MS talks HD-DVD add-on price News
Xbox 360 PlayStation 3 News by Games Industry.biz
Speaking to our sister site, GamesIndustry.biz, retail sources have said that Microsoft has told them the HD-DVD add-on for the Xbox 360 will be priced so that buying a 360 and a HD drive together will cost you less than the price of a PS3.
At E3 last week, Microsoft once again discussed its plans to launch a HD-DVD component for the Xbox 360 later this year, but did not reveal any further information about the price of the unit.
Currently, the Xbox 360 retails at £279 in the UK, with the Core System (which comes minus a hard drive) going for £209. The 60GB model of the PlayStation 3 is expected to cost between £399 and £419 when it arrives in late November.
Microsoft's alleged comments to UK retailers seem to suggest that the HD-DVD peripheral, which allows playback of high definition movies using Toshiba's next-generation DVD standard, will be priced below £130 - making an Xbox 360 and HD-DVD player bundle a potentially attractive option come Christmas.
Sony's PlayStation 3 features a built-in Blu-Ray drive, which also offers playback of high definition movies, but in this case using Sony's competing next-generation DVD standard - which many industry commentators are tipping as the likely winner of this standards war, due to strong support from many movie studios and other content creators.
Some analysts, including respected videogames industry analyst Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan Securities, have suggested that the success or failure of Blu-Ray could directly lead to the success or failure of the PlayStation 3 - with the system being seen as good value despite its high price point if Blu-Ray is widely adopted, but Sony faced with being lumbered with an expensive and unappealing component for the console's five year lifespan if Blu-Ray is a failure.
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SuperGamerMatt
16/05/06 @ 15:35
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WOAH! This is good. And I've never been a fan of Microsoft at all. This is changing my mind. Although I will need a HD TV.....
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most recently on 16/05/06 @ 16:36
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I dont think the HD-DVD add-on will be *that* cheap really.
If Microsoft plays its cards right - i reckon we could see maybe £50-£100 knocked off the price of the 360 itself just before PS3 hits (ouch !) HD-DVD ? £149 i'd guess at in the UK at least - maybe more.. Hmmmm Premium 360 - £179.99 HD-DVD - £149.99 I make that £329.98 - cheap ? |
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wow... rushed things and now add-ons to compensate the errors. Microsoft Dreamcast or something :) The main thing is that Microsoft has one HUGE advantage. It has DVD games and will be easier and cheap to find and duplicate games. The Bluray stuff is too early and too expensible for that at the moment. It's not a very polite advantage but it counts on selling consoles. Let's wait and see....
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"Having seen the PS3's price, I can confidently predict that you can kiss your "360 price drop" goodbye."
Ah - but if you remember during last years launch frenzy - MS did come out and said they had factored in a $100 drop in price year-on-year.. November would be bang on a year, hit the PS3 and get those mums and dads queuing up at Toys r Us in the run up to crimble. I'd still bet my mortgage on a price drop ;) |
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"Having seen the PS3's price, I can confidently predict that you can kiss your "360 price drop" goodbye."
+1. If MS is under sony's price and continues to sell, i doubt that they will drop the price. "That's all very nice but where's the HDMI? I'm still waiting as component or VGA isn't an option for me." Well, not in the turd PS3 edition. ;p |
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I'm not sure how far that 40GB is going to get you though drummer - what are your big plans for it?
Well Jameser, although clearly it will get me much further than a 20gbb HDD, my use for it is really a matter for me and my media collection. I'm sure many other people will put a 60gbb hdd to better use than me....and/ or upgrade to a bigger one on the off chance they're overzealous in their media hoarding. |
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NoCodeNed2
16/05/06 @ 15:54
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Now, I'm no mathematician but doesn't this make the 360 premium about as expensive as the premium PS3? Give or take a tenner.
