Microsoft In Talks With Sony For Blu-Ray On Xbox-360 – Oh The Irony

It must be a black day at Microsoft today as it’s come to light that they are in discussions with Sony to get Blu-Ray drives onto the Xbox 360. Given that the Playstation 3 is made by Sony and comes with a Blu-Ray drive, it’s an odd combination to say the least. But it makes sense for both sides. Why? Consider the following:

  • Having a Blu-Ray drive would make the Xbox 360 more competitive against the Playstation 3 and help overall Xbox 360 sales (not to mention they could spin that whole HD-DVD mess by saying “See, that’s why we made it external. We give the consumer a choice unlike the Playstation 3 which gives you Blu-Ray only. Imagine what would happen if that standard lost.”). Point to Microsoft.
  • Sony makes money from selling the hardware and adds to the installed base of Blu-Ray (not to mention licensing fees as well). Point to Sony.

You can bet that Microsoft will offer this as yet another external add-on (just like their ill-fated HD DVD drive) and price it aggressively. Expect it to happen quickly as Microsoft would like you to forget that it was in the HD-DVD camp as quickly as possible.

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