Xbox 360 HD-DVD bundle to undercut PS3 in Europe, according to uh-oh ... "retail sources"

by James Ransom-Wiley { Sep 8th 2006 at 4:55PM }

According to GamesIndustry.biz, "retail sources" have suggested that Microsoft will bundle the Premium Xbox 360 unit with a HD-DVD drive for under £400/€589 ($750), and apparently as low as £375/€552 ($700). By comparison, PlayStation 3 (Premium SKU) is expected to retail for £425 ($800) in the UK.

GamesIndustry.biz also reports that the standalone HD-DVD drive's price tag is projected to be £199/€293 ($370), which also includes a pair of predetermined movies. We must reiterate that this data has been compiled by GamesIndustry.biz via anonymous retail sources and has not been confirmed by Microsoft.

Ironic as it is, the fact that these sources remain anonymous actually lends more credibility to the information than if it were plucked from a retailer's public website. That retailers are not using these figures for preordering purposes suggests that the prices could be accurate, and that Microsoft has requested their suppression from public eye, for now. Regardless, with Sony out of the next-gen picture in Europe until next spring, Microsoft has been afforded enough flexibility to experiment with a range of SKUs on the market and test consumer interest in the next evolution of media resolution. You buyin' in?

Tags: bundle, HD-DVD, PS3

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)

KR @ Sep 8th 2006 5:00PM

If that HDDVD player is more than 200, Sony's got a nice bit of PR it can attack with. Not saying that it'll be 200 or less just because of that, but I know a lot of people will be turned off if the combined cost is more than the technically superior PS3.

Panda @ Sep 8th 2006 6:21PM

Old... Knew this today

Although it could be a good deal, compared to £400 for a standalone.

KR @ Sep 8th 2006 5:03PM

...and no, I don't plan on buying it unless it's surprisingly cheap. I'll wait for a hybrid HD/Blu-Ray player.

aZn_1080p @ Sep 8th 2006 5:04PM

so you have to pay $200 for another disc drive that still doesnt bring xbox1.5 up to par with the PS3? What a joke. Even after spending all that money, and taking up all that extra space, you STILL won't have 1080P, still won't have a new disc format to allow for 4-5 times larger game worlds, still won't have the Cell, still won't have HDMI, still won't have WiFi, and the list goes on and on. This thing is looking more like Sega CD and 32x everyday, where you have to keep adding periperhals and addons to get decent functionality out of it. In the end you will pay way more $$$ for less functionality than Sony's sleek integrated machine.

Buckshot @ Sep 8th 2006 5:09PM

Actually, that is a straight euro price conversion, they are thinking it's going to be more like $300 on the us release. Was hoping for $200 but if the included movies are ok, it's a deal. I have been waiting to watch my HD-DVD of "Enter the Dragon" I bought on sale at fry's.

And #1, technically superior and propritary format vaporware are different things.

Chappy @ Sep 8th 2006 5:08PM

Hah hah hah; wow. Now everyone be very careful not to startle or anger the Sony fanboy. They're an endagered species after all, and we have a responsibility to the environment. Plus they're funny as hell to watch.

Buckshot @ Sep 8th 2006 5:12PM

aZn_1080p #3, guess you have not heard about the inability to get a 1080p output from a game yet or the removal of the hdmi on the ps3.
Rock on Chappy #4, funniest shit I have read all day.

Chris @ Sep 8th 2006 5:17PM

lol. i love 360fanbots.

They ship back 4-6 consoles, and will pay 200-300 dollars for a hd-dvd drive ($599-699) totals.

And it's still better than the $599 ps3!.

And hd-dvd will still make bluray flop!.. even though it's going to be guaranted 6million bluray players in each home back the fiscal year end,

confucious the obnoxious little sh** as told by KilgoreTrout XXLMS @ Sep 8th 2006 5:17PM

azn_1080p .. . so you know for a fact that the ps3 is gonna be able to play in 1080p ? hardcore fact ? deos sony even know they'll play in 1080p or just say they will ?

i'm tired of all the console banter.. . it's not about the consoles anyway.. . as someone said on another post.. . and something i completely agree with.. . it's about the games.. . NOT the consoles.. .

bassbeast @ Sep 8th 2006 5:18PM

I'll only get one 'cause the good ol' wife gets one for work purposes. Otherwise, colour me "meh."

Neccy @ Sep 8th 2006 5:19PM

I'm thinknig if this is true that this may encourage a small percentage of people to hold out buying a 360 for a bit, and maybe join in on some wii action until it's out.

