Bach: no plans for Blu-ray on Xbox
Has people "working on all sorts of things".
Microsoft entertainment and devices boss Robbie Bach has shot down rumours there will be a Blu-ray Xbox released in time for Christmas.
He told the San Francisco Chronicle that his focus was on digital distribution for the foreseeable future, with next-generation plans "so far out that there isn't anything to talk about".
"If you look at the Blu-ray player market, you haven't seen the acceleration everybody expected [since the collapse of HD-DVD]," said Bach.
"It's not as much about whether all the content is in a Blu-ray format or a HD DVD format. You have to look at how fundamentally compelling the difference is between a progressive scan DVD player and the picture that it can produce and what you get on a high-definition player. The reality is there is some difference, but most people look at it and say, 'I am not going to pay extra for that.'"
Tech blog Crunchgear reported over the weekend that Microsoft planned to reveal a fresh Xbox SKU at a conference today, claiming confirmation from sources within the company.
Bach went on to reveal that the Xbox 360 will be around longer than the original Xbox was and, while he skirted any mention of motion-sensing controllers, he enigmatically promised he has "people working on all sorts of things".
He also painted a significantly brighter picture than analysts did last Friday, by promising everything was on track for the Xbox division to turn over a profit this year.