Microsoft to announce HD DVD at E3?

So word on the street is Microsoft's all set to announce the Xbox 360's external HD DVD drive at E3 -- which makes perfect sense, in all reality. They did, after all, claim it would be released "this year" when Gates unveiled their plans at CES, and since they launched the 360 at E3 last year, they've got to have something to show off this year while Sony and Nintendo get closer to their respective impending PlayStation 3 and Revolution launches. Chris Lewis, Microsoft Regional Vice President for Europe, the Middle East and Africa sat down with Spiegel Online and let them know that we'll more than likely be seeing an HD DVD announcement at E3 (in addition to that Xbox camera we heard would launch next month), and alluded to the inclusion of HDCP compliance for the Xbox, which could only imply they'll finally release that freaking DVI cable. On the PS3 and Blu-ray, Lewis even volunteered that "Blu-ray right now reminds us of another technology from Sony: Betamax." without even being directly asked. Oh, this war is on, friends, make no mistake about it, and we'll see you at the battlegrounds of E3.

[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]

[Alex @ Apr 20th 2006 4:39PM]

Wait a minute, since when has the 360 been planing to support HDMI. If that is true, that is great! Oh, and I am looking forward to playing my HD DVDs months before the PS3 comes out.

[Shmoe @ Apr 20th 2006 4:40PM]

Ah, but will it do 1080p?

[Shmoe @ Apr 20th 2006 4:41PM]

Ah, but will it do 1080p?

[zombieflanders @ Apr 20th 2006 4:49PM]

No, it won't have HDMI, it goes through the 360. It's going to be like the SegaCD (and look how popular that was), but it won't be used for games, just movies.

No, it won't do 1080p, because MSFT has repeatedly stated 1080p "doesn't matter".

[Tsunamii @ Apr 20th 2006 4:51PM]

Before all the Fanboys jump on,I have one thing to say to all the 360 haters

Oblivion

[zombieflanders @ Apr 20th 2006 4:51PM]

Oh, and look for it no earlier than November. It's having all the problems HD DVD had that delayed it until April plus interoperability issues with the 360.

[zombieflanders @ Apr 20th 2006 4:52PM]

#4: I've got three for you:

Sales in Japan.

[crycry @ Apr 20th 2006 4:54PM]

oh man, if somebody could just coin the phrase "bluraytamax" it would all be over.
Just a whole bunch of "What? I'm sorry *cough* bluraytamax" smackdown everytime anybody from Sony opened their mouths. They would pretend it didn't bother them till about the 5th time and then they would EXPLODE.

PS: I'm still hoping Sony wins.

[Mike @ Apr 20th 2006 5:00PM]

Ha! That was funny how he compared Blu-ray to Betamax. Call me crazy but wasn't Betamax the better technology? It just goes to show you that the best product doesn't always win the war.

[Mike @ Apr 20th 2006 5:04PM]

By the way... I'm so sick of seeing this UNTOLD LEGENDS ad for the PSP. Don't they have any other advertisers??? Holy crap!

[LaughingMan @ Apr 20th 2006 5:06PM]

For all of you:

-Sales in Japan, worse than the first Xbox.
-Continued unavailability (hell I'd love to play Oblivion, but here in New York I can't find one, from major retailers down to a mom and pop shop that will charge me $500 for one)
-Continued frustrating word on message boards about faulty products, coupled with patches and bugs in many games. Customer service sounds commendable, but there are just too many stories for it not to be negligible.
-Addon disc peripherals historical record.
-Mixed messages on what the 360 is: now according to Shane Kim it's not for hardcore gamers, it's a family machine and Viva Pinata is going to prove that.
-Frustrated retailers combined with word from MS that they don't have a future.
-The idea that MS says that they're about to refocus on gaming in Vista. Another mixed message.

