Xbox 360 Getting New Disc Format, NOT BLURAY! Options

[UnicronusPrime]

From IGN

Microsoft is beginning a new public preview for Xbox 360 users as they prepare for an updated Xbox 360 disc format.

Xbox Live Director of Programming Larry Hryb made the announcement this morning through his Major Nelson blog. "This is an important update as we continually strive to improve our products and we could not do so without the help of our great Xbox community," Hryb wrote. "As part of the preview program, you will receive a copy of Halo: Reach along with other possible rewards."

Due to disc distribution, this preview is only available to U.S. residents. Users can head over to the official Xbox Live website to register. It's unclear at this time what the update will mean for Xbox 360 software going forward. Hryb told IGN in a separate e-mail this is not an update to Blu-ray discs, but could not provide any additional details at this time.

So is HD-DVD coming back? Some super high capacity DVDs? Will this be an optional add on like the HDDVD player? Any guesses by some one more informed in the industry would be helpful.

[Undead Scottsman]

Basically, the rumor is that ~1.15GB of a standard 7.95 GB DVD is dedicated to copy protection on the 360: this new "format" is basically a dashboard update that allows some or all of that 1.15GB to be used for game data instead, potentially increasing the amount of crap you can cram onto a 360 DVD by almost 17%.

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/03/30/rumor-xb...of-dvd-storage/

[Firebird1]

So, it's not a new format, but more of a relaxing of a standard?

[The Predaking]

Neat.

[TM2-Megatron]

Well, hopefully it is simply the aforementioned update that allows more of the existing DVD to be used for game content rather than all that copy protection (and wow, is that a lot of copy protection data, lol). That sounds a much more appealing prospect for existing customers than purchasing a hardware update, when a lot of them have probably just recently spent quite a bit on Kinect.

[UnicronusPrime]

If its what joystiq said, then that makes me happy. I don't feel like buying an add on right now.

[skankerzero]

it's all done through software. You won't have to buy an add on to my understanding.

[Ricardo]

a reason xbox will never get blu-ray is because blu-ray rights are owned by sony. and i highly doubt sony is gonna let its main comptetor have access to it for there game console.

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xbox 360 cases

This post has been edited by Ricardo: Nov 16 2011, 10:09 PM

[Undead Scottsman]

a reason xbox will never get blu-ray is because blu-ray rights are owned by sony. and i highly doubt sony is gonna let its main comptetor have access to it for there game console.

Blu-Ray rights are owned by a association of like nearly 80 companies, of which there are just under twenty on the Board of Directors, one of which is Sony: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-ray_Disc_Association

It would cost Microsoft a mere $20,000 a year to get into this Association and most likely not a big difficulty to get voted onto the Board of Directors, thus giving them an equal vote to Sony.

This post has been edited by Undead Scottsman: Nov 16 2011, 08:26 AM

[Creature SH]

And why the hug would you bring back a topic that was through in March just to say that?

[PiratedTVPro]

And why the hug would you bring back a topic that was through in March just to say that?

Ricardo is a fan of the deep cuts. His only other post is to revive a thread from Jan 2011.

This post has been edited by PiratedTVPro: Nov 16 2011, 03:02 PM