CES: External HD DVD drive for Xbox 360
by Christopher Grant 
{ Jan 5th 2006 at 12:30AM }
In mid-December Microsoft
stated,
"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." It's true they never lied; the HD DVD drive won't be inside the Xbox 360,
it will be an external drive. During the CES Keynote, Microsoft's Peter Moore announced the device: "The new drive
will offer millions of Xbox 360 owners the ability to easily enjoy HD DVD movies and will provide consumers with even
more choices for experiencing high-definition content, in either physical or digital form."It is notable that he specified "movies" and not gaming. As discussed earlier, if Microsoft offers two tiers of games, DVD9 and HD DVD, it could alienate the consumers who do not own the external drive and aggravate developers whose next-gen development budgets will be stretched as it is, without multiple console variations. This external drive is Microsoft's response to Sony's relentless Blu-Ray marketing, an effort to remove this contention from the next-gen purchasing decision. Will a low priced, next-generation DVD player really help sell consoles? Since Microsoft still has to ensure that HD DVD wins the console war, there are clearly plenty more battles left in this war.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Don Wilson @ Jan 5th 2006 2:14AM
An external player for the XBox 360? Eh, no thanks. Accessories like this have always failed in almost every instance.
J @ Jan 5th 2006 5:10AM
Ask Sega:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sega_CD
or
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sega_32x
So much success!
Darkstar DX @ Jan 5th 2006 5:22AM
Anyone remember the Saturn?
Deth @ Jan 5th 2006 7:37AM
The only thing I have to say is dont be too hastey with your decisions. What if movie studios begin producing HD-DVD movies by the drove and you can buy a player for a nominal cost? Why would you not buy it? it should not really be lumped with the Sega CD or 32X, as those were game playing add ons, so of course they were not going to do well (except with hardcore).
PJ @ Jan 5th 2006 12:42PM
Here is my take:
1) External HD DVD Drive = movies only; optional; just an attempt by MS to boost the HD DVD format; does not have much to do with the actual 360.
Xbox 360 w/ DVD Drive = the system; the gaming machine.
2) The question is, why buy the Xbox add on drive versus any other HD DVD drive if it is only for movies (let's assume equal cost, bear with me)?
Answer? The 360 is an integrated, online beast. I enjoy watching movies and switching to the dashboard at any time. I can chat with friends and/or send messages. My friends can invite me to join them in a game of PDZ. Point is, the Xbox add on drive will (presumably) be able to keep that same seemless 360 user interface.
I'm so in....
Anderson Imes @ Jan 5th 2006 5:24PM
In PC games at the moment, you can often find a game both in CD format and on DVDs so that you can choose between disc swapping and no disc swapping, depending on what hardware you have. Why wouldn't it be feasible for this to be the intent on the Xbox 360?
Don Wilson @ Jan 5th 2006 7:27PM
You guys have to realize that it's no doubt that there will be a need for an additional powerpack for this extra DVD drive. The USB power running through the cable is enough to power a USB key, not a DVD player.
MarvinK @ Jan 6th 2006 10:47AM
If the 360 wasnt unacceptably loud,it might be appealing. The fans are too loud for a standard DVD player--let alone an HD one.
Maybe with the HD player they can pay ATI to get their video playback performance more on par with the PC ATI cards... right now, it isnt.