One of Toshiba's senior executives is predicting that Microsoft will ship a third version of the Xbox 360 by the end of 2006, with the new sku featuring an internal HD-DVD drive.
The core version price could drop. The premium version could take the cores current price, and this new version could be sold for $399. You of course might not even want the HD-DVD so you don't have to buy it. If you already own a premium, you buy the external HD-DVD for $99. All of this would make Sony's PS3 $599 sell even more difficult, and I think it's a great strategy against blu-ray.
There was a different story about this yesterday....
XB360 is about choice. MS executives have been fairly consistent in that mantra since last year's release. Adding an internal HD-DVD would only benefit Toshiba, but the add-on is already going to be available.
Well, you would still have choice if they just add one option so you'll get:
Core - 199 Euro Premium with DVD - 299 Euro Premium with HD-DVD - 399 Euro/dollar (or maybe leave the current prices and get a Premium with a HD-DVD drive for the same price as the Core PSZero 499 Euro!)
It helps Toshiba and MS with the HD-DVD format, it takes away loose running people that only buy a PSZero for the next gen drive.
It would be more like: $299-Core $399-Premium $499-549 Premium w/ HD-DVD
Theres no way you could buy a premium and hddvd player for $400. the stand alone hddvd player now is $500 by its self. The above prices would still be very good, considering whats in the box
What you are saying is also in my post with the price 499 for a HD-DVD version.
But still. Why couldn't they do it for 399? Even if it's 100 dollars less then a stand alone player?
They do it with the PSZero including BetaBluRay also. A stand alone BetaBluRay player can easily cost up to 1.000 to 1.200 dollars/euro's And a PSZero costs 600 dollars.
So I don't see why they couldn't do it with less loss even on a 360. Keep in mind: Toshiba will have a great advantage also if they can get MS to get an extra version. They have something to compete with videofans that only buy a PSZero for cheap BetaBluRay support.
They will even want to pay MS to have the thing included I bet. The add-on drive also only cost 199 Euro's/dollars max for HD-DVD for an external, then an internal will be a lot less then that. Especially costingprice compared to commercial prices like this. By the end of the year, they could have cut some costs at MS also by getting the CPU smaller, cheaper and yields will be up of all hardware, so it's all possible.
I mean let them do it. They catch away all the people that otherwise would bought that BetaBluRay PSZero for only next gen drive with massive HD storage.
The real gamers go for the possible cheaper option with the old DVD drive in it.
I'll say they just go on and implement that. Getting something at launch means you pay premium price. That's no problem for me. You get to play it first and have fun with it. At the end of this year when they WOULD implement the HD-DVD, I already had a full year of fun.
I hear all those Fony Fanboys already like Lametime/ssj and Achira: see you need the HD-DVD also. No we don't. But if MS thinks it helps to catch away customers @ Fony's BetaBluRayplayer and win the consolewar with even larger figures it's fine with me.
I would'nt want one. Heck, I even won't buy a seperate HD-DVD player. I think movies and games will be streamed and downloaded in a couple of years and my HDD will be 1 TB
I own an XBOX 360 premium already, and I wish they 360 had a built in HD DVD drive but that’s the price we have to pay as early adopters. I think this is what Microsoft should do. Core: $199.00 Premium: $299.00 Premium + HDVD: $399.00 I can see myself selling my Xbox 360 to a friend and buying myself the SKU with the HD DVD drive. (I know we have the option of buying the external drive but I prefer internal). Another thing to remember is that unlike the PS3 the 360 would only use the HD-DVD for movies not for games, so when it comes to games all SKU function the same way.
Historically, the adoption rate of peripherals is very low (ie, Sony HDD) so I see very few adopters to the external HD-DVD by MS. The peripheral also doesn't appear to offer an HDMI port rendering the entire thing useless beyond storage.
Since MS has committed to maintaining DVD9 as its max storage for gameplay the HD-DVD's only purpose would be as an HD movie playback unit. WIthout HDMI its useless. Now that HDMI 1.3 is confirmed there is no reason not to include this port.
An HD-DVD with HDMI 1.3 and 360 gameplay capabilities for $399. No brainer.
i know i´ll be piss off why? because me and the pepole who adquire the first x360 will think:" why do i buy the first x360?if i wait i can buy one with hd-dvd for the price of the dvd.Microsoft better know that if they had 5 millions x360 sold its because me and more 4.999.999 people thought x360 will be the same to final, but with this damn you microsoft for make me buy a x360 whit dvd and not wait and buy it with the hd-dvd,and they said at the begining that later x360 is going to be with hd-dvd i know i hadn´t buy my until them.Don´t forgot the people that made possible for microsoft to be leader of next-gen and give them a present like this. Next time i´ll wait 1 or 2 years before buy a new console just to see if they give more for the same money. For me to sell y x360 losing money and buy one with hd-dvd is out of my ideas .If this is true goodbye x360 and welcome brokestation3 because i know i´m being cheated from the begining.I will be very disappointed whit Microsoft.
