May 26, 2008

Microsoft Says Blu-ray Sucks, Xbox Live Marketplace So Much Better

shanekim(2).jpg Although rumors that the next incarnation of the Xbox 360 will include a built-in Blu-ray player have started and stopped over and over again, Microsoft's Shane Kim seemingly put any chance of another rumor to rest. In fact not only has he said repeatedly that "Blu-ray is not coming to the Xbox 360 in any way shape or form", but now he's saying that "Blu-ray won't take off" at all.

I know Blu-ray provides some visual boost for people who want a physical HD format, but we're not seeing that format taking off, in general," Kim said. "The DVD format is still doing well. Eventually, the price of Blu-ray players will come down to $150 and the value proposition of a $300 or $400 PlayStation 3 as a game console and movie player will be impacted.

The above words from Kim can be interpreted to mean that Microsoft believes Blu-ray sucks so bad, the cost you would have to pay for a Blu-ray Xbox 360 isn't worth the box the game console ships in. Kim also points out the with 10 million people downloading movies from the Xbox Live Marketplace so far, Blu-ray's numbers are peanuts in comparison. Anyone want to start a rumor?

Via Format War Central