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Microsoft announces external HD-DVD drive for Xbox 360

It fits the mantra that J Allard has been preaching for last 6 months for the XBOX360 -

Customize, customize, and custmize!!!

Consumers want choices, choices, and choices!!!

A perfect solution...
 
I had no use for high definition movies when Sony was the only one playing them, and I still don't care.


Although, wouldn't it have made sense to wait until 2007-2008 and release a super premium edition with an internal hard drive and player (movies only, not games)? I mean, the PStwo slim has been quite successful.
 
Didn't MS state that games would be DVD only for 360? Unless I'm completely off my rocker, that means that this thing will be for movies only, which doesn't segment the market quite as bad. Still a bonehead move though.
 
DCharlie said:
what???

the Japanese machine has D cables. I'd assume they are carrying a digital signal.

I've been advised i should be selling these for a tidy profit! :)
Click to expand...

The ATI card in the box is analog output only. So, I don't think those are digital video cables unless they've got a converter built in somehow.

maximum360 said:
It seems that the haters are out in full force. I'm sure we'll never see any games released in HD DVD format so that pretty much kills the 32x comparisons and comments. This is likely the best option for MS at this point. If HD DVD fails all they have to do is stop making the HD DVD add-on.

The lack of common business sense on this forum is sometimes staggering.
Click to expand...

Some of you guys really, really need to stop calling the dozens of folks in this thread "haters" or "bashers" or whatever. It's ridiculous.

The point isn't that the add-on isn't going to be required for gaming or that if it fails, they can just stop producing it.

The point is that they felt the need to make the damn product in the first place. That speaks volumes. I know you guys get this, so stop pretending you don't
 
"THey have long said that games will not come out on any other media except DVD"

They also said ALL Xbox 360s come with a hard drive. ALL Xbox 360 games will be at least 720P.... etc. etc. etc.........

"However, it's MS"

That's correct :)
 
blackadde said:
my whole reaction to this hinges on how much the ps3 is going to be. if sony offers a BRD player out of the box at a comparable price to the x360 premium pack (sans HD-DVD), who the fuck is going to pay for an add-on HD-DVD drive?
Click to expand...

those who want movies from companies that dont back BRD, if MS can deliver a cheaper option than the standalone players shown at CES ($500-$1000) than it seems like a good deal to me
 
Mrbob said:
I would say some people are miffed MS didn't just wait 6 months and launch the system with hd dvd drive inside. Could have used this for movies *and* games and not potentially cripple large scale streaming games (GTA4) due to lack of storage.
Click to expand...



In 6 months it still would have needlessly increased the price of the console just to integrate a drive that will be worthless in 2 years when both of these "next gen" formats are found to be still born.

This place is going to be a riot when the PS3 price is announced. :lol

... but I've said too much. ;*
 
All this fuss over a DVD player that most of you can't afford? All this fuss over a DVD player that isn't exactly needed? All this fuss over a external drive you DO NOT HAVE TO BUY?

Some of you women need to take a step back, unplug the PC, and evaluate your position in this life.

Jesus....
 
Oops, I did it again..

Peter%20Moore.jpg
britney_oops.jpg
 
This is beyond retarded.

An external HD-DVD player.

Unless it's required for games it's just an HD-DVD player.

Bundle it with the system or scrap it. Dumb idea.
 
So I took the bolded part of the original post and fed it to WordCounter (www.wordcounter.com)

Wordcounter ranks the most frequently used words in any given body of text. Use this to see what words you overuse (is everything a "solution" for you?) or maybe just to find some keywords from a document.

Wordcounter is useful for writers, editors, students, and anyone who thinks that they might be speaking redundantly or repetitively -- and it's free!

Here are your results...
Word Frequency
high-definition 12
entertainment 5
games 4
Click to expand...

Fuck having fun or playing games. High-definition FTW!
 
truffleshuffle83 said:
Gamers who want movies from companies that dont back BRD, if MS can deliver a cheaper option than the standalone players shown at CES ($500-$1000) than it seems like a good deal to me
Click to expand...

Fixed.

To use this thing, you'll need an XBox 360, and I somehow doubt that the system + the drive will clock in at anything substantially cheaper than the (likely more capable and feature-packed) standalone units.
 
