Microsoft: Digital Distribution Will Outstrip Physical Sales

[dbot]

DirtyP2002 said:

TheRealMafoo said:

dbot said:

gebx said:
Other then my giant f*&cked up statement about PSN, my points still stand.

MS isn't referring to NOW but the future, and I find it funny how a lot of people here seem ...scared??... that digital distribution might be the future and that you're $400-$500 Blu ray machine that plays game might be obsolete before it even becomes maintstream.

No worries though, I probably feel the same if I had been suckered into Sony's promises..

Digital distribution is the future.  It will start to be a reality in the next generation, and you may see diskless consoles 2 generations from now.  That's 15 - 20 years from now.  So why is MS talking about it now.  Is it to divert attention from their pathetic attempt to prop up hd dvd?

 

 

Yes, if HD-DVD had won, there is no way in hell MS would be pushing digital downloads.

 

 No, MS pushed VoD since 2006 or something. When Vista was introduced MS said something about the VoD-possibilities with it. HD-DVD was not Microsofts priority. Toshiba was the big name behind it, MS supported it. IF MS would have straightly focused on the HD-DVD, things would be different by now.

I mean Dreamworks / Paramount took 150 million Dollar to support HD-DVD exclusively. At the same time, MS was offering 45 billion Dollars for yahoo. There you see where their focus was. I know you can't compare these things, but it is interesting to see the relation moneywise. The formatwar was just a secondary theater of war for MS.

@topic:

I really love the VoD! I just downloaded Primal Fear with 420p and it took like 12-15 minutes after I received the message "the movie is playable" (my translation, I got it in German :D) I don't know about HD-Movies but it will be like 90 - 120 minutes I guess. I use a 3mbps connection. That is not very fast, even in Germany, but it works out pretty well. (one part is downloaded, rest will be downloaded while i am watching the movie)

 

I wouldn't be so sure about MS's initial support.

"We went around to everybody and asked 'Are you guys doing anything like this?' And everyone was like 'That's a million miles in the future...We can't help you." -- Valve

http://kotaku.com/385539/valve-asked-microsoft-to-build-steam-microsoft-said-no-thanks