Xbox 360 HD DVD player still coming this year

At Microsoft's E3 presentation today, one of the most eagerly awaited pieces of infomation concerned the company's plans to offer an external HD DVD player for the Xbox 360. And the company delivered -- sort of. Yes, they showed off a slide with a picture of an external player designed to match the 360. And the slide did state that the player will be available "this holiday." And, yes, that slide included images of HD DVD flicks that it will presumably be able to play. But the crucial details, such as a ship date, pricing, and, perhaps most important, info on whether or not the player will support HDCP or HDMI, were nowhere to be found.

[Hedgie @ May 9th 2006 4:37PM]

I'm not a big fan of addons but for $100 this is pretty cheap. But then again its LATER this year >_>

[Hedgie @ May 9th 2006 4:38PM]

hmmm... I want to say that I thought I read $100 on this page but I didn't. Guess sleep is needed XD

[js @ May 9th 2006 4:39PM]

Is this the best they can do?

[Chris Robinson @ May 9th 2006 4:48PM]

If Microsoft provides us with a plugin for Media Center 2005 then I'll be all over it. I doubt Toshiba will be offering a PC based HD-DVD drive at that price point by December.

[Ian @ May 9th 2006 4:50PM]

4: They already announced one: http://www.engadget.com/2006/05/09/toshiba-qosmio-g35-with-hd-dvd-to-launch-this-week-for-3k/

[bob @ May 9th 2006 4:54PM]

so, are they gonna release a built in model at the same time? and this for those early adopters? did they not learn from dreamcast that being 1st to release doesnt guarantee a winner

[idude135 @ May 9th 2006 4:58PM]

This is the best that can be done from an industrial design perspective, without conflicting with the console's vertical/horizontal orientations.

They should've released the release date and msrp.

[jsn @ May 9th 2006 5:04PM]

If they put this out for $100, which I expect them to do, or at least be very close, this will be a great deal. Especially if you factor in rumors of a price drop by the holiday season. Even without the price drop, it would be a good deal. basically you could get teh xbox core system for $299 and the add-on for $100 netting you an HD-DVD player for $100 less than you can buy one in stores. On top of that, you get device that can play games and stream media from the net as well as networked PC's.

[ed @ Oct 17th 2006 1:03PM]

Not true my friend. You still have to buy the HD chord that doesn't come with the $299 package. What good is an HD DVD player with no HD chord. And I think I read somewhere the price is gonna be $200-$300 for the player.

[Pii @ May 9th 2006 5:04PM]

Am I the only one that thinks $100 for this thing is a pipe dream?

Also, it seems pretty useless to add an HD DVD player that doesn't play any software . . . Say what you want, but I don't see Microsoft touting the future of their HD games (while this could be too far off for them to mention, so too, I believe, is widespread universal compatibility).

[idude135 @ May 9th 2006 5:06PM]

Sega was decelerating after the Sega Saturn flop.

Microsoft is the company with the biggest financial muscle to take on Sony. The Dreamcast catered to kiddies, and their SegaNet was too slow.

Also, the DreamCast didn't have such great support from developers like the X360 does.

[Someone @ May 9th 2006 5:18PM]

This will NOT be $100, that's nothing more than a rumor from an unreliable source. The cheapest HD DVD player is selling for $500. Judging by the huge markups on their other accesories (Wi-Fi for $100), they are not going to take a loss. The Xbox hardware can take the place of much of the HD DVD hardware, but the drive is very expensive itself. Expect a $200-300 price tag.

[Chris Robinson @ May 9th 2006 5:22PM]

The external drive is a stop gap measure. They didn't include it originally because they wanted to be first to market. It doesn't make sense financially to sell a console with 2 optical drives. I'll bet we see Rev. 2 of the Xbox 360 in the first quarter of next year that includes an internal HD-DVD drive. They could also be hedging their bets until the HD format battle is more clearly defined. If it looks like Blu-ray is going to win then there's nothing stopping Microsoft from jumping onto the Blu-ray bandwagon. The XBox 360 is a media centric platform. Microsoft wants their console to be a one stop shop for TV, gaming and movies. History tells us that they won't sell as many games as the PS3, and if they put all of their eggs in the HD-DVD basket and it fails then they are in trouble.

[Jeff @ May 9th 2006 5:28PM]

"Am I the only one that thinks $100 for this thing is a pipe dream?"

No - I'm thinking at least $200 and probably more like $250. Even bare HD-DVD drives for PC's cost what, like $850?

