Xbox360 & Blu-ray

[Karma]

Looks like it's been green lit guys

http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20080502PB200.html

[The Josh]

Interesting but I think I'll still get a PS3 this summer.

[tomandshell]

I'm not surprised--this is good news for those who have a 360 and want to get started with Blu-ray.

And is that going to be a built in drive, not an external as with HD-DVD? That's really good news!

I will be sticking with my PS3, but the more options, the better.

[Moonloop]

Screws over the people who already have a 360.

[hairlesswookiee]

cool, but i'm still happy with my 360 and PS3.

[hairlesswookiee]

Screws over the people who already have a 360.
not really. the blu ray isn't going to be used for games... only movies.

[bagelsncheesey]

It's about time. Now developers won't have to worry about disc size when it comes to making games for the 360.

Time to trade mine in when this comes.

[Sick Boy 82]

Good for those people who need a BR player. But I will not be getting one unless they are going to be making future games on BR too.

[Sick Boy 82]

not really. the blu ray isn't going to be used for games... only movies.

That's what they said for the add-on. But with this drive being internal, they may actually switch to BR discs for games as well, which would be nice!!

[SSC_Nerd]

It's about time. Now developers won't have to worry about disc size when it comes to making games for the 360.

Time to trade mine in when this comes.

No way can they use it for games. All the new games then wouldn't be compatible with the old systems. That'd be the worst idea ever. It'll be for movies only.

Personally, I'll wait for better confirmation from something other than a chinese site. I saw the same story a few days ago, yet there has been no real confirmation.

[Amanaman]

I'll stick with reliable hardware, so that's either the PS3 or wii.

[bagelsncheesey]

No way can they use it for games. All the new games then wouldn't be compatible with the old systems. That'd be the worst idea ever. It'll be for movies only.

Personally, I'll wait for better confirmation from something other than a chinese site. I saw the same story a few days ago, yet there has been no real confirmation.

Not to be rude, but you're kidding yourself if you think they'll limit themselves to just a DVD in the next 2 years. When Sony (as they are with MGS4) finally gets around to producing games that utilize Blu-ray disc space properly, Microsoft will keep up and go in the same direction.

I'll remember your post so when this happens, I can laugh at you. :lol

[Sick Boy 82]

yeah, eventually 8.75GB will not be enough for the new HD games! Look at the problem MGS4 was having with space for the audio! BR games on the 360 will probably be out by the end of next year, at the latest or at least in development.

[Karma]

the only way around it give people the option to buy the game on blu-ray or a 2-3 dvd set

[SSC_Nerd]

Not to be rude, but you're kidding yourself if you think they'll limit themselves to just a DVD in the next 2 years. When Sony (as they are with MGS4) finally gets around to producing games that utilize Blu-ray disc space properly, Microsoft will keep up and go in the same direction.

I'll remember your post so when this happens, I can laugh at you. :lol

I'm not doubting they'll use more than DVD's when it comes to a new console, but just hitting the brakes and switching the discs used for 360 games to blu-ray is a bad idea. How many MILLIONS of people will be forced to buy a new 360 to play their new games? That's what I'm getting at. Sorry if you minsunderstood what I meant. I'm just saying that a internal blu-ray drive is ridiculous if they mean to use blu-rays for games as well. External makes so much more sense.

[Sick Boy 82]

the only way around it give people the option to buy the game on blu-ray or a 2-3 dvd set


Yeah, I remember when Shenmue 2 came out on Dreamcast and it was one of the first 4 Disc games ever, other than for computer. That was so frakin huge for it's time, especially considering the graphics were amazing at that time as well!!

[tomandshell]

That's why they won't switch to Blu-ray exclusively for games.

[Vader AL]

Not to be rude, but you're kidding yourself if you think they'll limit themselves to just a DVD in the next 2 years. When Sony (as they are with MGS4) finally gets around to producing games that utilize Blu-ray disc space properly, Microsoft will keep up and go in the same direction.

I'll remember your post so when this happens, I can laugh at you. :lol

i imagine the reason MSG4 needs so much space is for 12 hours of cut-scenes.

[Karma]

either that or offer a very good to existing owners to trade in

[Moonloop]

not really. the blu ray isn't going to be used for games... only movies.

I know, but it still annoys me as a 360 owner....in a similar fashion that the newer generation 360s run games much smoother/faster than the older generation 360s. Not so sure if the 1 year head start was better for the consumer.

