I was wondering if there was any word on a blu-ray add-on for the xbox 360. its been a while and i haven't found anything on the net that is recent.

Only rumors of rumors....:D

Doesn't this seem pretty unlikely given MS and Sony's direct competition in the marketplace. Isn't this part of the reason MS has gone the route of streaming through netflix etc? To offer, hopefully, an attractive alternative. Although, while netflix streaming is nice, the lack of top quality content really hurts it.

Doesn't this seem pretty unlikely given MS and Sony's direct competition in the marketplace. Isn't this part of the reason MS has gone the route of streaming through netflix etc? To offer, hopefully, an attractive alternative. Although, while netflix streaming is nice, the lack of top quality content really hurts it.

that first comment just screams debate. But im not going to go there. Im only curious to see if anybody has heard anything about a blu-ray drive lately. The earliest thing i could find was back from february.

But thanks for the heads up about the netflix thing etc. :)

Perhaps it is debatable, but it also seems pretty reasonable that Sony wouldn't want to allow MS to have the license or whatever to use that tech with the Xbox. I've read it numerous places, but always in a discussion format, nothing official. *shrug*

I'm not trying to spark another 360 vs. PS3 or MS vs Sony firestorm, here just give what I thought was a reasonable opinion as to why I don't think there will be a bluray add-on anytime soon... :)

edit: And I hope I'm wrong!!

i'd think it would be more of a MS thing and them not wanting to pay Sony for the licensing (and maybe still being sour on backing the failed HD-DVD).

it just doesn't make much sense for MS to have an add-on, since all of their games are on DVD's. hd-dvd was easy for them since they were a major backer of the technology. not sure how many people would buy a $150 (at least, this is MS here) add-on drive when they can buy a new blu-ray player from wally world for under $100.

for them to add bluray, it would make more sense releasing a 360 part 2 with the drive in the system. but then you'd have developers that would question taking advantage of the technology because they would be shunning the folks that have the dvd version only.

in my opionion, we will never see one with this generation. it just doesn't make much sense for MS.

you are probaby correct Ballen420.

Microsoft has always talked about digital distribution. Increasing HDD sizes and more and more consumers moving to broadband, are what Microsoft is interested in. Sony has a great deal invested in Blu-Ray, where as with digital distribution, Microsoft has really nothing to lose. Some people, myself included will always prefer physical media, even as a backup, as opposed to binary information. At the moment, there is no reason for Microsoft to bother with Blu-Ray, when DL DVDs are sufficing.

I was wondering if there was any word on a blu-ray add-on for the xbox 360. its been a while and i haven't found anything on the net that is recent.

There is a good reason why...

Because hell would freeze over before Xbox360 supported Blu-Ray. Many fanboi sites and rumor sites tried their very best to drum this dead fish up, and even they have long since given up.

This ain't happening. End of story.

How many more times are we going to beat this dead horse? Buy a bluray player already the add-on is not happening.

I agree, I went and bought a PS3, I mean blu-ray player.
If you want the best in HD quality for consumers I suggest you go buy some sort of blu-ray.
Otherwise wait will Microsoft builds up its digital distrubution network

IF Sony decided not to let Microsoft not have the blu-ray license Microsoft could pull Windows from anything made by Sony. I don't know about you but I think Sony's laptop/PC consumer division would suffer a hell of a lot more with out then 360 would/will/is suffering with out Blu-Ray.

IF Sony decided not to let Microsoft not have the blu-ray license Microsoft could pull Windows from anything made by Sony. I don't know about you but I think Sony's laptop/PC consumer division would suffer a hell of a lot more with out then 360 would/will/is suffering with out Blu-Ray.

Microsoft wouldn't do that as they would be hurting themselves as much as Sony. Windows has a much broader base than Blu-Ray. I think it's a moot point for now anyway but you'll hear more talk about this when MS is planning to bring their next console to the market. The storage options for games will probably be DVD, Blu-Ray, an external hard drive, or a games on demand service.

To the OP, you can get a stand-alone Blu-Ray player with bare-bones features for about $99. If you were looking for something more, get a PS3 or look at other players from Sony, Pioneer, Panasonic, or Samsung.

Would anyone here actually buy one since it can't do lossless audio?

Would anyone here actually buy one since it can't do lossless audio?

Possibly as Netflix does not offer lossless audio either and a lot of people here are satisfied with it. I personally think it would be a waste though.

not this gen, blu-ray is the main reason the ps3 slim is still being sold at a loss. MS has enough of the market filled in with digital rentals and netflix. They'll pursue otehr online video services like hulu and amazon before going to a HW format.

Sony is only one of the companies in the blu-ray consortium, MS already makes money on blu-rays since they use the VC-1 codec which MS has a patent on. by the time a new xbox console is viable in this economy MS will go with what ever optical media they can afford to use and stay competitive.

