Sony "in talks" with Microsoft about a Xbox 360 Blu-ray drive

About 48 milliseconds after the format war was officially over, rumors started running rampant (again) about Blu-ray making its way over to Microsoft's latest console. Now, however, those rumors actually have some legs -- well, at least a leg. According to Stan Glasgow, Sony Electronics US president, "Sony is in talks with console rival Microsoft about offering a Blu-ray drive for the Xbox 360." For whatever it's worth, the exec also noted that it was having similar discussions with Apple, which has yet to even offer a Blu-ray option on any of its machines. Unfortunately, not a peep was uttered about potential launch dates and the like, but you can rest assured that we'll be keeping an ear dangerously close to the ground.

[Thanks, Andy]

[Sukhminder @ Mar 6th 2008 3:58PM]

Awesome!

[Sukhminder @ Mar 6th 2008 4:09PM]

Sorry for the double post. I wanted to write "First" but that would be taboo, so I wrote the next dumbest thing.

Anyways, I would love a Xbox with Blu-ray. I wanted a PS3 for the Blu-ray player, but needed (yes, needed) a 360 for gaming. Now I don't have to buy a PS3. Probably many people in the same position. Microsoft will make a lot of money if they go through with this, and take some wind out of PS3's sales.

(Not saying PS3 isn't good for gaming, I'm just a Halo 3 addict)

[joey @ Mar 6th 2008 4:29PM]

Just to add to that, SONY too, would make a lot of money.

[Biju Varghese @ Mar 6th 2008 8:44PM]

The Xbox 360 is LOUD even with the HD DVD addon. The system is still going to be loud with a Bluray addon.

[Mr Deeds @ Mar 6th 2008 9:12PM]

You need a PS3 for God of War 2, and Folding@Home! :-)

[Mike10010100 @ Mar 7th 2008 6:06AM]

LOUD? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? I HAVE THE GAME MUSIC TURNED UP SO HIGH I HADN'T NOTICED!

But seriously, if you're talking about it being too loud, try to insulate it (e.g. put it behind a cabinet to muffle it).

[chip.crosby @ Mar 7th 2008 10:20AM]

I think putting it in a cabinet will just end up overheating the system - which is already a common problem for the 360, and yes it is really loud. I got locked out of my house the other day (lame I know) and while I waited for my roommate to get home the only thing I could hear through the door was the fan/drive of the 360 spinning away. It was kind of comforting to hear but sucked non the less.

[teej @ Mar 7th 2008 11:01AM]

@Biju Varghese,

it's loud? what do you do? sit there and listen to it? good to know. i'll be watching my games and playing them.

[Vince @ Mar 12th 2008 6:07PM]

"...it has been seriously frowned upon."

So has your spelling.

[GreezyG @ Mar 6th 2008 3:58PM]

Yay....this will take away the only reason for me to buy a PS3 :P

[TigerShark @ Mar 6th 2008 4:33PM]

That is if you would want to buy a crippled (no HD audio support) and ugly Xbox 360 add on.

[Zeus.:God @ Mar 6th 2008 4:38PM]

Yeah, I'd much rather have a George Foreman grill sitting in my entertainment center than a plain looking disc drive.

It doesn't matter. It's not ugly, and if you care that much about it's looks, then you spend too much time not using it for it's intended purpose.

[riobard @ Mar 7th 2008 11:04AM]

@tigershark
bluray addon -> usb -> pc?

[Alex R @ Mar 8th 2008 4:34PM]

@ Zeus.:God:

Will it be blac like the Elite or white for us non elitees? Or both b/c I have only seen white HD DVD drives.

[NHAnimator @ Mar 6th 2008 3:59PM]

Sony to Microsoft: "Have we got a deal for us. Er..., I mean you."

[Eric M. @ Mar 6th 2008 4:18PM]

Haha exactly. Sony sure knows how to play their cards right.

Even if this is true then everyone Blu-Ray addon sold will result in a royalty and extra hardware sales for Sony.

