If you're thinking about buying a 360
Jim
After months of rumors and denials, the XBOX 360 with a Blu-ray disc drive
is due to be manufactured soon and shipped in Q3 of 2008.
Pegatron Technology, an OEM subsidiary of Asustek Computer, is reported to
have received the winning order from Microsoft for a Blu-ray equipped XBOX
360.
Earlier reports cited Lite-On as the company with the privilege of building
the new console for Microsoft. Lite-On is also currently one of the
suppliers of the internal DVD drive fro the XBOX 360.
One of the strong points for Sony's Playstation 3 has been the integrated
Blu-ray player. The PS3 had the ability to draw both gamers and audio/video
enthusiast, and this was proving to be a major advantage over its XBOX
rival. It is estimated that 85% of Blu-ray players in use are PS3s.
Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer had admitted that Microsoft had been
working on support for Blu-ray under Windows during this year's Mix08
conference. Rumors began to swirl and many began to expect Microsoft to
announce a Blu-ray peripheral for the XBOX 360.
However, Microsoft came out and denied all rumors, stating that they were
not exploring any kind of Blu-ray add-on or in talks with Sony about
integrating Blu-ray into the XBOX experience. The software giant stated they
would continue to invest in its XBOX Live online service as the means of
high-definition content delivery. Toshiba received a crushing blow earlier
this year at CES that Warner Brothers would be Blu-ray exclusive. This
eventually led to Toshiba withdrawing from the HD format war and the demise
of the XBOX 360's HD-DVD add-on. It is interesting to note that sales of the
XBOX 360 lagged behind Sony's PS3 in the month of February, the same month
Toshiba withdrew.
Many expected the death of HD-DVD would trigger a growth in Blu-ray hardware
sales. However, to the dismay of the industry, acceptance and adoption of
Blu-ray has been dismal.
The PS3 is one of the cheapest (relatively speaking) Blu-ray players
available - and you get the console thrown in for good measure.
DrewNL
Jim
Just type 360 in the search feature and choose NEWS
"DrewNL" <noketchup@***gmail.com> wrote in message
news:482ca752$0$4040$9a56...@news.aliant.net...
DrewNL
I asked because it seems no other site has picked up on this.