Re: Lite-On developing BD-ROM drives for Xbox 360, sources say

sbmess, yeah really. And the fact that PS3 games come on Blu-ray would complicate their playback on a regular DVD player

That Deadmeat guy was the same person on hidefdigest who said that XBox was introducing a new version with a HD DVD player built-in, but couldn't show it at CES because of Warner's announcement. But it would still come out according to his "inside" sources. Just keep your B.S. meter handy!

Microsoft is not going to support Blu-Ray with the 360. It makes no sense to me, they're willing to add BR to their computers, but not their consoles, but whatever. It's clear that M$ doesn't need BR to survive in the gaming industry. Case in point, how many people that bought PS3s are actually buying PS3 games? Not many. And not only that, but look at the games that are available on both the 360 and the PS3. There is very little, if any, difference between the two versions of the game. So maybe, just maybe, BR isn't as great as we're being told it is. If it's so superior, then how are developers able to produce the exact same product on the same number of discs?

But getting back on topic... If M$ was going to release a BR drive for the 360, then they would have announced it within a couple weeks (if not days) of Toshiba's announcement of the death of HD DVD. Adding that to the fact that they have stated several times that a BR drive is not coming, it makes no sense that anyone is still talking about this. It's not going to happen. And it really doesn't matter. If you're a gamer, you're probably going to want a 360 or a Wii, if you want BR (and maybe a very casual gamer) then you'll want a PS3. That's what the sales figures have shown anyway.

It will be interesting to see how video games continue to evolve as far as space requirements. So far I don't think there is a difference between the graphics on games available on both XBOX 360 and PS3. But, I've read many articles noting that there are games coming out that will take huge advantage of the added storage space (such as MGS4). When they're actually released, these titles will tell us if it's all just bells and whistles using the space or if they actually raise the bar for graphics and gameplay.

Yeah Fumbled its crazy Microsoft has blu ray on "their" computers.
Its even more crazy that Microsoft lets Sony make "their" computers and they won't let them make an xbox.

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Aren't all PS3 games on Blu-ray discs? That would make it one hell of an expensive PS2!

PS3 games can be put in DVDs instead.

99% of PS3 games can be put on a DVD. GT5 Prologue is 1.9 GB large and DMC4 is 5 GB large.

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That Deadmeat guy was the same person on hidefdigest who said that XBox was introducing a new version with a HD DVD player built-in

This was confirmed by Amir Majidimehr(ex-Vice President of Microsoft HD-DVD division) at avsforum. Xbox 360 HD-DVD Edition is an open-secret at avsforum. What's confirmed by Amir Majidimehr.

1. Yes. Xbox 360 HD-DVD Edition was real. This was confirmed by both Amir and a Blu-Ray insider.

2. Furthermore, Bill Gate's planned demonstration of Xbox 360 HD-DVD Edition during his CES 2008 Keynote speech was pulled at the last minute due to Warner bombshell.

3. Furthermore, Amir confirms Microsoft doesn't do business with Lite-On. That pretty much alone kills Xbox Blu-Ray rumor.

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according to his "inside" sources

When the source is Microsoft's head of HD-DVD division, they are as accurate as they can be.

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Microsoft is not going to support Blu-Ray with the 360. It makes no sense to me, they're willing to add BR to their computers, but not their consoles

Microsoft's Blu-Ray support is limited to adding drivers to Windows. No playback support.

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But getting back on topic... If M$ was going to release a BR drive for the 360

Already denied.

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It will be interesting to see how video games continue to evolve as far as space requirements. So far I don't think there is a difference between the graphics on games available on both XBOX 360 and PS3.

There is a massive difference between two, if you played multiplatform games on both machines.

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But, I've read many articles noting that there are games coming out that will take huge advantage of the added storage space (such as MGS4).

Japanese developers tend to fill up the disc with prerendered cutscenes, whereas western developers use real-time cutscene and their disc space requirment isn't large.

If Microsoft is to release a console with a built-in Blu-ray drive it'll be until its next generation console and that'll be only if BD is stablished as the only next generation format. If by the time the next generation consoles come out (in about 4 years) DVD is still as strong as 75% household base (which it'll be a long stretch), I'm sure M$ will still release a DVD-format console or even maybe develope its own proprietary DVD media like Nintendo did for the Wii. M$ has nothing to loose by not having a BD drive add-on at this point in time.

Game consoles primary function is still to play games, not to watch movies. If anyone wants to challenge that, just ask Nintendo if they have problems by not having DVD playback. Nintendo is producing almost 2 million consoles a month and selling them all worldwide every month. As a matter of fact, people still line up in some stores at 6 am (2 to 3 hours before opening) to get their hands on a ticket to buy a Wii. Not bad for a 1 1/2 year-old console which doesn't play SD-DVD's, much less BD.

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Yeah Fumbled its crazy Microsoft has blu ray on "their" computers.
Its even more crazy that Microsoft lets Sony make "their" computers and they won't let them make an xbox.

What are you guys talking bout? M$ is the bussiness of making software, not PC's. Did I miss something?

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If Microsoft is to release a console with a built-in Blu-ray drive

They don't plan to.

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it'll be until its next generation console and that'll be only if BD is stablished as the only next generation format.

Microsoft might consider it as data-storage format only(no movie playback possible due to Java requirement) if Sony sells them the drive for $20, all royalty included. Given that current ROM drive royalty alone is $30, this is not possible.

If not, there are half dozen Taiwanese and Chinese drive venders willing to sell 20 GB drives for $20 each.

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I'm sure M$ will still release a DVD-format console or even maybe develope its own proprietary DVD media like Nintendo did for the Wii.

A propritary $20 drive format is the most likely outcome.

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PS3 games can be put in DVDs instead. 99% of PS3 games can be put on a DVD. GT5 Prologue is 1.9 GB large and DMC4 is 5 GB large.

Why would Sony release a PS3 that can't play any of the PS3 games that have been released so far? That makes no sense. Right now I would agree that most existing games don't take advantage of Blu-ray capacity, but long-term this might be a real advantage to the PS3.

Wii-Lite
Thats my point, for some reason people like Fumbled think Microsoft has complete control over the hardware market even though they don't. The fact that he thinks its hypocritical that there are pc's with blu-ray is laughable.