360 Could Swap HD-DVD for Blu-ray
A week after the first bombshell announcement comes equivocation of sorts.
While many people are still struggling to find all their favourite movies on DVD, the battle for home entertainment's next generation is raging already. Just days after announcing an add-on HD-DVD drive for the Xbox 360, Microsoft has said that adding Blu-ray support isn't out of the question.
Sony's Blu-ray, standard in the PlayStation 3, looks a strong contender to come out on top in the battle thanks to ever-growing support from film studios. Microsoft, on the other hand, has thrown the Xbox 360's heft behind the competing HD-DVD format via an external drive.
It's this external nature of the next-gen optical drive, due later this year, that is giving Microsoft the ability to perhaps in future offer an alternative.
"Since we're using external drives [for next-generation media], we can change as the market changes," Microsoft's Peter Moore said, according to a report at news site Gamasutra. "Sony can't do that. If Blu-ray wins, that's a big chance for Sony. But if Blu-ray fails, it will be a considerable blow for them."
So what are you supposed to do? As happened last time things got this heady, when Beta and VHS went at it, early adopters of either format could get burned. If movies are high on your console buying criteria, the safe money is on waiting, but then what fun is that?
Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games
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