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So Xbox Has A 1080p HD-DVD Player – Blu-ray's Still A Cooler Name (You Can Tell By The Dropped Vowel)
Video Games | Nov 8, 06
Microsoft just took a significant step toward eliminating the high-def competitive advantages of Sony's Blu-ray enabled game consoles. By introducing an HD-DVD player add-on for the Xbox 360, Gates & Co. not only answer the PS3's resolution challenge in 1080p clarity but also turn a massive installed base of game players into a potential market for Toshiba's HD-DVD standard. It's priced just shy of $200, so for Xbox 360 owners this is an inexpensive alternative to a stand-alone HD-DVD player.
This comes as both Sony and Nintendo may face supply issues with the PS3 and Wii (see "Does Nintendo Have A Wii Pre-Sale Supply Problem?" and "But If We Made Too Many PlayStations, They Wouldn't Be As Cool"). Thus, the release seems well timed to allow Redmond to (characteristically) capitalize on the execution difficulties of its rivals.
One caveat: Microsoft's new player does not feature an HDMI port, and it's not clear what the implications of this might be for playing DRM-protected disks. One wonders whether the temptation of a vast universe of HD-DVD players might prove irresistible to content providers, even if that new market does not accommodate their DRM dreams
Posted by jeffrey.trester (Permalink)
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