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Alright, I just wanted to start by stating that almost everything from this article makes sense, sort of, except for the name of the supposed incoming SKU. Mainly because Microsoft’s naming schemes haven’t been known to make sense for too long, for example there was the Xbox and then the Xbox 360, not the Xbox 2.
Basically, the logic behind the meat of this story is that there was the 360 Core, then Premium, next the Elite, and soon, the Ultimate (Legendary after that anyone?). So, now that we have addressed my issues with the supposed name, lets get into the story.
Some guy at some forum (Proelite from Neogaf to be more exact) said that his one of the employees at his local Gamestop told him that they are getting a new SKU, and essentially what is happening (with the HDMI being added to the Premium systems and the HD-DVD drive prices dropping) is the Elite’s feature, minus color, are being dropped down to the Premium systems, and then there is a new SKU for a system that is basically an Elite (don’t know which color) with an integrated HD-DVD drive.
The reason why, to me, this makes sense is because I firmly believe that their were two driving factors for Microsoft not including a next generation Optical drive in their system from the beginning, the first is price (hehehmm, $600 PS3?) and the second is they didn’t know if either would lose significant ground.
Right now, Blu-Ray is winning by about 10%, if you ask me that could be corrected by subtracting the massive number of PS3’s with them integrated, and even then, winning by 10% isn’t enough to really say one is losing. So, since HD-DVDs aren’t losing by a lot, and Xbox 360s are selling like hot cakes, and there is now an HDMI port on the 360, why not go ahead and integrate the drives. Besides, Microsoft has already proven the modularity of their system with the USB HD-DVD drive they have already released, and integrating the drives would allow for larger game discs I would reckon.
Like I said, I have no idea how true this information is, but it does kind of make sense.
[Rumor Mill] Xbox 360 With built in HD-DVD player built in coming next year [via gamers-creed]
They need to integrate the ugly power brick and hardrive first…..PS3 FTW!!!
ayayaya no es bueno. Did someone hit you with the stupid stick?
Hmm, probably onto something here…..
Hey Jackass, PS3’s are $500, and are selling better then the 360 since the PS3 price drop.
P.S. Eat ***** JERKOFF
I have been hearing this rumour at more than one source, that the Ultimate SKU is coming. It has been the same with the Elite, so i am pretty confident that the Ultimate is on the way. By the way the Hard Drive size is rumoured to be 320gb.
Someone posting that their Gamestop manager said this in a thread about how stupid Gamestop employees can be somehow makes this a rumour? Nice reporting.
gaf -> internet -> gaf
microsoft comments in the past: we dont need HDMI, we dont need more HDD space, we dont need to integrate an HD drive, we dont need more space for games blahblahblah. why dont they just admit sony did the right thing. yea the price is high but it has to be or they wil be robbing themselves. Microsoft are, sory to break it down, following sonys footsteps.
now sony need to follow microsoft and intergrate their PSN into the XMB.
wtf is this article writer on about? HD-DVD sales are only 1/3rd that of BD MOVIE sales.. And hardware wise its even worse for HD-DVD if you take into account for the PS3. If sales fo BD are so good on the movies, what sort of stupidity would it be to put in a HD-DVD drive when it has very little chance of being much of a contender. Look at the studio support, look at things like BlockBuster support, even look at HD-DVD hardware sales (most are X360 addons!!!!).
Additionally, PS3 has been outselling X360 for last couple of months now. “Selling like hotcakes” is complete and utter rubbish. Even MS reported in their last quarter only 1 million units sold worldwide!!!! Seems you are living in bit of a fantasy land…
It seems that GTA4’s delay was due to the game not being able to fit on a DVD9, and inside sources were saying that the delay was timed to coincide with the release of a new special edition GTA-themed 360. It seems extremely likely that this new special edition 360 will have an HD-DVD drive and that GTA4 Ultimate Edition will only be available on HD-DVD and Blu-Ray. The other versions of 360 will get a stripped down version that fits on DVD.