Plus the hard drive isn't used for games and is 40Gb smaller and no wi-fi? I think this is a strange move for Microsoft, cause it actually makes the PS3 look better value for money. I'd have kept quiet. but then I don't run a big console company - what do I know, eh? |
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JediMasterMalik
16/05/06 @ 15:56
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I agree NoCodeNed2. PS3 is better value for money. I mean think of how much other electronic items cost. The nVidia 7800gtx gfx card is about $600 as is the PS3. The PS3 is faster than the nVidia 7800gtx. Makes ya think dont it. ;)
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most recently on 16/05/06 @ 16:56
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As a buyer of DVDs I'm sitting on the fence for the time until there's a clear winner in the HD-DVD versus Blu-ray wars. As far as HD-DVD goes, I don't want to buy an expensive add-on for the 360 and then the movies only to find that it's dead after a few years and that I'll have to buy all my hi-def movies again on Blu-ray. To me it's the whole VHS versus Betamax thing all over again. One the new HD formats must surely fail...
Now I will be buying a PS3 so that means I'll have a Blu-ray movie player so it wouldn't make sense for me to also buy an HD-DVD player as well anyway, and although I'll no doubt end up buying a Blu-ray movie or two to try out, I'm determined not to buy them over DVD, which at least (for now) plays on both formats. It doesn't seem that long ago I replaced all my VHS movies with DVDs... |
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JediMasterMalik
16/05/06 @ 16:03
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ok I'll simplify it:
PS3 > 7800GtX PS3price = 7800GTX Seeing a pattern. Genius, really. PS3 ain't expensive, it IS cheap (relative to new hardware). You cannot dispute this, it's a fact. ;) |
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Wrestlevania
16/05/06 @ 16:07
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@cyacomini
"I make that £329.98 - cheap ?" Very, considering you just magically knocked £100 off the premium Xbox 360 bundle! In all seriousness though, MS are bound to cut the price a decent amount during the long summer gaming drought this year (just like every other year). So yeah you're on the right lines, but perhaps a little too optimistic. ;-) Wonder what codecs it'll support though..? |
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JediMasterMalik
16/05/06 @ 16:09
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I've only posted twice. I just thought everyone ignored my first post so I made an easier to read one. ;)
(I just want someone to notice me :() lol |
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I wouldnt bet on a price drop at the PS3 launch but I would be willing to bet there will be one when the PS3's start to become more freely available next year.
My biggest problem with the HD-DVD add on is that the 360 is already too noisy to reasonably watch movies (especially when you cant turn the sound right up) will adding a extra drive be any better? |
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JediMasterMalik
16/05/06 @ 16:10
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LeDilettante - Are you a pc gamer?
The 7800GTX is nVidias most powerful graphics card. |
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JediMasterMalik
16/05/06 @ 16:14
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Most analysts are predicting BD to win due to high support from many Movie companies and the like.
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"the success or failure of Blu-Ray could directly lead to the success or failure of the PlayStation 3 - with the system being seen as good value despite its high price point if Blu-Ray is widely adopted, but Sony faced with being lumbered with an expensive and unappealing component for the console's five year lifespan if Blu-Ray is a failure."
Tell us something we don't know, Doc. |
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JediMasterMalik
16/05/06 @ 16:15
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erm disc, are you a card tester or do you disbeleive what nVidia themselves say?
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JediMasterMalik
16/05/06 @ 16:32
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Darkedge - You are correct, the PS3 is so much more than a graphics card.
If that's not what u mean, explain further. |
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johnboy_johsnon
16/05/06 @ 16:36
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@JediMasterMalik : PS3>7800GTX now. Will it be better than the top end gfx card come this november? Also, the reason why the PS3 (and any other console for that matter) is so much cheaper than the sum of it's components is that Sony et al. make their money back on the games. If you take into account that PS3 games will cost on average £15 more than their PC equivalent, investing in a top end gfx card doesn't seem that bad (I buy on average 30 games/ year, that's a saving of £450/yr).
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