Microsoft has confirmed that it has plans to offer customers a Blu-Ray player option to its console Xbox 360. Due to their unenthuasiasm for the BD-Java technology, the software giant originally had adopted the HD-DVD format which was recently phased out – leaving Blu-Ray the victor in the format war.
In the past, Microsoft had clearly stated that it will not be adopting the Blu-Ray format for their Xbox 360 unless there was a high demand. It looks like with the increasing sales of the Sony Playstation 3, Microsoft is now quickly acting to offer a Blu-Ray option to match its console competitor.
Microsoft has contracted a Toshiba-Samsung joint venture to manufacture external Blu-Ray disc drives for the Xbox 360 console. The company is hoping to offer the new drives for about $100-$150 in order to compete with the Sony Playstation 3 in the video game console market.
There is no mention of when the drives will be offered to consumers as of yet, although there is anticipation that they may be available as early as the holiday season. Otherwise, it’s most likely Microsoft will be postponing the unveiling until the Consumer Electronics Show early next year in order to attract the most attention concerning the device.