I wouldn't expect one anytime soon. It wouldn't be worth anyway unless they could sell it for $99 or less.

Would anyone here actually buy one since it can't do lossless audio?

That's an excellent point, I've been buying Blu-Ray's lately for there awesome sound, I stopped caring about the the picture, but the sound, my god.

To the OP, you can get a stand-alone Blu-Ray player with bare-bones features for about $99. If you were looking for something more, get a PS3 or look at other players from Sony, Pioneer, Panasonic, or Samsung.

i have a ps3 80gig and a panny 55, i would buy a blu-ray add-on for the 360.

i thought microsofts whole point was to make the 360 the center of my living room as an entertainment experience. right now its only for games and a limited hd-dvd movie collection. if they want it to be the center of my living room then they have no choice but to come out with a add-on blu-ray drive.

One thing i have noticed is that when i turn the xbox off its usually off for the rest of the day.

Would anyone here actually buy one since it can't do lossless audio? There is no such thing as a blu-ray add-on so i dont see how you come up with this information that it cant do something. right now it cant play blu-rays. as a matter of fact the blu-ray drive cant even play a cd. LOL

There is no such thing as a blu-ray add-on so i dont see how you come up with this information that it cant do something. right now it cant play blu-rays. as a matter of fact the blu-ray drive cant even play a cd. LOL

I think he meant that the 360 can't do lossless audio.

two reasons that bluray will NEVER be available for the 360:

(1) so that MS doesn't have to pay royalty fees to the bluray association, of which Sony is a member

(2) Netflix

two reasons that bluray will NEVER be available for the 360:

(1) so that MS doesn't have to pay royalty fees to the bluray association, of which Sony is a member

(2) Netflix

I totally disagree that it will never be available. I think it'll be around next gen to accommodate increasing game sizes with true high def.

I totally disagree that it will never be available. I think it'll be around next gen to accommodate increasing game sizes with true high def.

he said never available for the 360

i completely agree. honestly, i think MS would develop their own format in spite of sony, and to help thwart piracy... but many analysts suggest that the ability to be exploited has also helped with the popularity of the system

with Natal coming out next year, MS has acknowledged that the next Xbox won't be coming out anytime soon. They are expecting Natal to extend the 360 lifetime by another 5 years. By the time that the next Xbox is out there might not be a need for discs anyway. But if it did include on I'm sure it'll have bluray instead of DVD.

I don't even know that the next generation will have a BD player either.

The fact is that Blu-ray came to market too late and will probably never hit market saturation like DVD did. The technology for digital distribution is advancing quickly and we are probably only a few years from getting the quality close to (but probably not matching) Blu-ray quality. The sad point is that most likely 80% of the population will never care if the quality is not as good.

Look at the adaption rate of Blu-ray to DVD. Not even close. Most people (general public) just don't see a big enough reason to upgrade from DVD. Blu-ray will most likely always be somewhat of a niche market until digital distribution becomes king. If HD-DVD and Blu-ray wouldn't have wasted years concurrently developing and them marketing competing formats, it may have been an entirely different playing field but we will never know.

As a side note, I am of the older generation that prefers owning physical media. I would still rather have a disc when I buy something. However, like it or not, digital distribution will win out sooner or later.

I don't even know that the next generation will have a BD player either.

The fact is that Blu-ray came to market too late and will probably never hit market saturation like DVD did. The technology for digital distribution is advancing quickly and we are probably only a few years from getting the quality close to (but probably not matching) Blu-ray quality. The sad point is that most likely 80% of the population will never care if the quality is not as good.

Look at the adaption rate of Blu-ray to DVD. Not even close. Most people (general public) just don't see a big enough reason to upgrade from DVD. Blu-ray will most likely always be somewhat of a niche market until digital distribution becomes king. If HD-DVD and Blu-ray wouldn't have wasted years concurrently developing and them marketing competing formats, it may have been an entirely different playing field but we will never know.

As a side note, I am of the older generation that prefers owning physical media. I would still rather have a disc when I buy something. However, like it or not, digital distribution will win out sooner or later.

Until broadband has a much better coverage in this country you will have physical media around.

Look at the adaption rate of Blu-ray to DVD. Not even close.

Actually it is close.

Blu-Ray's doing better.

http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6572676.html

why would I want a blu-ray player that RRoD's?:confused:;)

Actually it is close.

Blu-Ray's doing better.

http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6572676.html

That's a little deceiving as the article has to do with "disc drives" and those numbers are thrown way off by the PS3. I love blu ray but the only way it's going to have a high adoption rate is when they start to phase out DVD.

I'm not saying that physical media will go away totally. It will probably always be available in some small fashion. I just don't see Blu-ray hitting the market saturation that DVD has by the time that digital distribution becomes the norm.

Last but not least, it is clear that Microsoft (by their actions) are throwing all their eggs in the digital distribution basket.