Xbox 360 Blu-ray console coming Q3 of this year?
By Dave Parrack
The rumours of a Blu-ray enabled Xbox 360 have come thick and fast ever since (and even before) Toshiba conceded the high definition format war and killed off HD DVD. But despite never-ending denials from Microsoft, the speculation keeps on coming.
We’ve heard so many stories about a Blu-ray drive, either external or internal coming to the Xbox 360, but unfortunately, they’ve all seemed to come to nothing.
First it was claimed that an Xbox 360 with Blu-ray built in could arrive as early as May 2008. But we’ve now reached May and there’s no sign of the little beauty.
Microsoft then went on the record back in February to deny any plans for a Blu-ray drive, and directed people who thought it should happen to look at the low HD DVD attach rates. It also claimed that the format war essentially meant nothing as digital downloads are the future, and the company will be concentrating on that side of things through Xbox Live.
Then, at the beginning of April, it was claimed Lite-ON would be manufacturing Blu-ray drives for the next incarnation of the Xbox 360. It wasn’t an April Fools joke, but Microsoft again denied the story quite vehemently.
And so here we are again, and a new story is doing the rounds. This time, it comes from the Chinese language Economic Daily News, which Engadget claims is reporting that Pegatron, an OEM subsidiary of ASUS, is going to be assembling the new Xbox 360 models, with a Blu-ray Disc ROM drive built in. Shipments of the new consoles are expected in Quarter 3 of this year, placing it around September time… if of course, it is true.
We can be guaranteed that if this is yet another piece of false information, Microsoft will issue a denial forthwith. If they are silent on the matter, expect it to come true.
Related:
Stumble It!
Tips N4G
May 2nd, 2008
looks like MS is trying to be an entertainment centre too… HEY now ALL the fanboys have an “Entertainment cetre with bloooooooo ray” according to kevin…
this rumor is really hurting MS… damn… if only they bought the HD DVD patent rights
May 2nd, 2008
yes… it’s hurting ms, drw.. to the tune of about 10 million more sales than the ps3 WITH bluray with the lead growing everyday.
May 2nd, 2008
dwh - still waiting of your answer to how many elite 360 have hd dvd drives in them. thanks.
May 2nd, 2008
MS will adapt if and when they need to. That is, not yet.
May 2nd, 2008
It can come but I’m not buying it. I like the movie downloads as I’m not a disk collecter. I go to the theatre and rent. I’ll admit that I did buy the HD DVD player at a cheap price after the war because I was looking for a good upconverting DVD player and it was one of the best including the fact that I could also watch HD DVD’s. So I went on a small buying spree to collect a nice collection of HD DVD at cheap. That is as far as I will ever go for Disk buying. I only got the good title that were worth it like Transformers and 300.
May 2nd, 2008
Until Bluray comes down in price I really don’t care.
May 2nd, 2008
kevin… didnt ALL the Elites have HD DVD drives in them (before Toshiba’s news)???
Because that was one of the selling points of the Elite right?? the HD DVD drive…
I dont know how many Elites that are “currently” on sale have HD DVD drives.. but I know that that the previous ones did…
May 2nd, 2008
The lead growing everyday eh, kev…. LOL
May 3rd, 2008
Hey the 360 is trying to be a home appliance now (thats what Kevin calls the Ps3’s media features). And guess what, it can’t even succeed at that.
And I have a question for Kevin:
Please explain y Gta IV looks better on the ps3 even though (as u claim) has an out dated gpu.
What happened to your “Unified Shader Architecture” crap. I doubt you even know what that means. You just thought it sounded cool and went “Yeah this must be better than the Ps3’s graphics card cuz it has a super cool 1 line description”
And I don’t know where the hell you got the idea that the ps3 has an outdated card. FYI, its a modified version of Nvidia’s 7800GTX gpu, which was only second to the 7900GTX at that time and not outdated. I don’t know how the hell you can say that Ati can produce a better card than Nvidia, let alone the fact that the 360 came out a year before the ps3 which means that even if the ps3 didn’t have the strongest card when it released, its still newer than the year old gpu the 360 uses.
The 360 may have the “Unified Shader” thing but unlike you Kevin, I don’t deal with the specs. I care about what I see when in my Tv when I turn on the console. And what I see is Uncharted looking a lot better than any 360 game.
