I really think Microsoft is blowing smoke when they act like the hd-dvd failure is not worrying them. I have quite a few friends and coworkers who are now interested in getting blu-ray since the wars are over now- first thing that comes up is getting a PS3. I'm hearing "if I'm going to spend $400.00 I might as well get a PS3" a lot now. Quite frankly if I didn't already have a Xbox I would probably do the same. I really think this is going to impact console sales more then we think- mostly in Sony's favor if Microsoft does not come out with a blu-ray add on.

I really doubt that the Blu-ray add-on would be cheaper than $200 and at that point it would make little sense to buy it.

Unless they price the addon at under $100 it still wont make any difference, the combined price (for a pro + addon) will be higher than a ps3 so why buy it? Plus the ps3 wont be at $399 forever and to be competitive MS would have to cut prices on the consoles as well as sell a cheap addon. How likely is that to happen?

Unless they price the addon at under $100 it still wont make any difference, the combined price (for a pro + addon) will be higher than a ps3 so why buy it?

Because their friends and family all have Xbox 360's and they want to play online with everyone. I have been trying to convince some of my friends to get a Xbox to play COD4 and Halo3 online- they want too but now are pursuaded to get a PS3 because of the blu-ray factor now. Most of them would definatley buy an Xbox over a PS3 if they know they can get blu-ray later. I hardly know anyone who actually games on a PS3.

I doubt a BluRay add-on would make any difference.

I still don't get it. Why are people demanding that Microsoft "HAS" to make a add-on Blu-Ray drive. They don't have to do anything. I did not buy a 360 because of it's hi-def movie play back. I bought it purely because I felt it was a better gaming console.

I had very little interest in Blu-Ray and HD-DVD when looking at gaming consoles. It was nice that MS offered a HD-DVD drive but for the $179 that it was going for I would of looked into a dedicated player instead of the add-on. This same thinking is going to go into getting a Blu-Ray player. I can't see MS selling an add-on for less then $200. For that I would still look into a dedicated player and would not even consider a PS3 either. I don't need another gaming console. By the end of the year Blu-ray players will be sub $300 which would put then cheaper then PS3's anyways.

If Microsoft partners with Netflix I really think MS won't even bother with a BR add-on. MS might not feel BR is a DVD replacement and BR might face the same fate as HD-DVD down the road to on-line downloads. MS will make way more money charging you for HD rentals and downloads then they will get from selling a BR add-on. Amazon, and Apple are doing on-line rentals and purchases and I'm sure MS is chopping at the bit to get Netflix's large movie library (or someone else's) to its millions of Live users is way more important then a BR add-on.

Its funny...when I was deciding to get a next generation gaming console...I really only considered the 360...HDM never was a consideration....The PS3 at the time was much more expensive than the 360 and it was being marketed as a BR player instead of a console.


Now recently I was deciding to get a BR player...and I really only considered the PS3 =P

I still view my 360 as my gaming console...and my PS3 as my BR player.

Its funny...when I was deciding to get a next generation gaming console...I really only considered the 360...HDM never was a consideration....The PS3 at the time was much more expensive than the 360 and it was being marketed as a BR player instead of a console.


Now recently I was deciding to get a BR player...and I really only considered the PS3 =P

I still view my 360 as my gaming console...and my PS3 as my BR player.

Im with you too. I strictly use my 360 for online gaming and my ps3 as a bluray player...

You guys aren't thinking about this right.

All MS has to do is drop the price of their HD downloads. I dont know how much they currently make with that business model, but I bet its a lot.

In fact...I think I'll get a movie this weekend from the marketplace. I haven't done that in a while.

While I feel bad for people who bought the HD-DVD add-on, only to see it going for <$50 now, I personally never, ever, wanted to use my 360 as a movie player, and I never will, BluRay, HD or neither...

That said, people who will use a console for movies will definitely be tempted to get a PS3 now, and until standalone BluRay players get cheaper.

I expect to see BD set top's in the $200 range this year....around xmas......I dont believe M$ will release a BD drive, it makes no financial sense except to position the 360 as a total "media" solution.

