Chris Morris, of CNN
Money's superlative Game Over column, asks the question that's on the backs (or fronts) of everybody's mind: will the decision to release an
external HD DVD drive do Microsoft any good? Before the announcement, we raised the dilemma of
alienating early adopters while angering developers and publishers by splintering the platform. Microsoft must realize
that all major peripherals like this are never accepted on a large scale; see the Sega CD, 32X, and PS2 hard drive. Morris decides, "Microsoft's no fool for releasing this add-on. If nothing else, it's a good way to test user-acceptance of the format without committing the company to it." We have to agree with him that the HD DVD attachment's raison d’être is simple: to prevent "Sony from being able to accurately say the PS3 is the only game machine with a high definition DVD drive." Will this strategy work with consumers eager for next-gen optical capabilities with their gaming system?
