Sub-Zero

Whenever I hear about the HD format war, it is often noted that one of the big reasons that Blu-ray won the format war was because the PlayStation 3 had a built-in Blu-ray player. Did the PlayStation 3 really affect the HD format war as much as some people like to suggest? And if so, if Microsoft would have used an HD-DVD drive in the Xbox 360 instead of a traditional DVD drive, could it have changed the outcome of the HD format war? Thanks to anyone that replies.

nickdawgy

You mean had they made it standard as opposed to an add-on? It's possible it could have mad some difference, but I think the PS3 was more expensive and looked at as the adult system by some compared to the cheaper Xbox, thus the popularity of Blu-Ray. That and didn't a bunch of companies make Blu players?

Just my opinion.

Supermallet

It's possible, although there was no HD DVD at the time the Xbox was launched, so I'm going to say no.

Looking back though, we're really lucky that the format war happened. It helped Blu-ray mature and get cheaper must faster than it would have otherwise.

Drexl

Well, it would have added $100 (or more) to the cost of the system, which would have put it closer to the PS3 in pricing. I don't think as many PS2 gamers would have jumped ship if the gap in pricing wasn't so great. So while it would have put more HD-DVD players in homes, Sony may have ended up selling more PS3s and strengthening the Blu-ray format's prospects to offset that.

chess

If the 360 had been HD-DVD based, they would have had to delay the console about a year and release the same time as the PS3. That year head start wasn't the 360's only advantage, but it was a big one, and given the dominance of PS2, who knows how that would have played out.

If anything, I think it would have helped the format a bit but would have hurt the 360.

As a separate point, I think both formats would have ultimately failed if not for PS3.

marginal

No it wouldn't have changed the format war, because you're looking at it backwards. First, as Supermallet mentioned, the 360 came out before the "war." Second, the reason PS3 so greatly affected the format war was because it was by far the cheapest and most reliable Blu-ray player on the market when it came out. HD-DVD players, on the other hand, were already considerably cheaper. (During the height of the war, you could buy an HD-DVD player for a hundred bucks.)

The only thing that could have possibly changed the outcome of the format war was Warner Brothers sticking with the format, though even that might not have mattered since Disney and a couple others were dead-set against HD-DVD.

vballboy51

I agree, I don't think that the xbox would have matters. as marginal said, the PS3 sold as a blu ray because it was (and still maybe is) the best blu ray player available. As the owner of 3 xbox hd-dvd drives, i've never even used one, since my toshiba HD-A2 is rock solid as well. I think that was the biggest issues, it was Toshiba or bust. though they were competitively priced.

It was a very interesting war to watch play out, especially since the Adult industry chose HD-DVD, and that's the first time that industry picked the wrong side of the battle (or maybe more appropriately didn't dictate who did win the battle).

I was an early hd-dvd person, with really no blu's, so i watched it fairly close

Raul3

No.

Decker

I had an HD-DVD drive for the launch 360 and discovered something unfortunate : the 360 was so damned loud that it made it impossible to watch HD-DVD movies comfortably. Glad I took that POS back.

Sub-Zero

Thank you for all the replies. And sorry for not being clearer. Yes, I meant that if Microsoft had included a built-in HD-DVD drive in every Xbox 360 manufactured and that all the games came on HD-DVDs instead of traditional DVDs. Additionally, good point that Microsoft would have had to wait for the HD-DVD format to be completed, thus having to delay the Xbox 360 like how Sony delayed the PlayStation 3 while the Blu-ray format was completed, as well as raising the initial price of the Xbox 360 itself by a considerable amount, which were both big advantages for Microsoft early in that console generation. Finally, a good point about the HD-DVD format never having the same amount of support that Blu-ray had.

Jay G.

An interesting thought occurred to me: If MS had put HD DVD into the Xbox, maybe their involvement would've pushed up the HD DVD release. Also, I don't know if this would've been possible, but it seems like the drive technology was probably finished earlier than the rest of the HD DVD tech, so it may have been possible to stick a HD DVD drive in the 360 at launch, and add the video playback functionality later with a firmware update. Early 360 games would've still been on DVD while disc production for HD DVD ramped up. It likely would've added cost to the system, with no immediate benefit to the consumer, but it may not have delayed the system much (if at all).

There was actually an LG dual Blu-ray/HD DVD player as well (BH100). It cost as much as a Blu-ray player though (around $1000), and its support for HD DVD was limited to video playback. It didn't get great reviews:
http://www.amazon.com/LG-BH100-High-.../dp/B000NNK9LY
http://reviews.cnet.com/dvd-players/...-32312334.html

I actually thought the HD market was going to go this way for a while, with the two formats co-existing and manufacturers eventually all releasing combo players, similar to how DVD+R and DVD-R co-exist. This was when it looked like the studios were firmly entrenched in their respective formats. Then the studio support for HD DVD dropped out, which killed it.

Dan

It sure seemed that way, especially when Paramount (who was dual-format for awhile), announced that they were doing HD DVD only and the other Blu-ray studios continued to hold strong.

Yep. As I recall, Warner (who was the only other dual-format major studio) was rumoured to announce HD DVD exclusivity at CES in January 2008 (and by the vibe given by insiders on AVS at the time, it seemed like a sure thing...), but they changed their minds, dropped HD DVD, and the rest was history. With Universal all by themselves, it was all over. I had already purchased a dual-format drive for my HTPC at the time, but I was still very much a supporter of HD DVD over Blu-ray. Warner was kind enough to offer the Red2Blu campaign, but I was sad that Paramount never bothered to throw us a bone.

Groucho

They'd probably find a way to fuck it up, like making it only work for Xbox Live Gold members. Can't access the servers? Sorry, no HD-DVD for you!

Drexl

That was the scenario I was imagining - they would have used the HD DVD drive even if no movies were available yet, and if there was a delay it would have been 6 months at the most. So they still would have had a head start.

Anyway, I think the PS3 would have been in better shape since the competition (well, not counting the Wii) would have been about as expensive. Although I still don't think Sony would have dominated; they had other issues like budgets getting too big for Japanese developers and the Xbox building momentum as a brand.

JTH182

Yes.

dan30oly

yes.

Music

yes
maybe

mattysemo247

No.

chess

Please.

flashburn

Hi.

chess

What?