Why do they insist on keep making more packages? What happened to the days when we only had one type of console from each company and they battled it out. Its actualy almost hard to belive that Nintendo got criticised for re making their handhelds.
You’re retarded.. Sony has sold less than 5M units (and thats being generous) worldwide since their launch holiday season 2006. http://nexgenwars.com/
And no they haven’t been outselling 360’s. They topped their sales for what a month maybe and by a slight margin. You must be proud of them for their mediocrity. A small spurt in sales overshadows a year of incompetence and garbage and you’re ready to claim victory? Seriously, go drink the stuff under the sink.
You mean $600… The 60GB are being liquidated and the 80gb will be the flagship and the only console available. But then again you could be right. Since PS3s are sitting in the stores collecting dust I guess we could say theres $500 model up for grabs.
Too little to late microsoft, still can’t use the HD Dvd for games….Peter Moore left cause the ship was going down… Ohhh noes vista crashed again!!!!
This wont happen, they will just start using the HDD to uncompress data, You dont need bigger Media at the moment unless you cant program properly ;¬)
The release of GTA was delayed because of the PS3 problems. Its too hard to program for at the mo. The game was running fine on the ol xbox.Hopefully the time will enable R* to iron out some of the slow down issues on the xbox version and hopefully fix the unplayable PS3 version.
In the long run doesnt matter too much, both the consoles have a fairly decent release shedule up untill xmas, the xbox has slightly better but hey, you cant moan.
It’s called the Xbox 360 and not the “Xbox 2″ because it would be a bad move next to the Playstation 3; i.e. uninformed consumers may think the Xbox 2 would be less gusty than the Playstation 3, with the smaller number on the end and all.
The truth is, Sony made a system that no one could afford and Microsoft built a box that was too bare-bones to sustain itself beyond a year or two. Sony, TOTALLY blew the PS3 launch. They have YET to release an exclusive title that makes their new console worth buying (thought I bought one anyway). Microsoft did almost everything right… at first. Not integrating the HD-DVD drive was smart. Most consumers didn’t have HiDef TVs for their original xbox or PS2 and I doubt the majority ran out and purchased new sets just for their console. Two years ago very few people were buying (or even thinking about) HiDef moviesr, so the integrated drive wasn’t even an issue.
Now, yes, Microsoft is probably wishing they had more space on their discs. I don’t think I’d say that Sony was thinking ahead where Microsoft wasn’t. Blu-ray integration was a way for Sony to leverage their media format into the market moreso than to provide much-needed space for content. Sure, bigger discs for games is a good excuse, but with digital delivery on the horizon, and Microsoft and Sony both obviously looking at it seriously, I think the disc capacity becomes less of a concern. Who cares if a Blu-ray disc can hold 50gigs of data if your core game can fit into 1gig of space and the rest of the content is downloaded to the console’s hard drive while you play? I think the whole disc-capacity argument is moot if you’re talking about the future of gaming.
what a pointless exercise, why make a console better through re-releases? Everybody who wants the 360 has one so why not make the new components upgradeable options?
Please get your facts straight… BR is out selling HDDVD by 2:1… so that would be 100% more not 10%
Please get your facts straight… BR is out selling HDDVD by 2:1… so that would be 100% more not 10%
That nothing is PS3’s userbase not Blu Ray standard player. HD DVD standard player is still outselling Blu Ray.
So anyway I won’t support Blu Ray player and PS3. PS3 was worst than PS2. Wii is sell better than PS3. They are not my taste type. Blu Ray is less impressive and stupid name. I rally hopeful Blu Ray is fail and dead burn. My opinion
This argument is kind of stupid:
xbox360 is better than ps3 right now:
why????
-Better development environment for games.
-Better games as a result of the superior development environment and less complicated hardware to program to.
