Rumorang: Built-in HD DVD drive for Xbox 360

by Kyle Orland { Oct 19th 2007 at 12:13PM }

Self-described Australian "lifestyle technology guide" Smarthouse is citing "a senior Toshiba executive in Singapore" as saying that Microsoft and Toshiba are working on a new Xbox 360 with a built-in HD DVD drive. "An Xbox with a built in HD DVD drive is critical. They and we are working on it," the unnamed executive told the site, adding that the system might have Toshiba branding rather than Microsoft (Panasonic Q, anyone?). As if that weren't enough, the article also hints at the possibility of wireless networking, an HDTV tuner and and MP3 player dock for the super-system, which would at the point probably have the MSRP of a small house.

This isn't the first time that rumors of an internal HD DVD drive for the 360 have leaked out, and it's just as hard to give them much credence now. The HD DVD-free system is soundly beating the Blu-ray equipped PS3 in sales and the $179 external drive is already serving the smallish segment market that wants high-def movies. Then again, with Blu-ray movies threatening to run away with the high-def movie crown and developers saying additional storage space is a must, maybe Microsoft is finally ready to make a strong move toward the format.

Or maybe not. According to Smarthouse, the new device won't be announced until late 2008 or even the January 2009 CES. We're not holding our breath but we're not exactly ignoring the possibility either.

Tags: Blu-Ray, drive, HD-DVD, HDDVD, internal, movies

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

nerrrrrrd @ Oct 19th 2007 12:18PM

if the powers that be want to put an internal HD-DVD drive to help push the format then hooray. however, you will never see games in any formats for the 360 besides DVD9.

Badboy1979 @ Oct 19th 2007 2:00PM

Exactly.

The thing to keep in mind (after, of course, remembering this is a RUMOR), is this quote from the post: "the unnamed executive told the site, adding that the system might have Toshiba branding rather than Microsoft".

... what I take from that, is, IF this becomes available, it would be more so a multimedia device first then a gaming console. So there probably wouldn't be a great incentive for developers to use it for HDDVD games (even if MS allowed them) considering that most of it's install base would be more so media enthusiasts (sp?) than necessary gamers and would therefore generate a very different kind of software attach rate than the current 360 owners who bought the console as a gaming machine first.

Word of the street(IDF-Digital Ruler). @ Oct 19th 2007 12:23PM

As long as the next XBOX doesn't cost 599$ alright.

I don't think we'll see a XB360 with Built-in HD-DVD at least not in the next 2 years.

JJ Rooster @ Oct 19th 2007 12:40PM

This will be the Xbox 720 or whatever. No way they're doing all this for the 360.

blooh (TIDF - Nipple Ring) @ Oct 19th 2007 12:41PM

yeah probably

i hope the new one doesn't come out for about 5-6 years though

lessbiasedthanmost @ Oct 19th 2007 3:03PM

I have to agree with y'all, this would be a horrid move for the 360 at this point. It would make the console more expensive, which is always bad, and MS wouldn't allow HD-DVD games since not all of their SKUs have it.

The1 @ Oct 19th 2007 4:28PM

in 2009 HD-DVD players will be cheaper. I am sure if an HD-DVD X360 was released at time it would come with a 200GB HD or something and cost $359.99.

Graham Huck @ Oct 19th 2007 12:27PM

I was talking to a radio shack sales person one time about an Xbox 360 tourny one time. And he told me they had just revieved the 'new Xbox 360 with HD-DVD built in.' Then he went in back and talked to some dude. And then he came back to me said he couldn't tell me anything anymore. I don't know if he was just being stupid, or if he actually had them.

Word of the street(IDF-Digital Ruler). @ Oct 19th 2007 12:36PM

radio shack? If they are anything like in my local Radioshack I suppose he was just being stupid.

JJ Rooster @ Oct 19th 2007 12:45PM

LOL please... Radio Shack is as informed as EB Games. Why just 2 days before the $399 PS3 announcement, I overheard them discussing the 40GB rumor and it was news to them, when we heard about it 3 weeks ago.

