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The Dark Overlord wrote: REDMOND, Wash.--Although some have suggested that the upcoming PlayStation 3 might have a more powerful engine, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates said he's happy with the Xbox 360.

"Our view is basically we've got a Ferrari, they've got a Ferrari," Gates said in a question-and-answer session at Thursday's meeting with financial analysts. "Our Ferrari is leaving the starting line substantially before their Ferrari is, and in most races that's a very nice thing."

Huh... Never expected that from Mr Gates but it does put things in perspective and its a nice tagline to boot.

With the fact that sony is considering delaying the PS3 launch until like....2k7 Id say Bill Gate's ferrari will be too far ahead to stop.

Not to mention Microsoft plans to launch Halo 3 the same day the PS3 launches so immediatly Sony will have to face the economic might of one of Microsoft and Bungie's prised posessecions.

I'm just waiting for him to actually say if he'll be releasing the X-Box 361 with the PS3/Revolution like I keep hearing, or if the word of a HD-DVD XBOX are bull...

Their not bull, but its intresting, does he force everyone to buy a new Xbox360 with HD-DVD or do they get left in the dust?

Tiger Ace wrote:Their not bull, but its intresting, does he force everyone to buy a new Xbox360 with HD-DVD or do they get left in the dust?

Knowing Microsoft tactics, they will simply stop selling anything for the old one as soon as possible.

Tiger Ace wrote:Their not bull, but its intresting, does he force everyone to buy a new Xbox360 with HD-DVD or do they get left in the dust?

supposedly the 360 will be upgradeable if M$ deams it crucial

It has 3 USB 2 ports, just plug in an HD-DVD drive and play. Just use multiple plugs if one doesn't provide enough bandwith (which I kinda doubt).

I'm betting the HD-DVD will be for movies, and all the games will still be in DVD format.

Apparently, there are no credible sources for the information that Microsoft is going to release an HD-DVD version of the Xbox 360. I'd call it big-time rumor until we hear something official.

It's not Microsoft's refusal to put in an HD-DVD in the Xbox 360 that is strange, it's Sony's insistance on putting a Blu-Ray in the PS3. I'd love to have a high def DVD option on my game console, but lets be realistic here, high-def DVD is probably one of the major things that is driving up the cost of the PS3. The first gen standalone players aren't even availible yet for HD-DVD, and the Blu-Ray players that are on the market in Japan are costing $3k+. I want high def DVD, but I'm not going to pay $500 for a first gen PS3 to get it.

Considering that most Xbox 360 games are unlikely to pass the DVD-9 limitations, Microsoft's move of using a standard DVD is the correct one.

SirNitram wrote:

Tiger Ace wrote:Their not bull, but its intresting, does he force everyone to buy a new Xbox360 with HD-DVD or do they get left in the dust?

Knowing Microsoft tactics, they will simply stop selling anything for the old one as soon as possible.

That's not going to happen, if Microsoft does release an Xbox 360 with an HD-DVD player, it's going to be used for movies only, not for games.

It's not Microsoft's refusal to put in an HD-DVD in the Xbox 360 that is strange, it's Sony's insistance on putting a Blu-Ray in the PS3.

It's not SO strange. Sony has always tried to foist their proprietary products on the marketplace. The PS3 is the Sony Uber-Proprietary Machine.... their own super-duper processor, their own optical media format, their own non-volatile storage format (which they've been trying to get us to use for more than half a decade)...

It's a smart move on Sony's part if it actually pays off. If they can get a few million PS3's sold, that all but guarantees that Blu-Ray will be a long-lasting format. Blu-Ray's success is almost as important as the PS3's in some respects.

Considering that most Xbox 360 games are unlikely to pass the DVD-9 limitations, Microsoft's move of using a standard DVD is the correct one.

I agree. I think all the people whining and bitching about HD movie standards with regards to game consoles are just muddying the waters. If I can watch a movie on my console, that's just icing on the fucking cake. But if I can't.... hell, I can still play games, right? Isn't that why I bought the damn thing? If I want to watch movies, I'll wait until there's a $100 dedicated player.