I believe that MS have already lost the perceptory war on this machine. It will no doubt have some amazing games and has some great features... And yes, I want one. But the general zeitgeist out there is not looking good for this machine from casual conversation. I don't know a single casual gamer who wants one of these. On the other hand, every hardcore gamer does. But from day one they've totally confused their marketing on this machine along with the two SKUs.

At the Best Buy on 23rd in Manhattan recently their 360 running Amped 3 on a massive hidef screen was being totally ignored by kids trying out guitar hero on the PS2 next to it.

[Andrew @ Apr 20th 2006 5:11PM]

This guy Chris Lewis is crazy! Doesn't he know that PS3 Blu-ray will be used for both movies AND GAMES. All he can do is hype HD DVD for movies using some kind of Sega/TurboGrafx/Jaguar CD-esque attachment. Unless of course they are planning some kind of firmware upgrade in the future...

[Luke @ Apr 20th 2006 5:12PM]

Comparing Blu-Ray to Betamax is like apples and oranges. I could be wrong, but I'm sure that Betamax failed because Sony didn't properly promote it, same as MiniDisc, which is superior to CDs as far as I'm concerned. In foreign countries some of these technologies are all the rave, I know that MiniDiscs were everywhere when I went to Switzerland and I hear that they're very popular in Japan, it was just bad marketing that made them fail. Blu-Ray will succeed, no doubt about it, because Sony is going to get a huge market penetration with the PS3. Even if it's half of what the PS2 got from the hefty price tag that's still a large market chunk and who's going to want to get an HD DVD player when you've got a perfectly capable Blu-Ray player sitting right there in your home entertainment system? Comparing it to Betamax is just a cheap shot and everyone who does so will eat their words. BTW, I'm a bigger supporter of HD DVD than I am Blu-Ray, I'm just being realistic here.

[Luigi Buffer @ Apr 20th 2006 5:13PM]

Nintendo announced that along with their Revolution console that they will be releasing a HD-DVHS external add-on to compliment the Nintendo Revolution. As everyone is aware, HD-DVHS supports the HD 1166400p which leaves 1080p looking like an sub-vga.

1080p is so 1980's

[Bob @ Apr 20th 2006 5:14PM]

To 10: I got my 360 there in January. Went back last month and saw a line to play Fight Night Round 3. Keep it up, bluraytamax!

[idude135 @ Apr 20th 2006 5:17PM]

Am I the only one that wonder what the hell the price is going to be?

I still don't think this HD-DVD add-on is going to enable game publishers to use the media for their games, which is not the case with BluRay, since it's not built in.

I think the capacity that the media takes up (BluRay vs DVD9)in the format war can ultimately tip the PS3 to have an edge, especially if their games use up 30gb of data against the 9gb the Xbox360 has.

One thing we all know is that HD DVD is destined to be only for those who care about a subtle difference between the picture output from a decent dvd upconverter and the $500 monster player. However an add-on for the 360 should cost less than $200. Unless it has a burner, for backing-up movies and trailers possibly coming via Xbox Live Marketplace in the near future. That'd be promising to say the least.

[Mike @ Apr 20th 2006 5:17PM]

What's the 3rd...

[Carlos Mencia @ Apr 20th 2006 5:21PM]

Let the casual gamers support Sony and Nintendo.
Xbox 360 is not for the casual gamers.

Since the release launch last November, I have bought & sold over six xbox 360's w/o researving any, just plain walking into stores. So if you still can't find one either you are not trying hard enough to find one or you are not deserving to own one. What can I say?

[e=mc2 @ Apr 20th 2006 5:24PM]

Xbox 360 doesn't need Japan.

There I said it.

It's only for Australians, Chinese, Americans and Europeans

[ill trooper @ Apr 20th 2006 5:24PM]

Oh, the old 'blu-ray is betamax' thing... EXCEPT that this time, HD-DVD is format with less storage. And there was no eagerly anticipated video game system about to thrust over a million betamax players in people's homes at the same time...