It's so annoying waiting for "Official" news, I wonder if anything official will be release arounf Sept 14th to counter any wii annoucements.

Myself I am still torn which one to get, Xbox360 or Wii, Eventually i'd like to get both.. but which one first?
I like both equally.

Mr. Khan @ Sep 8th 2006 5:20PM

That argument will certainly work, it may allow PS3 to do to get ahead of the 360 closer to the end of this generation, when Developers actually HAVE hit the wall on what a DVD can do, this could very well hurt

Maybe THAT is the next next generation, the HD DVD add on to the 360, the HD add on to the Wii, and the PS3 will just roll right along...

But for now, meh

copa @ Sep 8th 2006 5:21PM

I'm not buying a strap-on for my 360, and I'm not buying a PS3. I will wait until prices drop, and there is an actual selection of movies, and then I will buy a standalone player of my choosing.

Jackie Chan @ Sep 8th 2006 5:20PM

i cant believe its so expensive!! for £50 more the PS3 will offer blu ray games, HDMI, built in wifi and 40 whole gigs more hard drive space.. why so much MS?!?! argh!

Eric @ Sep 8th 2006 5:24PM

If the 360 HD-DVD add on is over 150 it will be far too much, especially to throw it in sony's face.

rjg @ Sep 8th 2006 5:24PM

big deal, at least MS isn't forcing it's users to buy a hidef dvd drive no matter what.

I'd be surprised if the hd-dvd addon cost more than U.S. $200.00 simply because MS would be handing Sony a great marketing angle. MS will take a loss on that drive before they do that.

Oh, and the part that is lost in all this fanboy bantering is the movies. If MS gets enough hd-dvd drives out there before sony and the major studio's (minus sony, 'natch) start to crank out movies in hd-dvd format, we are going to see a betamax situation all over again.

I don't know, the more I think about it, the more I doubt MS even really cares about a hd-dvd or blu-ray drives... I still think they have something up their sleeve regarding movie downloads and streaming from Vista to xbox360. While Apple and Amazon get all ready to release crappy low-rez online movies, it wouldn't surprise me if MS comes up with a way to download HD flicks through Vista to your media center pc or xbox360. That would be pretty sweet.

Cage @ Sep 8th 2006 5:24PM

"Hah hah hah; wow. Now everyone be very careful not to startle or anger the Sony fanboy. They're an endagered species after all, and we have a responsibility to the environment. Plus they're funny as hell to watch."

Funny...funny...someone give him a star.

"They ship back 4-6 consoles, and will pay 200-300 dollars for a hd-dvd drive ($599-699) totals.

And it's still better than the $599 ps3!."

Isnt the article stating the the combo (360 with HD-DVD drive) will be cheaper? Am I missing something? If thats the case then it would be cheaper in the US. READ BEFORE YOU POST. The price they are converting to is INFLATED.

aZn_1080p @ Sep 8th 2006 5:26PM

umm yeah *newsflash* buddy PS3 outputs a pure digital 1080p signal, AKA TrueHD.... something xbox1.5 can't handle, and never will. Which makes this $200 doorstop (which is what it will be once HDDVD fails) an even worse value.

And I agree, its all about the games, thats why PS3 will own this generation just like the last 2, Final Fantasy, Devil May Cry, Guitar Hero, Gran Turismo, Kingdom Hearts, Meatl Gear Solid, etc etc etc. on PS3 vs. Perfect Dark Zero, Cameo, generic first person shooter #s 1-6, generic racers #1-6, etc. etc. on xbox 1.5. You don't even need to get into trueHD, Cell, Wifi, free unlimited online, Blu-Ray, and all the other areas PS3 is better to see its a no-brainer which console is better.

l3ftonm3 @ Sep 8th 2006 5:26PM

#7 post...

How can it be guaranteed 6 million, they haven't even started selling them yet. Those are projected figures which sometimes are inflated to keep market analysts happy. MS is just putting out HD-DVD to have an alternative to Bluray. I know they have there backing behind it but anyone who can see 2 years down the line knows that bluray and hddvd as a whole wont matter. The future is downloadable media content. The ability to stream downloaded movies to your 360 console is the key. Who needs bluray or hddvd when I can just download 1080p movies to my computer.

Zertoss @ Sep 8th 2006 5:30PM

Unless games require it, I won't bother with an HD-DVD drive at all. I don't watch a lot of movies, and when I do, DVD is just fine for that.

