Microsoft nixes HD DVD drive for Xbox 360

Microsoft will end production of the external HD DVD drive for its Xbox 360 video game console, according to a report by the Associated Press.

The company said it would, however, continue to offer warranty support for the peripheral.

(Credit: Microsoft)

"HD DVD is one of the several ways we offer a high definition experience to consumers and we will continue to give consumers the choice to enjoy digital distribution of high definition movies and TV shows directly to their living room, along with playback of the DVD movies they already own," Blair Westlake, a corporate vice president of Microsoft's media and entertainment group, said in a statement.

The drive, which currently costs about $130, was intended as Microsoft's answer to Sony's PlayStation 3 console, which contained an integrated Blu-ray Disc drive.

Microsoft is just the latest top-tier tech company to abandon the failed high-definition disc format. Along with Toshiba, Intel, and NEC, Microsoft was one of the most prominent supporters of the standard. Toshiba said last week it would no longer make HD DVD players. Wal-Mart Stores, Best Buy, and all the major movie studios have all now said they will exclusively support Blu-ray.

The biggest proponent of Blu-ray, Sony, now stands poised to become the standard bearer of HD video mostly because of its strategy in including Blu-ray playback capability into the PS3. It's unclear if Microsoft now plans to make an attachable Blu-ray player for the Xbox 360.

[WJeansonne]

Hey, Microsoft. How about a refund?

Since you stuck me with an obsolete player, how about giving me my money back!

[KCL]

Whoops. I thought you were a Vista user.

I think regardless, don't hold your breath!

[ekracinski]

RIIIIGHT!

No, you bought a product in a field where there was an unclear future due to the obvious format war.

You live on the bleeding edge, you get cut.

I have an HD DVD player too, so I am feeling the sting, but we just bet on the wrong horse.

In any case, just because Blu-Ray won, that doesn't mean your HD DVD add-on and th movies you have bought will stop working. Enjoy them like you always have.

[kingsnoofer]

No refunds for poor choices

When you bought the add-on hardware the fate of both formats was undecided. Anyone who purchased one or the other in any capacity took a risk that theis would win or both would be a standard. You took the risk and backed the wrong team. Microsoft didn't force you to buy it. So the only one you have to blame is yourself. Should all electronic stores refun money to all HD-DVD player owners? Not gonna happen. You made your bed. Sleep in it. You can still use it as a player for HD or standard DVD's so it is still useful.

[timber2005]

Obsolete

I feel very little sorrow for you and here's why.
1) You bought a product, let alone a piece of TECHNOLOGY, all of which becomes obsolete.
2)You chose between a HD DVD and a Blu-Ray player which had a 50/50 chance of winning, and you lost.

Put it on ebay. There are alot of people looking for them. Why? Because there are HD DVD movies going to continue to be released for a couple of months due to the transition time (can't just chunk what you already made) and people will begin to sell their HD DVD's. Other people are going to grab up what they can.

[getlefty]

I have one too

But I could care less. I'm going to continue to use it as a great dvd up-converter and cash in when HD-DVDs get super cheap.

I knew HD-DVD had a very slim chance of winning the format war (and you should have too, if you did your homework before buying your player) but at the price I paid, it was worth it.

[TomboSlicko]

Sony Beta player

Sony did not give me a refund on my Beta player so why should MS give you one. The war is over go buy an xbox blueray player now and stop whining.

[assclownbush]

Suckas

You should know better than to spend money on technology that is not fully supported.

[kamaboko!]

Pullleeeezzzz

So does that mean I get a refund on my record player because records are no longer pressed?

[Derflaggenhooven]

That's silly.

If I worked for M$, and I got wind of refund requests (like I'm sure many will ask for), I wouldn't even consider it. Every new electronics purchase these days comes with a slight risk, and every consumer should know that going in. Just my $0.02. It's like asking for a refund for the 80GB 5G iPod a day after the 160GB iPod comes out for the same debut price. Just gotta suck it up...

[nicmart]

Your problem

Howsabout you become a more savvy shopper?

[getlefty]

actually...

I'd say the chances of HD-DVD winning out was about 20/80 seeing as how more major studios were backing Blu from the get go.

Just saying that the odds were in Blu's favor the whole time. Sure I ignored that because I personally favored HD-DVD but them's the breaks.

[SneakyWho_am_i]

I agree

I never purchased either kind of player but I watched them casually. Personally I liked the sound of the HD-DVD even if only because "Blu Ray" sounds kind of silly.

[t8]

This is a true saying

A Microsoft standard will always cost you more in the long run.

[ekracinski]

Toshiba, not MS...

Toshiba was the inventor and main proponent of HD DVD and Microsoft gave soft support to it.

Funny, usually Sony comes out on the short end of format wars - Beta, Memory Stick, ATRAC, MiniDisk, etc.

