No Blu-ray for Xbox 360, says Microsoft

By Ellie Gibson Published 23 October, 2009

Ballmer's comments were about the PC.

Microsoft has said there are no plans to introduce a Blu-ray add-on for the Xbox 360.

So much for those comments by bossman Steve Ballmer, then, which the crazy old internet appears to have misinterpreted.

"Steve was referring to Blu-ray accessories for the PC. As we have said in the past, we have no plans to introduce a Blu-ray drive for the Xbox 360," reads Microsoft's statement.

"In fact, the future of home entertainment starts this fall when Xbox 360 becomes the first and only console to offer instant-on 1080p streaming HD movies."

Major Nelson reiterated the clarification on his blog, writing, "During an interview yesterday, Steve Ballmer was asked about Blu-Ray and the Xbox 360. I wanted to clear something up. Steve was referring to Blu-Ray accessories for the PC.

"As we have said in the past, we have no plans to introduce a Blu-Ray drive for the Xbox 360."

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (47) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • wizlon #1 2 years ago

    I think we all knew that, good job too, I could do without MS trying to sell me yet another overpriced accessory.

  • BartonFink #2 2 years ago

    Gotta love Ballmer he's nucking futs!!!

  • MeBrains #3 2 years ago

    yeah we all knew that. yet still, news about this is already posted twice, while we even got a full DF analysis as to why 360BR would be difficult.

    got to love the "future of home entertainment starts this fall". sounds much like "HD does not arrive unless we say it does" - I wonder if the former is perceived to be equally "arrogant" now...

  • JohnnyWashnGo #4 2 years ago

    The future is HD streaming huh?

    Only if you have the bandwidth... otherwise the future is on a shiny disc that you can watch, lend and resell whenever you like. Actually, even with the bandwidth, the future is on a shiny disc. The ability to lend the latest films to my family and friends whenever I like for for however long far outweighs the convenience of streaming them to my TV.

    HD streaming is only the future for those corporations that wish to make shitloads of money from consumers-come-revenue-streams.

  • mkreku #5 2 years ago

    Yes, I am sure we'll get to see lots of those "instant-on 1080p streaming HD movies" here in Sweden..

  • altitude2k #6 2 years ago

    Far too many gaming sites took his comments out of context. It was plainly obvious he didn't mean a 360 addon.

    But let me stoke the fire - they clearly say no plans for it on the Xbox 360

  • draycen #7 2 years ago

    lol What a berk. He must regularly get a call from his boss.

    "Uh Steve...can you pop in for a minute. Close the door please"
    *click*
    *sounds of shouting*

  • MeBrains #8 2 years ago

    I am on a measly 1mbps line - which is sufficient to almost all my needs, but 1080p will never work!

    ...

    until I saw this

    it works, even for me - be it not 1080p, but at least stutter free and instant-on. impressive indeed.

  • Murton #9 2 years ago

    MS double fail.

    Fail 1: since when did MS have any say on what accessories could be released on PC? And aren't there already PC Blu-Ray drives on the market?

    Fail 2: look at the 26 countries that are currently on the XBL network, how many of them can realistically stream 1080p movies? I could count them on one hand. There simply isn't the bandwidth to make this work, you only have to look at the UK where almost all of the ISPs throttle video streaming traffic to a near halt because the networks can't handle it. Good luck with full HD streaming over here.

  • youhavenomail #10 2 years ago

    He just couldn't resist putting that dig about HD streaming being the future in there, but while he talks about a future that is quite possibly never to be realised for the masses in the 360's lifetime, the PS3's Blu-ray drive is all about the now. So like whateva innit!

  • solidSnake04 #11 2 years ago

    i swear to god they do that on purpose

  • Les #12 2 years ago

    "lol What a berk. He must regularly get a call from his boss."

    He is the boss... :(

  • kipper #13 2 years ago

    @ Murton
    point 1: MS never claimed to have any say about availability of blu-ray accesories for pc. They just said they are not interested in making one _for the Xbox 360_.

    point 2: Before you say it will never work because of bandwidth, wait and see.
    I live in the Netherlands and I can stream SD or HD films via my TV set top box. I have never done so, but thats purely because the films on offer do not interest me. I think the range of films on offer is far more important than whether its HD or not.
    Edited by 1 at 23/10/09 @ 09:53

  • Malek86 #14 2 years ago

    Has Ballmer ever said anything right? The guy looks like he makes mistakes every other day.

