[The News Bot]

Microsoft says that it will not rule out producing a Blu-ray drive for the Xbox 360 if the format takes a clear lead in the next generation disc wars. UK Xbox chief Neil Thompson made the statement in an interview with the BBC. “Whatever format wins it is highly likely we will offer a solution,” [...]
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[Crovon]

This is nothing new. MS have always said they would 'offer a solution' to the format winner, even before the HD-DVD drive was released.

[Rasczak]

Indeed - Microsoft are just playing up the flexibility of their console. If HD DVD wins they already have a solution. But if dual format or BluRay only drives become the standard they can introduce another addon drive.

Contrast this to the PS3 where, if dual format or HD DVD becomes dominant, then the console only offers a limited solution. Of course they to could introduce a HD DVD addon drive but with the vast premium demanded for the console this would doubtless annoy some consumers.

[The Atheist]

Originally Posted by Rasczak

Indeed - Microsoft are just playing up the flexibility of their console. If HD DVD wins they already have a solution. But if dual format or BluRay only drives become the standard they can introduce another addon drive.

Contrast this to the PS3 where, if dual format or HD DVD becomes dominant, then the console only offers a limited solution. Of course they to could introduce a HD DVD addon drive but with the vast premium demanded for the console this would doubtless annoy some consumers.

Flexibility!! microsoft are just doing their usual thing of making money off the extras for their consoles!

I like the fact that the PS3 includes the blu-ray drive and I am actually offended by microsoft's occlusion of an HD drive from their machine. A next-gen product should automatically include next-gen technology the consumer should not be asked to fork out extra just because microsoft rushed their product to market!

Before you say it i am not a playstation "fanboy" I just think that to class a product as next-gen it has to tick all of the next-gen boxes, and the PS3 does. Blu-ray is not just about movies it also provides massive scope for game content, which people seem to be ignoring!

Out of curiosity (i don't own the 360 yet) what type of disc do the 360's games come on?

Out of curiosity (i don't own the 360 yet) what type of disc do the 360's games come on?

old fashion DVDs ..

360 probably didn't use HD DVDs as I don't think they where quite ready and MS wasn't necessarily sure what they were going to support, and it wasn't like Sony who NEEDED to have BD in there to support their format. MS doesn't loose either way the war goes, where as Sony does. Imagine their numbers if they didn't include the PS3 drives.

I had a 360 HD drive, didn't like it, brought it back & bought an A2. Recently bought a PS3 for BD playback.. so I don't care either way anymore. Seems though even though I can buy either, I still have more HD DVDs or buy the HD DVD version. Better codecs on occasion, often cheaper, dual format, etc.

[dunks517]

Originally Posted by The Atheist

I just think that to class a product as next-gen it has to tick all of the next-gen boxes, and the PS3 does.

Could you please direct me to where the next-gen checklists are located?

[Rasczak]

Originally Posted by The Atheist

Flexibility!! microsoft are just doing their usual thing of making money off the extras for their consoles!

Indeed - Microsoft are clearly evil for making a profit on their goods. Better to charge everyone hundreds of pounds over the value of the machine as a gaming console

I like the fact that the PS3 includes the blu-ray drive and I am actually offended by microsoft's occlusion of an HD drive from their machine. A next-gen product should automatically include next-gen technology the consumer should not be asked to fork out extra just because microsoft rushed their product to market!

Interesting view - but not one I agree with. I fail to how Microsoft offering a significantly cheaper product to the mass market and then offering an extra charge that even when paid is still cheaper than the 'all inclusive' PS3. Especially as their remains the distinct possibility that BluRay could crash and burn as a format.

[serial45]

Originally Posted by The Atheist

Flexibility!! microsoft are just doing their usual thing of making money off the extras for their consoles!

I like the fact that the PS3 includes the blu-ray drive and I am actually offended by microsoft's occlusion of an HD drive from their machine. A next-gen product should automatically include next-gen technology the consumer should not be asked to fork out extra just because microsoft rushed their product to market!

Before you say it i am not a playstation "fanboy" I just think that to class a product as next-gen it has to tick all of the next-gen boxes, and the PS3 does. Blu-ray is not just about movies it also provides massive scope for game content, which people seem to be ignoring!

Out of curiosity (i don't own the 360 yet) what type of disc do the 360's games come on?

This statement is so incorrect it's untrue.
MS are the winners here IMHO they have a cheap machines, 100s of games (some major good titles), they have the option of adding on a HD DVD player which bundled with the console still costs significantly less than the lowest PS3 pack.

So what if sony have a Bluray player to store content for games, most games barely pass the 5gb margin let alone then 25gig or 50 gig margin.

Sales are inevitibly slow for sony, hell i could buy one in store now if I wanted to. The games out for the console are nothing but lame at present.

Microsoft are the good guys here, the developers love them, development teams have constantly commented on just how easy it is to code a game for the 360, easier than PC apparently.
The PS3 is a nightmare from all accounts.

I think it's going to be a neck and neck battle with sony this generation of consoles next gen I think MS will come out ahead.

