Monday, December 5, 2005
Why Didn't Microsoft Ship the Xbox 360 with an HD-DVD Drive?
Posted by Jason Dunn in "THOUGHT" @ 10:23 PM
"We keep hearing that Sony will have Blu-ray support in its upcoming PlayStation 3. And various tech pundits and content distributors keep touting that Blu-ray will be the eventual winner in the next-gen DVD battle, due in no small part to PS3's aggressive future adoption. So, why didn't Microsoft ship their new game console with an HD-DVD drive as standard (HD-DVD drives for PCs have been on the market since November) and get a leg up on the competition? Remember: Microsoft has publicly announced that they back HD-DVD as their high-definition DVD format of choice."
My own opinion on this is that the answer is twofold: first, the cost. Microsoft is already losing $130 or so on every Xbox 360 that comes off the line, and adding an HD-DVD drive would further add to the bleed. Second, there's still no content, and thus, no reason to sink their teeth into the format. The tech world is all hot and bothered about the next-gen DVD format, but the rest of the buying public could care less - and they won't care for a few more years, if that. I think Microsoft made the right move. What do you think?
My own opinion on this is that the answer is twofold: first, the cost. Microsoft is already losing $130 or so on every Xbox 360 that comes off the line, and adding an HD-DVD drive would further add to the bleed. Second, there's still no content, and thus, no reason to sink their teeth into the format. The tech world is all hot and bothered about the next-gen DVD format, but the rest of the buying public could care less - and they won't care for a few more years, if that. I think Microsoft made the right move. What do you think?
