Will it ever end? XBOX 360 Blu-Ray - Rumors all over the 'Net

[PianoMan]

MS of course denies it, but here I go again - holding my breath...

 

[I4AT]

If they do announce a Blu-Ray attachment they better let us HD-DVD owners exchange ours for at least a good deal of credit. That's a smack in the face of everyone who supported their platform to go and pimp the competition's.

 

[Cabages]

Tomorrow?

If so, they are trying to steal WWDC thunder.

 

[herkulease]

Originally posted by: Cabages
Tomorrow?

If so, they are trying to steal WWDC thunder.

What thunder? Seriously. That is how the rumor started. MS wanting to upstage WWDC. What purpose does it serve? Why not just wait for E3? Apple has nothing to do with the console wars anyhow. Why waste a bullet point on a day when the press is not paying attention.

Don't you think they want to announce something like this when all the press is focused on them so they can write about it?

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

Thunder? Do you understand what is going to happen tomorrow? A Blu-ray player is not something that would be coming out of E3, a gaming tradeshow.

 

[herkulease]

Originally posted by: ChAoTiCpInOy
Thunder? Do you understand what is going to happen tomorrow? A Blu-ray player is not something that would be coming out of E3, a gaming tradeshow.

I can careless what apple announces tomorrow. whether its a 3G iphone, the opening of their app store or whatever Jobs will reveal after his usual "...and one more thing" deal.

It gives Microsoft zero benefit to announce a bluray drive tomorrow. the press will be focused on apples event. If apple were to reveal something huge like say they are gonna sell start selling Mac OS by itself like how microsoft does it with Windows the announcement of a bluray drive for the 360 will be lost then the pleathora of stories from WWDC.

A bluray drive whether it'll be built in or as an add on will be for the 360 which is a game console. It makes more sense to reveal it at a show dedicated to games where people can go oooh and ahh at it and talk about it afterwards.(even though it isn't really that big a story to me)

 

[biggestmuff]

Originally posted by: I4AT
If they do announce a Blu-Ray attachment they better let us HD-DVD owners exchange ours for at least a good deal of credit. That's a smack in the face of everyone who supported their platform to go and pimp the competition's.

:roll:

Yeah and they better let all current owners exchange our DVD-based systems in for a new one.

 

[nsafreak]

Eh whether they announce one tomorrow or at some other point in the future I really do not care. Sure I'd like to have a Blu Ray add on for my 360 but I'm not going to plunk down $180 (or more) on it right away. I'll wait a while until there are some good deals on it. I strongly doubt that they'll make it only available as a built in for new 360s as some have speculated since they have a large established userbase with standard 360s already they'd have more people to sell to.

 

[Muadib]

Originally posted by: biggestmuff

Originally posted by: I4AT
If they do announce a Blu-Ray attachment they better let us HD-DVD owners exchange ours for at least a good deal of credit. That's a smack in the face of everyone who supported their platform to go and pimp the competition's.

:roll:

Yeah and they better let all current owners exchange our DVD-based systems in for a new one.

 

[Modeps]

Originally posted by: Muadib

Originally posted by: biggestmuff

Originally posted by: I4AT
If they do announce a Blu-Ray attachment they better let us HD-DVD owners exchange ours for at least a good deal of credit. That's a smack in the face of everyone who supported their platform to go and pimp the competition's.

:roll:

Yeah and they better let all current owners exchange our DVD-based systems in for a new one.

I expect... nay, DEMAND this to happen!

 

[darkswordsman17]

Originally posted by: I4AT
If they do announce a Blu-Ray attachment they better let us HD-DVD owners exchange ours for at least a good deal of credit. That's a smack in the face of everyone who supported their platform to go and pimp the competition's.

Blu-Ray isn't the competition anymore since HD-DVD if f'n dead. Personally, I couldn't care less if MS makes a Blu-Ray 360. Would an add on like the HD-DVD drive be nice? Sure, but it's not going to matter to me one way or the other. I just wish that if they're going to do it, they'd just announce/produce the damn thing already as it's getting annoying having to put up with rumors every other day about them making it (and then them denying it, so that someone else can release a rumor about them making it as if it's proof that they really are).

 

[biggestmuff]

If the announcement is a Bluray Disc drive, it'll have to be one that's integrated into a newly designed 360 in order to fully take advantage of the BD audio formats. Specifically, True HD and PCM, as not all current 360s can play those formats or do they have the physical connectors to output them.