Maybe if you ever see Uncharted, you’ll know what I’m talking about and you’ll eat your words. Or maybe you won’t eat your words, you’ll think “So what Uncharted looks better, 360’s Gpu has a cooler name. Thats all that matters”
May 3rd, 2008
XD
HAHAHHAHAHA real funny nomad…
dont ever go away.. you are kevin’s kryptonite… or the bizarro kevin… XD
May 3rd, 2008
darkwhitehair
I’m sure Kevin will make a strong comeback. He’ll tell me not to “Butt In”
OOOOHHOOOOO I’m Scaaeed!!!
You see, thats what he does when he can’t come up with a sensible argument.
Wait wait…He never has a sensible argument so I guess he just uses that when he runs out of words.
May 3rd, 2008
yes.. dont put your butt in here nomad… cus this is kevin the mighty “not-a-fanboy-but-a-fact-guy” writes his “assumptions” and “thoughts”
People like you make me sick “nomad”… HOW DARE you post something that can be easilly verified from a credible source??? HAVE YOU NO SHAME???
May 4th, 2008
Dont say anything that may offend kevin or winner, you will be called “angry” and “bitter”…that usually happens when they run out of arguements to counter yours….which usually doesn’t take long.
Big Kev will be back…you watch.
May 4th, 2008
If an ‘add on’ does indeed come into existence and it’s not too expensive then I will probably pick it up, not only because it’s Blu Ray but it will also upscale my dvds which at the moment look pretty ordinary on my 46″ tv.
And Spideydog, this is the internet, if people get offended by anything in a forum then they need to get out more. And yes, you are bitter and angry.
May 5th, 2008
Nomad - the opinion of gta looking “better” on the ps3 seems to be in the vast minority, with only one or two sites saying the difference is even noticeable. if the ps3’s gpu is so great why is the ps3 choking on gta when it was made for the ps3? the unified shader architecture, from what read, gives developers more programming control over shaders allowing for better texturing, better lighting, and better graphics with less impact to other areas. If i were you, nomad, i’d read a little more. the pc gaming gpu are moving to the unified shader architecture themselves in their “next gen” gpu, whereas NOONE is moving the in the outdated direction of the ps3’s gpu. the 360 isn’t even warmed up yet, whereas kojima already stated he’s used almost ALL of “teh cell” and failed to live up to his promises. you do the math, sport. it’s hilarious watching DWH claim this is assumptions and not fact, when he’s been whining about the Elit’s Hd dvd drive….when it doesn’t even have one. the real question is: if the ps3 is soooooo much powerful than the 360, why is it struggling to keep pace with the graphics? for the record; the ps3 has NOTHING on par with Bioshock. sorry.
May 5th, 2008
ps…i meant to say Pixel and Vertex shaders. not just “shaders”. sorry.
May 5th, 2008
okay….
“the pc gaming gpu are moving to the unified shader architecture themselves in their “next gen” gpu”
does this mean that Crysis didnt use your uber hyped “unified shader gee pee you”???
Its funny you claim that ATI made the better graphics card and the “new technology”… that Nvidia somehow…. didnt… even though tests in Gamespot show that mediocre Nvidia cards outperform “Xtreme” ATI cards…. and Crysis runs better on Nvidia card…
I agree the PS3 was hyped a little too much (kinda like a 360 title that didnt live up to expectations….) you cannot expect people to push the limits of PS3 a year after its release….
PS3 isnt the only system GTA 4 is choking on… when you research this a little… you find that GTA 4 is freezing on 360s as well…. you dont see me claiming other sites are 360 fanboy sites when they blame the PS3 primarily for the freeze issue…
stop bringing in Kojima into the issue… dont hate on MGS just because it looks better than ALL the 360 titles… ohh and Bioshock was a great game… I enjoyed it a LOT… but Uncharted HAD better graphics than Bioshock.. its graphics could have competed with Crysis…
and you cannot claim Bioshock is a 360 exclusive… when a game is released in more than 1 platform…. ITS NOT AN EXCLUSIVE!!!
