Blu-ray Add On Unlikely for Xbox 360

Blu-ray Add On Unlikely for Xbox 360

Microsoft have announced that they have no plans for introducing a blu-ray add on for their console, the Xbox 360.

Although we have multiple sources in Asia who tell us that Microsoft has explored the possibility of either doing a Blu-ray add-on drive for the Xbox 360 or offering a new version of the console that includes a Blu-ray drive, once again at CES Robbie Bach, who heads Microsoft Entertainment Devices division, claims that it is not going to happen.

Reports suggest that Bach simply believes that the decision not to offer Blu-ray on the Xbox 360 boils down to the fact that Xbox 360 owners are not asking for it; it does not help Microsoft with the core of what the Xbox 360 platform does, which is gaming. It also costs a lot of money and does not really add any value for software developers, since they would not be distributing games on Blu-ray (as that would leave many of the 28 million Xbox 360 consoles that have been sold out in the cold).

Money could be the biggest deciding factor, as Microsoft has wanted to continue to drive the price of the Xbox 360 down to help it make its way to more consumers. Many believe that the magical $200 price point has more to do with the recent increase in sales of the Xbox 360 than anything else. Microsoft might also think that for the time being the so-called advantage of the PlayStation 3 having a Blu-ray drive isn’t that much of an advantage currently, as sales for the PS3 have not been stellar.

Source