Xbox exec sez "surprises" in store for Q4

For the purposes of this post, we've going to ignore Microsoft exec Richard Teversham's recent dismissals of the Wii as a glorified GameCube and the PS3 as overpriced, and instead concentrate on his area of expertise: future plans for the Xbox 360. In an interview with entertainment site MCV, Teversham revealed that Redmond has "a number of surprises up our sleeve" in regards to the Xbox division's Q4 strategies, and that they involve "having a variety of pricing on games [and] a variety of pricing on console offers." Since the marketing manager reiterated previous denials of an impending 360 price cut, we have to wonder what exactly he was referring to by that statement on console pricing. The one possibility that springs immediately to mind? Why, bundled HD DVD drives, of course. If Redmond is in fact able to offer 360 bundles with HD optical drives at the same or slightly higher prices than current packages go for, it would certainly take some of the focus off Nintendo and Sony during their respective console launches. On the other hand, he could simply mean that the current bundles will receive an extra game or accessory or something -- which, combined with his slams on the competition, wouldn't really make for an effective marketing strategy at all.

[Via Joystiq]

[Mchacur @ Aug 1st 2006 10:53AM]

Maybe the surprise is that they are going to start making some profit with this cr..

[Jason @ Aug 1st 2006 10:55AM]

They need to do something... it almost feels like they have been holding off on things until closer to the PS3 launch this fall... there have been a few GREAT games but in general there hasn't been anything to WOW us 360 owners... but then again... what is coming for the PS3 that WOWs anyone?

[Stoof @ Aug 1st 2006 11:04AM]

I think they're going to release some revolutionary controller similar to the Wii's controller. I mean, that's what I would do if I were afraid :).

[Joel @ Aug 1st 2006 11:07AM]

Has everyone forgotten about the camera? Maybe that's the "surprise" he's talking about.

[hoaxMail @ Aug 1st 2006 11:07AM]

He looks a lot of fun!

[Loban @ Aug 1st 2006 11:08AM]

Yeah like: SURPRISE, the Xbox 360 still isn't selling very well.

[Smoke_Dawg_187 @ Aug 1st 2006 11:10AM]

I agree that the WII is a glorified GameCube. Perhaps people in the industry are just trying to keep Nintendo from going the way of Sega. Their console seems to limited by it's specs. I bet Xbox Live Arcade could see a lot of similar games that Nintendo will be releasing

[stuffman @ Aug 1st 2006 11:14AM]

I agree that the Xbox 360 is a glorified Xbox. Perhaps people in the industry are just trying to keep Microsoft's game division from going the way of Sega. Their console seems to limited by it's lack of anything fun and innovative. I bet Nintendo could see a lot of incredible games you won't get anywhere else.

[DG @ Aug 1st 2006 11:20AM]

Xbox 360 HD-DVD seems kind of like a Sega CD, no? If it's not part of standard hardware, developers can't rely on it and it becomes a fancy peripheral, but doesn't do much for the system overall.

For all of its faults, Sony is at least committing itself to Blu-Ray. MS adding on HD-DVD is trying to have it boths ways -- either HD discs matter or they don't. Which is it?

[MySelf @ Aug 1st 2006 11:20AM]

You know what would suck the most, is if the surprise was nothing more than an extra controller in the box. Also, when the PS3/Wii comes out they catch up to the 360's sales in a matter of months. Which would mean that everything that Microsoft has been doing to sell the 360 (early release, TV spots, etc.) failed. Ha Ha that would be a laugh riot.

[Alcaron @ Aug 1st 2006 11:24AM]

"On the other hand, he could simply mean that the current bundles will receive an extra game or accessory or something -- which, combined with his slams on the competition, wouldn't really make for an effective marketing strategy at all."

Why is that?

I mean, honestly, how many people do you think hear what he says?

The only people that wont be effective with is us hardcore nerds.

One thing we should all bear in mind however is that we, sadly, do NOT make up the vast majority of consumers. If we did then all these megacorps wouldn't be doing stupid crap that we don't like or that makes us scratch our head.

And honestly we allready have our own opinions, what these execs say makes very little difference to us one way or the other.

