Microsoft: Blu-Ray Support Is Not a Requested Feature

From X-bit Labs: The current situation of the economy around the globe requests makers of popular devices to build-in more functionality into their products to stay competitive, however, this does not seem to be true for Microsoft Xbox 360 and Blu-ray format.

Even though our market sources indicated Microsoft Corp.’s intention to make available an external Blu-ray disc (BD) drive for Microsoft Xbox 360 video game console, the company itself claims that the platform does not need the support for the format. It is obvious that video game consoles are acquired to play games, but while the PlayStation 3 can play BD movies and Wii can be controlled by motion-sensing controllers, the Xbox 360 can support neither technology.

“It’s not a feature we get a ton of requests for. We really don’t. When you ask people the list of things they want to see us spending time creating in Xbox, Blu-ray is way, way down on the list,” said Robert J. Bach, president entertainment and devices division at Microsoft, in an interview with TechFlash web-site.

Microsoft itself is trying to sell content using its own Xbox Live network.

“From a technical perspective, it doesn’t help us in the core of what Xbox does, which is in gaming. We can’t have publishers produce games on Blu-ray disc. Because then they won’t play on the 28 million Xboxes we’ve already shipped. So it doesn’t help us in the core gaming space,” said Mr. Bach.

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