AirBrian said:
Didn't MS state that games would be DVD only for 360? Unless I'm completely off my rocker, that means that this thing will be for movies only, which doesn't segment the market quite as bad. Still a bonehead move though.
Click to expand...

Yes, they have said this several times
 
AirBrian said:
Didn't MS state that games would be DVD only for 360? Unless I'm completely off my rocker, that means that this thing will be for movies only, which doesn't segment the market quite as bad. Still a bonehead move though.
Click to expand...

It won't segment the market for games because Microsoft will make sure every game is DVD-ROM, no matter how many discs they end up being. But since it is effectively a "movie only" drive, how is connecting it to the XBOX 360 going to make it cost less than regular HD-DVD units? You're still paying for a new laser to read higher capacity 5" discs.
 
Matlock said:


there's a startling lack of justin timberlake discussion in this thread
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wtf....

Exactly where is this thing going to plug into? USB... I dont think so.
 
Mihail said:
Guys, guys, wait for BlimBlim. He will explain how this is a brilliant decision by Microsoft.
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lol laff :)

but seriously nomatter anything else, do we really think MS will be able to succeed where others have failed and failed miserably? If they keep it to JUST MOVIES its feasible

but the second they even announced an HDDVD game it is game over

people will be mighty upset if they do, expecially if its a major title
 
'The ATI card in the box is analog output only. So, I don't think those are digital video cables unless they've got a converter built in somehow."
Click to expand...

yeah. i was wrong - the D cables aren't digital at all! lol.
 
Mrbob said:
I would say some people are miffed MS didn't just wait 6 months and launch the system with hd dvd drive inside. Could have used this for movies *and* games and not potentially cripple large scale streaming games (GTA4) due to lack of storage.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's the thing that what gets to me, the signifying that MS could have had a superior format from the get go, but than it's the issue of delay might put it smack dab in the middle of PS3 frenzy and launch, though that could have influenced Sony to relax back even further with a later launch and soak in more full fledge PS2/PSP sales time.
 
Insertia said:
This is beyond retarded.

An external HD-DVD player.

Unless it's required for games it's just an HD-DVD player.

Bundle it with the system or scrap it. Dumb idea.
Click to expand...

Agreed, unless the add-on is like 1/2 the price normal, stand-alone HD-DVD player. It might, since all the other components should be already in the XBOX360.

I, however, cannot imagine how its design would accompany the Xbox360...
 
xsarien said:
Fixed.

To use this thing, you'll need an XBox 360, and I somehow doubt that the system + the drive will clock in at anything substantially cheaper than the (likely more capable and feature-packed) standalone units.
Click to expand...


ok its aimed at gamers who own or want a 360.....it gives us a cheaper alternative to buying a standalone player in addition to our 360

if they didnt announce this, those of us who wanted HDDVD movies would have to buy a standalone, this is just an alternative


as long as its movies only its not that big a deal
 
Think positive people.

You'll have a dedicated drive for both movies and games. In theory, your X360/HD-DVD combo should last twice as long as the PS3.

PS - this thread is out of control
 
Kasra said:
In 6 months it still would have needlessly increased the price of the console just to integrate a drive that will be worthless in 2 years when both of these "next gen" formats are found to be still born.

This place is going to be a riot when the PS3 price is announced. :lol

... but I've said too much. ;*
Click to expand...

Eh, a good chunk of consoles use a format regardless of standards of video with carts, than GC mini-disk, and currently PSP's UMD. Worthless for movies if it filters? Perhaps. Beneficial for games? Diffinately.
 
Keep in mind that some of the people LOLOMGWTFing are the very same people who are perfectly willing to spend $30 purchasing (or repurchasing, in some cases) movies like Chain Reaction, which can only be played on their four-inch screens - and they absolutely refuse to see the humor in that.
 
Piper Az said:
Agreed, unless the add-on is like 1/2 the price normal, stand-alone HD-DVD player. It might, since all the other components should be already in the XBOX360.

I, however, cannot imagine how its design would accompany the Xbox360...
Click to expand...

What other components? The decoding chip? A remote control?

The thing will still need to have a HD-DVD drive, HDMI, a high bandwidth port to the 360, royalties for the various technologies involved in HD-DVD (some of which they are a partner of), a power supply, internal circuitry, the casing, etc.
 