MS will take a loss, but a) they've got hardware partners on the PC side that they need to keep in their good graces, b) they're not gonna take more of a loss on the HD-DVD drive than on the system itself (it just wouldn't be worth it) and c) they only need to be competitive with Sony, they don't need to undercut them. I mean this drive has nothing to do with games; the only reason it exists at all is so Sony doesn't have high-def movies to hang over them.

I'm thinking if the total price of an Xbox 360 with the HD-DVD drive comes to $499 or $599, basically matching the PS3's price, then that'll be good enough. But it might even be more than that if sold separately - they could always pull a $599 premium system/HD-DVD "bundle" price while selling the unit separately as an add-on for $250 or so.

[Kunal Kapoor @ May 9th 2006 5:31PM]

I think the HD-DVD will be built in to the XBOX 360 by the end of the year. It'll just be another nail in Sony's coffin.

[Chris Robinson @ May 9th 2006 6:04PM]

Let's just hope that the format war ends quickly one way or the other. I get the feeling that Microsoft is only backing HD-DVD to be a torn in Sony's side.

[The Jeremy @ May 9th 2006 6:06PM]

Add-on optical drives never work.

Sega tried it with the SegaCD for the Genesis. Didn't sell.

Atari tried it with the JaguarCD for the Jaguar. Didn't sell no matter how much Sam Tramiel tried to claim that it sell gangbusters based upon the success Commodore had with selling the 1541 5 1/4" disk drive for the already sold Commodore64 computers.

And for both of the previous systems, the drives were for games (primarily) whereas the HD-DVD add-on drive for the Xbox360 will be for movies. Translation = won't sell well.

Microsoft should just ship an Xbox360 v2.0 with an HD-DVD drive built in. They shouldn't wuss out like Sony did with the RevisionC of the original Playstation which was supposed to move up to a 4x CD-ROM and more buffer memory. Give the early adopters a cheap price to buy the external HD-DVD drive for their existing units.

[SR @ May 9th 2006 6:34PM]

Just buy a real HD-DVD player if you want. Seriously.

They are launching at $500 and should be no more than $300 by the time this add-on trash actually launches at no less than $200.

How do you expect these to cost less than $200, when the Wi-Fi adapter for the 360 is $100.

[falcom @ May 9th 2006 6:43PM]

ok....
WHY have hddvd for the 360? are you people forgetting that the 360 has NO DVI, NO HDMI, and therefore, no HDCP compatibility outputs? analog will be locked to dvd res soon....so...just get DVD!! vga doesn't support HDCP that i know of, since its still an analog connection, so dont mention that part. Even if you have a HDMI HDCP HDTV, the 360 is USELESS as a HDDVD player. why bother? Heck, with all the restrictions on HDDVD(AND Bluray) why bother at all?

[PJ @ May 9th 2006 6:45PM]

anyone have a link to the picture of the hd dvd player ms showed today?

[idude135 @ May 9th 2006 7:03PM]

The X360 is HD-DVD's best ally, I wouldn't be surprised what Toshiba et al would compromise on just to bust Sony.

At this point, Toshiba should be willing to sell these HD-DVD drives at a loss, hopin to recoup through licensing fees on movies, more lucrative than video games.

[Karl Viklund @ May 9th 2006 8:09PM]

I will be waiting for the Xbox Blu-Ray player...

[xinji @ May 9th 2006 9:14PM]

how are you gonna connect your blu-ray player to your 360 without a HDMI or DVI port....you think you are gonna transfer hi-def signals via USB at a max of 480mbit/sec, please...

[distantbody @ May 9th 2006 9:31PM]

People, You do know that HD-DVD is the lesser in the format war, Don't you? Blu-Ray rightly has grass-roots preference over HD-DVD. The longer you, the consumer, swoon to HD-DVD, the longer you justify its existance, and prolong your dual-format suffering.

[jon @ May 9th 2006 10:12PM]

24 Why is HD-DVD the lesser?

It it because it cost way less to purchase an HD-DVD drive?
Is it because HD-DVD media is more cost effective to produce and will be cheaper than Blue-Ray Disc?
Is it because HD-DVD supports all HighDef standards just like Blu-Ray (720p, 1080i, 1080p)?
Is it because HD-DVD is already available?
Or maybe it's because HD-DVD has a name that will resound with consumers better as opposed to Blueray?
Or it must be that HD-DVD is shipping with 30 Gig disc...5 Gigs larger than the 25Gig disc BlueRay will have at launch?
Or I got it...it's because most consumers don't own HDTV's yet and of course Bluray is so important to them even though they couldn't appreciate the benefits of High Def...they want to spend a premium above and beyond the 360 price tag even though the games will look the same...especially on their Standard televisions?
Or maybe it's because the videophile early adopters that know their tech and are willing to pay a premium for quality hardware...are somehow more than happy to settle for a $499 BlueRay player that has no HDMI port and sub-par quality HD-DVD player ala PS2 DVD player?