And before anyone starts talking about this addon slowing PS3 sales down need to realize that the only people who will buy the addon will be current 360 owners because anyone looking for a cheap Blu-Ray player will get the PS3 because it will still be a better value and more convenient than buying a 360 and then an addon.

[Zeus.:God @ Mar 6th 2008 4:40PM]

Eric, the funny thing is, is that many people considering PS3s have 360s, and look into the PS3 for Blu-Ray mainly. If they do release this Blu-Ray drive for the 360, then there might not be enough reason for those current 360 owners to spend more on another console for a few games.

[Eric M. @ Mar 6th 2008 4:49PM]

@Zeus

Yeah but I think a larger amount of people with 360s are more of Gamers than Movie buffs looking for Blu-Ray playback because then they probably would have bought the PS3 first. But since more people who own a 360 are gamers when Final Fantasy, God of War 3, and all the other great games come for the PS3 they will buy it anyways.

Also I bet Sony is sticking to the 10 year timeframe and is waiting for all those PS2 owners to upgrade to the PS3 because even if half the people with PS2s buy a PS3 then Sony will be right back at the top. But that might take years for the PS3 to dip in price and for those sequels and great games to come out.

[Zeus.:God @ Mar 6th 2008 5:05PM]

If movie-buffs were looking for a Blu-Ray player, I'm sure they would go with a standalone unit.

Even then, most of those who own Xbox 360s likely don't care too much about the PS3's games, otherwise they would have already bought it, so if this drive is released, there would be absolutely no reason for those millions of Xbox 360 owners to buy a PS3. On top of that, it would be far cheaper than an entirely different console.

[eugene @ Mar 6th 2008 5:13PM]

If this had happened a few months ago, I wouldn't have bought a PS3. I mean, I like it now, but I bought it mainly as a blu-ray machine.

[Aclay @ Mar 7th 2008 5:56PM]

You now what, you are right. At first I was thinking that the Xbox 360 Blu-Ray add-on would impact PS3 sales, but it wont because only current 360 owners will be buying it. Plus, the 360 isn't the most reliable or quiet console in the world either for playing Blu-Ray.

Microsoft just wants the Blu-Ray for the 360 so that they can say that their console has Blu-Ray also and the PS3 isn't the only console that has it. I already have a PS3, but if I had to choose, I would rather buy the console that already had Blu-Ray built in.

[Rob @ Mar 6th 2008 4:00PM]

Then, maybe Sony can talk to MS/Toshiba so they can come up with drivers so HD-DVD owners can watch their movies on the PS3 with the 360 Add-on without needing Linux and/or hacks. That'd be sweet. I'd love it.

[Curtis the Claw Game Master V2 @ Mar 6th 2008 4:36PM]

Why would you be hooking up a 360 HD-DVD addon to a PS3? Why not just leave it hooked up to your 360?

[Eric M. @ Mar 6th 2008 4:40PM]

And um you can probably get a DVD Upconverter oops I mean an HD-DVD player for like $20 in a few weeks or even for free if you check Toshiba's dumpsters.

[Rob @ Mar 6th 2008 5:39PM]

Because I don't own a 360. I'm using my 360 Add-on on my pc. But, if I could use it on the PS3 it would be a nice touch because I already own it. And you're right, if I owned the 360, it would make sense to have hd-dvd player hooked up to it directly.

[Kurian @ Mar 6th 2008 9:49PM]

Have you been living under a rock?

The 360's HD-DVD Addon Drive works PERFECTLY with the PS3.
Just plug it in and it will detect a new device in Ubuntu.
You can watch all your HD-DVDs in VLC or whatever player of your choice.

That is called giving it to MS up the ass.
49$ for HD-DVD support for the PS3 = Awesome.

[Kurian @ Mar 6th 2008 9:50PM]

Um..never mind. I dunno how I missed that last line.

[asanchezm @ Mar 6th 2008 4:00PM]

Yes please, don't give me a reason to buy a PS3.