If it is an add-on, then the audio will have to be down-converted to only output DD 5.1. I guess it would depend on the price point if I'd get it or not.

 

[Queasy]

link

Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division, has denied fresh speculation that the firm is gearing up to announce a Blu-ray enabled Xbox 360.

Xbox 360 Blu-ray rumors have begun circling the internet once again. One site claims that Microsoft will announce its decision to back the high definition format on Monday at 9am PDT in a bid to upstage new product announcements coming out of the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference, and that a Blu-ray enabled Xbox 360 will hit the market this side of christmas. Not so, according to Microsoft?s Bach.

?Our plan continues to focus on high-definition experiences. Xbox 360 has a great ability to deliver those through the Xbox Live service. It's a great way to get the high-definition concept because it's right there. There's no additional media. There is nothing you need to purchase,? he told SFGate.

?If you look at the Blu-ray player market, you haven't seen the acceleration everybody expected (since the demise of HD DVD). It's not as much about whether all the content is in a Blu-ray format or a HD DVD format. You have to look at how fundamentally compelling the difference is between a progressive scan DVD player and the picture that it can produce and what you get on a high-definition player. The reality is there is some difference, but most people look at it and say, 'I am not going to pay extra for that.'"

So no plans for Blu-ray in the next generation Xbox?

?There is nothing to even talk about right now with regard to the next generation. That is so far out that there isn't anything to talk about.?

 

[mugs]

Suppose MS does come out with a Blu-ray drive. Suppose it's $180 like the HD-DVD drive was. For an extra $120, you could have gotten a 40 GB PS3 last week at Walmart (yeah the $100 discount was in the form of a gift card, but a Walmart gift card might as well be cash, assuming you can use it on anything in the store like I've read).

 

[oznerol]

Originally posted by: mugs
Suppose MS does come out with a Blu-ray drive. Suppose it's $180 like the HD-DVD drive was. For an extra $120, you could have gotten a 40 GB PS3 last week at Walmart (yeah the $100 discount was in the form of a gift card, but a Walmart gift card might as well be cash, assuming you can use it on anything in the store like I've read).

Haha, man I love speculation threads.

Suppose MS releases the BR drive for $300. Suppose PS3 fanboys laugh at the ridiculously high price. Suppose all the 360 fanboys realize their lives are meaningless and kill themselves. Now suppose one of those fanboys would one day cure cancer. Now suppose that the man who would one day create peace in the Middle East died of cancer at a young age. Now suppose MS, hurting from poor external BR drive sales, realizes they cannot compete in the console business, and announces that there will not be a new console after the 360. Now suppose Yousaf Gillani, the leader of Pakistan, was a big Halo fan. Suppose he then blamed Israel for the fall of Xbox and thus declared nuclear war on them. Now, of course, you need to suppose the US would have to get involved in said nuclear war - but without a MS console creating quality FPS games, the entire US military would be poorly trained - thumbs in terrible shape. And finally, suppose the inevitable WW III, a nuclear holocaust ending all life on this planet.

Thanks a lot Microsoft. You ended the world you greedy fucks.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: ducci

Originally posted by: mugs
Suppose MS does come out with a Blu-ray drive. Suppose it's $180 like the HD-DVD drive was. For an extra $120, you could have gotten a 40 GB PS3 last week at Walmart (yeah the $100 discount was in the form of a gift card, but a Walmart gift card might as well be cash, assuming you can use it on anything in the store like I've read).

Haha, man I love speculation threads.

Just saying, I wouldn't expect this to be a great value. Considering that they sell a 120 GB hard drive for $180, you're dreaming if you think a Blu-ray add-on would be less than $150.

 

[Oyeve]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: ducci

Originally posted by: mugs
Suppose MS does come out with a Blu-ray drive. Suppose it's $180 like the HD-DVD drive was. For an extra $120, you could have gotten a 40 GB PS3 last week at Walmart (yeah the $100 discount was in the form of a gift card, but a Walmart gift card might as well be cash, assuming you can use it on anything in the store like I've read).

Haha, man I love speculation threads.

Just saying, I wouldn't expect this to be a great value. Considering that they sell a 120 GB hard drive for $180, you're dreaming if you think a Blu-ray add-on would be less than $150.

