Microsoft Kiboshes HD DVD Rumours
You're out of luck if you're waiting for an internal drive. Or at least that's the line.
With Sony shoehorning a Blu-ray drive into every PlayStation 3, the rumours persist that Microsoft will go down a similar road and incorporate an HD DVD drive into the Xbox 360.
The chatter has been louder lately after a Toshiba representative told ITWeb in Australia: "I would imagine that there are plans in place to put an HD DVD drive internally in future revisions of the product."
Microsoft was quick to shoot down this talk and insisted that the only way people are going to be able to play HD DVD discs on the Xbox 360 is through the external drive, which is planned for release later this year.
"We feel that offering the drive externally is the best way to give consumers the ultimate choice to create their own high definition experiences," a Microsoft spokesperson told Game Daily. "We have no plans to release the Xbox 360 with an internal HD DVD drive."
Microsoft has repeatedly had to batter down rumours such as this. The official line is that the Xbox 360's drive will be external only and will only be used for movies, unlike the PlayStation 3, which uses the internal Blu-ray drive for both movies and games.
Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games
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