Game sites are abuzz with rumours that one-time HD DVD stalwart Microsoft is now considering a Blu-ray drive for the Xbox 360. Speculation is swinging both ways, with some pundits claiming it to be improbable and others stating that talks are already underway.
Let’s look at the issue from a few different perspectives.
First off, current rumours aside, how likely is an Xbox 360 Blu-ray drive? I remember being in the audience for Bill Gates’ keynote speech at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2006 when he casually mentioned that Microsoft could create an external Blu-ray drive just as easily as the HD DVD drive that it planned to ship later that year. That tells me two things: 1) Microsoft has, at the very least, given the idea some thought over the last few years, and 2) in terms of technology, an Xbox 360 Blu-ray drive is quite feasible.
Next, what form might this hypothetical gizmo take? Is an external drive the only option, or could we see a Super-Duper Elite Xbox 360 with internal Blu-ray capabilities instead? It’s anyone’s guess at this point. An external drive might seem the obvious choice, since it could easily be attached to the 20 million Xbox 360s already in people’s homes, but such a device would only happen if Microsoft can make one on the cheap (and keep in mind they would have to license the technology from Sony—oh, to be a fly on the wall in those meetings).
And that brings us to the final question: Does it make sense? From the perspective of Xbox 360 owners, an external drive would simply be a way to watch high-definition movies, offering no advantage to the games they play. Identical functionality could be obtained just as easily by purchasing any number of standalone players—including a PlayStation 3. The Super-Duper Elite Xbox 360 with integrated Blu-ray drive we imagined above might be appealing to first time buyers of Microsoft’s console, but it would almost certainly be prohibitively expensive.
The bottom line is this: Regardless of the form it might take, if a Blu-ray drive does find its way to Microsoft’s current console, it will be—at best—a niche product.
Personally, I’m more interested to learn about the optical drive technology going into the next generation Xbox, which has been forecast to arrive as early as 2010. Is there any option other than Blu-ray? Will Microsoft be forced into a key partnership with one of its greatest competitors?
Source: Globe & Mail