Microsoft has surprisingly little to do with this format war. They could have if they shipped the 360 with an HD-DVD drive, but they didn't. Vista supports it? This means little unless Microsoft also decides to ship a new HD-DVD drive in the Vista box, so everyone that buys Vista will suddenly have a HD-DVD drive.

Sony's at the helm on this one: Blu-ray will be in every house with a PS3. Probably faster infiltration than any HD-DVD player will have, and although the PS3 is expected to be an expensive box, it's still cheaper than a) a PC with Vista and an HD-DVD drive, and b) a stand-alone HD-DVD drive.

It's going to be an interesting year.

[just me @ Apr 20th 2006 5:31PM]

Microsoft has stated in the past that they will not be using the HD-DVD addons for gaming purposes. However this isn't so much a "won't" as it is a "can't". There would simply be too much data to stream from the HD-DVD player without being connected directly to the board of the 360. From my understanding it will connect to the 360 via USB 2.0....LAME! Without this deviced hooked directly to the mobo...there is no way they can use this addon for gaming.

[Betamax II @ Apr 20th 2006 5:32PM]

bluraytamax, jajaja, hilarious --

history repeats itself...

[Jake Handsome @ Apr 20th 2006 5:36PM]

Who cares (i don't) Just keep making good games and that will sell 360's. HD is just like a passing fart.
Anyone who believes Sony's BS deserves to spend $$$ on that crap.

[Jake Handsome @ Apr 20th 2006 5:39PM]

4. Before all the Fanboys jump on,I have two things to say to all the 360 haters

Oblivion

Ghost Recon Advance Warfighter

[idude135 @ Apr 20th 2006 5:40PM]

Balls, it is you who needs your EYES CHECKED to have mispelled your rebuttal line.

Anyways I agree with you about about what type of games require more space. But has it occurred to any of you that the PS3's gonna have tons of pre-rendered material to try to outperform the X360 in graphics.

And about Sony being at the helm on this one, well let me tell you ill trooper that the PlayStation 3 is not going to be as commonplace as say, an updated computer, ever.

It's just not going to happen. Computers are always going to outsell PlayStations. Sony's greedy business model will prove too proprietary for mainstream (eg, UMD, Atrac3) and will ultimately mark the end of the Sony empire altogether.

[Patrick @ Apr 20th 2006 5:49PM]

"By the way... I'm so sick of seeing this UNTOLD LEGENDS ad for the PSP. Don't they have any other advertisers"

I second that........

[Luke Microsoft killed Sony @ Apr 20th 2006 5:53PM]

SONY - Luke, I am your father.
MS - No that can't be true, you killed my father.

[Jon @ Apr 20th 2006 6:03PM]

#16... "and" you idiot

[Ultim8fury @ Apr 20th 2006 6:34PM]

Wow, you people can't go 2 posts without bitching at each other about whose format is better, when the vast majority of you haven't even seen either in action. Give it a rest.

The way I see it. The 360 HD-DVD addon will be a cheaper way (for those that own a 360) to get to see HD-DVD content before potentially committing to a real HD-DVD player. If you want to experience HD movies it's not a bad option.


THe PS3 has absolutely nothing to do with this announcement why it gets brought up at all is beyond me. You can't argue a case for which is better when only 1 thing exists. Comparing Blu-ray to HD-DVD is pointless untill you have them side by side playing the same movie on the same TV. What you'll most likely find is that there will be little to no quality difference between them.

Comparing the PS3 to anything at this point in time is also a pointless exercise as it has yet to be seen and played on by any of the people commenting here.

As for PS3 pushing the Blu-Ray adoption. What good is a Blu-Ray player if you don't have an HDTV ? most people don't although adoption is increasing.


You may resume ripping each other to pieces over stuff you have never seen.

[The1 @ Apr 20th 2006 6:43PM]

. #4: I've got three for you:

Sales in Japan.