I apologise for the mistake I made with the Elite… I didnt research it properly…
that makes it
dwh- 1 stupid assumption
kevin- 2 stupid assumtions…
the 360 is a more developer friendly console… OFCOURSE it is… but with the 360 still using the DVD format…
Lost Odyssey using 4 dvds… which makes me question… why do 360 fans bitch about the PS3 taking 7 minutes to install a smallportion of the game in the hdd… when they are fine with changing 4 DVDs in game….
dont you see a resemblence?? the Playstation which used CDs… had games coming out in more than one disk…
its a shame that Microsoft didnt buy the HD DVD patent and release the games in this format….
but atleast they have the “SUPER COOL AWESOME shader gee pee you”
May 5th, 2008
DWH - at the time of its release, bioshock was not on the pc, so it was an exclusive. you do realize the belief that only exclusives sells consoles is outdated right? the ps3 has a lot of exclusives and is STILL being outsold even with bloooray “winning” the format war. the fact you claim mgs looks better than anything on the 360 only PROVES you have zero idea of this industry. the fact you claimed elites had hd dvd drives only underscores this. no wonder you keep babbling; you have no idea what you’re babbling about. MS didn’t need to buy the patent. 360 games look better than the ps3 games while using “outdated technology”. kinda makes the ps3 look extremely useless.
May 5th, 2008
yeah… sorry I can hear you over your previous stupid claims…
which were
1. GTA 4 looks “sharper” on the 360 because of “nex gen” “gee pee you” from a company that is outperformed by Nvidia in most games…
2. Microsoft was NEVER sued over broken 360s…
the 360 games look good now.. what happense when they get bigger?? They ARE bigger… (eg. Lost Odyssey)… so what happens when Bioshock 2 and Mass Effect 2 or GeoW 2 needs more space??? and if they DONT need more space.. then how are the games getting graphically better than their previous title… we have seen from past experience that games has gotten bigger… and they ill continue to grow and need more space…
But when Bioshock 3 (if not 2) needs 3 disks… and youre still hanging on to your HD DVD rive.. Ill remember what you said…
and MGs DOES look better…. I saw the footage… I am not making any assumptions.. but from the 360 previews I saw… MGS looked MUCH better…. and what does previews have to do with “idea about the industry”???
And yes.. the PS3 is EXTREMELY useless… its a Household appliance… just what the 360 is trying to be…
May 5th, 2008
dwh - if the ps3 was a great as you say, it wouldn’t have lost 95% of their last gen userbase. i’m still waiting for link to where ms was sued for the 360. i think i’ll keep waiting since it doesn’t exist. games are NOT getting bigger due to bluray. in fact, no game on the ps3 has touted more hours of gameplay than a standard dvd9 game. let me guess; just wait for it, right? like i’ve been waiting for ALL of sony’s b.s pr promises that NEVER come true. it’s funny, here’s another sony broken promise in the land down under:
http://www.theage.com.au/news/technology/sony-customers-still-waiting-for-free-ps3s/2008/05/05/1209839513811.html
mgs has nothing in it that Bioshock didn’t already have and better. Geow also. you must’ve watched the video from a year ago as proof. guess what? kojima failed to live up to the video as promised. The Xbox 360; what the ps3 should have been.
May 6th, 2008
95%?? my my… thats a LOT…. specially when you dont have the proof to back up that claim you pulled out of your ass… thats THREE STUPID claims you made… I know many PS2 owners bought 360s… I DID… doesnt mean I like one console over the other…
I read the link you gave me… do you expect me to stick up for Sony?? or claim that they were right??? I dont get it… if they messed up.. then thats their fault… I dont care…
Microsoft makes PLENTY of stupid PR… or as you say… BS PR…
one of their wonderful brain farts were…
“RROD is not that big of an issue.. its happening to only a select number of people” (This is just the gist.. not a direct quote)
They started all that pledging 1 billion dollar… and extended warranty.. AFTER they were sued… get your facts right…
You must be REALLY deperate if you hae to quote “the age”… see I “pulled a kevin..” I didnt believe a completely unbiased site because it reported news which was against Sony…
XD
May 6th, 2008
Kevin
Its funny because as I remember it, one 360 fan site (can’t remember the name) guranteed that MGS4 would be coming for the 360 a year after the Ps3’s release. In fact, his claim was so strong that even I believed it.
