Rumor: HD-DVD Xbox 360 in the works, fully loaded

believe it when I see it

As long as games stay on DVD then im all for it.

If it debuts for over $400 you can forget about it selling well. IF...and i mean IF...it were to ever come out.

I'm waiving the BS flag on this one. I could see Microsoft doing this if HD DVD was actually selling as good or better than Blu-ray but that's quite a chance to take. Blu-ray could win the format war by next holiday season and then what would Microsoft do? Too risky if you ask me and there is absolutely zero benefit to gamers if they take this route.

I meant $500

I would buy it for $400. Built in HD-DVD drive plus a hd tuner.
Where can I pre-order?

Why don't they just drop the price of the external HD DVD drive down to $99?

It's funny that this rumor appeared just a couple of days after an analyst was saying he felt it was going to happen.

I just don't see the point. Go buy a HD-DVD player or the add-on and be done with it.

I'd say an external Blu-Ray drive was much more likely than this... and that TV chassis thing is just plain insane (unintentional rhymes are made of win and awesome).

Does it still come with ALF?????

Yeah I believe that thing would cost at least 600-700 dollars. They need to start working on the next xbox and the eradication of the 3 red rings of death instead of this hi-end xbox rumor.

it would make more sense if they we're talking about the next gen xbox. which, from what ive heard, is suppose to be out in 2009. but yeah, and newer Xbox 360 with that is not really believable. i put my money on the next gen xbox to have that. and if they do do this, it would be completely worthless is my oppion. again, thats My oppion. haha

i remember how PS3 got all kinds of hell for putting blu-ray into its system, but in retrospect, it was probably the best thing they could have done. There are no real good killer games for the system. Its primary use is as a cheap blu-ray player. Maybe, MAYBE, including the HD DVD could push even more systems, AND help M$ win the format war!

This is pretty much rumored to be the next system in the Xbox line rather than an update to the Xbox 360. So this would be the Xbox 720 or whatever. It would be to the Xbox 360 what the PS3 is to the PS2.

If true, I think MS Eff'ed up big time.. Had they done this in the first place there would be no format war.

I'm with kineticonline on this one...

I love my 360, and I have no problems with them doing whatever they want to the futures 360's... but if a HD-DVD drive means they would start putting out HD-DVD only games I'm gone.

I quit PC gaming because of ridiculous yearly upgrades, it's the last thing I want out of my console experience.

Wow, if Microsoft releases the xbox 360.5 with a hd-dvd drive, and a beefed up processor + gpu not only would they definitivly win this generation of console war, but they would be pulling out ahead of all comers for the next gen as well.

So it looks to me like just a few months after killzone 2 and MGS come out for the ps3, Microsoft will have moved onto the next gen.

Bad day to be a PS3 or wii fanboy. Boy did you guys pick wrong.

I would buy it. My xbox is my favorite device in my home theater system, and I have often sat there wishing I could watch TV with it. I hate that the HD DVD drive is separate, not only because it just doesn't fit well (the xbox and HDDVD drive's sizes just aren't compatible) but because it makes taking it on a "sales call" (to a friend's house to convince him to buy an Xbox or HD-DVD) really a royal pain. I would shell out a nice chunk for dual HDTV tuners, and one power supply for xbox and the hd-dvd plyer.

I would even go so far as to say that if I had this, I wouldn't even buy the next XBox right away. I like games, but I spend more money on movies and TV service in any given month.

I think where Sony had a "Trust us, this is the one box you need for everything" approach upfront with the PS3, MS had a "this is a gaming machine, but you can use it as a media center if you want to (and want to shell out some more $$)" and to me, it HAS become the hub of my entertainment experience. Please be true!

While the HD-DVD player idea is new the rest has been in the works to help launch IPTV for quite some time now!

#17,

I find it hard to beleive that they would do this without also beefing up the cpu and gpu, nothing radical, just 4x to 8x faster(already available off the shelf), and a gig of ram instead of 512. Retain total 100% backward compatability.

Finally, THE REAL ELITE.

This thing is going to run about $599+.

Screw this, I'm taking back my Elite now, while I still can.

