zarx said:
Joelcool7 said:
zarx said:
Joelcool7 said:
It isn't very likely. Microsoft does not want to send a dime to Sony or help them increase market share in any way. Nintendo rarely supported formats that another company used. During cartridge years they always made their karts unique offering features the other formats did not. When CD and DVD came along Nintendo resisted they made N64 carts and mini-disks. Even the DVD format they used on Wii was unique.
Microsoft will likely release its own disk format similar to BluRay. Some would argue MS needs BluRay so consumers can play movies on it. However with NetFlix and all the video streaming capabilities, BluRay isn't necessary consumers can still watch their favorite movies and Microsoft doesn't need to support Sony in any way.
I would seriously be surprised if BluRay showed up in Nex-Box.
Also a word to the wise, most Gamestop/EBGames employees are idiots. Most don't even know basic information about upcoming products let alone products that haven't been announced. They get all the same info we do and chances are they aren't as devout as we are. I have only met one or two employees at EBGames who were actually competent about the industry as a whole. Some are Sony fanboys, Nintendo fanboys or MS fanboys and others just aren't actual gamers.
You'd be smart to avoid ever referencing an EBGames employee as if you take what they say seriously. The majority don't know squat in general!
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Yup that is why MS used DVD also a Sony co-developed format, supply one of the main video codecs that Blu-ray movies uses (VC-1) so every Blu-ray player sold gains MS money, supply Sony's computer devision with windows and much more...
Sorry to break it to you but huge multinational businesses are not blind fanboys that are at war with each other because one devision in each company is competing.
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DVD was almost a must for Microsoft. At the time DVD was the primary format for playing movies and Microsoft had little choice but to utilize DVD. The second HD-DVD came out they saw they could avoid supporting Sony's platform and they tried to make HD-DVD a success. If BluRay was so advantageous for them they wouldn't have backed HD-DVD in the first place they would have gone straight with Sony. As for selling Windows to Sony, well almost all the major tech companies are outfitted with Windows Computers. Even Apple has PC's and likewise MIcrosoft has Mac's. This doesn't warrant supporting a competitors platform.
Microsoft does not want to give Sony a dime they don't have too. Microsoft entered the industry to protect its PC business from Sony. Sony had talked of making PlayStation a computer and they have certainly headed towards that direction. Microsoft entered the games industry as a pre-emptive strike to prevent Sony from going after PC. X-Box was supposed to be a three phase assault on Sony, Microsoft even through support behind Nintendo's DS to help them keep Sony down.
So no, Microsoft does not want to use something that will benefit Sony. DVD was a must but with digital downloads and things like NetFlix there is very little reason for Microsoft to adopt BluRay. Yes it would add functionality but it wouldn't give them enough of an edge over Sony to be worth while.
I'm not going to say BluRay is impossible its a decision Microsoft has probably debated often. But Microsoft has stated in the past they would not support BluRay with Xbox and it doesn't fit in with their objectives.
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Despite growth in digital distrabution Blu-Ray is still likely to be the primary movie distrabution medium in 3-5 years (then digital will take over in 6-8) so if they want to push themselves as a multimedia hub at launch they will need Blu-Ray there just isn't any other viable option right now, HD-DVD is dead and production would end up more expensive, internet infrastructure just isn't ready for digital on a global scale there is not really any choice now.
MS backed HD-DVD over Blu-Ray because they had a bigger stake in HD-DVD as all the interactive parts of the spec ran on a MS system where as Blu-Ray uses Java. They didn't try to push Blu-Ray on Xbox 360 as add-ons wouldn't be very cost effective and Blu-Ray addaption has been slow and DVD is still the primary medium for movies.
And like I said before MS are not out to kill Sony they work together on far to many things, their home console devisions may be competing but the movie devision of Sony would be the ones they would be indirectly paying a small fraction of the cost of the Blu-Ray drive. The fact that money is going to Sony won't ever be a major factor in the decision ether, they will ether go Blu-Ray or all digital and all digital isn't a real option yet.
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Good argument, however DVD is still alive and well.
While I believe BluRay will inevitably over take DVD, by the time it does Digital Distribution in films will be far higher. In fact digital distribution and streaming is already taking out a lot of the movie retailers. I have heard personally from the manager at my local FutureShop that their sales of physical media are dropping almost every month except the winter months.
NetFlix and such seem to be where movies are going. Unlike games you don't need to have a massive hard drive and my sister can play HD Netflix films with DSL. Yes having BluRay would open them up to some consumers. But not as many as you'd think DVD remains the primary format and even with HD will likely remain in power another 2-3 years before BluRay fully replaces it. By the time BluRay has fully replaced it as the physical format the streaming and DD film industry will be far larger as well.
So when would BluRay actually be beneficial? About 2-3 years into the Nex-box's life span. However as mentioned by the time it over takes DVD , DD in film will be big enough to compensate for the loss.
As for Microsoft's intent to crush Sony. This is based on many factors including the fact my Uncle on my American side works for Microsoft in Redmond and used to be at their Seattle office. He told me years ago when DreamCast got Microsoft's operating system that Microsoft was going to enter the industry. He said Microsoft saw Sony as a direct threat to PC and that Microsoft thought Sony was planning to go after them. Xbox apparently was a three phase plan executed to prevent Sony from entering the PC industry.
Now would Microsoft support Sony Pictures? I don't know I have never talked to a Microsoft employee about Sony pictures. But being a division of Sony I would conclude that Microsoft probably would like to avoid giving them money if at all possible. As I said DVD was already a big move and at the time it was necessary but this new generation it might not be.
Also Microsoft has undoubtedly been watching Nintendo. Nintendo proved with Wii you didn't need a physical film format to succeed. In fact NetFlix was most successful on Wii for a while. I have no doubt that Microsoft has taken notes and this leads even further in the direction away from BluRay.
I honestly think Microsoft will have its own disk format to reveal. It may be very similar to a BluRay disk but it will be the primary format for games on Nex-Box. No I don't think they will try to make it a movie format that war is over, but look at Nintendo's success with its own formats in the past.
