AfterDawn: News

Microsoft downplays possibility of HD-DVD equipped Xbox 360

Microsoft, one of the world's best known software firms and the company behind the Xbox 360 console, has downplayed the possibility that future releases of Xbox 360 which include a next generation optical disc drive. Microsoft spokesman reminded the media that Microsoft has not yet announced any plans related to the rumors. "Microsoft, in both America and Japan, has not announced anything regarding the possibility of a next-generation DVD drive being placed in the Xbox 360," he told IGN.

"There are currently no plans to release an Xbox 360 equipped with a next generation DVD player." he added. Japanese news agency Jiji made a report recently that Microsoft was set to release a version of the Xbox 360 console that included a HD-DVD drive. Concerns from game developers have been spreading as many claim they are struggling to fit games on DVD-9 discs.



Two major Microsoft names, Bill Gates and Yoshihiro Maruyama have indicated in the past that it is a possibility we will see a next generation disc drive included in a future release of the Xbox 360. In August, Gates said the company was "looking at whether future versions of Xbox 360 will incorporate an additional capacity of an HD-DVD player or something else". Maruyama said last month too that it is a possibility but most likely just for playback of movies, not games.

Sources:
IGN
The Register

Written by: James Delahunty @ 15 Dec 2005 7:30

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• 20 comments

• nuttin_88

  they better make that drive external or alot of 360 ownwers aren't going to be happy, especially the ones that payed way more than they were supposed to.

  15.12.2005 07:57 #1

• Lethal_B

  ~If people paid way more than they were supposed to, that's their funeral..
  
  ~If they were to incorporate the HD-DVD, then all the Xboxes made from that point onwards would be integrated with it. I believe they will create external support for those with Xboxes that don't have the HD-DVD tech in them ~
  
  Either that or they will do a trade-in deal for your older Xbox (or even a hardware upgrade~)

  15.12.2005 08:44 #2

• anubis66

  i knew it. i told so many people. no one believed me. they said it was gay. i told everyone dev teams were complaining about space and now its true and released.

  15.12.2005 11:02 #3

• Ofnir1

  A lot of people knew about that, who have you been to talking to?

  15.12.2005 13:43 #4

• Rikoshay

  Hehehehe! Sukas! If they wanted a HD-DVD integrated in their 360, too bad! They're gonna pay up the @ss to MS for something that should have been supplied from the get-go.
  
  It's the same with every-single-thing-ever-made! Only 1 or 2 months passed, and they create a brand-spankin'-new product to satisfy your craving for "NEW!" Give me a break.
  
  They did the same thing with the PSP, The PC, ect, ect. Just freakin' wait for cryin' out loud! Go outside for once! Go to a museum, get some exercise, and don't turn out like me, who lives in front of the PC monitor till I pass out from radiation poisoning!! LOL
  
  Patience should be used more in schools, and not just on "Wondershowzen".

  15.12.2005 15:55 #5

• lxhotboy

  I have heard that if Microsoft does have an external device for the 360 later that it is just suppose to be for the movies and not used for the games. We will have to wait and see though. One thing is for sure though, if they do eventually decide to make it for the system then there are going to be a lot of pissed off 360 supporters who are going to have to spend extra cash out of their pockets for the external drive or add on drive. Now if that does happen and the fans get pissed b.c they have to pay more money out, I think that may turn out to be more of Microsoft's funeral. I have been online and seen diff voting results as to which system most plan to buy and the 360's fanbase did not look so good, especially for the fanbase in japan but that is to be expected. You never piss off your fanbase that backs and follow your console. Piss off your fans and your system will have problem selling in the future. Dont believe me then look at what happened to the Dreamcast. My friend bought one and it was a tight system but no developers wanted to make game for it and no one really wanted to buy it b.c of the failure of the sega saturn that was released prior to the dreamcast. They lost their fans with the saturn and it hurt a really good console in the dreamcast. Microsoft would be better to do as lethal B suggested and release all the systems made from this point out with the new drive and then just suck up the loss and replace those previous systems sold without the drives with a newer model.

  15.12.2005 18:31 #6

• PirateDan

  First thing first there are still two sides fighting to have their's the next gen format winner.
  If Microsoft chooses HD-DVD and everyone goes with Blu-Ray then Microsoft becomes the Sony Betamax of the 21st century.
  Which is why Sony is fighting so hard to have theirs the winning format. They don't want to be a loser for the second time.
  Also its been a rumour that I have heard a few times that game companies are having trouble exploiting the Blu-Ray technology.
  Meaning that it is costing them lots of money to have systems to design games for it.
  Now once the money is spent for equipment to design and make these games. It would become cheaper each time to make new games.
  But there is nothing that says that everyone would go with Blu-Ray. And if everyone don't, then now the company is stuck with equipment that can only be use for one platform.
  

  15.12.2005 19:52 #7

• dubire

  its the same a bringing out a car with 3 wheels and then bringing out a car with 4 wheels they know what they are doing all the time and there is a lot of $$$$$$$$$$$$ to be made from this

  15.12.2005 22:56 #8

• Ofnir1

  Well of course the fanbase isn't that good in Japan, the games for the XBOX360 don't appeal to many of them. I've rarely seen a Japanese person play an fps and considered buying it, but thats just what I've noticed. I do own FPSers, but I'm more in to air combat games and RPGs compared to FPSers, and I still haven't played Lethal Skies cuz I keep playing Ace Combat lol. I'm not really rootin for the 360 though, I've never really wanted the first, unless I get the chance to mod it of course lol. I gotta hand it to M$ when it comes to the online experience though, it's like none other. I do hope Sony does a better job with the online part for the PS3.
  