[wud_e @ Mar 6th 2008 4:00PM]

Don't do it Microsoft!!

[roach @ Mar 6th 2008 6:03PM]

Is is more like don't do it Sony. I mean, BR is one of advantage Sony has over 360.

Looks like I don't need to buy two consoles...thanks Sony.

[rob @ Mar 6th 2008 9:20PM]

THE WAR IS NOT OVER!!!!!!
STAND STRONG MICROSOFT!!!!
HD-DVD WILL WIN IN THE END!!!

[bob e @ Mar 6th 2008 4:01PM]

You think Microsoft could just swap out the drives from the external HD DVD units with Blu-ray internals - done deal. Then I may actually finally get around to buying a Blu-ray unit.

[Adam Zey @ Mar 6th 2008 4:32PM]

They can do that, and then do the software changes required for it (implement a Java virtual machine, for example). The software changes involved seem to be relatively minor.

No, this is all about licensing fees. It might be easy for Microsoft to just shove a blu-ray drive in that thing (it is, after all, just an external 5.25" drive enclosure), but they need to negotiate licensing fees that are required to be allowed to sell that.

[bgs @ Mar 7th 2008 9:15AM]

to Brad:

Im sure you never seen any game that require more than a dvd, the same way somebody in the first years of dvds would say they wont need more than a cd and years ago nobody realy need cds cause they were happy with floppy discs, but in a few years, maybe even starting this year, you will start to see an increasingly number of games that require multiple dvds, and then the bluray option will be starting to look like a genuine advantage, and in that scenario, i believe the PS3 with standard bluray will have an edge over the optionally bluray xbox360. Anyway, I enfatize the "i believe" part, nobody really knows how thing will develop

[Homeboy @ Mar 6th 2008 4:01PM]

Unless Microsoft wants to loose sales to Sony, they better offer Blu-ray for the 360 before Christmas. Lately PS3 sales have begun catching speed and it's only a matter of time before people see it as a better value than the 360.

[True_Darknight @ Mar 6th 2008 4:05PM]

Last I checked this would be an add-n drive!!

Which means the PS3 still a better value as it is IN the machine. and not an extra purchase.

Besides Sony wouldn't license it besides the movies. So yes a Blu-ray player but not more capacity.

... Flame ON!!!!

[rene siller @ Mar 6th 2008 4:20PM]

And the prize for the correct answer goes to.

[Brad @ Mar 6th 2008 4:45PM]

Yeah, people really hate having the option to only purchase the pieces they want, and not paying for something they don't want / can't use / don't care about. Consumers HATE choice.

The HD-DVD add-on did pretty well on the XBOX. People who owned it were generally satisfied, and it gave the ability to expand the system AFTER you purchased it - distributing the cost over time.

So what's the "flame on" thing about anyhow? I don't think most people make their purchasing decision for a console based on the level of integration of secondary features - they buy it based on 1) price, 2) game selection, 3) brand loyalty, and 4) perceived future value of the system, in basically that order.

To put it bluntly, the HD-DVD drive sitting next to MY 360 isn't exactly hurting it (not being integrated), and if I can spend another $200 to get a Blu-Ray drive, I just might. But I'm not gonna spend another $500 for that privilege, since I already own a gaming system and all the really good games I want to play are available for both, and I have a large collection of accessories (controllers, chargers, guitars, headsets, etc) already purchased for that system. The cost of migrating is extremely high.

So Sony can get Blu-Ray in more homes and sell more movies by getting together with MS on this one (who isn't really their competitor in most things, they actually usually work together) or their gaming division can be destructive to their Media division. Guess which one the execs are gonna listen to?

