HD movies to the "best" gaming system just seems smart. It would appeal more to the masses and increase both Xbox 360 sales and blue-ray sales.

Having a dual-format player would probably be a good way to go as well. But if they we're strictly going to release a blue-ray add-on, it'd have to be at a price that competes with a similar spec'd PS3.

(fyi, I selected "yes")

I would like one if the price is right. Otherwise if its $300+ just buy a damn PS3.

jesterrace777 is right. They'd never do it. Even if they added DLC to allow an external BR player not made for the 360 they'd still have to pay something to sony. (one would assume)

I personally don't think they should do it.

I bought the addon when it came out over here, just cos i love being up to date with the technology. I only had king kong until transformers came out. I had been waiting eagerly for it. JB Hi-Fi started selling HD-DVDs and not just blu rays when transformers was released. Anyway, after watching the movie, i was a bit disappointed. The picture wasnt 'perfect' as they say, and i could see noise/specks on the picture. The sound was 100%, no doubt about that. Im using a 40" Samsung 1080i LCD. Anyway, just the other day, i got the ultimate bourne collection for $80 (from JB- bargain!). I put it in but once again, it didnt look the best and i was pissed off.

So i decided to try the VGA cable i had to see if it did anything, and what do u know, it did! HD-DVDs look absolutely perfect now, the 360 will upscale DVDs, and games even look better! I didnt think component was that bad, but this cable has improved everything! Problem is, i only have the 1 vga input on my tv, and thats what my comp is in, so at the moment im switching, till i can sell my 360 and buy one with HDMI.

Component cables shouldnt be that bad, but to be honest, on a screen like mine, they are. If anyone else is having quality problems, try a VGA or HDMI lead. It seriously makes EVERYTHING look better, and you'll be amazed at what your 360 can do. I thought it was good before and the visual defects were just the 360's limits, but it turns out it was the cable. It seriously feels like i've upgraded the console...

IF (1) HD DVD becomes obsolete and (2) MS can make money with a Blu-Ray player then YES they will make one...however 2008 may be too early for such a product depending on how HD DVD responds to the recent studio defection news...

The Blu-Ray drive mechanism costs more than HD-DVD.

That being said, I don't think you'll see a Blu-Ray add-on for less than $250.

Personally I think it would be a better idea to spend the $400 for a PS3 if you're already going to be spending $250.

If they sell it for under $200 it would make a good add-on.

I hate both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray. i just dont see the point in upgrading now. maybe in 5 years or so yeah but for now i will stick with my upscaling Region free dvd player

Yes they should. might as well for someone who has money to blow. in my opinion normal dvds are just fine. hd and bluray are nice but at this point a waste of money.

Even at $135 with 9 free movies? Just bought another A3 today myself and it's fast approaching the price where it could easily go for mass acceptance if we can just get a little more support for it and inform the public that buying into the Sony marketing scheme is a BAD idea. For those of you who like sticking it to Sony though there is a possibility:

. . .360 owners in general who would like to see continued support for HD-DVD, feel free to make your voice heard. It's gained enough steam now to be posted on several of the high-def forums out there. If for no other reason then at least the tiniest chance to ensure that the anti-consumer folks over at Sony aren't put in charge of the next generation format. I dunno about you folks but I wouldn't mind continued support of high-def content on ultra cheap players. Good news is that both Paramount/Dreamworks and Universal seem pretty solid in their commitment to HD-DVD right now and there are some best selling titles slated for the first quarter from both and they have some excellent releases coming up later in the year.

. . .360 owners in general who would like to see continued support for HD-DVD, feel free to make your voice heard. It's gained enough steam now to be posted on several of the high-def forums out there. If for no other reason then at least the tiniest chance to ensure that the anti-consumer folks over at Sony aren't put in charge of the next generation format. I dunno about you folks but I wouldn't mind continued support of high-def content on ultra cheap players.

if they don't they will lose sales to the ps3

i am already seriously considering buying a ps3 just for blu ray

i bought the hd dvd add on and now it's not the futurr format.

i almost bought a ps3 last weekend but didn't wanna carry it around the shops. when i went back to the shop to get one, it had closed for the night.

