Microsoft Says No Current Xbox 360 HD DVD Plans

One day after Japanese reports sprung up about the future of HD-DVD and Xbox 360, Microsoft has issued an official response.

Microsoft lists two points in response to the reports claiming that it has, as of the 14th, entered into final development phases with Toshiba and other HD-DVD backers to release an HD-DVD version of the Xbox 360 some time next year after Spring. The first point: "Microsoft, in both America and Japan, has not announced anything regarding the possibility of a next generation DVD drive being placed in the Xbox 360." And the second point: "There are currently no plans to release an Xbox 360 equipped with a next generation DVD player."

IGN

It’s a prospect that has been raised before, not least by two senior Microsoft staffers.. ..In August, Gates said the company was "looking at whether future versions of Xbox 360 will incorporate an additional capacity of an HD-DVD player or something else". Last month, Maruyama said such a move was a "possibility", though probably for movie playback rather than game storage.

Gates and Maruyama talk about options; the spokesman simply indicated no firm decision has been taken, and no formal announcement made. He didn’t say the company wasn’t considering such a move. Which of course, given Microsoft’s support for HD DVD and arch-rival Sony’s decision to build Blu-ray into the PlayStation 3, it may well be…

The Register