Xbox 360 will NOT have HD-DVD support

[Knuckles T15]

Microsoft has said it has "no plans" to add HD DVD optical disc technology to its Xbox 360 console.

"Microsoft, in both America and Japan, has not announced anything regarding the possibility of a next-generation DVD drive being placed in the Xbox 360," a company spokesman told (http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/675/675855p1.html) gaming-oriented website IGN.

"There are currently no plans to release an Xbox 360 equipped with a next generation DVD player."

The comment followed a report by the Japanese news agency Jiji that Microsoft would ship an HD DVD-equipped 360 some time in 2006.
Source (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/12/15/ms_denies_xbox_360_hd_dvd/)

Well, your celebrations were too soon, 360 guys... =(

[bapenguin]

I don't want my 360 to HD-DVD support. It would only be used for movies anyway...which would come from all of 5 studios now or whatever. If for some reason HD-DVD actually sees the light of day....and somehow manages to get more support....everyone is going to want to get a universal Blu-Ray/HD-DVD player anyway.

[Morratut]

I knew it wasn't true. As I said in the other thread MS wouldn't stab early adopters in the back by releasing a new version which has a different drive.

Games don't need a next gen dvd format unless it has lots of hi-def cut scenes. I'm not bothered about them because in game engines are so good nowadays to tell the story.

I can't wait for a little unknown company to bring out a universal Blu-Ray/HD-DVD player out. I will have one of those instead :D

[MrMeatshake]

As I said in the other thread MS wouldn't stab early adopters in the back by releasing a new version which has a different drive.

hehehe, yeah, *** never stabs anyone in the back. noooooo. :D

[Borys]

I don't want my 360 to HD-DVD support. It would only be used for movies anyway...which would come from all of 5 studios now or whatever. If for some reason HD-DVD actually sees the light of day....and somehow manages to get more support....everyone is going to want to get a universal Blu-Ray/HD-DVD player anyway.

Hey bap what is happening with you?
Too many dots in all of your recent posts, like strings connecting floating thoughts.
I hope you're psychically ok :)

[bapenguin]

Hey bap what is happening with you?
Too many dots in all of your recent posts, like strings connecting floating thoughts.
I hope you're psychically ok :)

hah...this week has been absolute hell at work so my posts have basically been stream of thought....you are correct. :)

[Vandenh]

Bluray vs HD-DVD will only be relevant in 2+ years time anyway.

[JessePeel]

Not that HD DVD is all that relevent today anyhow. (Nod to Vandenh...) I can imagine Microsoft incorporating the hardware into the 360 a few years from now, regardless of what they previously stated in the article, but that's just pure speculation on my part. Regardless, I always wait a couple of generations before I buy a new product...

[bean19]

Games don't need a next gen dvd format unless it has lots of hi-def cut scenes. I'm not bothered about them because in game engines are so good nowadays to tell the story.

They don't even need one if it has lots of HD cutscenes. Even huge ass J-RPGs on the PS3 will come on multiple DVDs instead of Blu-Ray because the load times for Blu-Ray are so long. I'd be MUCH MUCH happier switching DVDs out every 10 to 20 hours (this takes about 30 seconds) than having to wait an extra minute on every freaking load screen while the Blu-Ray drive slowly pulls information of the Blu-Ray disc.

Unless they ship with a hard-drive and allow the actual game parts of big old J-RPGs to be installed to the HD and then just pull CG off the Blu-Ray, it would be incredibly stupid to use the Blu-Ray for gaming.

Still, no HD-DVD planned for the X360 is old news. They've been saying this since E3, and have explained that they are waiting to see who wins the format war before creating a USB pluggable HD player. . . that will actually be pretty cool if they make it so that it can work with PC USB ports too. I could take it with me on trips and watch HD on a laptop or at my parent's house, etc. That is. . . if I bother. Playing HD movies is not worth more than $100 to me, and only if it is released when I have extra money to spend.

[agentgray]

hah...this week has been absolute hell at work so my posts have basically been stream of thought....you are correct. :)
...

7654321

[kokyunage]

having to wait an extra minute on every freaking load screen while the Blu-Ray drive slowly pulls information of the Blu-Ray disc.

Or you can buy a Nintendo machine and generally avoid wait times. Don't blame it on the hardware on either the PS3 or Xbox360 side. It's lazy programming. In level of importance a programmers task of "reduce load times" is right around the level of "try for 60fps". It's an accomplishment if it happens, but it happens so rarely.

[DaedalusFolly]

Games don't need a next gen dvd format unless it has lots of hi-def cut scenes. I'm not bothered about them because in game engines are so good nowadays to tell the story.

Very true, but games that use the engine to create cut good cut scenes are in the minority. It's one of the aspects of game development, in my opinion, that demonstrates the difference between being skilled versus being artistic.

