Microsoft backtracks Ballmer's Blu-per Microsoft has once again been forced to clear up after its outspoken CEO, Steve Ballmer, who recently said that Blu-ray is coming to the Xbox 360. In a video interview published last week, Ballmer was asked if Microsoft plans to put Blu-ray into the games console. “You’ll be able to get Blu-ray drives as accessories,” was his …
There is no solution. If they adopt Blu-Ray all their previous ranting about how DVDs were big enough and Digital Downloads were the future would have turned out to be PR Spin in the face of a better unit of the competition.
If they don't adopt Blu-Ray, all the Xbox games will be gimped. If they only adopt if for movies, the game are still gimped, and the Blu-Ray drive is gimped to. If they adopt for games and movies and make it mandatory then existing owners are shafted, if they adopt if and make it optional, developers won't use it.
Given the PS3 and Xbox are the same price, why would gamers even bother with this minefield, when you can get a PS3, that's got Blu-Ray for movies and games as standard? The games are better too.
I never believed his comments anyway. I don't see why Microsoft would spend time and money developing Blu-Ray for a console that's been out almost 4 years, it just doesn't make sense to me. Now putting a Blu-Ray drive into their next console then fine fair enough.
Having said that I think downloads will eventually replace disks anyway.
Well done on almost getting the first comment on yet another 360 story. Do you really have nothing better do do than wait around for 360 stories to break? I guess as a PS3 fanboy ^H^H^H^H^H^H owner, you probably don't.
>Given the PS3 and Xbox are the same price. - WRONG (cue wildly innaccurate stats about cost of live subs and 'essential' accessories)
>The games are better too. - Also WRONG - (cue MGS4 & UC2 are the best gamez EVAR! type comments)
Troll harder plz
As for the original story, a giant 'Meh' from most. Not really fussed if the 360 gets BR drive or not. I stream my movies and regular 'stoneage' DVDs are plenty big enough for 99% of games that aren't JRPG pap.
It would be a weak add-on at best anyway. Blu-Ray is still in it's childhood so only a small percentage of 360 owners would be interested in it.
Then you have the DVD size issue, if there will ever be such an issue anyway. So you have a game that's 50 hours long and requires 2 discs (50 hours is generous, I clocked way higher on oblivion).......after 25 hours of gameplay a message pops up and asks you to replace the disc with disc 2. Is that really such an issue for anyone but the physically disabled that the system could be described as 'gimped'..........I mean really??????
"Given the PS3 and Xbox are the same price. - WRONG (cue wildly innaccurate stats about cost of live subs and 'essential' accessories)"
Here are some accurate stats for you to suck on
Xbox 360 £160 + wifi £40 + 512mb memory £40 + live for one year £35 = £275
Thats an Xbox 360 with 750mb OF STORAGE, wireless access with ONE year of xbox live... for £275.
Own the console for two years with live... £310.... three years.... £345 etc. Remember - the chances of your console breaking ONCE in this time are extremely high, maybe even twice within three years.
For a cheaper £250 you can get the following:
Playstation 3 with 120gb storage, free wifi connectivity, full 1080p gaming, blu ray movies, free Playstation Network access, internet browsing, USB HDD support, etc
Notice how all the above is under a £250 price tag? All you need to do is buy your content and off you go.
"The games are better too. - Also WRONG - (cue MGS4 & UC2 are the best gamez EVAR! type comments)"
Whats wrong with the Playstation Exclusives?
Infamous
Killzone 2
Uncharted 1 & 2
Ratchet & Clank
Resistance 1 & 2
MGS4
Heavenly Sword
LBP
All the above are out now, most scored 9 or above, and the below are released within the next six months
MAG (128 v 128 online FPS)
God of War 3
Heavy Rain
Gran Turismo
I cant see what your problem is with Playstation, youve obviously invested alot of money into your xbox 360 and are finding it hard to justify doing so when an overall cheaper alternative turns out to be the better choice.
OK so I can have a 360, with a DVD player, that will have me playing a game whithin 30 seconds of popping it into my console.
Or I can have a PS3, with Blu Ray player, that will have me playing a hame in 30 minutes of popping it into the console.
Blu Ray may give you mounds of pointless storage, but at least the 360 can play games off the disc. I know what I prefer really.
you havent got a clue what your on about.
pointless storage? why are game developers asking microsoft to sort out the storage issue? 9GB's isnt enough anymore - HD games hold more detail which means more information stored on disk
naughty dog nearly filled a 25GB disk with uncharted 2, the level design and graphics are second to none, no install required, once you load a level - thats is, no gap between cutscenes and gameplay, no loading screens between levels - you cant have that level of performance from a DVD disk, data transfer speed and data capacity are too low
"Or I can have a PS3, with Blu Ray player, that will have me playing a hame in 30 minutes of popping it into the console."
You clearly have no idea what you are talking about, and believe everything that Microsoft and their mouthpeices (Joystiq/Eurogamer/Kotaku) tell you..
Still i'm not really bothered, as the only person missing out is YOU...
I love these "price comparisons" that PS3 fanboys always dig up:
Xbox 360 £160 + wifi £40 + 512mb memory £40 + live for one year £35 = £275
how about £189 for the elite (120gb hdd) and a cable to the router £10. total package to get online and play all the games available:£199. If you want to play online you can CHOOSE to pay for the gold account. Not everybody wants to (I paid for a gold account and spent less than 20 hours playing online in a year). You can CHOOSE to use WIFI (at least with the 360 you get the N standard, unlike the PS3). Where is the inclusive headset for the PS3? The 360 also supports USB drives. The 360 can also output 1080p (not that you would know the difference to 720p anyway unless your tv is over 40 inches). Seriously, As a games console there is no real difference between the two, except that one is cheaper and the other has a bluray player.
DVD storage is still more than enough, the problem developers have is that they can't have mandatory installs which would make their lives a lot easier. The rest is down to efficient compression of graphics and audio. If you have 25GB to play with, why would you bother compressing the files much?
....side with Microsoft but I have to admit they got the Xbox gaming experience right on. The simplicity of the coop gaming experience is worth £35 gold live account. Left 4 Dead is f*cking awesome with 8 of your mates and the in game party talk is a scream.
As for Ballmer, he's just a f*cking moron. Bluray, who gives a shit, who want's to physically OWN the disks anymore?
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