Microsoft has said it will not be developing a Blu-ray add on for the Xbox 360, and will be concentrating exclusively on digital downloads for content distribution.
Until recently Microsoft had been selling HD DVD add-on boxes for the gaming console and after Toshiba threw in the towel on the technology analysts and industry watchers had expected a Blu-ray equivalent.
But in an interview with Reuters Aaron Greenberg, group product manager for Xbox 360, denied there were any plans to do so and said the company was betting on downloads as the way forward in media distribution.
"Xbox is not currently in talks with Sony or the Blu-ray Association to integrate Blu-ray into the Xbox experience," he said.
"We're the only console offering digital distribution of entertainment content," Greenberg said. He added that Microsoft would be sticking to this model, even for downloading high-definition content.
Overall he expected worse Xbox sales than the competition for February because of lack of stock, but promised that production was now ramping up.
"We definitely expect we will trail in February as a result of our supply constraints," Greenberg said.
"By April, we will be in a very healthy inventory situation."
This will come in time for the release of the eagerly awaited Grand Theft Auto 4 game. Although the game will be available for both the PS3 and the Xbox 360 the version for Microsoft's console will feature exclusive content.
© Incisive Media Investments Limited 2010, Published by Incisive Financial Publishing Limited, Haymarket House, 28-29 Haymarket, London SW1Y 4RX, are companies registered in England and Wales with company registration numbers 04252091 & 04252093
Do you agree?
Downloading movies is the present and future! on XBOX
XBOX 360 and Movies, This is a Sweet combination that is unmatched!!: HD movies top out at about 4 to 5 GB, and the DVD quality movies are about 1.6 GB .
Excerpt from website: ?An average HD movie download should be between 4-5GB, and a two hour SD movie would be 1.6GB.
An average 1 hour (44 min) HDTV download should be about 2.2GB, and an average 1/2 hour (22 min) HDTV download should be about 1GB. A 1 hour SDTV download should be about 600MB, and a 1/2 hour SDTV download should be about 300MB.
I can say from personal experience; over my Time Warner, Road Runner, Cable modem which functions roughly at a 4Mbps download speed, it takes about 5 minutes (if that) before you can start watching your movie. (It continues to download while you are watching the movie. And the Xbox has the ability to download movies, Games, Game Demos, Movie Previews, TV shows, Etc in the background while you are playing games or watching something that you have downloaded.
The information is out there, and the features are out there, the Xbox?s dashboard and its features are updated regularly.
And let?s not even talk about Netflix gearing up to let you use the console as a place to view their movies choices.
Using Microsoft?s Xbox Movie download features you do not have to start your car (high Gas prices?) to get a movie from Block Busters, or Best Buy, nor do you have to wait for it to arrive in the mail. True Movies on demand is what Microsoft and the Xbox are currently offering and have been since 2006 (physical medium is on its way out, note the rise in IPod and digital downloads of music?)
Netflix would offer a very attractive pricing model that has worked in the mail delivery model and I believe would also work very well on the download on demand model.
Posted by Rich Baker, 24 Mar 2008
X Box vs Blu-ray
Quit pouting and let it go. You lost. Not everyone is capable of good enough high speed internet so as to get a decent downolad or for that matter a fast one. Who wants to wait for hours to play a game or watch a movie cause the connection to the web is slow or is split too many times. Lack of bandwith will be the cure for Microsoft. They just never learn. I wish I had that kind of money to throw away!
Posted by Alan, 18 Mar 2008
Downloads are the future??
Assuming your average HD movie will be 20Gb, my 4Mb/s broadband will take something like a day to download it. So I'll severely tick off my ISP, quickly fill the inadequate hard drive, and waste days getting there. Maybe in a couple of years it will be feasible, but not now. Blu-ray is the future, HD DVD is dead. MS just needs to get over it
Posted by Mark, 17 Mar 2008
Poor Decision
I think its a poor decision taken by Microsoft, PS3 was already beating xbox in features provided in the console (wifi, web broswing etc). Now with no Blu-ray drive, PS3 definately has a edge over xbox 360.
Posted by Janpreet, 17 Mar 2008