Don't do it, HD-DVD for the win, I don't trust polls for this sort of thing anyway, very inaccurate lol, but even if Blu-Ray win I think they should stick to Video Market Place.

Agreed. That was the reason why I said no to this poll.
I have a HD-DVD addon; I love it, but I would get a hybrid player add on in a heart beat.

Someone start an online petition for a hybrid 360 add on!!

Agreed.

I had planned to buy the HD-DVD addon but after the Warner Bros news I've decided to wait until shops start to REALLY drop the price. I'll still be buying one its just a case of when the price is right now. I'm happy with HD downloads and DVDs for now and don't feel the need to rush out and spend crazy money on a Blu-ray player.

Personally, I don't care either way, from a consumer stand point; I already own a PS3, so Blu-ray is covered. I'll purchase the HD-DVD add on for the 360 (don't worry fanboys, I owned the 360 first) because I want Serenity, Batman Begins, V for Vendetta and Transformers in HD.

However, for those who don't want to purchase a PS3, I think Microsoft should make a Blu-ray drive. They don't have to pay Sony directly, they pay the Blu-ray Disc Association, a group of 250 different companys.

Blasphemy

not IF
WHEN

Hell yeah thay should as half the films i want are on blu ray not on HD-dvd (I do have the addon) and I refuse to pay £400+ for a player and am concidering getting a PS3 just for this as its the cheap option to getting bluray

I heard somewhere there was a 3 layed HD-DVD in the work's, so would that make up for the extra disk space Blu-Ray has???

im surprise so many are willing....


guess this place is not some crackhead FAN boy site.

I'm completely for Microsoft's stance on not incorporating an integrated high-definition drive into the gaming console. In the long run, it seems to make much more sense to have it external. Drive lasers have life expectancies. Sony incorporating a high-definition movie drive into a gaming console ensures us that the laser life expectancy is just cut in half, meaning half the time playing games before it craps out, and you need to send it in for expensive repairs, or buy a new one (granted you watch as many movies as the games you play).

Microsoft, on the other hand, seems to be working towards preserving the drive and console as a gaming machine with a significantly longer life expectancy (setting aside the RRoD crap, which will hopefully be phased out by the end of 2008).

Granted Blu-Ray wins, I don't think Microsoft should worry with creating a mixed-media high-definition drive, or an external Blu-Ray drive. Instead, I think they should stick with what they're supposed to be good at, and work hard at making the download-able media great. I don't particularly like the way it's being handled, with DRM and what not, but if there was a DRM-free future with the ability to purchase media and maintain it, permanently on a storage device, I would be greatly pleased.

Imagine my modified xbox1 as a high definition media player, with all of my movies easily accessible right from my hard disc drive... That's what I want.

The life isn't going to drop a whole bunch because it can play movies. Many people use their PS3 and 360s as their DVD players anyways. By the time the drive dies, the system will be cheap enough to buy another.
Everyone on this site is so biased. I own both a 360 and PS3 (360 since launch, PS3 this summer).
Everyone here is very biased and probably wouldn't admit that the PS3 has a higher build quality and even a better value for your money (the system itself, not including games).

I hope blu-ray wins, and it will, and once it does Microsoft should make an add-on so that all the anti-PS3 kids can get a good deal on a blu-ray player.

If Microsoft wanted HD DVD to win, then all they would need to do is put the drive in the console, and leave teh price where it is. Nearly all of Blu Ray's hardware sales are from the PS3, and the PS3 sales are crap for a console, but good for a Hi-Def DVD player.

i own 360/ps3 and infact have 10 hd movies and 1 bluray..

so im not that fussed..but imo HD is better

What if instead they released a HYBRID that plays both formats as well as DVD?