Does this mean my TV will overheat too lol?
No I'm just kidding. Why would we need a 360 in a TV? I just don't see the use of this unless we're going to be allowed to make our own games save them to our hard drive , burn games to our hard drive etc then their is no use for this. Sure a HD-DVD drive would be cool but the games won't be on it most likely so its just not good. Maybe in the Xbox "720" this would be good but right now its not.

I don't see why anybody should be upset about this if it is true. IMHO next gen sounds plausible to me for this rumor, but even if it is this gen, then it will just be another sku. So if you want it great, if not no big deal. As far as games coming out on hd dvd is concerned, I think it would be great if the load times were fast enough. They could always offer the games on multi-disc's like blue dragon for those who don't have a hd dvd version or the add-on.

too bad it probably wont be able to use the storage space for games without drastic changes. that is one of the many ways that the ps3 is better than the 360

why is MS supporting hddvd anyway? why dont they just add external blu-ray drive, then next gen add an internal one? help kill this stupid format war. i dont see what MS is getting out the the hddvd other than not giving sony profit from blu ray.

#22,

Something that has become apparent to me is that the xbox 360 is marketed as a premium gaming experience. I don't see how they drag the hardware out over five years with out the games starting to look very dated compared to the pc versions. Then when you compare console sales to PC sales, and how PC gaming is basically dead, hardcore gamers should be all about a shorter release cycle for consoles.

If microsoft releases a console next september, basically the xbox 360 we all love, with a hddvd drive and beefed up cpu and gpu, you will find me standing in line.

And still I will have paid less money (and personal time) than if I kept a PC up to date to play the latest games.

Just because there is a new console doesn't mean the old one magically stops working. Microsoft is commited to the xbox 360 through mid 2009 at least. Look at the PS2 and PS3. Great games were still coming out for the PS2 (god of war for example) after the ps3 was released.

This would explain when the new game announcements peter out and stop sometime next summer though.

@DeadPlasmaCell: If they have done this in the first place, they wouldn't have been able to release the 360 a year earlier than the other two consoles - which could've mean a loss for MS.

Think about it - like it or not, the fact is the reason there's a lot of good games in 360 is because it's been around for longer.

#24,

I disagree. There were really great games for the 360 at launch. They were not in the "best game evar!" category of games we are getting now. A year after launch, we were getting games like GOW. A year after PS3 launch owners got Lair. A year after wii launch they got Metroid Prime 3. And the sales numbers are really starting to reflect that reality.

It is a simple fact, if Microsoft wants to continue to pwn the gaming market they have to do a hardware refresh. With that refresh the xbox platform remains, definitevely, the premium game console.

Also the economic reality is, with off the shelf components, Microsoft can update the xbox and keep the price at $400. While Sony on the other hand just sold off their chip fab.

Do it and the hd external better be 100.00.

#25

If a tree falls in the forest and there is no one around to hear it, does it make a sound?

The simple fact is, on paper the PS3 IS BETTER than the 360. The problem is, no one has been able to exploit that in the only way that matters(to game developers and gamers). SALES.

First off, when WalMart fire-sold some HD-DVD drives for $79 that meant that they could get them for less, which meant that the drive inside that housing couldn't be THAT expensive. Typical markup made it more than I want to pay.

Second, there will always be people who would pass on even a 360 Elite but would take a HD version. Elitism still sells stuff like Bang & Olufsen stereo equipment.

Third, if it ran cool I'd take one. That crap 360 they sent me from the repair center requires me to MAKE the dang DVD drive open up since it won't just do it when I push the button...

#25 soap,
"too bad it probably wont be able to use the storage space for games without drastic changes."
Obviously you are not a programmer like I am or you would know that the size of the media would not require any changes. The only thing it might affect is it might cause the games to have longer load times like the PS3 games have. Which is just one of the many ways that the 360 is better than the PS3.

This thing has been rumored since DAY ONE.
I'll believe it when i see it. plain and simple.

We can all say that this won't happen. We can all purport that it doesn't fit MS's marketing strategy, that it will increase costs too much, or that it would alienate early adopters.

The truth is Microsoft really concerns itself with costs. Strategies are flexible, not robust. And many unexpected events have occured in the industry with Microsoft alone, i.e..

1) RROD admission &
2) Warranty extension to 3 yrs
3) CORE receives HDMI output
4) Black console w/the Elite
5) And the possibility that maybe, just maybe, Halo 3 won't win Game of the Year.