Grant @ Oct 19th 2007 12:54PM

Radio shack has a good amount of know-nothings working there. I once had to explain to an employee that their are different grades of coax cable, which are rated for different use and exposure, to a response of "oh, thats why we have all those different TV cables over there."

Gamestop too. Last week i went in to buy a XBL points card, only to have the guy at the register ask me what they are used for. Wow, good game!

phattie @ Oct 19th 2007 12:24PM

Wow, built in WiFi? ... welcome to 2001 M$

FOXHOUND @ Oct 19th 2007 12:31PM

Not to totally hate on M$/X360... but I did think it was pretty dumb not to incorporate WiFi in-console. Hell, even the Wii has that(albeit a responsively fickle one).

Word of the street(IDF-Digital Ruler). @ Oct 19th 2007 12:40PM

My point of view is more the better but in the case of the wi-fi well for the PSP and DS is great but the fact systems like the Wii only support Wi-fi sucks, the signal is pretty weak for games or so I have heard, I rather have a DSL cable connection also because the people without Wi-fi get screwed.

But I'm sure Microsoft will support both.

NATO_Duke @ Oct 19th 2007 12:41PM

Oh giggle giggle..you said M$. You sure got em good there.

blooh (TIDF - Nipple Ring) @ Oct 19th 2007 12:46PM

did a system have built in wifi in 2001? i don't remember my ps2 having that, or a gamecube

chimp o death @ Oct 19th 2007 12:47PM

I'm one of those people that plugs my 360 in direct, so I'm not jonesing for Wi-fi. In fact, I'd rather not pay extra for something I'm not going to use.

I will grant you that the MS Wi-Fi dongle will be a hard pill to swallow at its current price point if I ever DO go wireless.

Rususeruru @ Oct 19th 2007 12:51PM

Hmmm did the PS2 launch with anything... I mean granted that was WAY back in '99 but hell in '98 (Japan) Dreamcast came with a modem and then in 2001 Xbox had integrated Ethernet. Sure it would have been nice to have WiFi but I prefer a wired connection for gaming. Living in an apartment complex wifi is a little less than reliable.

flameofdoom666 @ Oct 19th 2007 12:55PM

Get your facts straight.

"Wii only support Wi-fi sucks" is WRONG.

The Wii has built in WiFi, but for 25$ u can get a wired connection through the USB. Learn your facts before you pass judgment, troll.

Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Oct 19th 2007 1:33PM

If you have wifi problem with your wii, check your routers configuration and make sure the channel its on isn't 6 or 11. Those are the most frequently used radio channels in the 2.4 ghz spectrum, and the wii has trouble filtering out wifi noise.

Changing the channel will fix your problems.

horngreen @ Oct 19th 2007 1:44PM

Good one IDIOT. You got everyone in here all pissed off now! LOL actually WiFi for gaming is pretty lame and as others have said did the PS2 have WiFi? No cause they didn't even (and still don't) have a decent online gaming service. Oh and they also didn't have a hard drive either nor did they have 4 controller ports unless you bought an add on gizmo. I play my 360 hard wired and never have a connection problem so for me wireless LIKE BLU RAY is something I would like the choice of.

Farseer (GDI) @ Oct 19th 2007 1:46PM

I would like to know of any device that you have that came standard with WiFi in 2001. You can even go outside the gaming realm for this one.

Todd @ Oct 19th 2007 12:28PM

What a bunch of idiots - finally including what they should have in the first place. As an early adopter I am tired of getting screwed on this generation of consoles.

FrankTheCrank @ Oct 19th 2007 1:15PM

Yeah...my Elite, which is on it's way, is going right back to the store for a full refund.

I'll take the REAL ELITE 360, when it drops next year...

Jasper + HD-DVD + Wireless + Bigger HDD= REAL ELITE!

blooh (TIDF - Nipple Ring) @ Oct 19th 2007 1:21PM

frank, this is a rumor. I'd hang on to that 360 and play some good games in the meantime, then trade it in later when the new one is released, if you still want that hd-dvd

CaptainAmericaX @ Oct 19th 2007 1:28PM

Sure Frank like you an obvious sony troll were even close to getting a 360....