[bgs @ Mar 7th 2008 9:55AM]

to Brad:
the problem with the HD_DVD not being standard and rather being an add-on is that game makers can't publish any games on HD-DVD because only a fraction of users have it, and because nobody publish in HD-DVD, nobody (very few) buy de HD_DVD add-on. It's a chicken egg game that sony avoided with its standard bluray, and that will probably be paying off highly this or next year when most A-games require high capacity and will be avalaiable only on the PS3, or at least in a better quality version

[Brad @ Mar 7th 2008 1:54AM]

To BGS:

Sorry, but I just don't buy that. I've NEVER seen a game that genuinely required more than the 8.5GB available on XBOX's DVD9 format. Sure, a few of the Japanese fantasy games may have to "settle" for in-game rendering rather than including a full three hours of pre-rendered, HD content. That's the way it goes.

Also: Take a look at this post:
http://m3mnoch.wordpress.com/2006/01/12/dvd-9-is-not-too-small/

It lays out the cost reasons that games hover right around the 1-3GB range - detail of the pre-rendered or artist-placed variety costs a lot of money to produce, and procedural textures, environments, and even enemies - these things don't take up a massive amount of storage. The added cost of a Blu-ray disc and the added cost of developing for Sony (the SDK for PS3 is roughly 10x the 360's IIRC) and the (currently) smaller potential market of PS3 games?

I really don't think the supposed "media advantage" is really all that big an advantage. Really, it leaves the door open for sloppier programming, outdated techniques like repeating textures, and cramming a bunch of pre-rendered video onto the disc (and the commercials). If it were that big an issue, you wouldn't see most games coming out for the 360 and PS3 in about the same quality.

[tyler @ Mar 10th 2008 3:21AM]

@ Brad:

http://gamer.blorge.com/2008/03/03/xbox-360-will-never-get-metal-gear-solid-4-due-to-size/

I think the link is self-explanatory..

[jason w @ Mar 6th 2008 4:01PM]

Didnt MS buy the company that owns rumble? If this is the case then every sony console with the dual shock 3 will be paying MS a royality. Why not let MS do the same for sony.
Damn the inbreading.

[Erik @ Mar 6th 2008 4:09PM]

What the hell is inbreading?

[Marry me Mario @ Mar 6th 2008 4:16PM]

Inbreading is bad enough...but inbreadrolling or infrenchbreading are much much worser.

[jason w @ Mar 6th 2008 4:22PM]

I love bread!!!!!

inbreeding

[The Dude @ Mar 6th 2008 5:49PM]

@Marry me Mario:

I C what U did thar.

[Teebo @ Mar 6th 2008 11:20PM]

If you want to go further, Sony makes laptops that run Windows. So it's not exactly inbreeding, it's just business. If Sony were to say no way to Blu Ray on the 360 drive, watch Microsoft dangle that Windows licensing agreement in front of their face. Or Microsoft could do some crazy lawsuit.

[jason w @ Mar 6th 2008 4:02PM]

It would be a great HDDVD, Bluray, Digital Download, DVD, VOD, Tivo type system that plays games too!

[Eric M. @ Mar 6th 2008 4:27PM]

Well you know what you just described there? A PS3!

PS3..
HDDVD Player = Check! It maybe only able to play HD-DVDs through Linux with hacks, but the 360 can't play Blu-Ray movies at all - at the moment remember they are still only in "talks".

Bluray Player = Check! Duh, its built in and so far the only player capable of Blu-Ray 2.0 standards plus its the cheapest Blu-Ray player still.

Digital Download = Check! May not be superior then XBox Live but its getting a facelife so it should get on Par with Live soon enough *crosses fingers*.

DVD Player = Check! Come on, even the PS2 has DVD playback.

VOD = Semi Check! Trailers and what not are on Playstation Network, but sadly no feature length films yet. But Sony has the means for this so this should be launching soon enough.

TiVo Type = Check! First of all I have a 360 and I can't record TV shows with it, maybe its just me? But the PS3 has TiVo features in the works.

[jason w @ Mar 6th 2008 4:54PM]

So does the 360. Infact its a set tob box in europe for digital cable. With my medica center pc it already does the tivo stuff.

Now I have a PS3 and it works fine. I just think this would be a nice set up if it comes to pass.