Microsoft stops HD DVD drives for Xbox 360

AFP 26 February, 2008


Microsoft confirmed on Monday that it will no longer make HD DVD drives for its Xbox 360 video game consoles.

The much-anticipated announcement comes in the wake of the format being abandoned by its creator, Japanese electronics giant Toshiba, as well as major Hollywood studios and US retail chains.

"As a result of recent decisions made by Toshiba, Hollywood studios, and retailers, Microsoft plans to withdraw from HD DVD," the US technology titan said in a written statement. "Xbox will no longer manufacture new HD DVD players for the Xbox 360, but we will continue to provide standard product and warranty support for all Xbox 360 HD DVD Players in the market."

Toshiba last week conceded defeat to rival Sony in a long-running DVD format war.

Toshiba said it would stop selling its HD DVD machines by the end of March, clearing the way for the Blu-ray format developed by Sony and its partners to become the industry standard.

The victory is sweet revenge for Sony, which learned its lessons well from a defeat in a similar format war that erupted in the late 1970s between the VHS and Betamax types of video cassettes.

Sony includes a Blu-ray player in its own video game console, the PlayStation 3.

Analysts say the end of the format war will reduce consumer confusion and should encourage the Hollywood studios to bring out more movies on Blu-ray.


More at: MyBroadband News

I was waiting for this. I remember in the other thread people talking about the war wasn't over but if you look at all the movies coming out lately it is all DVD and B-DVD. There are hardly any going to HD anymore.

It's sorta sad really, all the wasted HD-DVD's in video stores and such. Hell, if they still have it for cheap, ill use it at home!

Don't forget that the blu-ray price drop hasn't happened yet, so still no one can afford burners or drives

I've recently slapped a Blu-ray Burner into my rig at home, cost me about £160. Yep, expensive for a media drive but not so much that it completely excludes everyone. It won't be long before they're commonplace in OEM systems, IMHO.

Rumors are that Microsoft is now coming up with blueray drives to plug into Xbox 360s and some sources are even saying that BD drives will be incorporated into future Xbox 360s. Wouldn't surprise me. It seems some PS3 sales are being augmented by the domination of blueray.

Yeah if I look back at DVD drives, the first one I bought cost me almost US$ 200 and they've been going for about US$ 30 or so for about a year or more . I guess the same will happen with Blu-ray and personally I've going to wait around for the price to drop and the format to be more freely available with stuff like movies and blank discs. Geesh, I remember paying a fortune for blank DVD's at one time.