Posted at 4:52PM on Apr 20th 2006 by zombieflanders 0 stars
--------------------------------------------------

You ae a total MORON. This is the US, not Japan.
---------------------------------------------------
Also, most developers such as EA, UBISOFT and THQ will make the SAME game for the XBOX 360 and the PS3. With that being said, what extra content will developers put on the PS3 to fill all that extra space for games like Splinter Cell and MAdden. When developers are developing for all consoles, please tell me how this matters? Only SONY and maybe Square will fill a Blu-Ray DISK with extra content to fool people. Has anyone as of late been complaining about DVD size when developing, Oblivion had no problem what so ever. You can fool some of the people some of the time but SONY fools their FANBOYS all the time.

[ScuzzyB @ Apr 20th 2006 6:56PM]

A few things...the 360 will be "old" with a ton of games before the PS3 ever even launches (with all 7 launch titles). The whole Blu-Ray/ HD thing is ridiculous as well, since HD movies are much more accessible (i.e. Netflix already has them available) and the players are cheaper and on the market. I'll gladly fork over a few hundred for a 360 add-on and rent fifty movies from NF to enjoy the experience. Oh BTW...game developers have said repeatedly that there will NOT be Blu-Ray/ HD-DVD games anytime soon, no matter what Sony and the PS3 fanboys keep seeing in their wet dreams.

[Rick @ Apr 20th 2006 6:57PM]

Blunder Ray will fail. Regardless, Microsoft should buy Sony and shut them down. I can happily imagine the reaction from all the dee dee dee Sony fanboys.

[Solver @ Apr 20th 2006 7:02PM]

Sony's future is definitely relying on the success of the PS3. And success is not just seeing the PS3 selling more than X360, it means Sony must sell enough PS3's and people must buy enough games and movies for it to be profitable. I own the PSP, and I haven't bought a single UMD movie. It's utterly stupid to believe the UMD is universal when only the PSP can play it. And who is going to buy a $500+ dollar gaming machine.

If Sony couldn't see the UMD failing, then how is it going to make the PS3 a success. Also, every manufacturer that has said it will go with Bluray eventually changed their mind and is now also supporting HD-DVD.

With funny thing with MS is that it doesn't have to sell anything for X360 and Microsoft's core business (OS and Office) will still be able to make enough money for MS to take the hit if X360 fails.

[idude135 @ Apr 20th 2006 7:13PM]

Rick, although I would like to see an all-American company like Microsoft buy out those Japs from Sony, it's economically unlikely.

I mean Bill Gates would even have to borrow money from JP Morgan Chase to do that. Just look at some quick facts:

Sony
Annual Revenue: $71 billion
Employees: 151,400

MS
Annual Revenue: $39 billion
Employees: 64,000

Those Japs sure are sneaky having bought an array of music labels and movie studios. The PlayStation 3 is their culmination of decades of investments in all sorts of fields. If they fail, everything will crumble. They have a lot of dough riding on this PS3, that's why they've treaded so carefully...

[Movie-Lover @ Apr 20th 2006 7:37PM]

I love listening to the fan boys talk about their adopted machines. I am going to wait this dvd format out. Also, for those who own a 360, do you think it would be possible to buy a hd-dvd or blu-ray drive and put it in a pc and have the hd content stream from the pc to the 360? If so, talk about versatility.

I look forward to the ps3 and really hope that it lives up to all the insane hype that everyone seems to give it, although I would like to hd-dvd win the format war because it is cheaper and will probably have the same performance of a br player.

[Steve Johnson @ Apr 20th 2006 8:07PM]

What the hell is with all this crap about bringing up Hiroshima and Nagasaki in a news clip about an HD-DVD addon for the 360, pure stupidity.

That, and what is so "sneaky" about those "Japs" owning some music labels and movie studios idude135, it's all fair business man, nothing sneaky about it all. That is, unless you're still some racist redneck with a grudge against the Japanese.

[idude135 @ Apr 20th 2006 8:21PM]

Well Steve I couldn't agree more with you. But I think that the console and format wars have become a struggle between America and Japan.