Reasons why i resent xbox360 being better than ps3:
-The ridiculous failure rates on the system. (No doubt my DVD drive broke after only a few months)
The hack to grab the firmware + key from the newest drive models they’re stuffing into these space heaters is ridiculous. I refuse to pay Microsoft to fix it and Jesus when I was first tinkering inside the box I burned my hand on the heat sink after it had been running under 30 seconds with the case open!!!
First of all Microsofe and Microsoft ALONE can debunk this rumor. Since this website has no direct contact with Microsoft and since Microsoft hasn’t said anything regarding the rumor, it’s not debunked. It’s not TRUE, but it’s not debunked either. I will agree with you that Gamestop employees believe they are God’s give to the videogame world and that if they speak it, it is true. The main point I want to make is that just because a 360 would come with a built in HD-DVD drive DOESN’T MEAN THE DRIVE HAS TO SUPPORT VIDEO GAMES. Please read that last statement carefully. If Microsoft wanted HD-DVD video game playback they could have and would have done so with the addition of the external drive. Several people like myself (and by several I mean tens if not hundreds of thousands) like the idea of HD-DVD playback on the 360, just not in two units. When 360 was unveiled it was touted as being the center of your home theatre entertainment system. Having your 360 and it’s little HD-DVD Mini Me sitting side by side or one on top of the other isn’t nearly as impressive, sleek, or sexy as having an all in one unit. The only reason Blu-Ray was built into the PS3 is because Sony actually developed that technology and wants to push it onto the market by any means necessary and they understand that peripherals, in general, just don’t sell well…ESPECIALLY ADD ON DRIVES (see Sega CD, 32x, and Jaguar CD). Despite what Microsoft may want you to think I can promise you sales for the external HD-DVD drive haven’t met their expectation. There’s also new life to the HD-DVD format with both Dreamworks and Paramount exclusively supporting the format now evening up the odds a bit (although that alone won’t tilt the tide away from Blu-Ray’s majority share of the market). Not only would initial sales of a 360 model with built in HD-DVD (keeping in mind it’s for movie playback only) sell really well if they just combined it with an 80G harddrive and priced it for what the Premium + the External drive cost, it would probably enduce several early adopters to sell back their cores, premiums, and several probably selling back both a 360 and an external drive to get the ability all in one sleek and sexy system. Some people might point to a hitch in that Microsoft doesn’t get any money from HD-DVD sales as hindering this from happening. If that were the case why’d they even bother releasing the external drive? Either there is a deal in place between Microsoft and Toshiba (the primary developer of the HD-DVD technology), or that aspect is of no and has never been of any concern to Microsoft. Bottom line is, the above is all evidence that this may in fact (and I hope it is) be legitimate and until Microsoft says one way or another, has to at least be entertained as possibly being true and cannot be debunked.
On a side note right now games being developed for 360 are running somewhat smoother than on PS3 (even though I mainly back my PS3 and own both systems). Downloading parts of a game like one of the guys above was talking about is still a system generation away and the only stuff that will affect the majority of this generation’s shelf life in terms of downloadable content will be extra map packs, missions, etc. You will probably start to see game content constriction come become an issue if not by the end of next year almost 2 years from now as the boundaries of regular DVD are really being tested and pushed to the limit as it is. Sony has definately pinned themselves behind the 8-ball early on and a lot of their library right now is mediocre at best, but you will begin to see the tides change in the next two years. Sony won last time’s console war with an inferior system due to superior games (you Xbox fanboys can point to Halo and I’ll give you that, and Fable, but the numbers just don’t lie and you’ve got to start dealing with that) and while some exclusives like GTA and Resident Evil have become multi platform Sony’s got the edge with exclusive franchises that span so many genres like Metal Gear, God of War, Shadow of Colossus, Gran Turismo, and Final Fantasy that Microsoft just can’t stack up to. Yes Xbox is THE console for First Person shooters, and the console for racing. Any other genre though and you’ll find great games on both platforms but you’ll find MORE of them on a Playstation. There’s a LOT of exclusive cards left up Sony’s sleeve (MGS4, God of War 3, probably a sequel to Shadow of the Colossus, both Final Fantasy 13 games) so it will be very interesting and exciting to see how this all plays out.