I purported on another blog that MS could adopt the HD VMD drive, same capabilities as HD DVD just a lower cost and readily available tech. So....don't be so quick to count it out. These days, you never know.

if any of you think this is even partly believable, you guys are far gone.

and i really, really feel for you.

#30,

Microsofts filesystems have an upper limit about about 8 Exabytes(do I hear a "8 Exabytes ought to be enough for anyone?"). So some day when games come on 10 Exabyte (An Exabyte is only a million times greater than a terrabyte after all) disks Microsoft will indeed have to update their operating system to be able to read those.

I think #25 should hold his breath until that happens. Oh wait, he will die of old age before that happens, no need to hold breath.

I can't believe some of you guys are ready for a new console already, you guys are crazy. Has MS even begun making money off of their entertainment division and you think they're ready to come out with a new console after only 3-4 years of existence? Hell no. This isn't Xbox 360.5, if it will exist it's just an Xbox with different software and hardware add-ons, for MS' sake it'll work exactly like the 360 minus heating problems plus all of this media stuff.

MS knows that the price of HD-DVD tech will drop dramatically in the next year. It will soon be more profitable for them to build it into the box. Doing this will add value for the 360, which will be challenged to hold its price point in 2008.

Also, supporters of HD-DVD have incentive to get more players out there faster and cheaper to help increase marketshare in the sales of disc titles so that their investment in the standard is not wasted.

Leave games off of HD-DVD. Using DVD will keep our game developers creative and our games affordable.

I don't even have time to finish Halo 3 in campaign, I don't want to play a game that takes several months to complete. Just make one, and make better sequels. I already think $60 a pop is a bit much for games, especially considering the younger gamers (who are a huge market segment for games) can't afford to buy themselves games anymore.

I know this is kind of old-fogey ish, but I remember being ok asking my parents for a new $15-30 atari cartridge for a good grade almost weekly back in the day. Nowadays, I feel badly watching them shell out 60+ for my little brother every few months.

In short, games on HD DVD will be prohibitively more expensive not because of the media, but because the cost to develop longer / more complex games grow exponentially in order to fill the space of the new medium, especially considering how hollywood our gaming industry has become.

#36

At its release, Microsoft said they needed to sell something like 1 million copies of Halo 3 to show a profit for the xbox 360 product. As they beat that significantly, yes, they are now making money on the xbox. With the type of revenue they have made over the last year, I suspect over the next year they will erase all the losses of the Microsoft games and entertainment division.

More importantly, they can (with a couple of years gone by) simply upgrade the chips on the xbox 360 and release a new console that is 100% backward compatable(exactly as has happened on the pc platform over the last 20 years), yet sets the new standard for the new next gen games, and still sell it for $400 and make a profit on each console sold. They don't have to do any significant R&D like they did for the 360 platform.

@39:

I'd like to see an article where it says that but I remembered and dug up this article: http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3161479

They posted 1.9 Billion in losses and a million copies of Halo 3 was supposed to dig them out of that? Maybe they were making profits for the quarter but for the year I bet it's a long shot.

#41,

LaOL! Look at the last paragraph of the article you posted!!! Bwhahaha!

This seems like a poor plan, considering that Blue-Ray appears to be winning the HD war (unfortunately), and by the end of next year very well may be the standard. Also, there is less of an incentive to purchase a 360 since HD-DVD players are already (relatively) cheap. With Blue-Ray, Sony has a compelling argument to sell the PS3, wheras Microsoft doesn't. Watch tv on the xbox360? Already possible through media center, which is shipping on nearly all vista PC's today (don't see too many with Vista Basic). Also, what about IPTV (which Microsoft's own Internet TV beta became publicly available a few weeks ago... Arrested Development is pretty decent). The only way that I could see an Xbox with dual HDTV tuners taking off is if it's offered through cable operators. Would it be CableCard certified anyways?


And there is no way there is going to be an Xbox 360.5 that is slightly faster/better equipped. If anything, you may see a slight clock boost and memory boost, simply to accommodate background recording of the video streams, but nothing noticeable. Developers like standards, and Xbox 720 can't be that far off.

And finally, make a black HD-DVD drive available for crying out loud. I know it was produced for internal use, but make most of the accessories available in black, or at least grey will ya?