Especially if games start coming out in blu-ray.....I understand they could still do multiple Dvds for people with older 360s.....but I would want that top notch better software/hardware that the blu-ray is and i'd have to buy a whole new 360 to do that. If this is the route they go they should offer some sort of exchange/HUGE discount for people to switch their old 360s for the new BR ones.

[Sick Boy 82]

That's why they won't switch to Blu-ray exclusively for games.

True, they will probably give you the option of getting the 4-Disc DVD version or the BR version.

[bagelsncheesey]

I'm not doubting they'll use more than DVD's when it comes to a new console, but just hitting the brakes and switching the discs used for 360 games to blu-ray is a bad idea. How many MILLIONS of people will be forced to buy a new 360 to play their new games? That's what I'm getting at. Sorry if you minsunderstood what I meant. I'm just saying that a internal blu-ray drive is ridiculous if they mean to use blu-rays for games as well. External makes so much more sense.

I didn't misunderstand what you were saying. I never said anything about Blu exclusivity. I'm simply saying they'll make use of the discs, and will definitely, without a doubt, put games on them within 2 years of the 360 Blu edition coming out.

[vader70450]

trade it in now bro....trade in prices are gonna drop like a rock when this hits

It's about time. Now developers won't have to worry about disc size when it comes to making games for the 360.

Time to trade mine in when this comes.

[Punchy]

I didn't misunderstand what you were saying. I never said anything about Blu exclusivity. I'm simply saying they'll make use of the discs, and will definitely, without a doubt, put games on them within 2 years of the 360 Blu edition coming out.

With the Xbox 360 turning 3 years old this fall, it's unlikely Microsoft would begin making Blu-ray games. It just would not be worth the consumer confusion and backlash when the next gen Xbox will likely be releasing in 2010. They will just save the BR games for this next system.

[ilovefreestufftoo]

I wonder if they'll offer old 360 owners a BR attachment like the HD-DVD player.

[darthviper107]

I'm guessing it's more of an attachment rather than a new system. There's no point in changing the system to include the Blu-Ray drive in the console, that just makes it more expensive.

And they won't ever make games for the Xbox 360 on Blu-Ray because they have to keep the requirements for games to where they will work on all the systems. That's why games can't require a hard drive for stuff like caching or anything because the core system doesn't have a hard drive.

They're doing pretty well with games right now where the amount of data is fairly equal to the power of the Xbox console, but I think new games that developers want to release on Blu-Ray will push for the next Xbox console to be released quickly. (take your time though microsoft, we're still hurting from the rush on the Xbox 360).

[Chimera 1]

I'm not doubting they'll use more than DVD's when it comes to a new console, but just hitting the brakes and switching the discs used for 360 games to blu-ray is a bad idea. How many MILLIONS of people will be forced to buy a new 360 to play their new games? That's what I'm getting at. Sorry if you minsunderstood what I meant. I'm just saying that a internal blu-ray drive is ridiculous if they mean to use blu-rays for games as well. External makes so much more sense.

Yeah but if the new 360 system has a BR player and is as quiet as the PS3 is then i would definitely buy another. Plus I am sure it would be backwards compatible for all the games you currently own. That would be major for MS. A new 360 with built in Blu Ray that is backwards compatible all the way back to the original xbox and is quiet. They would sell it quickly. Their current system config is hanging on by a thread now anyways with the RRD still happening and systems crashing left and right. the PS3 might be heavy as he!! but it is a stable system.

[Chimera 1]

With the Xbox 360 turning 3 years old this fall, it's unlikely Microsoft would begin making Blu-ray games. It just would not be worth the consumer confusion and backlash when the next gen Xbox will likely be releasing in 2010. They will just save the BR games for this next system.

I am not so sure next next gen console will be release that soon. That is only a year and a half away. This is MS's best bet right now. Add the player to future consoles and price it the same as when it first came out. But I do agree they shouldn't rush it or it can and will backfire on them.

[jocco]

I'm guessing it's more of an attachment rather than a new system. There's no point in changing the system to include the Blu-Ray drive in the console, that just makes it more expensive.

And they won't ever make games for the Xbox 360 on Blu-Ray because they have to keep the requirements for games to where they will work on all the systems. That's why games can't require a hard drive for stuff like caching or anything because the core system doesn't have a hard drive.

They're doing pretty well with games right now where the amount of data is fairly equal to the power of the Xbox console, but I think new games that developers want to release on Blu-Ray will push for the next Xbox console to be released quickly. (take your time though microsoft, we're still hurting from the rush on the Xbox 360).