Please don't buy one. Neither MS or us will give a damn.

blooh (TIDF - Nipple Ring) @ Oct 19th 2007 1:31PM

oh it's ok cap'n, if he wants some good games then let him play them. that's the whole point

FrankTheCrank @ Oct 19th 2007 2:02PM

Capn...eat me.

Let me tell you something though, if that box I get isn't the new Go Big holiday bundle with a Falcon based mobo...it is definitely going back.

Vidikron (FU) @ Oct 19th 2007 2:12PM

Frank,

I'd definitely insist on a Falcon, but I wouldn't bother waiting for this thing... which may or may not happen and if it does won't see the light of day for another year or more. They will never put games on HD-DVD and by the time another year has passed standalone HD-DVD players should be very cheap (they are expected to hit sub-$200 prices this Christmas). I DO get a lot of good use out of my PS3's BR player, but I'm personally waiting on a reasonably priced, fully spec'd, dual-format player to hit the market. Hopefully by the time this thing arrives, if it ever does, one will be available.

Also, IMO, Jasper isn't worth waiting that long for. The RRoD problem has pretty much been fixed now. I'm not sure what Jaspoer will really gain the end user expect a system with slighly lower power usage amount to a difference most people won't even notice on their bills.

Vidikron (FU) @ Oct 19th 2007 2:16PM

Dammit... I can't type. That should obviously say "Jasper" and "gain the end user except".

Shagittarius @ Oct 19th 2007 12:33PM

Nintendo Announces that the new Wii's will ship with high bias capable tape drives.

FOXHOUND @ Oct 19th 2007 12:36PM

Think of how hilarious it would be if 8-track tapes were used in the 70s for video game systems... you wouldn't be able to save, couldn't restart from the beginning without "playing to the end", and every session would be a FANTASTIC VOYAGE.

...I can dig it. :d

kennethrios @ Oct 19th 2007 1:37PM

As long it does not cost more than people are willing to pay for a console, the Wii would be fine. Let us all learn from Sony's mistake, their soul-crushing, profit-destroying, foolhardily overconfident mistake.

Rob Accomando @ Oct 19th 2007 12:34PM

Kind of pointless now from a gaming point of view. Might sell if it's only $100 more than the premium, not $179

Trev @ Oct 19th 2007 12:52PM

$450 for a Pro. Maybe they could stick in the wireless for half price and a free play&charge kit and bring it up to both the 60GB PS3's capability and price.

This is why the modular vs. all-inclusive thing never meant a damn thing to me.

For all the arguing about it, look where it's got us. The PS3 cutting things and dropping the price to appeal to one side, and the 360 packing more things in and upping the price to try to get the other.

Korova @ Oct 19th 2007 10:13PM

in the mean time all PS install base are belong to MS

Rususeruru @ Oct 19th 2007 12:34PM

Introducing the Toshiba Breathe, less expensive than a Mercedes and more functional than a Wii. Eh if they shuffle around the price points this won't be a bad idea. I'll buy the HD-DVD add-on when the price drops and if it looks like the format war hasn't allowed Sony to make a successfully format. I like that the HD-DVD add on is external so I could theoretically hook it up to my computer and actually see HighDef content on a HighRes screen (yes I still have a SDTV)

blooh (TIDF - Nipple Ring) @ Oct 19th 2007 12:34PM

there's no point to do that except to push the hd-movie war

games can easily be split into multiple dvd's, cheaper than making hd-dvd's I'm guessing

and with all the 360's out there that don't have the hd-addon, there's no way they'd make new games only on hd-dvd's

I can imagine them putting this out in 2009, or maybe in time for xmas in a year, but no sooner than that, it's better to watch sony implode first.

Shagittarius @ Oct 19th 2007 12:40PM

That argument sure is getting tired. Let it fade away...you were wrong.

blooh (TIDF - Nipple Ring) @ Oct 19th 2007 12:42PM

hey shaggy! can't be a 360 thread without the sdf, huh?

