• On MovieTome: See the TRAILER for TERMINATOR 4!
May 2, 2008 9:08 AM PDT

More rumors that XBox 360 will add Blu-ray drive

Posted by David Carnoy
  • Print

The current premium XBox 360 is black. Is blue next?

(Credit: Microsoft)

Following HD DVD's demise, there's been a lot speculation that Microsoft would add a Blu-ray option to the XBox 360. The latest rumor has a subsidiary of Asus, Pegatron Technology, making a premium Blu-ray-equipped version of the XBox 360 that will arrive in time for the holidays. This one follows on the heels of a report that Lite-On was going to be the one making the Blu-ray drives for Microsoft's game console.

If you speak Chinese, you can translate the Asus rumor from Economic Daily News, a publication that Gizmodo calls a "Taiwanese rag." While we may not have tremendous faith in the specifics of the rumor, Taiwanese companies aren't known to keep secrets all that well (that's a gross generalization based on a few comments I've heard from industry insiders, but I believe it). And it does seem logical that Microsoft will add a Blu-ray option to help eliminate any perceived advantage that Sony might have with the PS3.

All that said, don't expect Microsoft to put out any games on Blu-ray any time soon. With the current XBox 360 installed base having only a DVD drive to play with, Microsoft would be looking at movie playback, not gaming.

Of course, the rumors could be wrong and Microsoft could simply put out an external Blu-ray drive similar to its discontinued HD DVD drive offering. Or perhaps there will be a premium XBox 360 with Blu-ray, as well as a separate Blu-ray external drive for current owners. Sounds inevitable, right? Comments?

Source: Gizmodo via Kotaku via Economic Daily News.

Hunkered down in New York City, Executive Editor David Carnoy oversees CNET's Home and Hardware reviews, which includes all things related to home theaters, PCs, and digital imaging. He also writes his Fully Equipped column, covering the gamut of gadgets and gizmos. E-mail David.
Topics:

Home video,

Games and gear,

Home

Tags:

