Following HD-DVD's demise, there's been a lot of speculation that Microsoft would add a Blu-ray option to the Xbox 360. The latest rumour has a subsidiary of ASUS, Pegatron Technology, making a premium Blu-ray-equipped version of the Xbox 360 that will arrive in time for Christmas. This one follows on the heels of a report that Lite-On was going to be the one making the Blu-ray drives for Microsoft's game console.
Could Microsoft be preparing a Blu-ray Elite?
If you speak Chinese, you can translate the ASUS rumour from Economic Daily News, a publication that Gizmodo calls a "Taiwanese rag". While we may not have tremendous faith in the specifics of the rumour, Taiwanese companies aren't known to keep secrets all that well (that's a gross generalisation based on a few comments we've heard from industry insiders, but we believe it). And it does seem logical that Microsoft will add a Blu-ray option to help eliminate any perceived advantage that Sony might have with the PlayStation 3.
All that said, don't expect Microsoft to put out any games on Blu-ray any time soon. With the current Xbox 360 installed base having only a DVD drive to play with, Microsoft would be looking at movie playback, not gaming.
Of course, the rumours could be wrong and Microsoft could simply put out an external Blu-ray drive similar to its discontinued HD-DVD drive offering. Or perhaps there will be a premium Xbox 360 with Blu-ray, as well as a separate Blu-ray external drive for current owners. Sounds inevitable, right?
aussie_matu
05/05/2008 05:24 PM
Hmmm would be a very wise move to make and would generate much money!
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aussie_matu
05/05/2008 05:34 PM
Hmmm would be a very wise move to make and would generate much money!
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J..
17/05/2008 03:11 PM
Man, this sounds like great news, but I won't be holding my breath. I hope by this time if these rumors ar true blu-ray movies will be down in price.
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Diamonded Core
03/06/2008 11:38 AM
great news, but I'm sure it's gonna cost a lot, might be the price of another Xbox 360.
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