Even if its a rumor, I hope it becomes true, I bought an Xbox 360 elite a month ago, and I just returned it right after I read a rumor about The Xbox 360 ultimate. I definitly need to save some money for it if it comes out. What seems to have been confirmed is that Microsoft has been developing a new Xbox 360, code named “Falcon” which would have an improved microchip to prevent overheating, and that “red ring” problem. I think this new version is supposed to come out later this year. If Microsoft do decide to make this new Xbox 360 ultimate, I am definitly buying it, because I would prefer an internal HD DVD drive instead of an external. Also this would be a good idea if Microsoft wants the HD DVD format to win over blu ray, since HD DVD has picked up momentum after Paramount and Dreamworks decided to drop Bluray and support HD DVD only. An internal HD DVD drive would most likely increase sales of HD DVD players and eventually HD DVD movies, just like what Sony did with the PS3.
I don’t have an xBOX 360 but I can see why you guys would do that and all and it is probably quite a good choice before it was too late.
Ok, heres the thing. i have been a fan of sony since the ps1. then the ps2. then it was the xbox. i really like them both. yes. they both have pros and cons. like, the xbox has a far more better online service than sony. but i do like sony’s online because its free. i am going to buy the xbox360 elite today. the reason why im not going to purchase the ps3 is because i just like it better. its not because of the price, just because i like it. i think making more “improved” gaming systems is a sure way to make and or lose money. of the rumors i hear, an internal hd dvd player does sound nice, but is it necessary? i dont think so. i like it because it is black, hdmi for my 42′ plasma 1080p, and of course, halo 1,2, and soon enough, 3. my friend has a ps3 and it is nice. graphics are amazing. but i prefer the 360. i would recommened them both. i guess it is all about what you want in a gaming system.
@Joe
Very true, I personally haven’t owned an XBOX so I cannot say much about them but I have owned a Sony for a LONG time so have fell in love with them so I cannot really distinguish which is better.
no way in hell that site is legit. learn how to check you’re sources. in fact this site itself is pretty pathetic… just go to the companys site to get your facts. dont rely on stupid blog sites or forums.
Well lets look back at MS past before online ther was the big rumor about the elite and lets see that happened for sure. Now what makes this rumor anymore different from the elite rumor? ITs hard to denie something that will happen well only time will tell folks and let me tell you something i really think that this is for real man. No doubt at all. When it does launch i will have it because unlike some people i didnt buy a 360 when it first came out and i still dont own one but i will when this Sku comes out!
Im a manager at a gamestop in new york, i can almost gurantee you that we are not receiving any such thing, and where do you get your numbers from? how is 3 to 1 only 10%? Bluray is dominating
“integrating the drives would allow for larger game discs I would reckon.”
there in alienating all current 360 users? Don’t think so. Because You’d have to buy this new console just to play 360 games if that were the case. If a HD-DVD drive were to be integrated it’s sole intention would be to provide fuel to the Hollywood Format war which, imo, while true, is a joke in it’s own right. But the addition of would not be to provide more space and higher quality games to the 360 because you’d have to own this model to utilize and play the discs. And Unless MS is going to abandon the 360 already, and that would be a huge mistake on their part because most gamers aren’t willing to dump a 2-3 year old console for a new model I find that portion to be highly unlikely…
I wouldn’t be surprised to see it happen, but there’s really no reason for it either.
When you talk about blu ray players outselling hd dvd players, that is true. Even though most if not all of the blu ray players are the ps3 and I’d like to say that around 75% of the hd dvd players are stand alone. I mean I’m not everyone but I think most of the people with the ps3 haven’t even touched any blu ray movies. Again I have no numbers to back this up but I mean come on, ” Hey guys come over to my house and we can watch
Resident Evil: Extinction on blu-ray or spiderman 3.” Crap I can’t think of any other crappy sony produced movie that is available only on blu ray.
