Do you think Microsoft will use bluray with theyre next console?

[TelHybrid]

well, 2014 (earliest logical estimate given kinnect's sales) is a ways away, by then I hope that devs manage to create games big and epic enough to be limited by DVD's, so yeah, they'll use something.

But I think it'll be HD-DVD, because that's almost propitiatory between them and toshiba, and using it would effectively eliminate pirates copying discs unless the physically make the HD-DVD-writer themselves/still have one from when that format was sold, which doesn't seem plausible.

My friend on a computer sciences University course had a class visit from an ATi representative, he claimed it would be 2012. Whether that's true is debatable, but somewhat reliable.

I severely doubt it will be HD-DVD. It's a dead format that's no longer in production. It would cost too much to revive it for one platform.

The most logical theory is that it will indeed use blu-ray discs. It's in mass production, therefore cheap. It wont cost much for Microsoft to buy the licenses to use blu-ray for their next console. Let's face it, it's Microsoft.

Also to anyone theorising that it will purely be digital distribution, consider these factors.
There a lot of regions that lack decent internet connections, hell some without broadband. Imagine you're still on a 2Mb connection and you have to download a 12GB game. That will turn a large part of the market away.

Many games retailers would refuse to stock them as well as they wouldn't make a single penny from games, look at how things went with the PSPGo.

There's also still a lot of people uncomfortable with purchasing stuff over the internet.

It will never become a digital distribution monopoly.

 

[Fenring]

No. It's owned by Sony.

Completely false.

BD

lol good one.

Blu-Ray was developed and is owned by the "Blu-ray Disc Association." the members of the BDA are Sony, Panasonic, Pioneer, Philips, Thomson, LG Electronics, Hitachi, Sharp, and Samsung.

So yes, they do own part of Blu-ray and would thus benefit from a Xbox 720 with Blu-ray tech.

 

[TPiddy]

The two options I foresee them using with their new console is most likely going to be either heavy reliance on digital distribution or Solid State Drives, not bigger than say a credit card, which you would use not unlike the first three generations of Nintendo consoles.

This exactly. Either we'll go back to a 'cartridge' style format to discourage pirating while still giving people physical media, or we'll go completely digital distribution. One thing's for sure, no way in hell Microsoft is gonna PAY Sony and company for a Blu-Ray license.

 

[TPiddy]

Sony is going from strength to strength as of this year whilst Microsoft seems to be weakening. Relying on Kinect is gonna be their worst problem right now

Sales figures seem to completely disagree with you. Sony's Move is just an HD Wii while Kinect has potential to be so much more. With it's open source system we're already seeing all kinds of innovation with it and that will in turn lead to better games. Just give it some time. Kinect will whoop the shit out of Move, hell it's already approaching the same sales figures as Move and Move's been out since September.

 

[Meggiepants]

I think they would have to if something new doesn't come out by the time they make a next gen console. Yes, Sony owns Bluray, but Microsoft could license the rights to use it. They license DVDs now, which are also partially owned by Sony.

But they are going to be severely limited in creating higher res games without moving to a denser media, and Microsoft isn't known for creating their own removable media. They'd have to buy another company that does it.

 

[Something Amyss]

Blu-Ray was developed and is owned by the "Blu-ray Disc Association." the members of the BDA are Sony, Panasonic, Pioneer, Philips, Thomson, LG Electronics, Hitachi, Sharp, and Samsung.

So yes, they do own part of Blu-ray and would thus benefit from a Xbox 720 with Blu-ray tech.

Already explained.

but if "They would benefit from the use of BD on the next XBox" were true, the 360 would not use DVD (as it was partially created by Sony) and nobody would have included CD support on "rival" consoles.

To construe their "ownership" of the format as a reason we won't see an XBox with BD is, to restate, completely false.

 

[Something Amyss]

Sony is going from strength to strength as of this year whilst Microsoft seems to be weakening. Relying on Kinect is gonna be their worst problem right now

Yeah, selling a million units in tend days and lining up to rival the Wii's launch is a terrible weakness.