[Mark @ Aug 1st 2006 11:28AM]

A glorified gamecube? The Wii is a completely different way of gaming and behaves nothing like th Gamecube. The 360 is nothing but a glorified Xbox what is so damn special about it? It plays just like an Xbox and the games are no different from Xbox games. Big deal if it is in HD it doesn't even have HDMI (yet) so it is not even true HD. Shut up Microsoft and stop knocking down other companies and make your own better.

[Smeagol @ Aug 1st 2006 11:28AM]

Hahaa ... A 360-HD-DVD bundle...two optical drives for the price of one..hope you have room in your audio rack.

That would make the 360 look soooo, last gen compared to the PS3.

[Nerdscout @ Aug 1st 2006 11:30AM]

@Alcaron

Dude proof read your comments

[Coolio @ Aug 1st 2006 11:34AM]

Considering the fact that the 360s power brick is about the size of a buick, the PS3 and the 360 are going to be about the same size

[Jason @ Aug 1st 2006 11:45AM]

Next Gen DVD formats are both really NON-FACTORS right now... if anyone thinks that people want to run out and spend $29.99 on DVDs they your just crazy... there are only a very few people who care about HD-DVD and Blu-Ray... Buy a PS3 just because it has a Blu-Ray drive is kind of stupid... The $1000 blu-ray players are getting horrible reviews I am sure that the PS3 will do no better. I would expect MS to have something game related to pile onto the 360... here are some of the things I can think of:

1.) Add a bigger HD to the premium bundle and include a 20GB HD in the core bundle... at no extra price (technically a price cut but not really).

2.) A huge XBLA addition... maybe SEGAs entire library of old games!

3.) What about that DirecTV deal they had in the works? Maybe OnDemand HD movies or something?? Over XBL?

4.) Camera... gotta have something going on with this...

5.) New controller(s) with motion sensing... or XBLA controller... maybe a retro Atari controller with just a stick and one button!

6.) Big upgrade to XBL...

7.) Zune release / integration

8.) Gears Of War (Could kill the PS3 launch in the US by itself)

9.) XBL based music service integration (URGE) or something using the same subscription you have on your PC or portable...

There are TONS of things that could be coming... Oh and don't blame MS for the lack of great games... this is is age we are in... most games being made for most platforms, etc... There are some GREAT MS Exclusives coming for the holiday season!

[craig @ Aug 1st 2006 11:52AM]

My bet is some sort of Zune integration, but maybe a facelift or complete redesign?

[Ryan @ Aug 1st 2006 11:58AM]

"Xbox 360 HD-DVD seems kind of like a Sega CD, no? If it's not part of standard hardware, developers can't rely on it and it becomes a fancy peripheral, but doesn't do much for the system overall."

You do realize that developers will NOT be able to rely on the HD DVD drive at all? The HD DVD add-on is for use with movies and only movies. This is to say hey for less than what you pay for a PS3 you can have a next gen system and a device which plays next gen movies. For people like myself it's a perfect add-on. I will not be spending $500+ on a standalone HD DVD player, but I can see dropping $150-$200 for this add-on.


"Next Gen DVD formats are both really NON-FACTORS right now... if anyone thinks that people want to run out and spend $29.99 on DVDs they your just crazy"

I really, really hate when people do not look do any research before spouting off at the mouth. If you go to Amazon.com and look for HD DVDs they are running from $20-$25 for about 90% of the movies. One that I know of is $30 and that is a duel format disc with HD DVD and DVD in one package, that movie is Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang.

Also a bit of looking around can get things even cheaper. For example I bought the Bourne Supremacy on HD DVD for less than $16 with shipping included. THis was a brand new disc from Overstock.com.

So basically HD DVD is already on par with new DVD releases after the first week a movie is out. Therefore it is ruled a non-factor.

[cckrobinson @ Aug 1st 2006 12:11PM]

I couldn't care less about the HD-DVD XBox 360 integration, but I'd sure like to see the HD-DVD add on drive available for Media Center PC owners.

[shirizaki @ Aug 1st 2006 12:20PM]

I could see a newer, bigger HD coming out. By the time you would rip music, download demos and videos, and download Arcade games and content the HD is going to be full.