[Reanimated]

Why be sorry? It was never going to be used for games anyway, so I don't think any "360 guys" really gave a shit.

I already stream HD content (shows I've downloaded on BT) from my WMC PC to my 360, so I can't say I'm particulary interested in a "next-gen" disc format anyway. Bring on the pure digital content, I say.

[kokyunage]

Bring on the pure digital content, I say.

Can you be anymore of a Bill Gates crony?

[MosBen]

Yeah, honestly the only people I can think of that this would really matter to are the PS3 guys that think BluRay is the bee's knees. I don't think either format will last, so I just don't care. And yeah, I've never been bothered by having to swap discs. Do people really get so enveloped by the game that they forget it's actually a game? All those long RPGs that seem the most likely to need multiple discs usually remind me that I'm playing a game when they ask me which statistic of my character I would like to increase.

[bean19]

Yeah, honestly the only people I can think of that this would really matter to are the PS3 guys that think BluRay is the bee's knees. I don't think either format will last, so I just don't care. And yeah, I've never been bothered by having to swap discs. Do people really get so enveloped by the game that they forget it's actually a game? All those long RPGs that seem the most likely to need multiple discs usually remind me that I'm playing a game when they ask me which statistic of my character I would like to increase.

I'm reminded when I sit at a load screen for more than 15 seconds. . .

[AspectVoid]

Yeah, honestly the only people I can think of that this would really matter to are the PS3 guys that think BluRay is the bee's knees. I don't think either format will last, so I just don't care. And yeah, I've never been bothered by having to swap discs. Do people really get so enveloped by the game that they forget it's actually a game? All those long RPGs that seem the most likely to need multiple discs usually remind me that I'm playing a game when they ask me which statistic of my character I would like to increase.

I personally hate swaping disks. I hate it when I'm installing a PC game and I hate it when I'm playing a console game. Being an RPG fan (freak, whatever) my hate of disk swaping grew during the PS1 era, where nearly every RPG was on 2+ CDs. When every game you play makes you swap disks, it starts to suck fast.

[laggerific]

It makes sense that they wouldn't have any word on supporting the format yet...they want people to buy the current gen of 360's...if they do anything, it'll prolly be a surprise announcement along with availability.

[The Iron Weasel]

I swapped diskes for RE1, RE4, and I'm gonna have to for Tales Of Symphonia, I don't give a shit if I have to swap a disk in a 360 game aswell.

[Cha-Ka]

Or you can buy a Nintendo machine and generally avoid wait times

What about the waiting times for software releases?

[The Iron Weasel]

What about the waiting times for software releases?

They even have that covered, they give you a trip in thier time machine!

[Cha-Ka]

They even have that covered, they give you a trip in thier time machine!

Cool. I wonder which color of time machine will suit me best... :rolleyes:

[Phanto]

It would only be used for movies anyway...which would come from all of 5 studios now or whatever. If for some reason HD-DVD actually sees the light of day....and somehow manages to get more support....everyone is going to want to get a universal Blu-Ray/HD-DVD player anyway.


True.

Watching movies, and for burn, pr0n, games("backup"), programs, e.c.t, is going to be great to backup my PC with HD-DVD instead of having a hardrive to do the job.

[Fonz]

No HD-DVD support,current generation apple g5 processors, current generation ati graphics card, defective dvd drive. Doesnt sound like a next gen system to me. :-/

[The Iron Weasel]

No HD-DVD support,current generation apple g5 processors, current generation ati graphics card, defective dvd drive. Doesnt sound like a next gen system to me. :-/

The graphics card is faster then the 7800GTX, there are 3 custom IBM 3.0 ghz processors (not apple g5's), and I'm guessing if you send in your 360, the dvd drive is fixed, or sent a brand new one. Sounds pretty next gen to me.

[bapenguin]

No HD-DVD support,current generation apple g5 processors, current generation ati graphics card, defective dvd drive. Doesnt sound like a next gen system to me. :-/

Ya know the saying: "Ignorance is bliss"? They were wrong.

[bean19]

I personally hate swaping disks. I hate it when I'm installing a PC game and I hate it when I'm playing a console game. Being an RPG fan (freak, whatever) my hate of disk swaping grew during the PS1 era, where nearly every RPG was on 2+ CDs. When every game you play makes you swap disks, it starts to suck fast.

You would rather spend an extra minute every damn time you change a map (bad memories of Jade Empire) than change the disc in 30 seconds every 10 to 20 hours?

Come on? Really? No fucking way.

[TrackZero]

Can you be anymore of a Bill Gates crony?

Any more than a Steve Jobs crony? Apple has been saying this for just as long.

It's common sense that content should move in this direction. Physical mediums simply are becoming outdated. If the 360 is the first console to embrace this, good on them.

