Steve Ballmer dismisses built-in drive, says accessories are coming.
by Jim Reilly 
October 21, 2009 - It seems Microsoft hasn't given up on adding high-definition disc movie playback to the Xbox 360.
In an interview with Gizmodo, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was asked if we'll ever see a Xbox 360 with a built in Blu-ray disc drive.
"Well I don't know if we need to put Blu-ray in there—you'll be able to get Blu-ray drives as accessories," said Ballmer
"I think the future of movies is on-demand actually, as opposed to via distribution on physical media. So we're just going to keep driving forward and try to make [Xbox 360] the best overall entertainment experience, and not just gaming."
Whoops, looks like this is another case of Steve letting information slip out a little too early. Microsoft quickly tried to cover Ballmer's statement saying, "Our solution for HD quality video on an Xbox 360 is coming this fall with Zune Video and 1080p instant-on HD streaming. As far as our future plans are concerned, we're not ready to comment.
Microsoft previously supported the now extinct HD-DVD format by releasing a drive add-on in November 2006.
Ballmer earlier this year mispoke during a conference in Chicago, saying a 'new' Xbox 360 was coming next year. He would later retract his statement, telling IGN, "I confused the issue with my poorly chosen words. There is no news in my comments," said Ballmer.
October 21, 2009 - It seems Microsoft hasn't given up on adding high-definition disc movie playback to the Xbox 360.
In an interview with Gizmodo, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was asked if we'll ever see a Xbox 360 with a built in Blu-ray disc drive.
"Well I don't know if we need to put Blu-ray in there—you'll be able to get Blu-ray drives as accessories," said Ballmer
"I think the future of movies is on-demand actually, as opposed to via distribution on physical media. So we're just going to keep driving forward and try to make [Xbox 360] the best overall entertainment experience, and not just gaming."
Whoops, looks like this is another case of Steve letting information slip out a little too early. Microsoft quickly tried to cover Ballmer's statement saying, "Our solution for HD quality video on an Xbox 360 is coming this fall with Zune Video and 1080p instant-on HD streaming. As far as our future plans are concerned, we're not ready to comment.
Microsoft previously supported the now extinct HD-DVD format by releasing a drive add-on in November 2006.
Ballmer earlier this year mispoke during a conference in Chicago, saying a 'new' Xbox 360 was coming next year. He would later retract his statement, telling IGN, "I confused the issue with my poorly chosen words. There is no news in my comments," said Ballmer.
