Xbox Fanatics

We’d already heard about a possible price cut to the Xbox 360, but it looks like that might not be all that Microsoft has in store, as TrustedReviews is now reporting that the 20GB hard drive in the standard Xbox 360 model is about to get the boot in favor of a more spacious 60GB one. That word apparently comes from a "rock solid source," who says that Microsoft wants to get it out the door by the end of its financial year, which comes at the end of June. TrustedReviews also goes into a bit of speculation, saying that Microsoft is "toying with the idea of introducing a new 360 SKU," and that a model with a built-in Blu-ray drive would seem to be "the most logical conclusion," although they say an external drive "makes sense too." While that possibility obviously remains up in the air, TrustedReviews is about as confident as can be with the 60GB Xbox 360 news, saying that you can take it to the bank.

via Engadget and Trusted Reviews

Sony is in talks with console rival Microsoft about offering a Blu-ray drive for the Xbox 360, according to a senior executive.

The Japanese electronics maker has until now touted Blu-ray as an advantage its PlayStation 3 holds over Microsoft’s console. Microsoft has backed Toshiba’s HD-DVD format and offered an HD-DVD drive that can be plugged into the 360.

But after Sony’s victory last month in the high-definition DVD format war, Stan Glasgow, Sony Electronics US president, said the two sides were now talking about Microsoft adopting Blu-ray.

A Blu-ray drive in a 360 would make Microsoft more competitive with the PS3, but it would also mean extra revenues for Sony’s electronics division. It would also add further cost to the 360, meaning a premium edition of the console could be necessary.

A Blu-ray drive could be incorporated in its top-of-the-range Elite Xbox, or Microsoft could again offer a drive as a plug-in peripheral.

Mr Glasgow, speaking at a media dinner, added that discussions were also taking place with Apple, which has not offered Blu-ray drives on any of its computers so far and has focused on digital media via downloads and streaming through devices such as its Apple TV.

The Sony president said he did not believe Blu-ray would be overtaken by high-definition content becoming available over the internet. Bandwidth limitations meant it was still available to only a few, he said, and consumers favoured disks they could own.

via Bink.nu

GDC is underway in San Francisco and the physical format war is dead. So what do the two have to do with one another? Well, it appears Microsoft might make an announcement this week at GDC about a partnership with Netflix. Microsoft definitely played their cards right by not including an internal HD DVD drive and downloadable content appears to be the next big thing. Microsoft has been known to drop a few bombs at GDC in years past, but I’m not sure how likely this rumor is going to materialize. A developers conference hardly seems fitting to announce a content deal.

Michael Pachter, an analyst with Wedbush Morgan, had this to say about a possible deal.

“A partnership with Netflix gives Microsoft a partner that already streams movies to over 7 million subscribers through their PCs, and encourages these subscribers to sign up for the Xbox Live service in order to stream movies to their TVs.”

Netflix spokesman Steve Swasey was quoted earlier as saying,

“Netflix intends to be in a lot of boxes that get into the TV, whether its game systems or set-top boxes or next-gen DVD players. We want to be in a 100 devices to get the Internet to the TV.”

MSNBC via Crunchgear

Japan’s Toshiba Corp said on Tuesday it would stop promoting its HD DVD format for the next-generation DVD after losing the support of key studios and retailers to the Blu-ray technology backed by Sony Corp.

The decision ends a war between rival consortiums led by Toshiba and Sony vying to set the standard for high-definition movies on DVDs.

Toshiba said it would begin to reduce shipments of HD DVD players and recorders and aim to end the business by the end of next month.

The Blu-ray win means consumers no longer have to choose between rival incompatible formats and run the risk of being stuck with a 21st century equivalent of Betamax — Sony’s videotape technology that lost out to VHS in the 1980s.

Having one format should also help accelerate the shift to the new technology in the $24 billion home DVD market as shoppers faced with rival machines that played only one type of disc or the other, have previously held back.

Rumours are that Microsoft have a blu-ray player for the xbox ready, which could start shipping in 3 months. Will I be able to exchange my Xbox HD-DVD player for it? guess not.

via Bink.nu

Rumours were circulating today that Microsoft is set to dump HD DVD and bring out a Blu ray Xbox 360 by as early as May 2008. The move will allow the Company to go head to head with the Sony PS3 gaming console which has been credited with being one of the main reasons that retailers have preferred Blu-ray over Toshiba’s HD DVD.

Insiders at Microsoft in the USA have told SmartHouse that Microsoft has already configured a standalone Blu-ray player that can be connected into an Xbox 360 and that subject to internal marketing and sales approvals the model could be on sale within 3 months.

The Company has also been working on a built in Blu-ray player however insiders are claiming that Microsoft see the HD format battle moving online with consumers offered 1080p movie and content files as a download as opposed to having to buy a HD DVD or Blu-ray disc.

Both Intel and Microsoft have been supporters of the HD DVD format that is set to be killed off this week.

continue at SmartHouse