Please tell me which one of these is it???

[B1gC72 @ May 9th 2006 10:13PM]

awww, isnt that cute.....it looks like a little 360.....

[distantbody @ May 9th 2006 10:21PM]

It's because Blu-Ray doesn't top out at 45GB.

[Joram Oudenaarde @ May 10th 2006 3:03AM]

Son'y ps3 has 3 major advantages over the XBOX;
- Everything is integrated. And with that I mean the HD and the Blu-Ray drive.
- Blu-Ray comes with it, right out of the box.
- A free online-community.

While I don't think the graphics will look a lot worse or better then the 360, I do think that on a long term, the ps3 has more possibilities "out-of-the-box", while the 360 need additional kits hooked onto it (HD, external drive and such). The 360 has very impressive hardware right now, but the ps3's hardware is so innovative that there's a lot more to squeeze out of it.

The only "backdraw" is the pricetag. People who have any techie-insight know that that price comes mostly because of the Blu-Ray drive. But the average user will not understand that, and see the ps3 as a pricey jewel.

I guess only time will tell what the average user will feel like.

[Deadend @ May 10th 2006 3:48AM]

Why is MS even messing with Optical Media? They got Xbox Live, which is secure.. they have the Xbox Marketplace, they have downloadable HD Trailers... Why not just have Downloadable HD Movies?

They have EVERYTHING that is needed to be the best Video-on-Demand, which is why I wonder about this HD-DVD thing, as I don't like the "next-gen" DVDs.

[Joram Oudenaarde @ May 10th 2006 4:04AM]

@Deadend
A good thought, but unfortunately a lot of countries have a maximum amount
of bandwidth, and downloadable HD-movies would really be a bandwidth-crunsher ;)

[Fred_Scuttle @ May 10th 2006 10:34AM]

#17 - Have not seen 1541 in ages........

Open "*",8

Sheesh - time files

[dan abarca @ May 10th 2006 11:13AM]

O.k guys settle down here it is as simple as possible
360 premium + wireless adapter + HD DVD = (APROX) $700 dollars. PS3 Premium $599.99 Now here is the break down premium 360 20 gb hard drive $400 dollars wireless adapter $100 dollars HDDVD (est.) $200 dollars
PS3 premium includes the built in Wireless Connection, HD media player "WITH" HDMI output (microsoft lacks it)
So, unless microsoft sees this my way They would have to sell the External drive for $100 and offer A platinum xbox 360 for $499.99 with HD DVD INTERNAL BUILT IN (If they believe that HD DVD will win the battle or at least stay in the game) for example DTS and Dolby Digital Co-Existing together! And guys just because Blu-Ray is a bit larger storage media device doesn't make it that much better :) Im for both formats And I do own a 360 with wireless adapter and yes I will be buying the External drive if "LESS" than $150 (wich I strongly doubt) and YES i will also be buying the Premium PS3 because like everything else I want the best of both worlds so join me and stop complaining!!! Gas Prices don't go back to $1.25 a gallon just because we don't like it thats just the way it goes LIVE WITH IT!!!

[Keith Sheehan @ May 10th 2006 12:04PM]

You have to realize that most people buying the 360 or PS3 don't have a flat-screen TV and are more than content with their existing DVD collections. Because of this, they won't care about BlueRay or HD-DVD. Plus a majority of the people buying these consoles are parents buying them for their kids.

Parents will look at the price tags of both and see that the XBOX 360 is $200-300 cheaper (possibly more than that by the time Christmas rolls around) and will opt for the more cost-consious unit.

Also, with the emerging proliferation of on-demand programming, the need for new forms of physical media seems to be waning; even more so, if an iTunesesqe move service comes to fruition.

[chasing @ May 10th 2006 12:10PM]

Looks like a book. Actually, looks like a Western Digital My Book HD.

[Perrey Z. @ May 10th 2006 12:19PM]

$100.00 for this? from Micro$oft? Billy's corps is not known for offering cheap accessories. For this we are looking at a MSRP of at least $400.00, with a possible $100.00 price drop near the PS3 release date/Holiday season's shopathon.

[Silverfrog @ May 10th 2006 1:23PM]

Re: jeremy

"Add-on optical drives never work.

Sega tried it with the SegaCD for the Genesis. Didn't sell.

