On Monday Microsoft gave people a glimpse of the external HD-DVD drive for the Xbox 360. It works, and its supposed to be a cheaper solution than a real HD-DVD player.
Kevin Collins, senior program manager at Microsoft, gave a demonstration of the new HD-DVD 'add-on' for the Xbox 360. Not only is it real but it should be cheaper then any HD-DVD player on the market for the Holiday season (price unknown yet).
Why? The HD-DVD drive is external, but utilizes the Xbox 360's core processing inside the console for audio and video. That means, if you already own a 360, you're already owning half the power of a typical HD-DVD player for your entertainment system. You are just missing that critical piece, you know, the one that understands what an HD-DVD really is.
This move to utilize the console for processing keeps the price down on the drive because half the components are already owned by the consumer. The drive is external, so customers have the option to buy or to pass. This is not true with the competing PlayStation 3 because consumers (and developers alike) are required to buy into Blu-Ray technology if they want to play video games.
Realistically these two competing consoles will not make or break the format wars, but they are a starting platform for battle.
Kevin Collins, senior program manager at Microsoft, gave a demonstration of the new HD-DVD 'add-on' for the Xbox 360. Not only is it real but it should be cheaper then any HD-DVD player on the market for the Holiday season (price unknown yet).
Why? The HD-DVD drive is external, but utilizes the Xbox 360's core processing inside the console for audio and video. That means, if you already own a 360, you're already owning half the power of a typical HD-DVD player for your entertainment system. You are just missing that critical piece, you know, the one that understands what an HD-DVD really is.
This move to utilize the console for processing keeps the price down on the drive because half the components are already owned by the consumer. The drive is external, so customers have the option to buy or to pass. This is not true with the competing PlayStation 3 because consumers (and developers alike) are required to buy into Blu-Ray technology if they want to play video games.
Realistically these two competing consoles will not make or break the format wars, but they are a starting platform for battle.