I'll just wait until next generation. No need to hurry and jump on a bandwagon if a format is going to fail, and we all know either HD-DVD or Blu-Ray will bite the dust.

Thanks for the option, MS, but no thanks.

aZn_1080p @ Sep 8th 2006 5:30PM

hey l3ftonm3 you can download all the 1080p movies you want to your computer, the xbox 1.4 won't let you watch them since it can't handle 1080p. It might let you watch them at 720p with a noisy analog signal, but I wouldnt be surprised if the xbox processor can't keep up with a 1080p signal and stutters like crazy, thats what happens when my friend tries to playback HD shows on his modded xbox.

Jason B @ Sep 8th 2006 5:29PM

$370 is way too much. Screw the bundled movies, where is my choice. I'm willing to go $200 but no more.

I really just can't understand how they can justify this thing's cost at $370. I mean a brand new HDDVD player can be had for $450-$500 which includes a P4 processor in the machine if I am not mistaken. This add-on is pretty much just the blue laser. All of the heavy lifting is done by the 360 (which I have already paid for). I can't image that this component alone accounts for 70% + the total cost of the HD-DVD player.

If MS really wants to push the HD-DVD format this thing better be $200 or less. Otherwise I'll just save an extra $130 and buy an upconverting dedicated HD-DVD player.

-jasonb

Chris @ Sep 8th 2006 5:31PM

Dear Cage, we meet again.

"Isnt the article stating the the combo (360 with HD-DVD drive) will be cheaper? Am I missing something? If thats the case then it would be cheaper in the US. READ BEFORE YOU POST. The price they are converting to is INFLATED."

There's a combo in Euro. There's also a standlone. I'm sure your ass already has a 360, so you're not gonna buy a combo are you dildoface?

The standalone unit, with a linear equation, will be $150.

That's 50 dollars less that a ps3, with 40gb more. And according to MS... 20gb is worth $100.

You RREAD before posting.

OTAM @ Sep 8th 2006 5:33PM

HD-DVD and Blu ray = the bad answer for the question nobody asked.

Belive it or not,the average consumer is happy with DVDS.

VHS to DVD = menus,MUCH better quality,won't degrade over time,bonus features

DVD to Blu ray/HD-DVD = slightly better image only on HDTVs

rjg @ Sep 8th 2006 5:32PM

Have any of you actually seen 1080p versus 1080i? I don't know, maybe it was the bad lighting at BestBuy, but to me, it's a MINOR point. Gaming at 1080i (or 1080p) is so outstanding, it's really splitting hairs.

I guess that's about all that's left for the sony camp to cling too at this point.

God, wouldn't it be great if the PS3 really was as good as all these guys really believe?

I mean, that would be something... I'd probably pick one up sooner than later...

SuicideNinja @ Sep 9th 2006 10:47AM

Uh, did the first couple of commeters miss that the 360+HD-DVD pricing was UNDERCUTTING the PS3? They rambled about how it costs more. All of the Sony-elists also assume that everyone wants HD movies.

Besides, I'm just not getting the feeling that Blu-ray is going to make it. The extra copy protection, more expensive players, lower sales (amazon), and non-consumer-friendly name are going to be its downfalls. Consumers like HD-DVD, Companies like Blu-ray. Which do you think is more important?

Assuming either format makes it mainstream that is. http://www.thedvdwars.com

Miniboss @ Sep 8th 2006 5:34PM

"And I agree, its all about the games, thats why PS3 will own this generation just like the last 2, Final Fantasy, Devil May Cry, Guitar Hero, Gran Turismo, Kingdom Hearts, Meatl Gear Solid, etc etc etc. on PS3 vs. Perfect Dark Zero, Cameo, generic first person shooter #s 1-6, generic racers #1-6, etc. etc. on xbox 1.5. You don't even need to get into trueHD, Cell, Wifi, free unlimited online, Blu-Ray, and all the other areas PS3 is better to see its a no-brainer which console is better."

So many assumptions in that comment, I don't even know where to begin.

I like how he also mentions generic games on the 360, yet lists nothing but sequels for the PS3. Not that sequels are a bad thing, but seriously...

AK @ Sep 8th 2006 5:35PM

azn

"still won't have the Cell"

Given the fact "The Cell" hasn't proven itself valuable in a video game machine, I really don't know why fanboys like yourself are so hyped about about it.

Did you learn anything from the "Emotion Engine"?

Like others have mentioned, the $500 ps3 doesn't have HDMI, or wifi either.
Unless you have one of the two televisions that accept 1080p over component, you arent going to get that either.
Are you going to start attacking the $500 ps3 next?