Or I could see packing in PDZ or PGR3 w/ XBL Gold 6 months sub for a $400 - $450 tag this holiday.

Maybe they will release the elusive HDMI cable. Maybe it's just hype and hot air.

[Guruboy @ Aug 1st 2006 12:26PM]

"I really, really hate when people do not look do any research before spouting off at the mouth. If you go to Amazon.com and look for HD DVDs they are running from $20-$25 for about 90% of the movies. One that I know of is $30 and that is a duel format disc with HD DVD and DVD in one package, that movie is Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang."

Do some research, all the BD movies on Amazon have been cut to $20 except for the brand-new releases, which are $27.95. The price difference is nada, besides old movies on HD DVD being up to $30...wtf? There are also definitely more new releases on BD than the hard to find couple on HD DVD (I sure can't find them)

Who wants surprises? Just tell us!

[raulr @ Aug 1st 2006 12:28PM]

Maybe they'll offer a 360 "Platinum" bundle that will have integrated HD-DVD with HDMI out. They could still offer Core and Premium kits with regular DVD drive for those that don't care about HD-DVD movie playback. This way, they'll have a system that competes more directly with the PS3, and likely at a lower price. They could still offer the external for current owners wanting to add HD-DVD playback.

[DarkSpawn2005 @ Aug 1st 2006 12:29PM]

Well at least we dont have to put up with the Zune haters on this, but the fact remains MS need a good surprise with the x360 to ensure a holiday season blitz on behalf of Sony and Nintendo. On that note I dont know why Nintendo fans seem to be so smug about the Wii. Yes it may be a step in the right direction but I personally think the attempt is kinda pathetic. We can happily call the Xbox 360 pathetic when we see nothing but a stripped down Gamecube with laclustre specs, the same old rehashed franchises and a so called "revolutionary controller" which is just a glorified form of geometric data input which has been around for a decade. I find the double standards from fanboys sometimes very sad.

[Mike W @ Aug 1st 2006 12:33PM]

If they announce the awaited rumor of a 360 with an HDMI connection and then toss in an HD DVD bundle and 20GB hard drive with 2 wireless controllers for $399 im sold. Sony's machine is strictly for reselling on ebay. No games till 1st qtr 07 (GT5, FFXIII) make it a discount Blu-ray player and at 29.99+ for DVD's I already own it's a no brainer MS and Nintendo will do most of the business this Holiday season.
As someone already posted on here the all of us only represent a very small informed coalition of gamers and would probably not have any bones about shelling out the 600 clams for a PS3 if it was worth it. However they are banking on the industry to adopt their system when they have priced it out of their hands. Especially since the rate of disposable income shrinks for the vast portion of the population every time gas hits over 3 dollars and it will not go back down to where it once was.

[Loban @ Aug 1st 2006 12:41PM]

DarkSpawn2005, because the Xbox 360 literally IS a souped up Xbox. I mean it really is. The controller is essentially identical, the games offer nothing new with prettier graphics, and that's about it. I don't try to convince people that I have this whole new innovative incredible PC whenever I upgrade the video card. The Xbox 360 and the PS3, to the average user, boil down to prettier graphics and that's it.

The Wii offers a completely new way of interacting with the world in your game. I can't believe anyone would compare the Wii to the gamecube, they're not even close, not even in the same universe. Hell, the Wii doesn't compare to ANYTHING out there right now. It is just the first step to complete immersion into our games.

In 50 years Nintendo will be marketing Home Virtual Reality systems where you're actually in the game, while Sony will be marketing the PS8 with prettier graphics than the PS7.

[georgedakota @ Aug 1st 2006 12:48PM]

Stupid comments from stupid people. I am not referring to everyone in here but for instance "xbox 360 is a glorified xbox". First of all you obviously havent played ghost recon or fight night 3. Both are impossible on xbox and thats just a sign of things to come this fall. Second stupid comment "xbox 360 isnt selling well". It is summer and people have lifes in the summer and nothnig good comes out. Face it what good games have come out for any system since june? I think this is a problem in the game industry but it wont change because if people arent spending why release a top title. Third stupid comment "no top titles are out on xbox 360". This comment proves you no longer like games. If you dont like at least 5 titles or more on 360 right now then something is seriously wrong with you. Honeslty when i hear comments like this it makes me think the people making them are completely brain dead or just ms haters. I dont even have time to play all the great games on xbox live as it is, i cant imagine once fall gets here.