Taking there time has NEVER been Microsoft's style. Everything is always rushed out early, with the hope and promise of fixing bugs later. If you need any proof of this, look no farther than Vista.

[hairlesswookiee]

Taking there time has NEVER been Microsoft's style. Everything is always rushed out early, with the hope and promise of fixing bugs later. If you need any proof of this, look no farther than Vista.
ouch!!! MS does this with just about every new OS though. MS will NOT make blu ray games with the 360. they've said it 1million times, and this far into the consoles' lifespan will not only hurt it, but also kill their next console when that time comes. i think they are simply offering the blu ray drive as an option to get 100% hi def out of their 360. besides, all of their current games in development for the next 2 years are working around DVD, to simply say "hey..put it on blu ray" would make their jobs almost too easy.

[darthviper107]

Taking there time has NEVER been Microsoft's style. Everything is always rushed out early, with the hope and promise of fixing bugs later. If you need any proof of this, look no farther than Vista.

Actually, they took a lot of time with Vista, it just ended up being pretty bad. And that was only a software program--makes you wonder how they ever could have developed the Xbox 360.


Well, since the Xbox 360 came out a year before the other consoles, they should at least add a year onto the next console development and just release it around the same time as the others.


It kind of makes you wonder, 2010 or 2011 will be around the time for the next console run, and really I would say that's too early for the PS3 or Wii to be replaced but at this point it seems the Xbox needs a new version very soon.

[Chimera 1]

ouch!!! MS does this with just about every new OS though. MS will NOT make blu ray games with the 360. they've said it 1million times, and this far into the consoles' lifespan will not only hurt it, but also kill their next console when that time comes. i think they are simply offering the blu ray drive as an option to get 100% hi def out of their 360. besides, all of their current games in development for the next 2 years are working around DVD, to simply say "hey..put it on blu ray" would make their jobs almost too easy.

How much HD can you truly get out of an attached drive? Really I mean the signal still has to travel through a USB port and then (like my 360) I don't have the HDMI port. So right there I am being isolated from true HD. A new console is their best bet. Create a new console to bring all the masses to the same level of quality. People will flood the store to get a new more stable and reliable version of the 360. We'll call it 360 2.0.
360 2.0 specs
Full backwards compatibility
20 gig HD
Built in Blu Ray player
HDMI port
75% less noise

[Kabukiman]

^ Digital signals have no loss.

[bagelsncheesey]

^ Digital signals have no loss.

:lecture :lecture

[Sick Boy 82]

Yeah and a 20GB HDD is ^^^^ing useless in the era of HD content. a 200GB and large HDD is what is really needed. I like that either Hitachi or Toshiba just came out with a new 320GB 7200RPM laptop HDD. And it uses less power than most current 250GB 5400RPM laptop HDD! But hopefully around the time we get a new console flash-drives will be super cheap and we won't need HDDs!!

[darthviper107]

Well, right now a 64GB solid-state hard drive is around $1,000 so it might be like 5 years until they're affordable to today's standards.

Really we need a truly next-gen game console, especially since current ones still don't have more than 1 or 2 1080p games, and mostly even less than 720p.

[Chimera 1]

^ Digital signals have no loss.

Then why is the picture quality different if you use componant cables instead of HDMI?

[Chimera 1]

Yeah and a 20GB HDD is ^^^^ing useless in the era of HD content. a 200GB and large HDD is what is really needed. I like that either Hitachi or Toshiba just came out with a new 320GB 7200RPM laptop HDD. And it uses less power than most current 250GB 5400RPM laptop HDD! But hopefully around the time we get a new console flash-drives will be super cheap and we won't need HDDs!!

It would keep the initial price down with all the extra stuff packed in. Plus you could always use the transfer option to store game content on your PC through your wireless network. Come on guys we are talking about next next gen now. Think outside the box:rolleyes: geesh

:D

[Sick Boy 82]

Then why is the picture quality different if you use componant cables instead of HDMI?

Because most Component cables still transfer their data as analog. And with Component cables, the signal is split up, hence component, and then put back together at the device.

And digital will have signal loss, with compression, decompression and all that. Please got to www.avsforum.com to get all sorts of good info on A/V stuff. Love that place!