  • Les #15 2 years ago

    "They just said they are not interested in making one."

    Which should have as much news value as Volkswagen or Renault mentioning they're not interested in making a toaster...

  • miiiguel #16 2 years ago

    lol What a berk. He must regularly get a call from his boss.

    huh?! who's Ballmer boss? God?

  • solidSnake04 #17 2 years ago

    hey mkreku. did you know the person with the fastest broadband speed lives in sweden ? apparently she's an old woman who probably needs her broadband less than you need yours.

  • Cocytean #18 2 years ago

    Considering how bonkers he is, perhaps he calls himself into the office, and gives himself a good dressing-down, whilst the rest of the office looks on in resigned pity. He's like a one-man version of 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest'! :D

  • ShinMegami08 #19 2 years ago

    You only have to look at this video (http://www .youtube.com/watch?v=tbCI3lvdVps) and you will know that Ballmer is completly wankers. He probably doesn't even know what a 360 is.

    Maybe Ballmer is crazy Ken Kutaragi with a mask!!!!

  • MeBrains #20 2 years ago

    donnie: dvd's are filled with the same things, no?

    do you think the general public understands DD better than blu-ray? At least BR is "the shiny disc you pop in a player we know for years", what do you think DD to them?

  • des #21 2 years ago

    ahahaha,but nevermind continue arguing like its 2006

  • skillian #22 2 years ago

    Streaming is only the future of rentals, but physical media is still the future of ownership.

    I think this is pretty obvious TBH.

  • davisorle #23 2 years ago

    MY opinion... Yeah i really want the future to be based on streaming media cause my 4Terrabytes full of shit on my pc ( and to think its no porn included cause there is no room in it.. ) is pissing me off/ The fact I have thousands of CD/DVDs with most of them in the storeroom cause they were taking up so much freaking space is also pointless and makes them all useless. I have noticed the convenience of something like Steam unfortunately or redownloading things you own from XBL along with Steam when needed makes it so much better for me going through my stuff... I hate the DL bits but it works good for me. Even though on the other hand I can really understand if there are countries with not enough bandwidth at not extreme price. Greece here used to be from the last ones that got ADSL with over 768KBps for under 85$ a month.. lol and to think that just happened about 4 years ago if I remember correct.

    On actual BR topic, did you guys really think there would be a BR drive for the 360..? lol

  • Darren #24 2 years ago

    @skillian - Well said. Personally I'm against downloading/rentals and will always opt for physical media where I can. I still buy music on CD and all my movies on BD/DVD. I ordered Way Out West's new album from their website for example just to get hold of the CD + MP3 albums as other online retailers are only selling the album in MP3 form.

  • IneptPercy #25 2 years ago

    Blu-ray has been in my PC for a good while aswell as hd-dvd so how this is aimed at PC is past me.

    I reality a 360 add-on doesn't make sense, with so many PS3's out there and blu-ray players at £100 how many would a 360 add-on sell?

    As for DD i am sticking to discs for the time being.

  • TheJuriel #26 2 years ago

    "In fact, the future of home entertainment starts this fall when Xbox 360 becomes the first and only console to offer instant-on 1080p streaming HD movies."
    ...in the US.

  • MeBrains #27 2 years ago

    no outrage on the "future of home entertainment starts this fall" crap?!

    ... I am not really surprised though...

  • Bigglesworth #28 2 years ago

    @MeBrains
    Lol, I came in execting a pageful of drama over that, too.

    Looks like the next generation now begins when Microsoft says it does, eh kids?

  • Shikasama #29 2 years ago

    Good. I have absolutely no interest in Blu-Ray or buying my DVD collection again.

    Who has EVER been sat watching a DVD and thought 'Goddamnit, this film is ace, if only the picture was a little...damn.....clearer...'

  • SeesThroughAll #30 2 years ago

    @MeBrains:

    Sounds like Sony, the Kings of Bullshit(TM) have met their match!

    Oh, wait, it's Microsoft, the Good Guys(TM), all is forgiven then.

  • mcmonkeyplc #31 2 years ago

    This bandwidth argument over streaming HD is getting old. With ADSL2+ being rolled out nation wide you'll have fast enough bandwidth. The problem comes with capped connections. Then your screwed.

  • Stiggy #32 2 years ago

    @ TheJuriel

    Actually its UK as well as many other countries. And it work's rather well. I will I am on the subject, steveb is a very clever person which is less than can be said for the journo's that spun all this out of proportion.