I know that if this happens I would most certainly be standing on their doorstep with my hands outstretched waiting for my free HD-DVD drive, because I payed $400, well ok I payed $380 with a game cause my target discount, but that doesn't matter.
If you buy something at launch and it gets cheaper after a year, are you also going back to the shop to collect the difference in price?
So if they would cut prices of a premium to 350 or 300 dollars/euro's. Would you demand 50 or 100 euro's/dollars back?
Ofcourse not. I also own a 360 now. I don't care if in the future it gets a HD-DVD drive. It's alright to get the customers that buy a console just mainly for videoplayback with a next gen drive. I only think that those people are not the larger group but still.
The larger group just wants to play games on a gaming console. So they would choose the 360 over the PSZero BetaBluRayplayer anytime
if this does happen i know my premium is going to have a massive failure and need to be replaced..."it just stopped working... i dont know what happened." hurray for walmarts equal exchange on defective items!
I hope MS don't really do this. I mean do it in 5 years with the new xbox. Not now, not the generation. It just doesn't make sense. Give us something to look forward to. The xbox 360 is wonderful the way it is. Let sony scramble and tamper with what they have, don't follow suit.
This one of my pet peeves about the Xbox 360. So many damn add-ons. Sega tried add-on functionality approach with the Genesis system and I hated it. Contrary to popular belief, people tote their Consoles around a lot more than I think people realize. I know I do. I know more people who have nice HDTVs than I know have Next-Gen consoles. Lots of people are taking the very cautious approach to Next-Gen Gaming. Also contrary to popular believe HDTV owner's are interested in the HD Movie capability of a Console. After all, they didn't spend $2000+ on a TV just to play video games. I know having to tote around multiple devices around and then connect them all up is frustrating and undesirable.
So I'm a nice guy and don't mind bringing my console over (actually my tv is not that great and some of my buddies have exceptionally nice HDTVs). Also My job sometimes takes me on the road and I usually stay in motels/hotels that I can plug my console into the TV when I'm bored. Finally, I hate having a cluttered Entertainment Center in my home - it looks trashy. A simple all-in-one solution would be better. Sure hope the rumor is True. I just might get a Xbox 360 this Winter if it happens.
Your forgetting Sony will make their own drive for PS3, microshit have to buy the drive from Toshiba, meaning more cost, I personaly think the drive will cost around $200+ for X360.
sony makes very few things like this 9 times out of 10 the drives they release are just re-badges. like all of thier fancy dvd and cd druves/burners mostly lite-ons with a fancy face plate. i wouldnt be surprised if they do the same for this.
This would just add to the confusion. It won't be used for games, why add an internal version? Better to lower the cost of the console.
The core version price could drop. The premium version could take the cores current price, and this new version could be sold for $399. You of course might not even want the HD-DVD so you don't have to buy it. If you already own a premium, you buy the external HD-DVD for $99. All of this would make Sony's PS3 $599 sell even more difficult, and I think it's a great strategy against blu-ray.
Toshiba wants this to happen.. If this happens the Fing hd dvd add on better be cheap for people like me that bought 1 at launch!!
There was a different story about this yesterday....
XB360 is about choice.
MS executives have been fairly consistent in that mantra since last year's release.
Adding an internal HD-DVD would only benefit Toshiba, but the add-on is already going to be available.
Who freaking cares?
I mean let them do it. They catch away all the people that otherwise would bought that BetaBluRay PSZero for only next gen drive with massive HD storage.
The real gamers go for the possible cheaper option with the old DVD drive in it.
I'll say they just go on and implement that. Getting something at launch means you pay premium price. That's no problem for me. You get to play it first and have fun with it. At the end of this year when they WOULD implement the HD-DVD, I already had a full year of fun.
I hear all those Fony Fanboys already like Lametime/ssj and Achira: see you need the HD-DVD also. No we don't. But if MS thinks it helps to catch away customers @ Fony's BetaBluRayplayer and win the consolewar with even larger figures it's fine with me.
I would'nt want one. Heck, I even won't buy a seperate HD-DVD player. I think movies and games will be streamed and downloaded in a couple of years and my HDD will be 1 TB