Here is a good explaination of Component cables:

Further types of component analogue video signals do not use R,G,B components but rather a colorless component, termed luma, combined with one or more color-carrying components, termed chroma, that give only color information. This overcomes the problem of data redundancy that plagues RGB signals, since there is only one monochromatic image carried, instead of three. Both the S-Video component video output (two separate signals) and the YPbPr component video output (three separate signals) seen on DVD players are examples of this method.

Converting video into luma and chroma allows for chroma subsampling, a method used by JPEG images and DVD players to reduce the storage requirements for images and video. The YPbPr scheme is usually what is meant when people talk of component video today. Many consumer DVD players, high-definition displays, video projectors and the like, use this form of color coding.

[Kabukiman]

And digital will have signal loss, with compression, decompression and all that

Yeah, but that has nothing to do with cable length, etc. which I was responding to originally.

But yeah, AVSForum is the place to go for all sorts of home theater knowledge.

[SOLIDSNAKE]

Looks like it's been green lit guys

http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20080502PB200.html

there goes bill gates again trying to bribe them so they can go XBOX.
I freaking hate that !!

same thing he did with GTA franchaise. Had to go buy them out so they could release on xbox.
I am so glad Hideo Kojima hasent given into it.

[Gahgantu]

Ah man might have to get this one then. :D

[vader70450]

awesome the 360 gets bluray and we get 15 mins of game install time on the HD...

[Moonloop]

Well did you read this, more recent than that previous article:

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/880/880138p1.html


They denied it, at least for the near future.

[dunedain]

The Xbox will have Blu-ray in the future, but if it's a in builded one I don't dare to say. I rather think it will be and external one, just like the HD-DVD add-on.

[Chimera 1]

If the xbox doesn't go blu ray then we may start seeing exclusive content for the PS3 over the 360. While you will get more levels and extras on the PS3 for $60 you will have to pay $60 for the basic game and then download the extras through xbox live most likely for a price. Take oblivion for instance. All that downloadable content at an added charge brought that game to about over 120 bucks where the PS3 version bundled it all together for $60. This is why they need to go blu ray, I know I would rather buy a game packed full of stuff then have to download it later and eat up precious HD space. this could turn the tide in Sony's favor if MS isn't careful.

[Sick Boy 82]

I think that something will have to happen just because of space constraints.

I mean if Kojima was worried about MGS4 not fitting on a Blu-Ray disc, I can't imagine it coming to 360 like the "Substance" game did for original Xbox.

And I'm not hoping on either bandwagon, as I have both systems, but MS needs to do something. Maybe we will see a new SKU this year right around the holidays. Hell, E3 is coming in 2 weeks, we could see something!

[BadMoon]

If the xbox doesn't go blu ray then we may start seeing exclusive content for the PS3 over the 360. While you will get more levels and extras on the PS3 for $60 you will have to pay $60 for the basic game and then download the extras through xbox live most likely for a price. Take oblivion for instance. All that downloadable content at an added charge brought that game to about over 120 bucks where the PS3 version bundled it all together for $60. This is why they need to go blu ray, I know I would rather buy a game packed full of stuff then have to download it later and eat up precious HD space. this could turn the tide in Sony's favor if MS isn't careful.

See I disagree with you. 360 owners were able to enjoy the game a long time before PS3 owners. Plus by then most of the content was free to download.

[tomandshell]

They won't release Blu-ray games for the 360 even if an add-on or new SKU is introduced, because all the existing 360 owners would be out of luck. They will just wait and introduce a BR drive in the third generation Xbox, and that's when we will see BR games. Any add-on or new model will just be for the sake of movie watching on the 360.

[Sick Boy 82]

See I disagree with you. 360 owners were able to enjoy the game a long time before PS3 owners. Plus by then most of the content was free to download.

True, true! And both systems have to pay for everything now as well. But only about half the stuff from Oblivion was even worth DLing. Hell, please tell me no one DLed the horsey armor! LOL

But I will give the PS3 the edge on the graphics. I played the ^^^^ out of mine on 360, well over 200-300 hours and when my buddy got one of the first PS3s and played that game I was floored! It looked insanely amazing!! Felt kinda cheated with all the hours I put in on the 360.

[darthviper107]

Blu-Ray will essentially mean nothing for the Xbox 360, they definitely won't make games with it so they don't alienate their install base, and they won't make a new version of the console that has a built-in Blu-Ray drive since that would drive the cost higher than the PS3 (which is important to stay below) and since they wouldn't have Blu-Ray games it isn't necessary to have a built-in drive. If they do anything I would expect an addon drive like the HD-DVD version sometime later this year, maybe a small announcement at E3 or something.