[Robotron @ Aug 1st 2006 1:03PM]

I am unimpressed by my 360 so far. PDZ was crap, Live is just getting stupid with all the content pricing.
MS seems to be relying on Live for people to create their own fun instead of the games offering it.

I hope Nintendo does not screw up their online like this. Keep the download prices low and I'll be there.

I know people like to call Nintendo "kiddy", but when is the last time you saw the execs from Sony or MS at E3 playing games on stage with people and having fun.
Honestly that tennis match at E3 sold me on the Wii. They were having fun and they acted like gamers. I can relate to that. People like Peter Moore, this guy and Sony (riiiiiidge raaaacer) just seem out of touch with gamers.
Maybe I've worked around too many people with the "corporate lobotomy" and I'm not blind (I know Nintendo cares about the bottom line).....it just seems that the big N is more about fun and less about "technology". And I'm fine with that. I don't want to see games enter the realm where you need another $10,000 setup to enjoy them. MS seems to think everyone is super rich and while I do own a nice HD setup there are another 70% of families out there that never will own an HDTV. Should they be excluded from fun because of their position on the financial ladder?

[Jason @ Aug 1st 2006 1:07PM]

Ryan... get real... do you think EVERYONE shops at Amazon? Come on... walk into a BestBuy (really the only store that carries both formats) and you probably wont find a single next gen DVD for $20 bucks... please... the store are where people will buy the discs from... when you walk into a BestBuy and a sales guy tries to convince someone how much better they are for the extra money they are just wasting their time... and besides... go to Target or Walmart some day... DVDs hardly EVER get over $15...

Get HD Cable or HD Sat... You can watch 10x the number of movies in HD and it wont cost you the kind of money next gen discs do.

The next gen DVD in these machines (or attached to them) will have NOTHING to do with their success... the Blu-Ray has the potential to have ALOT to do with the failure of the PS3 if it doesn't take off cause they are forcing people to pay the extra 300 bucks for it. Oh and this isn't just a oh well if it doesn't pan out no big deal... It costs more to make Blu-Ray discs... manufactures need to upgade their technology just to be able to make them... if Blu-Ray fails it will ALWAYS cost more to make a PS3 game... don't think that developers are going to take a cut in profit so the game can be priced the same... the games will be more expensive. Blu-Ray has the potential to kill the PS brand all together.

And why in the world would MS think that an HDMI connection would make ANY difference? Who cares about the connection? That isn't going to wooo anyone into buying a 360.

[Jared @ Aug 1st 2006 1:16PM]

Props to Jason for his well thought-out ideas.
The addition of the standard 20GB HDD would and SHOULD be paramount to anything that MS does with the 360 in these next few months that lead up to the PS3 release.
Retro Atari 360 controller!? BRILLIANT!
I'd pay $20 bucks to play Root Beer Tapper on one of those bad boys!
Secondly, the HD-DVD add-on has NOTHING to do with developers! It is a high-def DVD player and nothing more.
The 360 was the catalyst for me to buy an HDTV and I *am* in the market for a next-gen dvd player. Even with progressive scan, regular 480p movies just don't cut it on any HDTV.
If you add even a modest $300 Yamaha Home Theater in a box system to the mix, improved audio tracks/bit rates that HD-DVD provides will be even more of a reason to make the switch to next-gen movies.
As far as you fan-boys that think the PS3 is going to be the uber-juggernaut-behemoth-360 killer, you're going to be severely disappointed.
Most PS3 games won't be any bigger in size or scope as Oblivion. Game data and disc size will probably be about the same, save for Blu-Ray movies...don't believe Sony's PR sham.
In fact, Oblivion only uses HALF of the DVD-9 disk space. That game was, what, 3 years in development? So the next one maybe 7 GB? Wooooo. Still fits.
Blu-Ray is all hype by the infamous Sony PR machine. Remember mini-disks? You probably use cds, right? How about the even more recent ATRAC file format? Or do you prefer MP3s? Memory Stick? I use a USB thumb drive.
Sony is a greedy company who only wants to implement Blu-Ray so they can rake in the royalties from every disc and player. They don't care about (you) the consumer.