You guys aren't thinking about this right.

All MS has to do is drop the price of their HD downloads. I dont know how much they currently make with that business model, but I bet its a lot.

In fact...I think I'll get a movie this weekend from the marketplace. I haven't done that in a while.

I agree with this to an extent, MS wants people to download movies direct from them, they do not care which side has won and I doubt they will release an add-on. I personally have never downloaded a movie from Live and I probably never will but I am sure it is growing as a very popular service.

I bought the ps3 in December as a Bluray player, I have not purchased a single game for it yet. I have bought at least 5 games since then and all have been on the 360 or Windows. All of my friends are on xbox live, I do not have a single friend that has a ps3, so it makes sense for me to keep buying games on the 360. I do not think the lack of a Bluray add on would impact microsoft in any way. Why would you want a Bluray add on that would not let you make use of the lossless audio formats on Bluray? That is one of the major selling points of the HiDef formats, why sacrifice it.

You guys aren't thinking about this right.

All MS has to do is drop the price of their HD downloads. I dont know how much they currently make with that business model, but I bet its a lot.

In fact...I think I'll get a movie this weekend from the marketplace. I haven't done that in a while.

The problem with that is a lot of people interested in HD media aren't too keen on settling on compressed 720p video and a lot of people still like owning physical copies. Personally all I do is rent movies and I still prefer physical media because it takes too long for me to stream an HD movie and the quality of an uncompressed 1080p movie on Blu-Ray trounces the crushed blacks, video artifacts, and detail loss I get with a Live download.

Its funny...when I was deciding to get a next generation gaming console...I really only considered the 360...HDM never was a consideration....The PS3 at the time was much more expensive than the 360 and it was being marketed as a BR player instead of a console.


Now recently I was deciding to get a BR player...and I really only considered the PS3 =P

I still view my 360 as my gaming console...and my PS3 as my BR player.


My whole point is that I think Microsoft will lose a lot of sales because the PS3 has blu-ray and the Xbox does not. Those who are on the fence between the two systems seem to pick the PS3 now beacuse of the addition of the blu-ray drive. That is my whole point. I also think Microsoft is mistaken to think people are going to wait to download a HD movie too. That won't be a realistic situation until home bandwith really increases.

My whole point is that I think Microsoft will lose a lot of sales because the PS3 has blu-ray and the Xbox does not. Those who are on the fence between the two systems seem to pick the PS3 now beacuse of the addition of the blu-ray drive. That is my whole point. I also think Microsoft is mistaken to think people are going to wait to download a HD movie too. That won't be a realistic situation until home bandwith really increases.


It still depends on "why" they are on the fence. When I got my 360...the PS3 was out...I knew it had Blu-Ray...and experience told me that most likely BR was going to win the format war...but I was looking for something to play games with...good games...popular games...XBOX was the clear winner.

You maybe correct now that the PS3 has started to demonstrate itself as a gaming console...it could have a very good lineup this year. So perhaps those still on the fence today will pick PS3 simply because of the added bonus of BR. But the availability of BR player for the 360 isnt going to change that....because it would actually cost more.

I just do not see it making much of difference in potentially stearing people toward XBOX if in the end the only deciding factor for the person was BR... I mean they would have to really prefer the 360 as a gaming console.

The availability of a BR player for the XBOX 360 would really only make a difference for people that already have a 360 and are wanting to get BR player...it might prevent them from buying a 2nd console (PS3) and potentially causing MS to lose out on future multiplatform game sales...since those people might be tempted to buy the PS3 version of the game.

But for people still not decided on owning a XBOX 360 or PS3...I seriously doubt it would make any difference in the end.

My whole point is that I think Microsoft will lose a lot of sales because the PS3 has blu-ray and the Xbox does not.

I see it a little differently, but pretty similar. I think Microsoft could prevent a lot of PS3 sales by offering a $99 Blu-Ray add-on player. I'm very ambivalent about HDM after going with HD-DVD and watching it lose, but I probably won't feel that way forever and I'm sure I will eventually get a BD player.