You're telling me that Call of Duty 3 on the ps3 is going to have maps 4-5 times larger than COD3 on the 360? I guess madden 07 on the ps3 is going to be 4-5 times more football players on the field as well. Plus 4-5 times more (8-10) boxers in the ring at once in FNR3. And the maps in Splinter Cell Double Agent will be 4-5 times larger than the 360 version too?

Can you see the lack of logic in your statements? There is nothing wrong with being a fanboy, but try to think rationally for a minute.

confucious the obnoxious little sh** as told by KilgoreTrout XXLMS @ Sep 8th 2006 5:35PM

i will literally laugh out loud when the first ps3 catches on fire from putting so much promised power in a box.. . apple power book style.. .

Ian @ Sep 8th 2006 6:00PM

@aZn_1080p

Listen here fanboy, the PS3's games aren't even going to be 1080p so you can shut the fuck up now.

l3ftonm3 @ Sep 8th 2006 5:36PM

azn_1080p I was talking about streaming to the 360 not to a modded xbox. It easily has the power to play 1080p, my amd64 with old school 6800gt can play 1080p movies without a hitch.

Buckshot @ Sep 8th 2006 5:38PM

aZn_1080p #17 Yes, it supposedly "can" output 1080p, but no games support it yet. In fact, between all my cable boxes and upconverting dvd players, none even put out a 1080p signal. And yes, it is a no brainer, the console that really does exist is better, not the vaporware one that comes with a bunch of forced extra propritary crap.

rjg @ Sep 8th 2006 5:36PM

Your mistaken if you think HiDef (either 1080p or 1080i) is only a little better visually than dvd's.

I recently got HD HBO and I've completely stopped watching my netflix movies because the experience of HD movies so much better in every way.

It might be that the average consumer isn't as motivated to switch becaue DVD's look really good, versus HD movies looking amazing. I can buy that angle.

Cannon @ Sep 8th 2006 5:38PM

@ #17....are you a Sony employee? Seriously, I know companies hire people just for the sole purpose of hitting msg boards all day.

Anonymouse Rep @ Sep 8th 2006 5:40PM

@aZn_1080p - "... up to par with the PS3? ... In the end you will pay way more $$$ for less functionality than Sony's sleek integrated machine."

God, this is SO easy, I almost feel ashamed of myself.

I can go out into my backyard, pick up a rock, and right now that ROCK has more functionality than the PS3. Why? Because as of this moment, there are NO PS3's! There is a hope from Sony that at some point there actually WILL be some PS3's - but since they haven't started production yet - the rock is more useful as a decorative item than empty space on the gaming shelf.

As for 1080p - since you really can't tell the difference between 1080p and 1080i with human eye - as the philosopher once said, any difference which makes no difference IS no difference.

New disk format - that so far just doesn't seem to work. And if it did, and you actually had a game with 45GB of compressed data on it, then you wouldn't be able to afford it.

The Cell - what can I say? A processor that looks good on paper and doesn't work worth a damn in the real world. I'll keep my 3 dual core processors instead of having one processor that's slower due to internal constraints.

HDMI - don't need it with 1080i, and just because it's not out yet doesn't mean it's not thought of at some point - we do already have optical sound available right out of the box.

Won't have WiFi - and I need that, why? Since I run all of my network through cables anyway. I'd just as soon keep my CAT6 with 1000MB throughput instead of restricting it to WiFi.

And the list goes on - you're right - I have a CHOICE on what I want to buy so I can PLAY GAMES. Isn't that what these consoles are supposed to be for, to PLAY GAMES? If I want to watch a movie, I put it in my DVD player (which upconverts to 1080i anyway, though an HDMI cable, to my HDTV). If I don't WANT the HD-DVD player for the 360, then I won't buy it. If I want to download from Xbox Live Silver, then I do so - I'm not a big online gamer, so I'm perfectly happy with downloading games from XBLA and updates - and I pay NOTHING (except for some Microsoft points every so often) - and LIVE not only works, but it's proven.

Is anything that has been released for the PS3 been proven to work? Oh - I'm so sorry - there's NOTHING that's been released for the PS3 as of right now. Or perhaps you're the sorry one - for not realizing or understanding that, once again, Sony has failed to come through on their promises. Europe - doesn't exist. 2 Million - may actually mean 500,000. PS3 - will probably burn your house down.

