It's time for more news from the console and format wars. The Format War, which infuriated customers everywhere with the dual standards that Toshiba, aka HD-DVD, and Sony, aka Blu-ray, pushed, was won by Sony, after Toshiba had decided to renounce its champion. The Console Wars, that pit
Microsoft's Xbox 360 against Sony's PlayStation 3, with Nintendo's Wii just outside the ring, are still in progress.
Microsoft again had something to say about the Blu-ray, after very
conflicting attitudes towards it had been witnessed in the company. CEO Steve Ballmer said that Microsoft was ready to use the
Blu-ray where it would enhance the company's products (hint, Xbox, hint) while Aaron Greenberg, console top man at Microsoft,
denied any move to bring the Blu-ray technology to the Xbox.
Now, Xbox Europe boss Chris Lewis pitched in his views regarding the subject. For him, the age of all disk-in-a-box products is gone and the future is made up of digital downloads. "More and more people's ongoing and ever-increasing downloading of music and movies is becoming the de facto. I think that's going to happen in very short order; people want to consume that way," he said, pointing out that games are going to take the same route real soon.
For Chris, it's much more important for the team behind the Xbox to put more resources and more talent behind developing things like Marketplace, and better connectivity, because the on-line aspect will soon become an advantage in the fight against Sony and the PS3. Lewis stated: "I think other factors, specifically our architecture around downloads, is far more advantageous and important for the future. We are best placed to offer that, we already offer that, our online pedigree is such that we will offer the best and most seamless experience."
So, it's starting to look like no Blu-ray add-on for the Xbox. Does that make you sad or happy, Xbox users? Drop us a comment.
