Why wouldn't Microsoft want to release "Xbox 720" one year before the PS4?

[Twistedpixel]

Xelloss said:



So why the delay? Well, it is likely a matter of format as much as anything. MS knows that doing DVD again for next-gen is a non-starter, it works well enough for now, but trying to go into the next gen with DVD would cause most devs and publishers to roll their eyes and financial analysts to openly wonder what MS was thinking. Going blu-ray would amount to a loss of face, and paying of royalties to Sony albiet indirectly via the blu-ray consortium which includes many other industry figures... most of whom are at odds with MS in various arenas.

HD-DVD is dead as a general entertainment media, but MS could still use the platform for gaming, likely at preferred royalty rates and though this move seems logical at first glance, many people will openly question the wisdom of using a "dead" platform. After all, to many reasonable people it will seem like petty spite, even though it would actually make sound business sense. But it is certainly better for MS to be able to claim they are using whichever medium they choose next because of its features, not because its simply cheap and they did not want to go with the competition.

Your reasoning for why Microsoft would or wouldn't use either Blu Ray or HD-DVD don't make sense. They wouldn't not use Blu Ray for the same reason why Toshiba are producing Blu Ray players. If it makes sense from an application perspective then they will use the technology. The main pro for Blu Ray is the playback of movies however that costs $9.50 per player to implement. Sony already pays Microsoft a lot of money to sell computers with the Windows operating system. It doesn't bother Sony so why should it bother Microsoft to pay a little of the Windows money back?