I believe the proper phrase is, paybacks are hell. That, and revenge is a dish best served cold. So - for all of those comments that were made by Sony Fanboys such as yourself from September through December of 2005 - I hope you're enjoying the paybacks, because we're enjoying our cold revenge. (And what's even funnier is that you may still not see a system this holiday - at least Microsoft did have production units ready to go in September of last year. I can see Ken coming out around Halloween with another sincere apology, and pushing PS3 back until Spring 2007 across the board.)

@Chappy - what Buckshot said!

I would prefer to be calm and collected like Epobirs, but this is just too good to miss. M3mnoch was gloating as well on his website - this is something that a lot of us have called correctly for months.

LaughingTarget @ Sep 8th 2006 5:40PM

This is what Sony should have just done with the PS3, offered a low-cost BluRay drive add-on. It is quite difficult to say, "Oh my God! It is going to be as expensive as the PS3!"

The big difference is that people can buy and enjoy 360 games and not have to worry about subsidising a media drive they may not want. Those in the market for a next-gen movie format can then get it if they so chose.

However, anyone who wants to buy and enjoy PS3 games are going to have to shoulder the cost of a drive that won't have any benefits for a good chunk of the existing consumers. Sony is telling potential customers, "Hey, if you want to play games on OUR system, you're going to have to get this untested media format bundled in with it, and you've got no choice but pay for it."

Multimedia machines have absurdely small markets. Many consumers considering a PS3 will only want to only play games or only play movies. They see this additional cost for something they don't plan on using as a major negative in the purchase decision metric. Sony can pull the Cell and BluRay and sell a $200 BluRay machine, and they can pull the BluRay and sell a $400 PS3. Give this option to the consumer, and the unit will have superior marketability. $200 for the people who actually wanted BluRay, and $400 for those who get the PS3 to play games, not burn out the drive playing movies.

Unfortunatley for Sony, though, at this point in the game, there isn't an option for that.

Triz @ Sep 8th 2006 5:42PM

aZn_1080p

Do you really think the >99% of HD owners who do not have 1080p sets are gonna miss the 1080p signal? I know I wont. I bet my epeen that you dont even have a 1080p set.

Rocco @ Sep 8th 2006 5:48PM

It's not about the price, it's all about having a choice to spend all that extra cash on a next-gen drive or not. At least Microsoft understands that only a very, very small percentage of people are actually interested in wachting HD movies on their console, not even considering the fact that only a limited number of people do have an HD compatible to enjoy it. No developper in the world has yet reached the storage limits using regular DVD's, and then what? They'll ship it on two DVD's, problem solved.

Frosty22 @ Sep 8th 2006 5:45PM

@ #23

the 1080p 'difference' can really only be seen on tv's 42 inches and larger. For tv's under 42, the difference can't really be seen.

as for aZn_1080p... you're an idiot.

Rupert @ Sep 8th 2006 5:47PM

Woohoo ps3's price is finally justified! The extra 50 dollars the ps3 will cost compared to a bundle and a standalone + previous unit.. is for 40 extra gigs of space! Wow, and MS thinks 20g is 100USD.

Rupert @ Sep 8th 2006 5:47PM

LaughingTarget,

Next gen gameplay is bigger worlds and more content.

The ps3 and 360 will have the same graphics.

The 360 is now a 1.5 console, since you have last gen gameplay! That is until they start making games for the hd-dvd drive.

aZn_1080p @ Sep 8th 2006 5:54PM

1080i is inferior to 1080p, and whats more , FYI teh xbox1.5 cant do 1080i either, it upsamples the 720p signal, so its not true 1080i, let alone trueHD. And it ouputs it over a primitive analog connection, so the quality is worse, and won't support new more advanced features from future HDMI versions.

And all you guys keep saying there is only 2 tvs that support 1080P, lmao there are dozens of them, right now I can get an acer 37" 1080p native LCD and a 42" westinghouse 1080p native LCD, for $1600 and $2000 cdn respectively. Within a year every TV will be 1080p, and xbox1.5 owners will feel like gamecube owners did, stuck with poor quality svideo when their tv can do so much better.

