Great system, but...

[JSein456]

I love the fact that this Xbox is going to be an all-in-one entertainment center. It even doubles as a progressive-scan DVD player. Instead of having a separate DVD player connected to a component slot on your TV, you can just plug this in and it does both. It's neat, and it saves you video slots for other devices.

I think it's a shame that the Xbox 360 will not incorporate HD-DVD optical drives at launch though. Eventually this media will come out, and it would be really nice to watch movies in high definition.

The excuse seemed lame to me...apparently Microsoft does not think it's going to be cost-effective. The system they've built, crammed with all that incredible hardware is not cost-effective as it is, so they might as well kick it up a notch. They'll lose money no matter how much they try to cut costs.

Overall, I can't wait to get my hands on this machine. It's the sexiest thing I've ever seen (maybe I need to get a life?). I'm just hoping they'll have a black version of this console to fit into my entertainment center...

[kevinw]

When the media does become mainstream Xbox 4 will be out.
A lot of things will have to come into play. First which format wins for consumers Blu-ray or Hd-DVD.
What about all the early adopters? Most TVs allready owned are not HDCP compliant.
We are at least 5 years away from a majority of mainstream American consumers having at least 1 HD capable TV in the house....

Look how long regular DVD's were out before rental material was availble easily. It to took years after that for wide screen DVD's to become the nor over pan and scan/4:3.

And lastly very few gamers use an HD TV for playing as it is. It is safe to assume that for adult gamers 75 percent do not use an HD TV let alone the under 18 crowd.

[lassenloop]

I'm sure the DVD drive will upgradeable, as it is on the current Xbox. Maybe they'll eventually sell a new drive for the Xbox 360.

[JSein456]

Well, Microsoft did say they will incorporate them later on after the Xbox 360 launches. That tells me that these discs will come into play somehow in the near-future (otherwise, why bother upgrading). It's true, if any new format does get approved it will take years for the current DVDs to be replaced. It'll be like going from VHS to DVD, and that won't happen commercially for a long time.

But, game designers are crying that current DVD media does not provide enough storage for next-generation games. I'm sure current games on DVD discs have already pushed the edge to the maximum, and Microsoft is really adamant that all games support 720p and 1080i resolution with 4X anti-aliasing. And with more pressure to produce better quality games graphics-wise HD-DVDs would be a huge boost.

When it comes to computers and storage media, space is always in demand. There is a reason, after all, why the PS3 will have Blu-ray optical drives. Game designers are probably watering at the mouth about the possibilities...you can have a seemingly-limitless number of CG movies in-game and not even scratch the surface (pun intended) of what's being offered. Best of all, even if it did have HD-DVD, games would play on regular and HDTVs alike with no problem. The Xbox can handle it all without breaking a sweat.

What I want to know is how they plan on upgrading older Xboxes with the new drives later, if at all. If they refuse to do that (for whatever reason), I might reconsider and wait for the 2nd generation Xbox 360 before making a purchase...that is, IF I can wait that long.

[splinter]

I would rather pay $300 for just a great gaming system instead of $600 and above for a game system plus HD-DVD/Blu-ray which will not be used frequently for another 1-2 years

[lassenloop]

What I want to know is how they plan on upgrading older Xboxes with the new drives later, if at all. If they refuse to do that (for whatever reason), I might reconsider and wait for the 2nd generation Xbox 360 before making a purchase...that is, IF I can wait that long.


On the current Xbox, all you have to do is open it up and swap the DVD drive just like you would on any computer. The only thing you have to different is snap on the cover from the old drive. The 360 might be just as easy, if not easier. Maybe, they'll make it a removable drive so you can swap it without even opening up the unit.

[kevinw]

On the current Xbox, all you have to do is open it up and swap the DVD drive just like you would on any computer. The only thing you have to different is snap on the cover from the old drive. The 360 might be just as easy, if not easier. Maybe, they'll make it a removable drive so you can swap it without even opening up the unit.
I would go with if someone really wanted the the Hd-DVD drive it would be an addon .. remember when PS2 camout--the big whoop abut it was that you could watch DVD's with it. That quickly became outdated when the price point for DVD players dropped.

Now the idea of the drives for the storage capacity of the disks is a valid point even if so few will actually use it for HD games or watching HD DVD's.

[mbaez99]

But, game designers are crying that current DVD media does not provide enough storage for next-generation games. I'm sure current games on DVD discs have already pushed the edge to the maximum, and Microsoft is really adamant that all games support 720p and 1080i resolution with 4X anti-aliasing. And with more pressure to produce better quality games graphics-wise HD-DVDs would be a huge boost.

When it comes to computers and storage media, space is always in demand. There is a reason, after all, why the PS3 will have Blu-ray optical drives. Game designers are probably watering at the mouth about the possibilities...you can have a seemingly-limitless number of CG movies in-game and not even scratch the surface (pun intended) of what's being offered. Best of all, even if it did have HD-DVD, games would play on regular and HDTVs alike with no problem. The Xbox can handle it all without breaking a sweat.

What I want to know is how they plan on upgrading older Xboxes with the new drives later, if at all. If they refuse to do that (for whatever reason), I might reconsider and wait for the 2nd generation Xbox 360 before making a purchase...that is, IF I can wait that long.

I'm sorry but I haven't read anything about XBOX developers crying for more storage on DVD media. In fact most current Xbox games fit nicely on a single layer DVD, only a handful of them pass the 4.7GB barrier and need a dual layer disc. DVD9 will be fine for the Xbox 360. Don't get me wrong, I would love HD DVD on the console but if it means I'll have to pay an extra 200-300 bucks on it, I think its not worth it at this point in time.

And don't count on the DVD drive being removable, that will NEVER happen. MS just wanted to leave the door open to the possibility of an HD DVD Xbox 360, thats all, so that really hardcore people would get a new console with the HD DVD (perhaps sell their old one). Oh, and on the current XBOX its not like someone said that you can just swap DVD drives, there are plenty of other things that need to be done to actually have a PC DVD drive working.

[pcoffman]

reminds me i need to see how much they are willing to give to trade in my old xbox for the 360? Probably not much.

Also I would have to say as well that if it were to come with HD-DVD capability it probably would be more then $300-$400. At least thats my opinion. If some companies are wanting to charge $1000 just for the players when they come out then surely the 360 would run upwards of $1300 or so I would think. But again thats just a opinion...:D

[ni9elgreen]

At the moment, the 360 is HD ready, but your talking about the software available?? At the moment, if you can run HD DVDs on a pc using WMplayer 9+ then surely the 360 will incorporate that so you should be able to play HD DVD's on the 360, now, granted, the HD DVD's i'm talking about are the WMVHD, but thats what make the 360 more acceptable than the PS3, if microsoft have already released titles on the WMVHD format then they've got a big leap over Sony. The blue-ray is very good & have all the litreture for the format, but i've not seen or heard anything of the format being closely available, or ready for launch for supporting the PS3, only the games will be available, which is a bummer. the other concern is that if this blue-ray hits off, what the compression rate? theres nothing worse than playing a game where they've compressed the sound more than the graphics, doesn't work at all.

[Matt27]

Blu-ray has plenty of storage, compression should'nt be an issue really.

[brector]

I'm sorry but I haven't read anything about XBOX developers crying for more storage on DVD media. In fact most current Xbox games fit nicely on a single layer DVD, only a handful of them pass the 4.7GB barrier and need a dual layer disc.

This is also what I have read. But I would still love a high def drive