[Jason @ Aug 1st 2006 1:29PM]

Jared... you couldn't be more right about Blu-Ray... its only real advantage is space (and right now the techonology isn't reliable enough to make the discs even as big as HD-DVDs)... DVD-9 will easily last througout this entire generation...

Now... Blu-Ray may be a PERFECT mass optical storage device for PCs in a few years when they figure out how to make those 100GB discs... But that ISN'T going to happen in this generation and who needs 100 GB for a video game or an HD movie? HD-DVD has proven you can get better quailty than Blu-Ray with less space.

Blu-Ray tech is just still too expensive and not polished enough to build a game system around.

[Loban @ Aug 1st 2006 1:40PM]

"First of all you obviously havent played ghost recon or fight night 3."

I have played Ghost Recon on my PC, and it sucks.

And i'm quite sure both of those games are possible on the Xbox or any other console, they just wouldn't look as pretty, but the game would be identical.

[Jared @ Aug 1st 2006 1:44PM]

What's great is even in head-to-head comparisons just out, HD-DVD beats out Blu-Ray in nearly EVERY category in movie playback! Check it out here:

http://www.highdefdigest.com/feature_blurayvshddvd_firstcomparison.html

[Loban @ Aug 1st 2006 1:45PM]

Let me add to that, fight night 3 wouldn't be identical on all consoles. It would be radically different on the Wii in that you would actually get to throw punches with your hands and dodge punches with your body. But on any other console, it would be identical.

[mkaltner @ Aug 1st 2006 2:09PM]

In response to something Jared said:

"In fact, Oblivion only uses HALF of the DVD-9 disk space. That game was, what, 3 years in development? So the next one maybe 7 GB? Wooooo. Still fits."

Oblivion is a great game, no question. However, if you've played it you're familiar with the insanely long load times associated with the game. One has to question, is this because most if not all the hi-res textures are compressed on the disk and uncompressed at load time? If they had larger disks available to them, maybe they could store the textures uncompressed therefore dramatically reducing load times?

This is all speculation of course as I don't know how the textures are stored nor if this is the real reason for the long load times. But it could be the cause and a valid reason to utilize large disks.

- Mike

[Joel @ Aug 1st 2006 2:24PM]

It will undoubtedly be a price cut. The sure-fire way to put the screws to Sony is to sell your console for half the price. It'll take a lot of pleading to convince mom that the Sony is twice as good. I know that the Microsoft Execs have denied Pricing rumors, but no executive in his right mind would let the public know 6 month in advance that they will be dropping the price by $100. It would immediately stall sales until the price cut. Price cuts in the past have always been "surprise" announcments effective immediately. Anyone who put any stock in a statement quashing a price cut rumor is naive at best. They will always deny price cut rumors to prevent losing the business of those who would opt to wait it out.

[DG @ Aug 1st 2006 2:37PM]

This minute, HD-DVD on Xbox is only for movies. Who is to say that will always be true?

[Fischsticks @ Aug 1st 2006 2:39PM]

yeah who would ever want to play a wii... its just a glorified gamecube with a new controller and fun games... video games aren't meant to be fun they are suppose to be pretty dangit! (sarcasam off)
i love my 360 but its kind of lacking at the moment... geo wars is alot of fun, as well as FN3, but compared to the amount of fun i have with my gamecube, lets just say bring on the glorified gamecube... i think anyone who says the wii will fail due to its lack of power doesn't enjoy video games

[Linuts @ Aug 1st 2006 2:50PM]

"Next Gen DVD formats are both really NON-FACTORS right now... if anyone thinks that people want to run out and spend $29.99 on DVDs they your just crazy... there are only a very few people who care about HD-DVD and Blu-Ray"

Sorry, but have to disagree here. Availability of titles will determine whether or not the formats become relevant any time soon, not price. Netflix, with several million subscribers, is already shipping blu-ray and hd-dvd discs to any customer that sets a flag in their membership profile. What difference does the price make to the vast majority of consumers who simply rent?