If Sony were smart they'd do the same thing, but they seem intent on trying to stuff a useless, expensive drive in the PS3. And all for about the same price as a 360?......:lol
 
Kobun Heat said:
JackFrost just said to me: "If it plays games they're fucked. If it doesn't play games it's pointless."
Click to expand...

That's essentially it. If it does play games, Microsoft will have unnecessarily segmented their installed base for a few extra months of time to rush the console out of the door, which didn't even buy them any leeway from Sony. On the other hand, if it only plays movies, the add-on is NOT going to be cheap ($100 suggested by some of you, :lol :lol), as seen by recent pricing of Xbox 360 accessories, and will not push HD-DVD as the premier format like the PS3 will for Blu-ray.

As I see it, Microsoft has just sent the softest lob over to Sony's court, where Sony now has the time and luxury of dictating when that killer smash will come down on the next gen wars.
 
I agree that releasing an HD-DVD player would be stupid. Why? Because it would piss me off, since I already have the system.

But I'm wondering something. I'm not trying to make a point, just curious. Do consumers actually get angry when companies make them buy multiple editions of the same product? I mean, Nintendo has released how many handhelds since 2000? Has it really hurt them? Sure, it pisses us off, but what is the evidence that such decisions can destroy a product's chances? (especially a product from a company such as MS)
 
Lil' Dice said:
If Sony were smart they'd do the same thing, but they seem intent on trying to stuff a useless, expensive drive in the PS3. And all for about the same price as a 360?......:lol
Click to expand...

woooooooooooooooooowwwwwwww
 
sonycowboy said:
How about this?

a) It shows that they maybe launched too early, and this looks like damage control to handle what the PS3 will handle with every system.

b) Is an add-on like the harddrive that splinters the userbase, such that no developer can assume that people have one, thus is has absolutely no use besides movies.

c) The system only has analog output support, thus the required HDMI support would most likely have to be in the external drive. So what's it hooking up to the Xbox for? (This will most likely have a pretty good answer, actually, but it's still a question for now)


In addition, if you think Microsoft isn't risking anything financially with HD-DVD, you're crazy. They are going to eat royalties for each and every PC system that has that drive so that it has some penetration chance against Blu-Ray. Make no mistake, Microsoft has tied their wagon to HD-DVD in a major way. Not as major as Sony, but then again, Blu-Ray appears to have an early lead (in terms of support and the PS3, but behind in consumer pricing at current)
Click to expand...


b) splinters it how? hd-dvd isnt being used for games...ms already said this.
c) didnt ms say they could make digital cables but arent doing so yet? And ati said 1080p was no problem.

Have seen some info on the web lately that kind of mentions that MS Vista Operating system wont use regular dvd drives...if it requires hd-dvd drives, wont every pc maker put a hd-dvd drive in every pc? Thats alot of hd-dvd movie players to reckon with if true. And I doubt people will spend hundreds of dollars to add a blu ray drive in a pc that already has a hd-dvd drive in it. People like us might, but joe average consumer wont.

Its no different than the ps2 hd....you're free to buy it if you want, but dnt need to. By the way, can he pstwo use sony's hd? yeah, didnt think so. Thats the bigger outrage.
 
sonycowboy said:
c) The system only has analog output support, thus the required HDMI support would most likely have to be in the external drive.
Click to expand...
Why is HDMI a requirement for HD-DVD playback?
I know it's desirable, but that's not what I'm asking... you said it's "required". How so?
 
truffleshuffle83 said:
ok its aimed at gamers who own or want a 360.....it gives us a cheaper alternative to buying a standalone player in addition to our 360

if they didnt announce this, those of us who wanted HDDVD movies would have to buy a standalone, this is just an alternative


as long as its movies only its not that big a deal
Click to expand...
Before we start making these claims, we should find out the price of this thing first. After all, MS's current accessory pricing is a little out there.
 
"There was news on the HD-DVD front as well, as a primary backer of the technology, Toshiba, unveiled its first two HD-DVD players for the US market. Beginning in March, the HD-XA1 and HD-A1 players will hit stores for $799.99 and $499.99, respectively. Both units are backward compatible with regular DVDs and upconverts the signals from them to an output resolution of 720p or 1080i for HDTVs."
 
xsarien said:
they should've waited a few months to launch, but beating Sony out of the gates (haw!) was more important than, you know, common sense.

.
Click to expand...

Yeah I know right. I hope that 5 million world-wide unit lead really holds for MS. :lol
 
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