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Despite denials, 360 to get Blu-ray

by on11 March 2008
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Still sorting out the details, but it will happen


Despite all of the denials that have been made, it would appear that Sony and Microsoft are in the process of cutting a deal for the Xbox 360 to offer Blu-ray support. It has not been decided if that support with come in the form of an add-on Blu-ray drive or a separate version of the console that will offer a built-in Blu-ray drive. At this point whether it will be built-in or add-on doesn’t really matter.

While some are puzzled at why Sony would want Microsoft to adopt Blu-ray support for the Xbox 360, it really is common sense when you think about it. Sony needs as much support and momentum behind Blu-ray as possible, and many Xbox 360 owners are early adopters, which means getting them to start buying Blu-ray movies would be a good thing.

Sony’s approach to painting the world Blu is likely a response from past mistakes with getting companies to adopt its Beta and MiniDisc formats, which never really achieved the market success they could have if they would have received more support from companies. In the case of Blu-ray, Sony makes money on royalties on both the hardware and the software, so there is money to be made.

Steve Ballmer from Microsoft recently indicated that they are hard at work already on Blu-ray support for Windows. Sony’s Stan Glasgow has made statements that indicated that Blu-ray support is a possibility for the Xbox 360 and they are currently in discussions with Microsoft on making this happen.

According to industry insiders, Sony has offered Microsoft a Blu-ray drive for use in the Xbox 360. Expect additional details to be come to light on Microsoft’s Blu-ray strategy before summer if possible, but for sure before the fall, as Microsoft will want to have their Xbox 360 Blu-ray strategy in place prior to the 2008 holiday season.

Last modified on 11 March 2008
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