  PlayStation 2 [version 7]
  80GB HDD
  Swap Magic 2.0 w/ custom slide card
  Memory Card Exploit
  
  Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan war comes out in 2006!!

  16.12.2005 00:01 #9

• Rikoshay

  Ace Combat is fun! I remember playing AC2 on the PS1 :).
  
  I don't know though, Sony and Microsoft have made huge slip-ups in the last year, and it seems this won't be settled until the other consoles come out. I say other because I hate the fact that everyone ignores the Revolution altogether. I think I'd prefer a Revolution over a 360, because they are opting for new and original equipment, like the PS3 is trying to do.
  
  I would say that it was the rush to get the 360 out there before everyone else would be the overall importance of this console war. It'll either help them make more sells with numbers sold, or it'll break them with the lack of stability and possible fixes (like this) that it causes.

  16.12.2005 15:51 #10

• spctorres

  I understand what everyone on this board is saying but you fail to realize what things look like from the developers side. If they make a game that's on a hd-dvd disc then alot of gamers won't be able to play it. Yet if they chose not to then they are really going to have to edit some of their projects. Can you just imagine grand theft auto on 2 discs? Their are just going to be alot of users that just aren't going to buy a new drive. Look at the sales of sony's ps2 hard drive, the developers chose not to embrace it. So i think that you should be asking yourself WILL THE DEVELOPERS EMBRACE NEW HD-DVD 360'S OR WILL THEY CONTINUE TO USE DVD-9.

  16.12.2005 21:09 #11

• lxhotboy

  Good point. They probably wont b/c developers are also going to think about the fact that some may have the HD DVD and then the next person will not have it. Therefore if they decide to ever use it they would only be able to market those HD DVD games to the select who upgraded to the new drives. They would be loosing a lot of sales that way. Risky way to market a game if not everyone on the console is able to play the game. Some developers might not want to take that risk.

  17.12.2005 04:53 #12

• Reasons?

  They will undoubtly add it in, internal or external for movies sake. Economics, thi console won't go another two out of the five years without being able to play HD movies, come on, a little common sense here.
  
  But what the head of MS in Japan said, is that games will continue to be on DVD, as not to screw the first few million buyers.
  
  I think that will change, in a year two or three they will have the games on HD-DVD and offere an extrnal drive to the older Xbox 360s. It will probably be discounted too, as not to piss people off.
  
  I just can't see a game console go 4-5 years without games going onto he next standard of media, it's obvious.

  17.12.2005 06:16 #13

• Rikoshay

  I keep thinking about the fact that people would have to buy an external instrument to play HD-DVD, and I personally wouldn't want to do that. It's so unrealistic to have something hanging off the side of your new awsome system, it just doesn't appeal to me. They need to hurry up and create a version 2 that incorperates the HD-DVD drives in them, and just take back all the ones they realeased too soon and replace the drives with the new ones. Not only would it look kind of bad, but the fact that it's external and would need to be installed through USB or Firewire would decrease the speed of the drive to the system, thereby creating slower speeds in return.

  17.12.2005 17:07 #14

• Reasons?

  lol, the bandwidth of USB 2.0 is 480mpbs, HD-DVD will only require a fraction of that at operational speeds, but will handle 8x 10x 12x+ speeds. I think AVC video will be about 24mbps in HD. The drives can't even utilze USB 2.0's capacity yet.

  17.12.2005 19:29 #15

• Rikoshay

  Very funny to know that, but if they do use it for gaming then that might be where it becomes a liablity.

  18.12.2005 00:34 #16

• Reasons?

  I bought two 360's, and if they do introduce games on a new 360 using HD-DVD, I'll be furious.

  18.12.2005 09:11 #17

• j0j081

  "First thing first there are still two sides fighting to have their's the next gen format winner. If Microsoft chooses HD-DVD and everyone goes with Blu-Ray then Microsoft becomes the Sony Betamax of the 21st century."
  It wouldn't be that bad, the hd-dvd drive would still serve it's primary purpose which is games regardless of who wins the dvd movie format war.

  18.12.2005 18:26 #18

• Ofnir1

  I haven't played any of the PS1 platform Ace Combats yet, I'll have to look for them. I remember playing AC04, and it was the first air combat game I ever played and I couldn't get off of it lol.
  
  Hey I haven't ignored the Revolution, I'll be getting that one after I get a PS3.
  

  PlayStation 2 [version 7]
  is in California getting modded with a DMS4 PRO
  by teammodders!
  
  Get 'em all Mercury 1!

  18.12.2005 18:48 #19

• Reasons?

  Blu-ray and HD-DVD are both storage media. One is no tfor games and th eother for osmehting else. And, which ever wins the movie war, will win everythign else in the end, liek PC games, will be on BD-R not HD-DVD.
  

  Formerly "cmmnsense", banned for lack of restraint.
  
  Fanboy is a term used to describe someone who is utterly devoted to a single subject. This generally is followed by the devotion and support even when proved wrong.
  
  Anecdotal, by my definition, it's the way too many people here think. It's also all the evidence you have.
  
  Xbox 360 GT: NEGATIVE 273K
  
  Socom 3?: I'm 01001010001, ask if you need a clan, must be good. Rank doesn't matter, higher kill than death ratio does.
  
  My advice: Wait for PS3.

  19.12.2005 09:11 #20