HD-DVD Drives Selling Well... For Xbox 360 At Least

We've all heard the story "Blu-Ray is beating HD-DVD month after month," but what we may not have known is that the add-on by Microsoft is doing pretty well for them. A Microsoft representative has gone on record saying 155,000 Xbox 360 HD-DVD drives have been sold in the U.S.

Now, this doesn't mean the accessory has sold more units than that of a controller or headset, it just means that "overall" it has made them more money. Money is what the industry is all about, right?

"Even with the combination of standalone HD DVD players and the Xbox 360 add-on, the overall number of HD DVD-capable players is less than the total number of Blu-ray playing machines. The difference between those two, however, is that every HD DVD player or drive is purchased with the intention of playing movies. On the other hand, not every Blu-ray machine is (with the majority of them being PlayStation 3 consoles) purchased for movies."

That's the rub! When one buys a PS3 you're buying a Blu-Ray player. You may not believe that is true but that's how Sony sees the industry trends. This is clear in their motivation to make the PS3 cheaper than a standard "less featured" stand-alone Blu-Ray player at launch and allowing their manufacturing shortages to focus on PS3 units over stand-alone units.

What about the fact that the PS3 bundled initial consoles with a Blu-Ray movie instead of a game?

Overall, the Microsoft HD-DVD add-on is doing well, revenue wise, and that's all a company can really ask for. Their obviously not as invested in the High-Def DVD wars as Sony is so initial sales figures are higher than anyone could have expected.

On top of which, the drive is optional, so those that are buying it are buying it with the intention of watching high definition content.

source: dailytech.com