Microsoft,

XBox 360,

Blu-ray,

Asus,

Pegatron,

HD DVD,

Sony

Bookmark:
Digg
Del.icio.us
Reddit
Recent posts from Crave
Wilting flower dies as energy use blooms
gOS Cloud: browser-based OS for Netbooks
Machine applauds you when no one else will
Is that a zapper in your pocket or are you just a total dork?
Help choose the next CNET Prizefight: BlackBerry Bold versus...?
Add a Comment (Log in or register) 37 comments
by jmillshr06 May 2, 2008 9:32 AM PDT
It has to happen sometime. Its the future of gaming. When it will happen who knows.
Reply to this comment
by jmillshr06 May 2, 2008 9:32 AM PDT
It has to happen sometime. Its the future of gaming. When it will happen who knows.
Reply to this comment
by jmillshr06 May 2, 2008 9:33 AM PDT
It will happen sometime soon. It is the future. When who knows.
Reply to this comment
by wake1am May 2, 2008 9:33 AM PDT
::prays for external Blu-Ray::
Reply to this comment
by linadragon May 2, 2008 10:29 AM PDT
Either way we look at this knowing Microsoft it will likely knock the price of the 360 up well past that of the PS3 so the advantage will likely be a cheaper platform (unless MS takes a hit on the manufacturing costs of the bluray etc..) Also the PS3 still has some advantages such as its cell processor (which when taken full advantage of is going to do alot better) Either way its bound to happen either with the 360 or the next incarnation of the Xbox because quite frankly if they dont do something thats actually next gen format it wont keep up in future titles...
Reply to this comment
by iconoclast04 May 2, 2008 11:58 AM PDT
except the cell isn't necessarily better for gaming...plus the 360 has more memory for textures...
by linadragon May 2, 2008 12:45 PM PDT
actually due to the cells nature it could have areas dedicated to gpu operation (sort of like intels new larrabee deal)
by linadragon May 2, 2008 10:30 AM PDT
Either way we look at this knowing Microsoft it will likely knock the price of the 360 up well past that of the PS3 so the advantage will likely be a cheaper platform (unless MS takes a hit on the manufacturing costs of the bluray etc..) Also the PS3 still has some advantages such as its cell processor (which when taken full advantage of is going to do alot better) Either way its bound to happen either with the 360 or the next incarnation of the Xbox because quite frankly if they dont do something thats actually next gen format it wont keep up in future titles...
Reply to this comment
by linadragon May 2, 2008 10:30 AM PDT
Apologies for the double post!
by joshdeboer May 2, 2008 10:34 AM PDT
I bought the HD-DVD drive on Amazon for $50, I would purchase an external BD drive in a heart beat! Until the Oppo BD player comes, it would do the job!
Reply to this comment
by quality4me May 2, 2008 12:16 PM PDT
Not this time around! I highly doubt that Microsoft will add the blu-ray drive for movie playback, with stand alone prices expected to be under 200.00 by the holidays it seems fruitless for microsoft to try and put out a seperate attachment for the xbox, how much would they charge; and why would the consumer want it? I think that the rumors are circulating based on microsoft aquiring patents and technology for the next xbox, in a little over two years we probably will see pictures and information abou the next gen, the way the gaming industry is going 5 years between systems is getting longer and longer.
Reply to this comment
by Renegade Knight May 2, 2008 12:40 PM PDT
You hit the nail on the head. Blue Ray is for movie playback. I agree that it won't be for games. In the Box Top wars Game Consoles have to do it all to keep their spot by the TV. Xbox has to have Blue Ray to stay in the game.
Reply to this comment
by guido_ponz May 2, 2008 1:25 PM PDT
I think microsoft should forget Bluray and go straight ot working on getting all games to be downloaded. Doesn't that make more sense? instead of selling your competitors drive eliminate the needs for disks and save the environment.
Reply to this comment
by linadragon May 2, 2008 3:22 PM PDT
Yes it helps the enviroment but it drives up initial costs due to drive costsand if something goes awry your kinda screwed out of your game then. You also run into the problem of having to have multiple drives if you have a huge game library and its not hurting the enviroment near as much as other things are. IE we dont toss out games.
by BCF1968 May 2, 2008 3:31 PM PDT
Downloaded games? I guess if you want to only 10% of the population to use your system. Of those that have internet in America 1/4 only have dial-up. Only half have 2 Mbps or more. That's 10 hours to download a current XBOX 360 game. If they start making games larger like they can with blu-ray we're talking DAYS for ONE game to download. Also where are these game going to be downloaded 2? The largest 360 HDD is 120 GB. That holds maybe 3-4 blu-ray size games at most.
by linadragon May 2, 2008 4:08 PM PDT
Exactly my Point BCF
by Pard68 May 2, 2008 7:08 PM PDT
I heard there was some way to get Blue Ray right now... My friend said he was lookin into gettin it via a bootleg thing... they like take the HD drive and replace it with Blue Ray... prolly just a rumor but w/e
Reply to this comment
by make_or_break May 2, 2008 11:00 PM PDT
Microsoft's 360 userbase would be best served in Redmond offering an integral BD drive with the 360's replacement, and not with the current 360. A standalone drive geared specifically for movies would be better for now. Certainly MSFT can't think about offering BD-format games without totally alienating longtime 360 supporters using older 360 gear.
Reply to this comment
by rdnetto May 3, 2008 7:45 PM PDT
The drive will definitely be for movies only, but I wouldn't be surprised if the next generation of the Xbox used it for games as well. The external drive is definite if they release an xbox with an internal drive.
Those points aside, they really should try offering the ability to download a full version of *any* game via Live. There are plenty of people who would find this more convenient, and they would be able to lower the price of the games as well.
Reply to this comment
by techmulticast May 5, 2008 4:53 AM PDT
What an integrated BlueRay drive for 360? Do they really want to put money into their competitors pocket. If their competitor charge them highly per console, they might find it really tough to lower their console price and compete in near future. While their competitor, will be in a better position to cut price. MS will be stuck, pull along+paid thru their nose.
They might as well pruchase all the rights for HD-DVD now and built an integrated HD-DVD into 360. Get Bollywood, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, British, France... Movie makers to publish their HD content via their new HD-DVD. After that make all game publisher to distribute via HD-DVD too. (Forget about HollyWood, the world can still survive without them).
I do understand that future game's file sizes will be getting bigger. If they are not comfortable with high speed download, they can develope other means, example cheaper flashdrive (non-rewritable) for distribution...etc. Unless MS is intending to purchase the entire Sony, BR might not be wise.
I love my 360 as it is. If MS desperately want to upgrade something to their current version, maybe they should increase the RAM size or offer more choice of color / texture for 360, built collectable console for GearOfWar, Mass Effect, BioShock..., that would be less damaging. lol
Reply to this comment
by robvme May 5, 2008 3:23 PM PDT
Blu Ray is a standardized format. It doesn't belong to any individual company. Microsoft would not be paying any of its competitors.
by skeelo58 May 5, 2008 6:24 AM PDT
Ya know, I don't understand why people think that game/movie downloads are the thing of the future. Digital downloads will NEVER have the success that physical media has. When people buy/rent a movie/game, they want to be able to take it to their friends house, or where-ever else. That would not be possible with downloaded content. And besides, even with a broadband connection, does anyone have any idea how long it would take to download a 50GB game? It would take a hell of a long time, thats for damn sure.