That was until Konami came out and announced that the game was too big even for blu-ray. Immediately after the claim, all MGS4 for 360 was killed. I laughed my hair off when I saw that.
No 360 fan had the courage to say that “MGS4 would be coming to 360 but its probably gonna need 25Discs” LOL!!
Imagine, what would happen to the 360 about 3years from now. Developers won’t make crappy games for both consoles just because the 360 is “out-dated”. They’ll probably cut down the games and make them shorter for the 360 (Each game would last about 30mins I guess). When that happens Kevin, you can take your Unified Shader and use it as your Toilet Paper.
May 6th, 2008
nomad - you’re using ONE fanboy site as proof that mgs4 was supposedly coming to the 360? please. the fact is; gaming is about money. if kojima doesn’t make the money he spent on it, he’ll have to look elsewhere. love for sony only applies to the fanboys. it’s hilarious when you remember MGS:SoL came out for the ps2, with kojima saying nothing about the xbox. then? VOILA!! it came out on the xbox. it’s plausible to believe it could happen here, with the exception of having the game made on such crappy gaming hardware on the ps3. prolly why he’s so disappointed with the game. personally, i don’t care. it’s a washed up franchise that’s been surpassed on every level by the Splinter Cell series. online multiplayer is hella fun. i doubt this is will be the case with mgs4. sorry. I don’t have anywhere to “take” the unified shaders. that’s what developers are doing.
May 6th, 2008
ps…you DO realize gamers have been disk swapping for a decade with NO complaints. face it; it never is/was/will be a problem. it’s just a complaint invented by the ps3 fanboys to try to justify paying so much money for something that does so much less than the competition.
May 6th, 2008
ohh… okay.. so you dont find any problem with “disk swapping” just a 10 minute installation that you can easilly delete…
now it makes a LOT of sense…
now see.. when you claim Splinter Cell is better.. you immediately disgrace it… face it.. MGs CREATED the whole spy genre… and Splinter Cell (which was a great game) comes nowhere close to MGS in terms of graphics and storyline… the gameplay is VERY GOOD… I enjoyed it a lot… ohh and guess what ITS NOT A 360 EXCLUSIVE…
and the new Splinter Cell is going aginst their whole franchise.. no more Splinter Cell.. its becoming a modern day Assissins simulator.. using all their “environmental stealth” which means you can hide between people who just magically start walking as soon as you step into their little circle…
May 6th, 2008
dwh - please. splinter cell won AIAS awards for their gameplay and graphics. has kojima? nope. sc took the spy genre to a whole new level. one that no mgs to date has matched. really have no room to talk about the collision detection in splinter cell when you can out-think mgs ai by hiding under a cardboard box. lmao. I’ve been disk swapping since Colony wars II on the ps1. pc gamers STILL disk swap with no complaints. the ONLY ones complaining are those who trying to convince people that sitting thru a 20 minute load screen to avoid a 15 second load screen is smart. like i said; you’ve been proven a liar. don’t respond to my posts. you have no facts, no basis of comparison and no sense of reality.
May 6th, 2008
dwh - uh-oh…look what i found. sony’s settlement on their dde lawsuit on the ps2. http://forums.gamestrafe.com/general-gaming/general-gaming-discussion/110023-sony-settles-ps2-dde-suit.html
so..where’s your article of ms’ “settlement” or judgment?
you = pwned.
May 6th, 2008
dwh - i love this most of all:
“A Sony rep confirmed the settlement for GameSpot, but insisted it is in no way an admission of guilt. “While we are convinced that there is no problem with these models and that we would win if we defended this case through trial, we have agreed to settle these lawsuits to avoid the extraordinary high cost of cumbersome class action litigation,” the representative said. ” -
that’s why they got sued. they REFUSED to even acknowledge a problem with the ps2. at least ms had the balls to stand up and take ownership. it’s called ethics, foreign concept to you, i know.
May 6th, 2008
Microsoft didn’t have much of choice when 15%-33% of thier systems failed…the biggest failure rate for any console EVER. It just looks stupid trying to deny such failure rates, a little like 99% of your posts really.
Just how long did it take before MS acknowledged it’s significant failure rate. Oh but MS is in it for the love of it’s loyal customers (not that sony is either)…Pffft silly little man, I mean boy.