Will the Blu-ray/Xbox 360 rumour ever go away?
Microsoft had denied it until it was blue in the face (and still is), but the latest rumour suggests that the demise of HD-DVD, has finally led the company to sign a deal to bring Blu-ray to Xbox 360.The report, from Chinese-language newspaper Economic Daily News, claims that Pegatron Technology, an OEM subsidiary of Asustek Computer, has secured the order and will be shipping the Blu-ray equipped console by September, 2008.
According to Parm’s recent article on Blu-Ray “sales figures from the NPD Group state that sales of standalone Blu-ray players fell a substantial 40 per cent from January to February” and “after the demise of HD DVD, sales rose just 2 per cent from February to March, significantly lower than expected."
It's been cited that the poor performance of Blu-Ray may be due to the high price of players and the Blu-ray films, but it's now rumoured that - if the news that a Blu-ray is coming to Xbox 360 is true - then a price war may be sparked between Microsoft and Sony and the knock-on effect could be that Blu-ray players and films may also see price cuts.
Good news all round, IF it's true.
According to Microsoft though, it's not. Talking to Gamepro, a representative has been quick to step forward and deny this latest information saying that "games are what drive consumers to purchase game consoles, and [Microsoft] remains focused on providing the largest library of blockbuster games available."
Will the Blu-ray/Xbox 360 rumour ever go away? Is Microsoft covering up its real intentions? Do you even care anymore?
Source :: Bink.nu, Gamepro