"There are also definitely more new releases on BD than the hard to find couple on HD DVD (I sure can't find them)"

uh - do you know how to count? They're pretty close, but HD-DVD gets the edge. I find it really annoying that the blu-ray list contains no info for several titles, implying they're available now but really meaning they have no information. The HD-DVD list is very clear about what is available and what is coming. Here are the lists:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/musicandvideo/hddvd/movies.aspx

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/

Maybe Nintendo will bundle a dual-format drive next year? Sadly, this is way too much to hope for.

[RP @ Aug 1st 2006 2:55PM]

Love the comments!
By and large, the comments suggest that the odds are stacked to 360's favor. Why? Because it's logical. I can't believe the audacity of Sony - leverage the PS2 (PS - Piece o' Shiz) market share to (hopefully) convince people to get a second mortgage to buy a 1X ButtRay drive for 300 bones extra as a means to saturate the market. The previous comment was spot on... They hope to subsidize the ButtRay investment with royalties by trying to make the format ubiquitous through PS3 sales. Oh, and by the way, since the Cell processor is so new and complex, average development costs for a title on PS3 are on average 60% more than a 360 game (that can be ported about 45% to a PC). Wii development costs are substantially lower which is one of the reasons why EA has announced broad support for the Wii. Since the costs for PS3 development are so high, you will see that reflected in the price of games (Ken K. of Sony suggested that the games will be over 50.00 but less than 100.00). Besides, like any hardware computing device, the hardware is only as good as the software that is written to take advantage of it. Sure the Cell is impressive, but I guarantee you will see only a handful of titles that actually take advantage of the hardware and even then, the cost of the game will most likely be on the higher end and the overall quality will probably not be much more than an optimized 360 title.
I'll tell you what PS3 rats... After you recover from having to sell one of your kidneys to pay for your shiny new ButtRay 1X player (that can play 50-100 dollar games that are not better than 360 in terms of quality), buy a ButtRay version of Pulp Fiction and watch the Zed scene. You might feel a slight strain on your conscious because you are the guy that is being pummeled on the hobby horse after buying your PS3. Hope it was worth it to watch your own metaphor in an inferior HD format. Meanwhile, I will be hanging back this holiday season playing killer 360 AND Wii games, owning both consoles (and possibly an HD-DVD drive) for the price of your ButtRay Piece o' Shiz 3.

[shirizaki @ Aug 1st 2006 3:06PM]

PS3 will play DVDs and BluRay discs so every game isn't going to be printed on BluRay discs. If BluRay is a flop, Sony will just sell the PS3 as is. Arguing about a next gen disc format that can't deliver what it promised on release (native 1080p) doesn't do anything.

Now, let's talk about videogames. The Wii - Yes, the graphics are a slight improvement, if anything. But the games look FUN.

I'm buying a 360. I had fun with PDZ, PGR3, and I'd like to see how Madden 07 looks and plays. Then there's Gears of War, Army of 2, Fable 2, and Dead Rising. With a slight price cut, I'll be there with money in hand to buy one.

[Loban @ Aug 1st 2006 3:23PM]

"i think anyone who says the wii will fail due to its lack of power doesn't enjoy video games."

Most people DON'T enjoy video games anymore. There is so much CGI and work involved in playing games anymore that most of us are just getting sick of it. Which is why the video game market has been getting its butt kicked lately and which is why I hope the Wii will breath new life into it again. The Wii will make gaming fun again, not a chore. If games continue down the road they're going down, they'll turn into $90 10 hour CGI movies where all you do is press a button every once in a while to get to the next cutscene.

[js @ Aug 1st 2006 3:37PM]

The Xbox 360 surprise: it runs Windows Vista.

How wonderful.

[D2 @ Aug 1st 2006 3:54PM]

jared: this is one of the more absurd comments I have read. What exactly are you talking about, your comparisons are barely valid.

"Blu-Ray is all hype by the infamous Sony PR machine. Remember mini-disks? You probably use cds, right? How about the even more recent ATRAC file format? Or do you prefer MP3s? Memory Stick? I use a USB thumb drive."