If I were looking to get a BD player right now I would buy a PS3, and I have no interest in owning a second gaming console. That would put one more PS3 into the sales and "market penetration" figures. If MS had a Blu add-on I would go with that since I was happy with my HD-DVD add-on, but there isn't one available.

If stand-alone BD-players are $149 by Christmas, then it'll be a stand-alone for me whenever I get to the point where I want to re-enter the HDM game. Maybe that will happen. If that is the projected price-point by this xmas then I can see why MS wouldn't bother with an add-on.

But if profile 2 BD players are $249 and PS3s are $299 when I'm finally ready for a BD player, I'll be getting a PS3.

yea, even with a Blu-Ray add on. I would rather just get a PS3. i am waiting until the systems with the DS3 controllers come out though.

I bought a PS3 last month for BR use and some gaming. I will definitely be buying some PS3 exclusives this coming year (I don't currently own any PS3 games). However, I've had a 360 now for about a year and a half. I have about 15 games for it that I own, and I have rented and borrowed quite a few others. I will be buying multi-platform games on the 360, and I will be much more likely to spend money on good 360 exclusives compared to PS3 exclusives if there is online multiplayer content.

There are no inherent problems with the PS3. However, I prefer xbox live, and I prefer the xbox 360 controller. I preferred these from the start, and that's the reason I bought the system as a gaming console. I bought the PS3 as a BR player that gave me the option of picking up a few "must have" games. However, it is by no means my primary gaming machine. If I didn't want a BR player, I probably would have put off purchasing a PS3 until they came down in price (probably $200) in the coming years.

In the end, MS doesn't have to do ANYTHING. They are one of the biggest companies on the face of the Earth. They can pretty much do whatever they want. They already have a good install base and attach rate. They have good companies producing games, which is what gamers seem to care about (not that Sony doesn't also have some great exclusives).

You also have to think about why they "have to do XXXX." MS is trying to sell HD content via Live. For many people, the convenience of being able to rent a HD movie far outweighs the loss in quality. Hell, I personally would LOVE it if they came out with a unlimited monthly plan for movie rentals. When I BUY a movie I like to have physical media, when I rent something I just want to be entertained. I could care less if I can physically hold the disc or not. Furthermore, the HD quality provided by xbox live is fine for what it is, a convenient source of entertainment. My biggest problem right now is the price. I currently pay $30/month for blockbuster's unlimited in store rental. I generally watch 4-6 movies a week, which works out to around 20 movies per month on average. At Live prices, that's significantly more expensive. It certainly is more convenient to stream, but I only live about a 3-5 min drive from blockbuster, and they have a much bigger selection (not necessarily in BR) than Live. However, as prices drop and Live's catalogue expands, I can certainly see myself switching.

How exactly does making a BR add-on fit into this? Lets get one thing straight, MS isn't necessarily interested in hardware sales. They make money from games, accessories, and live sales, not necessarily the devices (same goes for sony). A person who buys a PS3 strictly for BR is probably less likely to buy extra controllers, games, etc... These people are directly competing with MS's LIVE download service. However, if they were to buy a 360 BR AO, they are still competing with the LIVE download service... I'm not really sure that making an AO that would probably only sell well at a low price point is the best move for MS. I'm not sure that they are really all that concerned if people buy a PS3 to play BRs on and never buy games for it. There has to be a good reason for them to make the AO... and I'm really not sure there actually is a good reason for that...

I can see where a lot of folks might think MS is in trouble somehow because Blu-Ray won, but all it really means is MS needs to tweak their price a little and keep their focus on games and market place downloads. There is no need for them to make a Blu-Ray add on at this point. What they do need however is to separate their price from the PS3 a bit more. The 360 has obviously done well up to this point being priced where its at, however now is definitely the right time to separate from the PS3 again so consumers arent making the decisions as the OP indicates they are "well why not just get a PS3 for Blu-Ray?".

MS should continue to focus on games, downloadable content, and getting the price down. If they do that, there is no reason for someone to pay a premium for a PS3. (I own both BTW).