[t3g]

It would have been nice if MS used HD-DVD from the start for games due to the extra space. If nobody supported the format besides the Xbox 360, that would be good for them piracy wise because there wouldn't be a way to copy on a PC. Much like the Gamecube. As for movies, the list of studios that will support it decreases by the day. I honestly think that Blu Ray will be the victor in the end because it is down to Microsoft and a few studios that are still gung-ho about HD-DVD.

Most people are still content with watching movies on DVD. Everything seems to be released on the format from new/old movies, TV shows, porn, exercise tapes, and even self help videos. Why would anyone want to rebuy everything so soon on an unproven format?

[bean19]

It would have been nice if MS used HD-DVD from the start for games due to the extra space. If nobody supported the format besides the Xbox 360, that would be good for them piracy wise because there wouldn't be a way to copy on a PC. Much like the Gamecube. As for movies, the list of studios that will support it decreases by the day. I honestly think that Blu Ray will be the victor in the end because it is down to Microsoft and a few studios that are still gung-ho about HD-DVD.

Most people are still content with watching movies on DVD. Everything seems to be released on the format from new/old movies, TV shows, porn, exercise tapes, and even self help videos. Why would anyone want to rebuy everything so soon on an unproven format?

1. We'd have to pay for the HD-DVD, and we'd be playing games on DVD anyway as the HD-DVD has a slow data transfer rate just like the Blu-Ray. So it lowers the price for teh X360, and that saves me money.

2. Because DVD will be used for gaming in both systems and DVD burners are easy to find now, HD-DVD wouldn't help with anti-piracy.

3. Right. . . most people don't own HDTVs anyway, so getting HD quality movies wouldn't do anything for them anyway. This will change as HDTVs become less expensive and eventually completely phase out all older television types. Right now they are still being sold as moderate luxury items. They've already fleeced the wealthy and now they are trying to get as many expensive HDTV sales as they can get from middle class America. In 3 to 5 years, they'll be the only type of TVs available and you'll be able to get a decent HDTV for $200. Then it will matter, and by that time the HD disc format will be decided (probably Blu-Ray) and Microsoft will undoubtedly sell an attachment drive for people who only bought an X360 and didn't also get a PS3, and/or people who want to be able to have a detachable drive so that they can play HD-DVD on computers as well as their X360.

Cool stuff. :)

[kraemer]

Who cares?
Look whats happened to cd. Its dissapearing fast. Who really cares what physical format the media is on? With a bigger HD add on, the 360 could download movies and more content online. The DVD9 disk isnt big enough for your uber game? Set up the rest for download.

HDDVD. Who cares?

[Pumped'Up]

I could see this as a major problem for student gamers where value and budget are important. I know I wouldn't want to buy both a 360 + a HD player...when I could just get the PS3 for essentially both gaming and hi-def movies. Don't forget, ALL students have monitors (LCD/CRT) that they can plug their next gen system to.

Not good for Microsoft and their battle against Sony. yet another nail in the coffin for the 360.

[Pumped'Up]

Who cares?
Look whats happened to cd. Its dissapearing fast. Who really cares what physical format the media is on? With a bigger HD add on, the 360 could download movies and more content online. The DVD9 disk isnt big enough for your uber game? Set up the rest for download.

HDDVD. Who cares?
Download movie??? Sure, but shitty quality no doubt.

LOL

[bean19]

I could see this as a major problem for student gamers where value and budget are important. I know I wouldn't want to buy both a 360 + a HD player...when I could just get the PS3 for essentially both gaming and hi-def movies. Don't forget, ALL students have monitors (LCD/CRT) that they can plug their next gen system to.

Not good for Microsoft and their battle against Sony. yet another nail in the coffin for the 360.

I'm a student. I'll buy both systems for the games, but I still might buy a portable Blu-Ray when Microsoft offers one so that I can watch HD movies on my laptop while traveling, on my parent's computer when home for holidays, etc.

"nail in the coffin" - I try not to respond to flamebait, but surely you don't think that Microsoft will lose this generation. The question right now isn't whether or not they will fail, but how much market share they will be able to get away from Sony. . . basically, will they remain in distant second place like they were this generation or move up to a legitimate rival for first.

[Cyrano]

Still, no HD-DVD planned for the X360 is old news. They've been saying this since E3, and have explained that they are waiting to see who wins the format war before creating a USB pluggable HD player. . . that will actually be pretty cool if they make it so that it can work with PC USB ports too. I could take it with me on trips and watch HD on a laptop or at my parent's house, etc. That is. . . if I bother. Playing HD movies is not worth more than $100 to me, and only if it is released when I have extra money to spend.

I wouldn't say waiting to see which format wins before making an add-on HD player is the same thing as "no HD-DVD planned for the X360". I remember several quotes from Microsoft bigwigs a few months ago to the effect that future version of the 360 may have HD players. If that is now confirmed to be false, it is in fact news.