Xbox 360 and HD-DVD, so happy together
Anxious to separate themselves from Peter Moore's offhand remark that the 360 has the advantage of being able to adopt the most popular next-gen optical format, leading to speculation that Blu-Ray support was still an option, Microsoft released an "official statement" to reiterate their unwavering support for the HD-DVD standard.
"It is important to understand the context in which that statement was made. Microsoft firmly stands behind the HD-DVD format as the best choice for our consumers. As we’ve said before, we’re confident that HD-DVD will bring the excitement of high definition movies to the consumer faster and at a greater value. We believe that consumers have signaled what format they want to enjoy high definition DVD and we’re going to follow them down that path."
The question of whether Xbox 360 has the flexibility to adapt to consumers’ needs is a different issue entirely. Xbox 360 is a future-proofed system – one that allows us to add features as consumers demand them - as evidenced by our offering of the HD-DVD drive as an accessory. Current reports indicating that we have a back-up plan, which includes Blu-Ray support are incorrect. At this point, we’re fully committed to HD-DVD and have absolutely no plans to support other optical formats."
Typical marketing speak: of course they have no plans to support other optical formats right now, Moore never said they had any such plans, only that the option would be available to them if necessary. Their official statement does not refute that option, but simply reaffirms their allegiance.