Atari tried it with the JaguarCD for the Jaguar. Didn't sell no matter how much Sam Tramiel tried to claim that it sell gangbusters based upon the success Commodore had with selling the 1541 5 1/4" disk drive for the already sold Commodore64 computers."

Yeah, it also happened with the NEC Turbo Grafx Duo system in 1991. It was too expensive and not widely adopted. Add-ons do not typically sell well unless they dramatically change the gameplay experience. Was I the only idiot who bought a Sega 32X? What a lame one that was. Poor Sega- They had 5 straight failed concepts: SegaCD, Sega 32X, Sega Saturn, Sega Nomad, and finally Sega Dreamcast. Actually, the Sega Master System also failed too, but I don't count that one.

[Silverfrog @ May 10th 2006 1:40PM]

If you guys read the above article on the bottom it says details of the HD-DVD add-on having HDMI/HDCP support are not here. That doesn't mean they won't include it. So, it's pointless to point out that the PS3 will support it and Xbox360 won't.

But, if you are like me and going to own both systems, why then would you buy an HD-DVD add-on? If you already have a blu-ray drive, why pay an extra $100-$500 for ANOTHER HD movie player? Now, Microsoft gets clever and comes up with a way to make an add-on HD-DVD movie and game player, I might buy it. There would have to be HDMI support with it though.

I read a lot of opinions on the web about people's resistance to change formats. Some people don't want to switch to HD from their old TVs. Some people don't want to switch to HD-DVDs because they own old DVDs. Well, I remember when people were resistant to giving up their VHS collections, Record collections, and 8-track collections, and audio cassette tape collections because of new formats. What many people don't realize is that you don't have to give up anything just because you are switching to the new format. You can still watch your old movies, but hey now you can watch these new HD movies/games/music like all the young whipper snappers are doing!

What's even more fascinating is that if you go back and ask those same people how much they enjoy their *new* CD player after switching, they act like they NEVER liked tapes in the first place. Funny how people change so quickly after seeing how much better the new products can be.

[Rich Miles @ May 10th 2006 2:01PM]

I read in that Microsoft have confimred that there is no truth in the rumours that they will be releasing a 360 with a built in HD-DVD (see http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/01/05/xbox_360_hd-dvd/

The external player is planned for release and if this takes off they'll probably consider a revised console.

Yet I have the feeling that they are setting themselves up for a fall by doing this. I believe that Msoft should release a built in HD-DVD version, and early adopters should be able to (at additional cost obviously) return their 360's to Microsoft to have the current drive replaced and HDMI connection added.

[mrknowldge @ May 13th 2006 2:24AM]

o.K THE reason you would want both is EXCLUSIVES just like games HD dvd titles will be made on blu-ray but not all NEW movies will be available in both formats DEPENDING on the Studio, Now some movies that will be available in HD DVD will be ALSO available in Blu-ray format but then again NOT ALL and VICE VERSA. That is the reason I want BOTH and will be getting both at one time or another or after the war has been won :) meanwhile upconverted DVDs don't look too bad either :)
but 1080p will be NICE :) cant wait!!!

[mrknowldge @ May 13th 2006 2:27AM]

Microsoft would NEVER UPGRADE your HARDWARE for free or even for a fee it just isn't feasible in their marketing strategy most likely to just drop the price of add-on if You have REGISTERED YOUR 360 a coupon would be sent to you via email to get a discount on the external drive for Registered Owners Only I think MICROSOFT should consider this!!!! what do you early adopters think????

[c.Lake @ May 13th 2006 5:45PM]

@ Silverfrog -- #39

Yes, people are resistance to change, but there was a STANDARD DVD format in 1995. That situation back then, was nothing like this mini-drama is now. This format war could go either way? Taking thousand of you're (and mine) dollars with it.

At the end of the day, I just want to play games, not get married to the movie studios. I'd be happy to make the switch -- once these guys get their heads out of their asses, an make a F__King DECISION!!!

[sc00tert00ter @ May 14th 2006 4:41PM]

YAY 26!
first off... i am not a "fan boy" of either format but HD-DVD does have blueray beat "jon"(post 26) lists a bunch of important points while "distantbody"(post 28)says "bcuz it can hold up to 45gigs"??? who is gonna use 45gigs of video memory? NOBODY!