It's just pure comedic relief especially in line with the current Iran crisis, man. At the end it's all about taking sides and defending your investment/illusions in either consoles/formats.

We're probably all gonna buy all 3 consoles anyways.

[mike jones @ Apr 20th 2006 8:30PM]

Microsoft will almost definitely announce the Xbox Cam. http://www.xbox.com/en-US/hardware/catalog.aspx?g=0&c=10&s=0&p=2

That is a link to the quick charge kit that was pictured in the other article with the Xbox Cam. Its #11 on the list.

[Steve Johnson @ Apr 20th 2006 9:22PM]

@Balls

What #6 had to say there was an actual valid piece of information (lack of Japanese support for the 360 doesn't really help Microsoft out). Maybe it didn't really need to be brought up here, but at least he wasn't being as ass like you bringing up Hiroshima and Nagasaki, implying how dominate the US is compared to Japan because they killed thousands of innocent people with some nukes. That to me, is just you being a dick and throwing gas on the fire.

[NONE @ Apr 20th 2006 9:28PM]

Xbox 360 has FAR outsold the PS3 in Japan.

Xbox 360 exists... Sony hasn't even figured out how to produce/subsidize their console yet.

There's really no argument until Sony can produce something. Even when/if that happens, Sony's history of format failures does not bode well for BlueRay.

[Thill @ Apr 20th 2006 9:34PM]

I think releasing HD-DVD soon for the 360 is a smart move for Microsoft (as long as the player is cost effective). HD-DVD players and movies are going to be significantly cheaper than Blu-Ray for very similar performance.

And I am so sick of Sony fanboys claiming how superior the PS3 and Blu-Ray are. The bottomline is that neither are out yet, and chances are good that nobody will be able to even find a PS3 in the US for the first 3-6 months (just like the 360 when they did a worldwide release). The 360 is going to have a ton of games available for it by November and will most likely cost anywhere from $150-200 less than the PS3.

I also concur that the future of Sony is riding on the PS3. It absolutely has to be successful or Sony will need to look at selling off parts of the company to survive. I also think that Sony's format battles will always be very difficult as they have such a strong media presence. They are destined for DRM hell.....

[The Orb @ Apr 20th 2006 9:44PM]

#34, you can't compare Sony to Microsoft financially, and only mention [gross] revenue.

Let's look at the numbers a little more closely.

Sony's profit margin on revenue of 62.47B is 1.83%, while Microsoft's profit margin on revenue of 41.36B is 31.57%. Sony's gross profit for their last fiscal year was $15.60B, while Microsoft's was $33.59B. Sony's total cash on hand is 3.79B, while Microsoft has 34.70B.

Conclusion: Sony achieves more total revenue, while making less profit, and has less money available to it than Microsoft.

Oh, and Sony's Enterprise value is 54.79B while Microsoft's Enterprise value is 244.61B.

[Mike @ Apr 20th 2006 9:50PM]

My question is: What the hell is this thing going to look like? Where the heck is it going to go? And how will it integrate with the dashboard?

[MaX PL @ Apr 20th 2006 10:30PM]

#30

exactly the point ive been stressing.

there is absolutely no need for any HD disc format if you dont own an HDTV.

the only benefit BR will have for non-HDTV users will be the higher capacity for games. and when you think about that, makes very little difference.

unless Sony starts dishing out $500 HDTV all over the world, no one will support the $25 to $40 HD content.

[Brad Hamilton @ Apr 20th 2006 11:33PM]

#49
It's attached via a modified faceplate. It sits on top (or the right hand side of the console) just above the DVD drive. It draws its power by piggybacking off the front USB ports. The faceplate has an additional button that allows you to eject the HD-DVD.

Learn it. Know it. Live it.

[jon @ Apr 20th 2006 11:34PM]

It seems to me that a $200 HD-DVD add on would be great. I just hope it doesn't cost more than $200. That way those who don't have HDTV can sit on the sidelines and enjoy life without being forced to pay a premium for an option they will not be using.