QFT. I would rather buy a PS3 than an add-on that cost more than 150 or is incorporated only into newer console. In fact I would be downright pissed off.

 

[biggestmuff]

Any news? I don't see a release anywhere.

 

[PianoMan]

Just looked around - some times for a 10am PDT release as well, but I see nothing.

Probably another "let's go rustle up the XBOX fanbase again" ruse. :frown:

I haven't bought a standalone Blu-Ray player or PS3. A Blu-Ray 360 would be perfect for me. But, as with the past several months... I'm gonna lose consciousness from holding my breath.

 

[PianoMan]

10:30a PDT and nothing. Quick! Someone pass the oxygen - I'm gonna pass out...

Another rumor down the tube.

But the speculation discussion is always good to read up on. With all the swirl of rumors, something's gotta be afoot, you'd think... :clock:

 

[tdawg]

Originally posted by: biggestmuff

Originally posted by: I4AT
If they do announce a Blu-Ray attachment they better let us HD-DVD owners exchange ours for at least a good deal of credit. That's a smack in the face of everyone who supported their platform to go and pimp the competition's.

:roll:

Yeah and they better let all current owners exchange our DVD-based systems in for a new one.

I have a sizeable catalog of DVDs that they better exchange for blu-ray versions too!

 

[tdawg]

Originally posted by: ducci

Originally posted by: mugs
Suppose MS does come out with a Blu-ray drive. Suppose it's $180 like the HD-DVD drive was. For an extra $120, you could have gotten a 40 GB PS3 last week at Walmart (yeah the $100 discount was in the form of a gift card, but a Walmart gift card might as well be cash, assuming you can use it on anything in the store like I've read).

Haha, man I love speculation threads.

Suppose MS releases the BR drive for $300. Suppose PS3 fanboys laugh at the ridiculously high price. Suppose all the 360 fanboys realize their lives are meaningless and kill themselves. Now suppose one of those fanboys would one day cure cancer. Now suppose that the man who would one day create peace in the Middle East died of cancer at a young age. Now suppose MS, hurting from poor external BR drive sales, realizes they cannot compete in the console business, and announces that there will not be a new console after the 360. Now suppose Yousaf Gillani, the leader of Pakistan, was a big Halo fan. Suppose he then blamed Israel for the fall of Xbox and thus declared nuclear war on them. Now, of course, you need to suppose the US would have to get involved in said nuclear war - but without a MS console creating quality FPS games, the entire US military would be poorly trained - thumbs in terrible shape. And finally, suppose the inevitable WW III, a nuclear holocaust ending all life on this planet.

Thanks a lot Microsoft. You ended the world you greedy fucks.

Nice.

 

[PianoMan]

I think Blu-Ray would be a good move for MS. If it's designed like the PS3 (upgradeability and just an all-round GREAT BD player), then you've got a good selling point, similar to the PS3. I still think the game library's better on the 360 (get with it Sony! Where's the killer apps), but I'd love to have a Blu-Ray player for the living room. If it's in conjuction with a game console, double bonus!

There seems to be A LOT of coincidences floating around. Similar to corporate takeovers on the hush - you hear several rumors, lots of denials, then the announcement comes out.

We can only wait and see...

 

[herkulease]

Originally posted by: PianoMan
I think Blu-Ray would be a good move for MS. If it's designed like the PS3 (upgradeability and just an all-round GREAT BD player), then you've got a good selling point, similar to the PS3. I still think the game library's better on the 360 (get with it Sony! Where's the killer apps), but I'd love to have a Blu-Ray player for the living room. If it's in conjuction with a game console, double bonus!

There seems to be A LOT of coincidences floating around. Similar to corporate takeovers on the hush - you hear several rumors, lots of denials, then the announcement comes out.

We can only wait and see...

Not really. In regards to other companies that might be true. But Microsoft for years when it comes to rumors gives their usual, we don't comment on rumors and speculation. Most of those rumors end up true.

with bluray, microsoft comes right out and squashes it right away.

 

[RaiderJ]

I still like the idea of using the HD-DVD drive as a secondary drive for games. Game needs mulitple discs? Just plop the second one in the external drive and go!

It would bring back memories of the Apple II computers I used in grade school with multiple 5.25" drives stacked near the keyboard!