[Big Glare @ May 14th 2006 5:30PM]

I wouldn't call the HD-DVD drive add-on as Stop Gap. It's a brilliant tactical move. Both Sony and MS are touting this new generation as all around media machines. The 360 supports Component HD which is on EVERY HDTV set. By having the next gen disc drive as an external add-on there is little threat in the format war. If Blue ray wins somehow they just release a blue-ray drive and not have to touch the existing 360 console or its specs, and its just as media friendly. Sony on the other hand has FAR more to lose. If HD-DVD wins the PS3 will have virtually no Movie Playback capability without having to resort to an Add-on to RESTORE the lost movie playback feature.

Death of HD-DVD will mean the 360 will have to sell another peice of hardware. Death of BlueRay will kill the PS3's ability to play back High Def movies. Make it as usefull as a six year old DVD/DiVX player with all those old DiVX discs collecting Dust.

Microsoft will sell the HD-DVD drives to provide an additional media feature to the 360. If they announce somehow planning to shunt HDCP/HDMI in the Drive and allow 360 owners to play HD-DVD movies in full 1080/720 glory over component, they will sell ALOT of 360s and drives to all the "Early" adopters getting screwed by HDCP and the ICT.

Good Job Microsoft.

[Jason @ May 14th 2006 11:02PM]

Microsoft is thinking smart. The addon is going to be needed, but it will have to be able to be used to support games on a high def. disc. With an addon the 360 will be able to have high def movie support no matter what format wins. Remember beta and vhs. Beta was said to be the better of the two, but vhs won. In this world the best doesn't always win. We are leaving it up to the customer the one with the lower price will win most of the time. Both formats are good, but if bluray doesn't get the price down, it doesn't matter that it can store more or not.

[((leski)) @ May 15th 2006 2:08PM]

@ Big Glare,
Totally true. Everyone is saying that MS is taking a big risk but it is actually Sony. Look at the history here...How many failed formats has Sony come out with claiming that they will be the best and every time they fail, why would Blue Ray be any different. I guess everyone has to keep witnessing Sony's failed attempts at media distribution rather than taking the smart road and betting against them. I'm not saying HD DVD or Blue Ray is better or worse, but history has shown that Sony is gonna fail....Be warned

[corpirate @ May 15th 2006 5:42PM]

Big Glare #45

you make some very good points..

At least this way MS have the option to back-track if it all goes wrong.. if blue-ray goes down, PS3 goes down. No doubt the PS3 will sell bucketloads regardless - but at the moment it just seems to me that MS and Nintendo are causing the most interest.


I don't really see what's so great about Blueray over HD-DVD, i mean wow it holds more memory. I was of the understanding that most games currently on the 360 don't use anywhere near the full capacity of the current dvd discs anyway, so blueray seems like overkill to me.. and very expensive.

However I also read that there are 360 games in production that are currently spanning 3-4 DVD discs - so the idea that MS won't use the HD-DVD drive for games is ludicrous. Ppl don't wanna have to get up to swap discs, so they can play the next level...

It's a very interesting time - and extremely unfortunate for console manufacturers that the next gen console push was made before this format war!

One to watch..

Sometimes, simple and more cost effective is WAY better.

[Jack @ May 15th 2006 11:28PM]

For one thing it will be more than $100, unless microsoft plans on losing an incredible amount of money on each one. If it plugs into the back with the usb port than were will my wireless usb adapter go. Also unless it is used for games than I would not even consider buying one.

[Nobody @ May 21st 2006 6:15AM]

YaY 44

sc00tert00ter your right i mean 50gb on a blue ray disc is too much for the time being i know High Def movies will take up more memory but still thats far too much memory, the 30Gb HD DVD's drive have more than enough memory for the time being! Honestly speaking who is going to replace their whole DVD collections just to buy the same movie in High Def??

This whole argument is pointless these consoles are really only meant to play games on, i would rather buy a HD DVD player + HDD than a add on HD DVD player anyday because they are desisnged to play movies rather than trying to do everthing!

[Pedro @ May 21st 2006 8:35AM]

Open your eyes to the MS way of business, to all of you who bought a early 360 your screwed. When the PS3 start flying out the shelves, MS is going to implement internal HDDVD in the 360. Leaving all of you having pay for this upgrading the internal drive if you don't your 360 will be useless. This drive is just a desperate attemp to have something to compat one of sony's selling points and it won't work. When consumers see this horrible looking contraption even hardcore xboys will say WTF is that. To mention that is only for movie playback doesn't even work for gaming.

MS is a bad company, but there are no service packs for the 360 just people who got shafted early 360 adopters. You've seen what MS has done for OS, we are at their mercy is either MS or nothing. But it won't happen in gaming buy a PS3 fuck microsoft

[X @ Jun 11th 2006 11:32PM]

maybe the back of the drive will have a port for HD?