What a load of rubbish. Someone who is a movie fan may not play as many games. Some people that play games only play twice as many games as others. Total Anti Sony BS.
I don't like add ons but i vote for a BR add on if MS can make it pay and it gives extra choice to consumers.

the majority of the workload for the hddvd player is done by the 360 itself, perhaps the 360 could be taught to do bluray without another external drive,otherwise this would be silly. could you imagine having 2 external drives for your 360 ?micro$oft has done wierder shit before though.

I guess the line in the parenthesis



is invisible.

a better poll would be "how many of you that may have bought an HD player for the 360 would also buy a blu-ray player for it too?"

From the Jeff Gerstmann blog. And I totally agree with him:


Warner Goes Blu-Ray - Does Anyone Care Yet?
January 5th, 2008 at 3:55 pm

So while I was hanging out in the pitch-black darkness of my power-free home yesterday, Warner Bros. made it known that they were going to drop support of HD DVD in favor of Blu-Ray this May. Here's the full press release, for those of you into this sort of thing.

This is somewhat similar to the announcement Paramount made last year, when it dropped support for BD in favor of HD DVD.

I'm sorry, but I'm still having trouble caring about either format,, especially as it relates to the video game console "war." When I'm buying a movie, which is happening less and less often these days, I'm will choose one of the HD formats when it's available, but I feel like this entire business is rapidly becoming less and less relevant to more and more people.

We live in a world where low-quality streaming YouTube videos bring in millions of hits. Where people download bootleg videos that were shot with a camera pointing at a movie screen and are, for the most part, satisfied. Where torrents of complete seasons of television, compressed down to sub-broadcast quality, are often easier to get than the real, licensed products. Is video quality of the 1080p variety really a concern for the general public? Is anyone running out and buying new TVs just so they can watch Superbad in 1080p? I don't think so. As far as I'm concerned, HDTVs are primarily for video games and cable/satellite programming that you can't get any other way, like live sporting events. The whole "better version of this movie" thing is just a bonus.

Don't get me wrong, I'll usually try to choose the highest quality format available, and I own both an Xbox 360 HD DVD drive and a PS3, so I'm equipped to go either route, if necessary. But plenty of people out there want it fast and without hassle. And as time goes on, the path of least resistance is going to be a download (legal or otherwise), not buying or renting a disc in some next-generation video format.

So my stance on this whole thing is that this is a battle for videophiles on the fringe of the disc-buying public. And as bandwidth speeds increase, enabling faster transmissions of higher-quality video, this whole battle over which disc is better is going to become increasingly silly and pointless.
Posted by Jeff Filed in TV/Movies

m$ will if hd dvd totally fails, which i doubt it will

Already done. Samsung and LG both have standalones that do this but the cheapest one runs about $600 so it really isn't practical. Problem that I see is that right now there really is no cost effective way for them to even make a Blu-Ray add-on and make it worth it over the PS3 or a standalone.

I think they mean "add-on", since "Addon" refers to one of the persons named in Neh. 7:61 who could not "shew their father's house" on the return from captivity.

Seriously, I think Microsoft should put more time into making XBOX 360s that don't malfunction and at the same time reduce the MSRP of the 360 so I can just go buy an HD-DVD / Blu-ray Disc hybrid player.

If Blu-ray is the clear winner, they shouldn't release an add-on. They should release a new SKU to compete against the PS3 and have the drive internal. Even better if they made it a dual-format drive.

Yes, one can dream can't they??

I honestly think MS is just going to ride the Xbox 360 out and leave it with all it's short commings and then release a whole new console in 2010-2011. Do you honestly think the 360 was designed with more than a 5 year life span?? I don't.

They should offer a dual format player, then I could give a sheit what format wins.

how cares I have a PS3 for that

Blu-Ray has won. Paramount Pictures and Warner Brothers both signed up for Blu-Ray. The format wars is over.

But I do see ads for Sony VAIO PCs that reccomend Windows Vista Home Edition.

It just kinda makes things feel silly.

What evidence do you have that Paramount went Blu-Ray?

Well they can always make a dual player (Blu & HD DVD)