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Rumour-mill :: Blu-ray equipped Xbox 360 will ship September

by Steven Williamson on 6 May 2008, 11:01

Tags: Xbox 360, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Xbox 360

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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


HEXUS Forums :: 10 Comments

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This rumour won't go away until it actually happens.
Next thing they will be painting it black and calling it a pony.
Personally I'd like to see it happen, and would certainly sell / trade in my current 360 for a blu ray equipped 360. I wonder if perhaps a hybrid drive could be developed with two lazers? One to read blu ray and the other to read dvd. Which I think is much the same way the combo drives offering hd dvd and blu ray in the same unit work?
Well hybrid drives do exist

LG GGC-H20L Lightscribe SATA 16xDVD±R + RWx8/-RW x6 Also READS - Blu-Ray & HD Disc's black - Retail

Don't know if you could make then cheaper by dumping the write features though
IF the 360 with Blu-ray becomes a reality, then MS really need to think of a major update for the console. Improved cooling, mods to motherboard, would be pointless adding the drive without thinking about these.