  • IneptPercy #33 2 years ago

    "Good. I have absolutely no interest in Blu-Ray or buying my DVD collection again.

    Who has EVER been sat watching a DVD and thought 'Goddamnit, this film is ace, if only the picture was a little...damn.....clearer...' "

    Just do what I did, Keep you current DVD collection and start buying blu-ray, I know think would a film benefit form blu-ray now, I generally get action films on blu-ray and comedy's etc on DVD. All depends on the prices etc.

    I did replace some films with HD-DVD's when they where going uber cheap but at 2.99 in most cases I thought it would be rude not to.

  • Les #34 2 years ago

    "Who has EVER been sat watching a DVD and thought 'Goddamnit, this film is ace, if only the picture was a little...damn.....clearer..."

    Countless times, TBH. But that had much to do with a poor DVD transfer and could have been solved with a proper one, on DVD.

    As for HD vs. SD, it does make a (big) difference unfortunately. Will it add to the enjoyment of a movie? Very likely it won't, but it will ruin your appreciation for SD movies once you've watched a couple of HD ones. Much like 16 bit console visuals all of a sudden made 8 bit visuals look bad while they were perfectly adequate before. In that sense, technological progress is destructive.

  • Les #35 2 years ago

    "steveb is a very clever person which is less than can be said for the journo's that spun all this out of proportion."

    Steveb is a moron, a rich one, but still a moron.

    And while I don't hold video game journalism in high regard, if an MS exec mentions potential Blu-Ray add-ons during an interview around the xbox360, I don't blame them for assuming that will mean add-ons for the xbox360 and not for PC. After all, MS isn't exactly known for manufacturing PC drives...

  • Les #36 2 years ago

    "why are movies any different?"

    Because you have to watch them.

  • Les #37 2 years ago

    My point is that movies require more of the attention from the person 'using' them than music does. Portability and numbers are much less important for movies while these were big drivers for music to go the download way.

  • curtlikesmeat #38 2 years ago

    As someone else said, streaming is not the future in the UK.... maybe the very distant future when BT isn't monopolizing the connections. Just watch them backtrack swiftly though and put Blu-ray in their next console.

  • smelly #39 2 years ago

    BluRay = PoopyRay if you ask me

  • Les #40 2 years ago

    "BluRay = PoopyRay if you ask me"

    Thankfully, nobody did... :p

  • dominalien #41 2 years ago

    I'm wondering: is the US all covered in high-bandwidth, 10 Mbps connections? Because where I live really high-speed connections are available only from cable providers in big cities; anyone who uses ADSL will be stuck on something like 2-6 Mbps. And I read somewhere not long ago that there are rural areas in the US where people are actually still stuck on dial-up?

    Wouldn't that make DD exclude quite a few consumers in the US itself?

  • betahoven #42 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 09:36:16 17-12-2011

  • smelly #43 2 years ago

    >[insert generic xbot 2006 comment here about blu ray being bad etc]

    Not bad - just .. needless.

  • bloodflowers #44 2 years ago

    They really do love streaming media don't they? Well, I don't. Why pay to rent something that soaks your internet line (assuming you can even get it fast enough), needlessly floods ISPs backbones, and is prone to drops and higher compression when you can just take a disc, put it in a machine, and watch it. Yes, even when the intenet connection is down - in fact, especially then because it's something else to do.

    Also Blu-Ray regioning has been broken on a number of players, you can bet the streaming stuff will be DRMd to the gills.
    Edited by 1 at 25/10/09 @ 15:26

  • comissars_handgun #45 2 years ago

    @ dominalien

    surely people in rural areas with no access to cable internet can use satellite broadband rather than dial-up?

  • smelly #46 2 years ago

    I must be strange.. i use my game console(s) for playing games... I dont care about all the other fluff.. and i'm certainly not going to get upset if someone tells me that hidef movies are overrated gash (in fact - i'd probably agree with them).

    Hidef makes a noticeable improvmeent for games imho.. but not enough for movies for me to even be the remotest bit bothered by it. But then my 52" 1080p tv upscales dvd's properly.. i know a lot of bad tvs (like the bravias) have bad upscaling and make dvd's look like lego.. so maybe that's the reason why?

  • Beano #47 2 years ago

    "huh?! who's Ballmer boss? God?"

    No, Lucifer :)