Comparing mini-disk to cd's is weak. Mini-disks were never meant to replace cds. You did make one valid point though, most people use CD's, jointly developed by Sony (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_disc)

Also, comparing Memory Sticks to USB thumb drives is simply foolish. Do you use a thumb drive with your digital camera? Sony's MemoryStick (in all its absurd flavors) is different than a USB thumb drive. You can bash MemoryStick all you want, but at least contrast it with comparable products (MMC, SD, CompactFlash, etc.)

Spend more time learning, less time posting.

[Jared @ Aug 1st 2006 4:00PM]

"This minute, HD-DVD on Xbox is only for movies. Who is to say that will always be true?"

-As I pointed out earlier(along with others in posts about high Blu-Ray manufacturing costs), the cost of changing game format from the current DVD-9 to HD-DVD outweighs any benefit. Especially in the current 360 platform, changing this early or even mid-way to get higher storage space on a game disc is silly given even huge games, like Oblivion, have room to spare on regular DVDs.

[Dolomite @ Aug 1st 2006 4:06PM]

They will need to do something, right now the xBox 360 has been a pretty big disappointment to me. With the immenent release of the PS3 I really don't know how much longer the beleagured software giant can stay in the game.

[Jared @ Aug 1st 2006 4:19PM]

D2:If you'll care to go back and re-read my post, I never made a comparison between Memory Sticks and Thumb Drives.

"Also, comparing Memory Sticks to USB thumb drives is simply foolish. Do you use a thumb drive with your digital camera? Sony's MemoryStick (in all its absurd flavors) is different than a USB thumb drive. You can bash MemoryStick all you want, but at least contrast it with comparable products (MMC, SD, CompactFlash, etc.)"

The point I was trying to make here was that you're much more likely to find a USB port on a product than a memory stick port. Quite simply because if Sony makes computer components (desktops) why would a direct competitor like HP want to put a memory stick input on theirs?
Sony should stick to what it does best these days and that is R&D. Most of their formats (mini-disk, memory sticks, betamax) have been the better technology and more companies would implement them so the public can catch on if Sony wasn't a direct competitor in the hardware department.
For the first time in a long time, Sony's tech isn't as good as the other guy's and their trying to spin it their direction.

[Nukes and Candy @ Aug 1st 2006 4:35PM]

I dont know about the suprises, but he looks suspitious to me. I dont trust him!

[Matt E. @ Aug 1st 2006 4:36PM]

"Does anybody know when the black moto q will be out?" Exactly. None of this would impress me, either. The only thing that would drive me to the store and buy an XBOX 360, other than my whiny kids, is if they bundled a 26" LCD Monitor with it.

[Jared @ Aug 1st 2006 4:41PM]

D2:If you'll care to go back and re-read my post, I
never made a comparison between Memory Sticks and Thumb Drives.
"Also, comparing Memory Sticks to USB thumb drives is simply foolish. Do you use a thumb drive with your digital camera? Sony's MemoryStick (in all its absurd flavors) is different than a USB thumb drive. You can bash MemoryStick all you want, but at least contrast it with comparable products (MMC, SD, CompactFlash, etc.)"
The point I was trying to make here was that you're much more likely to find a USB port on a product than a memory stick port. Quite simply because if Sony makes computer components (desktops) why would a direct competitor like HP want to put a memory stick input on theirs?
Sony should stick to what it does best these days and that is R&D. Most of their formats (mini-disk, memory sticks, betamax) HAVE been the better technology and more companies would implement them so the public can catch on if Sony wasn't a direct competitor in the hardware department.
For the first time in a long time, Sony's tech isn't as good as the other guy's and their trying to spin it their direction.
I do appreciate you suggesting that I "Spend more time learning, less time posting."
However, I suggest you spend less time trolling and looking for other peoples mistakes to hound upon and more time reading a little slower.

[d3 @ Aug 1st 2006 4:41PM]

Maybe they will announce some lower-priced games. That might get more people interested in the console.

I wonder if sony will follow Microsoft's lead and price games at $60. $70? Higher? How will Wii games be priced? I can tell you that this can have an effect on console sales. Some parents see all those $60 games and say "no 360 for us."