This exactly. Either we'll go back to a 'cartridge' style format to discourage pirating while still giving people physical media, or we'll go completely digital distribution. One thing's for sure, no way in hell Microsoft is gonna PAY Sony and company for a Blu-Ray license.

Just like DVD and CD formats.

OH RIGHT.

Pure digital is unlikely, and carts are markedly more expensive in terms of amount of storage. Disc media is the most logical, even if BD is still costly.

 

[irishstormtrooper]

No. It's owned by Sony.

ps It was limited by bad optimization, not disk size. You're thinking of the audio tracks.

Exactly. Unless Sony decides to stop being a corporation and suddenly make friends with Microsoft, it won't happen.

 

[TPiddy]

Cartridge! I hope you like paying exorbitant prices for games. Chips aren't cheap.
That was one of N64's main issues here ($120 for a game - yeah, I'm not paying that).

Here you can get 4GB Flash Drives for $10.... I don't think moving to a cartridge system based on SSD technology would give us an increase in game prices.

 

[TPiddy]

Sales figures - disagree? No they aren't. The PS3 has slowly been gaining ground on the 360 since 2009. The PS3 has cut the Xbox's lead in half since the end of 2009.

As for Move and Kinect, they are/will probably sell at comparable rates. The initial blast of Kinect sales is equivalent to the initial blast of Move sales (early adopters being what they are). Though there is far more money spent on advertising for Kinect - at least in my area anyhow.

Anyway, both Kinect and Move are shit IMO, but whatever.

Not talking about console sales figures, just Kinect / Move. Though Kinect could possibly push more 360 console sales. Just like the PS3 had a lot of untapped potential that took developers a couple of years to fully utilize, we'll see the same pattern with Kinect. But what can Move do that isn't already being done on the Wii?

 

[Danzaivar]

No. It's owned by Sony.

Completely false.

BD

lol good one.

Blu-Ray was developed and is owned by the "Blu-ray Disc Association." the members of the BDA are Sony, Panasonic, Pioneer, Philips, Thomson, LG Electronics, Hitachi, Sharp, and Samsung.

So yes, they do own part of Blu-ray and would thus benefit from a Xbox 720 with Blu-ray tech.

The point of BDA is to promote the use and spread of blu-ray. They wouldn't stop Microsoft from using it.

It's like Pepsi stopping cans because Coca-Cola employs the guy who invented the ring-pull.

 

[Danzaivar]

Cartridge! I hope you like paying exorbitant prices for games. Chips aren't cheap.
That was one of N64's main issues here ($120 for a game - yeah, I'm not paying that).

Here you can get 4GB Flash Drives for $10.... I don't think moving to a cartridge system based on SSD technology would give us an increase in game prices.

4GB flash drive = £8.

4.5GB DVD = £0.20.

40 times more expensive. Just saying.

 

[number2301]

The next Xbox will either use Blu Ray or a proprietary format. But out of the two it's most likely to be Blu Ray as people still buy films in that format.

Solid State/cartridges/memory cards are vastly more expensive than discs which cost pennies as opposed to pounds.

The generation after the next may go fully digital, although I'm not fully convinced of that yet given the scant benefits against the issues of massive areas with no/poor broadband.

 

[ferv0r]

I want to point out that the DVD was also developed by Sony (along with other companies).

It really depends on what the next xbox is released, but I'd say Blu-ray is an obvious choice. Blu-ray is the standard for Hi-def video as well. MS wants their console to rule the family room. It would be stupid for them not to include blu-ray compatibility in their next console.

 

[Fenring]

No. It's owned by Sony.

Completely false.

BD

lol good one.

Blu-Ray was developed and is owned by the "Blu-ray Disc Association." the members of the BDA are Sony, Panasonic, Pioneer, Philips, Thomson, LG Electronics, Hitachi, Sharp, and Samsung.

So yes, they do own part of Blu-ray and would thus benefit from a Xbox 720 with Blu-ray tech.

The point of BDA is to promote the use and spread of blu-ray. They wouldn't stop Microsoft from using it.

It's like Pepsi stopping cans because Coca-Cola employs the guy who invented the ring-pull.

I don't think Pepsi would use a ring pull if they had to pay Coke a royalty for every can they make.