If you look at Xbox and Xbox360 attach rates...you find that Xbox gamers purchase more games than others do for Sony or Nintendo. Microsoft also has stated in the past that there was a fairly large number of folks with HDTV that have 360s. So If allot of these folks shell out $200 this Christmas and continue high attachment rates = purchase lots of HD-DVD movies...then Sony has a big problem.

Remember that it doesn't matter if you have a large potential audience (all PSP's come with UMD)...it matters if the audience is purchasing movies. We have seen that with UMD...no one has taken the bait. Maybe the same fait awaits Blu-Ray.

And remember that most people had DVD players in their computers before they had them by their Television last go around...so if PC manufacturers and PC consumers end up preferring HD-DVD over Blu-Ray...that could make a huge difference as well. And we all know that Blu-Ray is going to be priced way higher than HD-DVD...the PC market is very competetive on price and that's where Blu-Ray just doesn't make sense. The drives cost more...the Disc cost more.

All of the movie Studios Behind Blu-Ray could in a moment switch allegiances and produce HD-DVD content. I think the Movie industry is taking a huge gamble with the PS3 and Blu-Ray...But if HD-DVD performs well (and it has so far as Toshiba Players are sold out all over the US)Studios will adapt quickly and jump ship in kind.

[Solver @ Apr 21st 2006 12:56AM]

I wasn't going to bring this up, but it something I have always thought about.

The American Technology Inferiority Complex (ATIC).

Basically, ATIC stipulates that Americans generally don't support their own brands, while prefer to support foreign brands blindly (Fanboys). And quite the opposite occurs in foreign countries, such as how Germans hate American cars, or how Japanese prefer their own brands over anything American.

There are several occurences of this daily, even in America. For example, I would be very surprised if I saw an Asian driving anything other than a Toyota, or Honda. They are die hard fans of Japanese electronics and cars.

I know this all seems like it's stereotypical, but it's not. I constantly hear American Sony fanboys talk about how awesome the PS3 is without even seeing it in real action. That's just ignorance and ATIC.

As a smart consumer, you need to first think about your money first, and brand loyalty last.

[Tyre @ Apr 21st 2006 1:36AM]

Is there any chance that this will be integrated into the unit fully? If so does this mean that I should just wait to buy my 360?

[eric @ Apr 21st 2006 1:52AM]

Sony gave us root kit CDs. Their blu-ray DVDs are just as locked down. Want to watch your movie on anything but a blu-ray player hooked to your TV, be prepared to pony up some more cash.

The HD DVD format is a bit more open. Someday, when we have terabytes of storage in our basements, yo may just be able to coyp your HD DVD to your network storage and watch from there anywhere on your LAN. Blu-ray, pony up some more cash to do this, you need to buy another copy.

[case @ Apr 21st 2006 3:10AM]

#11

I wanted the 360. I enjoyed my Xbox. I'm about as un-hardcore of a gamer as it gets. I have a 20" no-name brand TV that I got from Walmart about 2 years ago for $99. I have enough money to buy a LCD without having to resort to selling off my property. But my money is going somewhere else. There's no way I'm shelling out $200 for the HD-DVD drive or whatever, unless you need it to play future releases.

And how is the PS3 suited for the casual gamer? Bluetooth this, bluetooth that, probably will cost at least $500, who knows, I've seen articles saying it could cost $600. And if regular DVD games for the 360 cost $60, how much would the Bluray games cost, seeing as how I can get a DVD player for $30 and it costs at least $2000 or whatever for a Bluray player.

I have no idea what all that HDMI and 1080p and 480i or whatever crap means. All I know is that when I bring the 360 over to a friend's house and plug it into his 42" SONY LCD, it's a beautiful thing.

Yes, he has a SONY television, and he has the original Xbox. I don't know what the big deal is between this Sony vs. Xbox thing.

Whatever. When I go to Target there is always someone hogging the 360 display, still.