Frosty22 @ Sep 8th 2006 5:50PM

@ #33

I agree, that is what they should have done. But the thing is, the PS3 to them is not primarily a gaming machine. It is a trojan horse tactic to get the bluray drive into as many homes as they can under the ps3 guise. Which will be great, it all goes Sony's way. But as history would have it, things often don't go Sony's way. Why? Because they are forceful. And people don't like companies that use consumers as pawns. There is no trust in Sony.

makesevenupyours @ Sep 8th 2006 8:59PM

"3. so you have to pay $200 for another disc drive that still doesnt bring xbox1.5 up to par with the PS3? What a joke. Even after spending all that money, and taking up all that extra space, you STILL won't have 1080P, still won't have a new disc format to allow for 4-5 times larger game worlds, still won't have the Cell, still won't have HDMI, still won't have WiFi, and the list goes on and on. This thing is looking more like Sega CD and 32x everyday, where you have to keep adding periperhals and addons to get decent functionality out of it. In the end you will pay way more $$$ for less functionality than Sony's sleek integrated machine."

wow...could it get just a LITTLE more fanboy?

no really though, as stated, the prices are inflated and in the US it should be less than the ps3.

and i like that microsoft is giving you the option.

i myself dont have an hd tv and probably wont for some time. this way you dont HAVE to have that extra 200 dollar price tag, but they still give you the OPTION of doing it if you have the hd tv.

and if you are talking about games, it certainly appears that 360 is gonna be winning that for quite some time.

and its NOT all just FPSs, as the fanboys like to say.

oblivion(one of the best rpg's ever made)
ghost recon: advanced warfighter(GREAT game)
chromehounds(just ok, but the online is really good)
battle for middle earth 2 is, from what i have heard, quite possibly the best console RTS ever made.
prey was a pretty sweet game, a little short though and the multiplayer was just ok...

plus you have got gears of war and halo 3 coming soon...

but really...i dont see why people get so worked up over this.

non_believer @ Sep 8th 2006 5:54PM

Why does everybody say such stupid shit ?? Well not everybody, but most......Have any of you seen how big this thing really is ??? It's huge .. just a thick as the 360 and just as deep !! If you take your 360...then your power BRICK....then the hd-dvd add on...what you have there is 20 pounds of big thick cables everywhere and a bunch of crap that takes up a lot of room....keep in mind that you have to keep these things well ventilated or it brakes (the evil red rings)....my 360 started acting up already and i take good care of it, also the fact that i bought it a few months after launch....since when does a damn software company start making hardware anyways....stupid stupid microsoft !! back to the topic....I believe that the 360 and hd-dvd add-on will cost about the same as the PS3 , but you have to keep in mind that with the PS3 you will be getting built in WIFI, hdmi output, a freakin 60 gb hdd (detachable), cell, blu-ray, memory card slots for all brands, rsx, the ability to play on one tv with 7 friends (great football experiences !!!), 1080p, also the ability to use external USB hdds ( any brand you want)....I believe once people start seeing how good the games are for the PS3 and what they are missing out on...they will deffinately want one......overall i believe the PS3 is a way better buy !!!

Frosty22 @ Sep 8th 2006 5:55PM

@ 37

AND FOR THE THOUSANDTH TIME!!!! The reg DVD format is plenty of space! Need we always pull out Oblivion to back this up? People, listen to me now. The bluray disks are regionfree... that means that all that space on those bluray disks will not be used for game content. It means that they will be putting all of the regions onto those disks. Basically each bluray game will contain the same game 10 times over, each time coded for each region. Get real. Sony spins everything to make them look better then they really are. Don't take their words for face value.

devi8i @ Sep 8th 2006 5:57PM

Hopefully MS will release a new 360 with built in HD.... or at least get the US price down to $149 I would love to see what can be done on the 360 with even more size to work with on game discs... Once developers really start writing for HD I think we will begin to see the true power in next-gen gaming.

And all the banter about generic games on 360 and sequals for PS3 is crap.... We as gamers need to have sequals and if developers didnt try to make new games in teh same genre as others we wouldnt have such stellar games as Halo, or SOCOM, or the myriad of Mario games. MS has their fair share of sequals including the Halo series, Project Gotham Racing, DOA,

Sequals and ports are created because a developer made a good game that sold well and want to make money while enhancing the original game. I have an XBOX360 and will get the PS3 and the Wii. Why? because they all offer up games that I want to play and are only available on teh respective platform. As MS matures in the consoles world we will see some impressive games and gaming experiences arise. Sony and Nintendo have a long gaming history and thus have some very strong franchises to build on. There is plenty of room in the gaming world to support three distinct consoles especially when each offers unique gaming products and frnachises. Fanboy-ism aside this is a great time to be a gamer and as Sony and Nintendo bring their products to market we are going to have more choices then most have wallets for. We need to all root for all 3 camps to do very well because I would hate to think what the future of gaming would be like with only one console vendor.