When the PS3 launched with a built-in Blu-ray DVD player, a lot of people questioned this move, wondering if it was a good idea. After all, it was far too early to tell which high-definition DVD format would actually become the standard; wouldn’t it have been better to make the Blu-ray player an accessory, like Microsoft did with the Xbox 360?

Well, apparently Sony knew something that the rest of us didn’t, because Blu-ray has all but been declared winner of the DVD wars. With Warner’s decision to jump from the sinking ship that is HD-DVD, rumors have surfaced that Microsoft is considering a Blu-ray add-on for the 360. Could this really happen?



“You never say never” is the word from Jeff Bell, the Corporate Vice President of Global Marketing for Microsoft. He has also stated that he and Sony have a “coopetition”, with Sony running Microsoft software on their computers, and that he’d be open to switching over to Blu-ray. But don’t finish hammering that coffin just yet:

“Our commitment, however, to HD-DVD is profound and consistent, and we have done very, very well in terms of our accessory sales. We have 400 HD-DVD movies from great studios available.”

Translation: “So, if this whole HD-DVD thing doesn’t work out, we’re open to exploring other options, those options all being Blu-ray. Not that there’s anything wrong with HD-DVD. It’s totally not going to fail. You should actually go out and buy two HD-DVD players right now. Now where’d I put the remote for my Blu-ray player?”