I do realize that technically it is as simple as bringing a hard drive with you, but who wants to lug around a hard drive with them all the time? Physical media is just much more convenient, and therefore, will always be more popular than downloads. And besides, has anyone actually downloaded a movie off the internet? the resolution is crap. Regular DVD's have better PQ than movies downloaded off the internet. Physical media will be around for a long time to come my friends.
Reply to this comment
by robvme May 5, 2008 3:26 PM PDT
Have you ever tried On Demand? How about replays of your shows from the major networks online? Works perfect and quality is that of a DVD and will get better. Everything will come thru the cloud. Apple has already primed us for that with iTunes and the iPod.
Fact is, once a delivery standard is chosen it will not be hard to optimize any content for online delivery.
by portcityjames May 5, 2008 6:59 AM PDT
Rockstar has already said the the space on DVD was a problem for GTAIV. More and more developers will need the space for gaming with multiple disks not being the preferred way to go I guess. Blu Ray is more and more becoming a need for gaming.

As far as downloadable games, unless they are being sold cheaper then a disk format game, most folks won't want a downloadable game. A disk can be carried shared and traded once the game is complete. Not to mention game rental. Besides, the internet infastructure here in America is no where near able handle millions of folks trying t download a game like the next GTA on launch day. Imagine if all the folks that bought GTA IV were trying to download it as soon as it was available online. Can you say bandwith problems.
Reply to this comment
by JimZim534 May 5, 2008 7:22 AM PDT
Internal Blu-ray drive for 360, not gonna happen. 1) Microsoft isn't going to sell their competators components, 2) Blu-ray is not superior to HD-DVD, they just had better marketing (lets not forget BetaMAX was superior to VHS, but they won that buy out war didn't they?) 3) IF, and that's a big IF, Microsoft does cave and go with a Blu-ray drive, it'll be an external drive and purely just for videos, like the HD-DVD drive. The way the current drive works with regards to games is that it only reconizes "Xbox compatable" media, therefore in order to put out Blu-ray games they would have to change their entire hardware and firmware to recongnise Blu-ray as well and frankly that would cost alot of money and **** off alot of people, and seeing as Microsoft skates a thin thin line with the general population (even though no one really understands why) I doubt they'd be stupid enough to do this. ANYWAY, if you're wondering if my opinions have any merit, I have a close relative (fruit of their loins close) that works pretty high up the Microsoft ladder so HA!
Reply to this comment
by will2348 May 5, 2008 8:33 AM PDT
Surely Sony must have a say in this. I'm sure no matter how much profit they would make they wouldn't let Microsoft have blu-ray. Even if xbox does get blu-ray with no games the PS3 will still be better.
Reply to this comment
by brocknation May 5, 2008 8:35 AM PDT
With so many backward compatibility issues on the XBOX 360 and the possibility of an external Blu-Ray device, you're best bet for a future-proof solidarity system capable of Blu-Ray and online content is a PS3 80GB.
Reply to this comment
by DCBRONCO May 15, 2008 8:02 AM PDT
Maybe you haven't been keeping up on PS3 news, but the Emotion Engine got kicked from the 80g PS3 sometime ago. The PS3 has the same backwards compatibility issues as the 360. Even more so since Sony has said that BC is not a priority for them. For people who don't understand why 360 doesn't have complete BC, they refused to pay Nvidia and Intel after they were stupid enough to buy off the shelf parts for the original Xbox. Since they own the parts for the 360, CB will be easy for the next console. Not being able to negotiate better prices was also the reason for dropping support of the original Xbox. But, they've learned from that mistake. It would be completely stupid to get involved with Sony on Blu-Ray, a company that they know is hostile toward them when it comes to gaming. Plus the Blu-Ray sucks for gaming. It's too slow, who wants a 5g install on every game and to lose money on every console sold for more than half of the life cycle of the console.


http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/new-80gb-ps3-eliminates-emotion-engine-chip
by zgreenwell May 5, 2008 9:45 AM PDT
Its a bad idea for gaming, but if people will pay for it, they'll sell it. As an add on like the HD-DVD add on, its not a bad idea.
Reply to this comment
 See all 37 Comments >>
advertisement

About Crave

The name says it all. Crave is our blog about gorgeous gadgets and other crushworthy stuff. If you would like to contact Crave with a tip or comment, please write to: crave@cnet.com

Add this feed to your online news reader

Crave topics

In the news now

E-tailers eye Cyber Monday

After a better-than-expected Black Friday, retailers' hopes are up for a sale-heavy day online. Predictions, however, are mixed.


The other digital-TV transition

As digital TV migration nears, confusion mounts as some cable customers see basic cable channels disappear from their analog packages.


Photos: Space station marks a decade aloft

The first pieces of the International Space Station went into orbit 10 years ago. Now a full-fledged lab facility, it continues to grow.


advertisement

Inside CNET News

Scroll Left Scroll Right
News
Latest news
Business tech
Green tech
Wireless
Security
Media
Popular topics
Apple iPhone
Apple iPod
CES
Cell phones
Dell
GPS
CNET sites
CNET Site map
CNET TV
Downloads
News
Reviews
Shopper.com
More information
Newsletters
Corrections
Customer Help Center
RSS
What's new
About CNET