The only game i'll buy a Ps3 for is FF XIII, more and more games are beginning to dual port - and theres rumour that metal gear may be ported to xbox :o

I dont understand why so many people get so ever excited about which console is going to win in the end. Who cares? Microsoft was an underdog last time but they still did pretty well and brought out some great games which looked better than anything the PS2 could make.

You've got to remember after a year the 360 is still not meeting Microsoft's own sales targets, i think theyve sold around 11,000,000 while PS3's have sold about 2,000,000 in the time its been out. I think this generation is going to be split a lot more evenly than it was last time, so Microsofts willingness to stay as flexible as possible is going to benefit them especially as multi-platform games are going to become a big slice of releases, sadly. If blu-ray does win then microsoft could bring out a Blu Ray drive and not have to worry about the extra space available to PS3 games.

Sony just need to adjust to not being the huge gaming power that they were with the PS3 and shift gears accordingly. A bit of time and they'll get their feet back, because the PS3 does have a lot of potential.

For people like me with all three of this generations consoles though its all good!

[tomasz kozien]

those next gen consoles may be the latest technology but in my opinion the quality of gaming just sucks. It might be that i am wrong although I doubt it but I remember the games I use to play in the early 90s sure the graphics weren't all that good but the fun was fantastic I mean remember games like street fighter the arcades were pakt or Zelda on the NES and on to the S NES games like Metroid and Super Mario world those games really addicted, you couldn't stop thinking about them until you finished them and when you did you were crying for the sequel. And these days you have games like medal of honor and the god father and a bunch of other blockbuster hits witch are good but nothing compared to how they use to make games.

[The Atheist]

Originally Posted by tomasz kozien

those next gen consoles may be the latest technology but in my opinion the quality of gaming just sucks. It might be that i am wrong although I doubt it but I remember the games I use to play in the early 90s sure the graphics weren't all that good but the fun was fantastic I mean remember games like street fighter the arcades were pakt or Zelda on the NES and on to the S NES games like Metroid and Super Mario world those games really addicted, you couldn't stop thinking about them until you finished them and when you did you were crying for the sequel. And these days you have games like medal of honor and the god father and a bunch of other blockbuster hits witch are good but nothing compared to how they use to make games.

I agree that there were great games on previous consoles, but there are also great games on the latest machines. Resistance on the PS3 is excellent, i've found it to be very addictive, and the graphics are superb which backs-up the gameplay.

As for the arcades being packed back-in-the-day, that's largely due to the games not being as widely available on home consoles - which is due to the consoles not being powerful enough to run those games until the likes of the megadrive and snes came out. Now the technology in consoles exceeds that of many arcade machines largely making the latter obsolete!

[The Atheist]

Originally Posted by serial45

So what if sony have a Bluray player to store content for games, most games barely pass the 5gb margin let alone then 25gig or 50 gig margin.

All I have to say in reply is:
"If you ever hear someone say “Blu-Ray isn’t needed for this generation,” rest assured they don’t make games for a living. At Insomniac, we were filling up DVDs on the PS2, as were most of the developers in the industry. We compressed the level data, we compressed the mpeg movies, we compressed the audio, and it was still a struggle to get it to fit in 6 gigs. Now we’ve got 16 times as much system RAM, so the level data is 16 times bigger. And the average disc space of games only gets bigger over a console’s lifespan. As games get bigger, more advanced and more complex, they necessarily take up more space. If developers were filling up DVDs last generation, there are clearly going to be some sacrifices made to fit current generation games in the same amount of space."
- Taken from http://n4g.com/ps3/News-32115.aspx

[The Atheist]

Originally Posted by Rasczak

Interesting view - but not one I agree with. I fail to how Microsoft offering a significantly cheaper product to the mass market and then offering an extra charge that even when paid is still cheaper than the 'all inclusive' PS3. Especially as their remains the distinct possibility that BluRay could crash and burn as a format.

Personally I think you are looking at this from the wrong point of view. With the PS3 you get a blu-ray player, a games console superior in technology to ANYTHING else on the market, a media hub and a FREE online service - something which costs 360 users around £40 per year, a cost which basically negates any price comparisons between the 2 systems. I think the PS3 is excellent value considering how much you get for your money.

Suggesting that Blu-Ray could crash is also fairly rediculous, the very fact that the PS3 uses the format for its games means that it will be around as long as the PS3 is around. Add to that major support from film companies and manufacturers and you have a product that is bound to last. This is not to say that it will force out HD-DVD as there may well be room for both formats.

[Tomfoolery]

Originally Posted by The Atheist

the very fact that the PS3 uses the format for its games means that it will be around as long as the PS3 is around. Add to that major support from film companies and manufacturers and you have a product that is bound to last.

You're right - I'm sure it'll do just as well as UMD

[AIRSOFT TOM]

If MS would supply 360 owners with a Blu-ray solution and offer the same free online service as Sony, 2 major arguments to buy a PS3 instead of a 360 are no longer valid. The only argument that remains is the better processor inside the PS3, but games that use all of it's abilities aren't yet available.


MS's decision depends on which war is more important to them:

PS3 - 360 or HD-DVD - Blu-Ray.

All of the latest info release by MS proves the first one is more important.