[Penguinisto]

Oops...

So, err, what about all those suckers who bought an external HD-DVD player with their 360?

(oh, that's right - we've been hearing from some of them in the C|NET discussions for awhile now :) )

/P

[Vegaman_Dan]

Rush to be first

Living on the bleeding edge of technology is always a dangerous place to be. The DVD format debacle is an excellent example.

The Apple iPhone is another one.

If you absolutely have to have the latest and greatest tech first, then prepare to be burned now and then by your choices.

[cjb8465]

Doomed from the start

Movie studios liked Blu-Ray better (presumably because of its extra BD+ protection). It didn't win because it was better or because consumers preferred it. It won because more studios used it.

If all the studios put out movies in both formats, I think the results of the media war would have been different.

[Leria]

Which is why next time

The movie companies should be forced to support BOTH formats so that the one that the customers really want wins out.

HD-DVD was better than Blu-Ray in many aspects, except for size of data on disc.

[ahickey]

PS3 - Powerpoint

Back in the day PowerPoint became the de facto presentation over Harvard Graphics not because it was better, but because it was bundled with Microsoft Office. This meant that when the occasional user wanted a presentation application they used what they got rather than looking for something different or better.

I think it?s the same with Blu-Ray. It?s not that people bought Blu-Ray players on mass (check out the standalone player sales), but got it with their PS3. So when they wanted to get a hi-def movie Blu-Ray was the natural choice. Even if the attach rate was less it still meant higher sales. By the sheer number of PS3 out there Blu-Ray was going to win the day.

[Short Shot]

The Reigning Champ

Would the war have been different? We all can be arm chair quarterbacks, but the fact is Blu-ray is the format. Blu-ray won for numerous reasons, but all said and done, the reigning format is Blu-ray. Whatever the reasons, all the HD DVD losers can cry in there beer and wonder what might have been. Iffa, shoulda, woulda, coulda.

[godlessnovel]

Not true

The studios hated BluRay because it was a new technology that cost a lot more to manufacture than HD-DVD. HD-DVDs could be created on the same manufacturing technology as standard DVDs. You do the math... set up a whole new manufacturing system to copy films onto a new, more expensive stardard of disk or keep the same technology and spend pennies on overhead.

The reason Sony won is simply because of the PS3 consumer base. There were just more out there and more BluRay disks selling. The studios saw that... picked a side and that was the end result. It really is unfortunate because even though HD-DVD had lower capasity, it was a far superior product (especially since it cost little more to make than a standard DVD)/

[DHeraSa]

DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION NO CLOSE.

Come on Microsoft, how many movies you plan people will get in a 20GB hard drive like most 360 owners have? Sure the elite has 120, but just a few have 120. Or do they expect every one to upgrade to to a Elite for 449?

They just dont want to accept Sony kicked them all with one hit.

[godlessnovel]

120 Gig

You can buy the drive for $100.

[Short Shot]

ABOUT TIME

Microsoft has finally pulled its head out of the sand and listened to the "Fat Lady" sing. They gambled and lost like Intel, Paramount, Universal, Toshiba, etc. Time to lick their wounds and go with Blu-ray (I just love saying that)!

[randyoaks187]

Microsoft was the one who doomed HD DVD

IMHO Microsoft must share a big chunk of the blame for HD DVD failing. If XBOX 360 had shipped with an internal HD DVD drive I think we would be having the reverse conversation now. Gaming consoles accounted (or would have accounted for at least 90% of next gen). Blu-Ray kicked HD DVD's butt for the simple reason that there are 8X the amount of Blu-Ray players over HD DVD players. If XBOX 360 had shipped with an internal HD DVD drive they would be ontop 2 to 1.

Here are some stats to back it all up:

http://nexgenwars.com/
http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/35008/97/

[biffhenerson]

In todays anti-microsoft cuture, I agree

Todays culture is so anti-success and anti-microsoft that the format was doomed as soon as microsoft joined and endorsed hd-dvd. Just because people dislike microsoft, they dissed the hd-dvd. In addition, blue ray was marketed to the general public substantially more than hd-dvd. Doesnt matter if the product is good or bad, marketing wins. Also, there seemed to be uncertainty comming from inside the hd-dvd camp. this too is detected by the public thus causing the public to lean towards blue ray.

[Penguinisto]

Partially agreed.

...the xbox 360 is a loss leader as it is. If MSFT increased that per-unit loss by adding an HD-DVD player? They would've had to increase the 360's price. This would've changed the dynamics greatly, and the xbox may well have lost even their early lead, channel-stuffing be damned.

Sony could afford to do it because:

1) they don't have to pay royalty fees for installing BD per-unit.

2) sales of PS2 units were (and are still) more than high enough to offset the early PS3 monetary losses

3) When it came to marketing the thing, Sony went for strategy instead of tactics.

/P