It makes sense to add all that in next year. The technology will have been around for awhile so it'll be much cheaper to integrate. Sony made the mistake of trying to do it all at once from the beginning.

To me the the HD DVD is just a throw in. I want Wifi N, and the mp3 docking features. I can't see this going for more than $500.

grega your a moron! so after pounding the PS3 about its price tag your actually willing to drop maybe $500 dollars on a new console. By then developers will get used to the PS3 arc. the PS3 has only been out a year. do you really think killzone 2 is gonna max out the PS3 potential after a year and a couple of months. boy are you a dumass.

Does this remind anyone else of Sony's japan only PSX last generation?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PSX_%28DVR%29

LOL! Lets see, PS3 games take longer to load, lie. Lair being used as an example of a good PS3 game, bullshit, the PS3 has no good games? LOL! Oh, the reason to stay at DVD9 is because its cheaper for developers? Then why do PS3 games cost the same as PS3 games? What does that say about M$? You guys think Blu Ray is really selling PS3s huh? I can tell most of the guys that say dumb shit about the system have no idea what it has to offer. Funny how people bashed the cost of a PS3, but now when you see how much capability the PS3 has out of the box and M$ tries to do it, you start to see its value. This could be good for M$, god knows they need to do something. Halo 3 is out already and its meh. Don't lie to yourself, you still compare it to Gears, which is sad. They should've did this in the first place, but then again you're right, M$ would've charged you through the nose. Lng story short, get a PS3 dude, Drakes Fortune is about to come out. The first next gen game of this generation...

The reason M$ is supporting HD-DVD is because the video quality is better. http://www.hometheaterblog.com/hometheater/2006/06/bluray_vs_hddvd.html Blu-ray holds more space than HD-DVD does, but the it doesn't look as good. I'm more than willing to get off my butt to change the disc if it means quality over quantity.
"HD-DVD is simply delivering higher bit-rates and overall better image quality, than Blu-ray is capable of with the combination of MPEG2 and 25GB Blu-ray discs."

Dave, have you even seen a Blu-Ray and HD-DVD of the same film (300 for example) side by side on the same TVs on the same settings, etc.? I work in a TV store that set this up for our customers. HD-DVD does NOT look better than Blu-Ray. They both look about the same. The main difference is the sound, which Blu-Ray has and HD-DVD does not. Case in point, Transformers. The capacities are also different, but I think that is going to work itself out over time. Each side is finding ways to increase the capacity of their format. Special features are leaning toward HD-DVD, but Blu-Ray is trying to catch up. But really, is PIP going to make up for crappy sound? It doesn't for me. I want the best PQ and SQ above all else.

You also linked to an article that is over a year old. Are you kidding me? Get with the program. A lot has changed since the summer of 06. Fact vs. Fiction my ass.

I have been screaming for a 360 with everything integrated from the very beginning. Sony did it right the first time. Integrated Blu-Ray, wireless connectivity, HDMI V1.3, etc. And you pay for it up front. Microsoft squeezed it out of us over time. You get the 360 home and realize that running an ethernet cable from your living room to the router in a different room is a bitch. Network adapter $100. You finally get that HDTV you've always wanted, so you go to get the external HD-DVD drive $200. Now your 360 takes up twice the space. You go to hook up your HDMI and find out that it downgrades your connection because it was v1.2 and everything else you have (TV, receiver, PS3) are v1.3.

If Microsoft gets their act together and puts out a system with everything integrated, the new smaller chip, and quiter drives/fans/etc., everyone that doesn't have one, is probably going to go out and get one. Microsoft should have done this starting off, but either they felt they couldn't get first to market with all that included and/or they wanted to squeeze an extra $300 out of anyone that would pay them the extra dough.

That's my two cents.

I reckon, that MS had a meeting with Toshiba to come up with a possible design for the next Xbox, lets say the 720, and the possibility of using HD-DVD in the event it won the format war. If you think about it, MS would want to avoid using Blu-ray at all costs, and it is clear that DVD will be unsuitable for the Next Gen console. It would also be around the time that designs for the 360 successor would be drawn up. I am not saying the next gen Xbox will have HD-DVD, but they would likely be drawing up a design that includes it along with other possibilities.