Boss Tempo @ Oct 19th 2007 12:50PM

"Its also the only way the 360 can output a digital 1080P signal."

The VGA cable will do 1080p also. Looks great with the HD-DVD add on + my Samsung 58" 1080p plasma.

Trev @ Oct 19th 2007 12:52PM

Just like there can't be a PS3 article without 360 trolls, Blooh. It's the hate-ternet.

For all the 360 fans that decried the "useless" blu-ray drive and said the inclusion of a high def optical format was stupid, this must burn something fierce. Your frantic posting here is sign enough of that.

Microsoft following in Sony's footsteps with less modularization and more things out of the box. Ouch.

Shagittarius @ Oct 19th 2007 12:51PM

VGA will not do a 1080P DIGITAL signal.

blooh (TIDF - Nipple Ring) @ Oct 19th 2007 12:59PM

i don't care trev, i'd rather not have blueray or hd-dvd. dvd9's appear to be doing just fine. I don't care about graphics that much, I remember my first days of gaming when everything was pixellated to hell, and I still loved it (and still do). it's all about gameplay. If they make me change discs, or reduce the image quality a bit, it doesn't bother me at all if it saves $200 from the price of my console

Trev @ Oct 19th 2007 1:41PM

Assassin's Creed and GTA4 are both having issues with disc space. Lots of games will be fine on DVD9, but they will be just as fine on HD-DVD or Blu-ray. That doesn't work in reverse though.

Lost Planet fit on a DVD9 and it's getting ported to the PS3 with extra PC-only extra content. Uncharted (the sake of picking a title, though I imagine this is the case) won't fit on a DVD9 and then won't be able to be ported to the 360.

If Microsoft went totally insane and Bungie took a ton of crazy drugs all 3 Halo games could be put on a single Blu-ray. We know MS would never let it happen, but speaking in possible and impossible terms, its possible.

The benefit of a high capacity disc format is obvious, even in gameplay terms. The system that can hold all the games vs. the system that can hold only some of the games.

And, for accuracy, 40GB PS3 vs 360 Arcade is only $120 difference. If you want 200 you need to go for the 360 Arcade vs the 80GB PS3 which is $220, which makes the Arcade look like a joke. Pro vs 80GB is $150, but if you were saying "150 is like 200", then 500 "could be like 450". Either we're fudging the numbers or not; not only doing it on one side.

blooh (TIDF - Nipple Ring) @ Oct 19th 2007 3:19PM

well trev, it used to be $200. sony just dropped their price yesterday, give M$ a chance to reciprocate.

and I know fitting all of a game on one disc is nice, it cuts costs down on production, but if a game is nowhere near close to fitting on one dvd9, devs are dumb if they don't just add $1 to the cost and split the levels into 2 discs (or more)

I'd pay $61 for ass-creed (if it's a good game) instead of $60, and I bet a ton of other people would too

Trev @ Oct 19th 2007 5:16PM

Yesterday? It's been 'bawww clearance sale' for a while. Wasn't just yesterday. Replace 80gb with 60gb, since they're nigh identical. 20 more gigs vs slightly better BC.

0ldb0y @ Oct 19th 2007 12:36PM

Remember Microsoft's stance with regards to the 360 not needing HDMI? What surprises me a lot is that MSFT didn't seem to catch as much flack for going back on that stance as Sony has for going back on their word about backwards compatability. Differnce being though that 360 added a feature, and PS3 lost one.

Regardless, here's your salt for this rumour. But don't use it all up. It's certainly a possibility, and it's all about the format wars, which is probably even bigger than the console wars.

blooh (TIDF - Nipple Ring) @ Oct 19th 2007 12:39PM

what's the point of hdmi anyway? the 360 already comes with HD component cables or whatever

Shagittarius @ Oct 19th 2007 12:42PM

HDMI is a digital connection that carries video and audio signal in one cable. Its also the only way the 360 can output a digital 1080P signal.

Other than that its primarry purpose is to impose DRM to prevent people from copying and viewing movies and other things that might play across it.

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