I hope MS reads these posts and understands that the public wants the Xbox 360 with HD-DVD, HDMI, upgradeable HDD, etc. I think the use of HD-DVD for content is worth the value. I purchased the Xbox 360 Pro in 2006, I would purchase the Xbox 360 Ultimate in 2008 so that I can get the most out of the gaming system / media center. I would love to see it by Thanksgiving 2008, I would have a Merry Christmas. And if any Microsoft employees are reading this, Please give us want we want, otherwise we have no choice but to go to the darkside (PS3).
If they would have waited, and put this type of system together and had it at launch they may have been ahead now. Instead of ******** people and releasing a pos.
I don’t have any of these systems. and this is a good reason why.
I’ll wait until everyone get their shit straight.
..But if I had to choose one right now, I’d go with ps3 just because as of right now its better overall.
The numbers about blu-ray only being up by %10 are wrong. Blu-ray has 66% of the HD movie market leaving HD-DVD with 33% giving Blu-ray the lead by 33%.
The Xbox 360 is complete garbage. Don’t get me wrong, I love playing mine, but the thing is total crap. I actually own 2, the first is in 100 pieces in a box in my basement somewhere (the result of no initial 3RROD warranty). Every time i turn on my 360 I expect it to start flashing 3 red lights. The only reason I have kept playing is because the online play is better than for my Playstation. Well…that was until Xbox Live started to act up pretty much daily. Now Microsoft actually believes that I will shell out an additional $400+ for another version of their machine with some useless upgrades? BUILD THE ******* THING PROPERLY IN THE FIRST PLACE!
Ps,
The quality of everything physical on the PS3 is better, with 360’s only winning trait being online play. In my opinion Uncharted is the best game for either platform, so trashing PS3 for not having any ‘winning’ titles is silly.
EnglandJonathan
“If they would have waited, and put this type of system together and had it at launch they may have been ahead now.” MS have sold about 8.4million (10.4 if you listen to MS) 360 consoles to date, Ninentendo have sold 4million and the PS3 1.4m.
“Instead of ******** people and releasing a pos.” Please define POS??!?!?
“I don’t have any of these systems. and this is a good reason why.” So you have no right to comment on these systems.
“I’ll wait until everyone get their **** straight.” What are you waiting for, by the time you choose the next systems will be in development.
“..But if I had to choose one right now, I’d go with ps3 just because as of right now its better overall.” Again please define better overall, games? no. Online setup? cant be. Sony fan boy? must be!
I have all 3 systems and the 360 wins be a long way, the wii is great for a post pub play and the ps3 is collecting dust.
All of these systems will be developed over time, you cant expect them to get it right straight out the box. I didnt need 20gb of storage when I first got the 360, now my 120gb elite drive is full, bring on the Ultimate I say.
Forums and chats like these are pretty much a waster of time, cause no one here KNOWS anything….Who cares if you Like the PS3 over 360. They are both here to stay. Like coke and pepsi sort of. Geessh….I just love a MS hater….Go ahead and use your apple 2 and be happy.
LOL WTF 360 UNTIMATE LOL CUATOS MAS VIENEN NO PUEDEN CON EL PS3 CABRONES SEAN REALISTES TODO NO JODAN MAS CON ESO YA COMO QUIERA TODOS NOS ROPAN LOS CHAVOS JAJAJA
BD vs HDVD is %66 to %33…in North America….
In Japan BD is at %90 to %10
Europe %75 to %25
Haven’t checked out Australia/PAL territories yet but I’m sure it’s the same trend…
Plus regarding exclusive software it’s 5 major studios(with WB that just switched) vs 2.
Plus 2 undecided studios.