Arthur_Tuxedo wrote:I'm betting the HD-DVD will be for movies, and all the games will still be in DVD format.

That's what Bill Gates hinted at several months ago.

SPOOFE wrote: It's not SO strange. Sony has always tried to foist their proprietary products on the marketplace. The PS3 is the Sony Uber-Proprietary Machine.... their own super-duper processor, their own optical media format, their own non-volatile storage format (which they've been trying to get us to use for more than half a decade)...

It's a smart move on Sony's part if it actually pays off. If they can get a few million PS3's sold, that all but guarantees that Blu-Ray will be a long-lasting format. Blu-Ray's success is almost as important as the PS3's in some respects.

I agree that it is a smart move for SONY, but not a smart move for SCEA. Sony corporate must be behind this decision, and if the PS3 costs $100 more just for the ability to play Blu-Ray, then it is a failure as a games machine and this will drastically affect its sales.

However, Sony corporate may be willing to take that hit if it means Blu-Ray becomes the standard for high definition DVD. Still, it's hard to imagine how the people in the Playstation division agreed to this; it obviously a bad move with mounting pressure from Microsoft.

I agree. I think all the people whining and bitching about HD movie standards with regards to game consoles are just muddying the waters. If I can watch a movie on my console, that's just icing on the fucking cake. But if I can't.... hell, I can still play games, right? Isn't that why I bought the damn thing? If I want to watch movies, I'll wait until there's a $100 dedicated player.

Indeed, that's exactly how I see it. A High Def DVD player would be awesome to have in my game console, but I'm not paying a huge premium for it, especially considering how primitive the last generation was in DVD playing capacity. I'd much rather buy a $300 console, and then buy a standalone DVD deck. The fact that the market hasn't settled on a high def DVD format yet only makes waiting an even better decision.

And let's not forget that it took several years for DVD to be accepted as a standard. It wasn't until the late '90s that it really started to take off, and that was without any sort of game console madness going on to muck up the works. Given the chaotic nature that standard shifts have had in the past, anyone that makes their game console choice based on its movie playing capabilities has been drinking moonshine.

I don't see how anyone thinks it makes a lick of difference if Halo 3 is going to be released the same day as the PS3 release. People in the market for a PS3 are not going to be swayed because a new game for a system they either already have or don't give a fuck about is out It's complete apples and oranges.

The delay of the PS3 would also give Bungie more time to finish Halo 3 up properly, as opposed to the rush job it seemed they'd have to do.

Well, I think Microsoft is counting on the Halo crowd to be camped out in front of the local game shop, waiting for it to open. When they discover PS3 people in their midst... not pretty.

SPOOFE wrote:And let's not forget that it took several years for DVD to be accepted as a standard. It wasn't until the late '90s that it really started to take off, and that was without any sort of game console madness going on to muck up the works. Given the chaotic nature that standard shifts have had in the past, anyone that makes their game console choice based on its movie playing capabilities has been drinking moonshine.

That's precisely the reason I see Blu-Ray or HD-DVD will be utter failures commercially. People have JUST finished phasing out their video collections for DVD collections which for almost all people, is perfectly fine. The quality of most DVDs is very good. Replacing them would be a long and painful thing, especially if there are no standards. Take a look at the dozens of memory card configurations right now for example on the mess... Blu-Ray and HD-DVD will go the path of Laserdisc. Nifty for the time, but not practical commercially.

Plus. To fully utilize either Blu-Ray or HD-DVD, you're going to need not one, but two expensive systems. An HD TV, which is still not practical nor cheap, and an expensive console with expensive games. Having the fanciest console for a high price just doesn't work. Just look at Neo-Geo.

Doesn't matter if XBox 360 is out a year ahead of PS3, because if it isn't backward compatible, then I won't purchase it until that price drops like a rock in 12-18 months.