Jennifer Netherby

Xbox 360 Not Going Blu
May 16, 2007

Microsoft is shooting down rumors that it will add a Blu-ray add-on drive for the Xbox 360 by Christmas. Japanese tech news site ITMedia reportedly quoted Xbox corporate VP of marketing Peter Moore as saying that a Blu-ray add-on drive for the XBox 360 could/would be coming by Christmas.

Microsoft, which has execs out at Cannes this week showing off HD DVD, has been one of the biggest supporters of the format. The company is expected to make an official statement later today and one exec told me that IT Media has since taken down the report.

Update Microsoft just put out this lengthy statement. "There have been several erroneous stories regarding alleged comments from Peter Moore about Xbox 360 supporting Blu-ray. These reports are completely incorrect.

Outlets carrying this story are citing Internet speculation of an alleged Associated Press story that does not exist, along with comments taken out of context from a story in ITmedia that appeared back in January. This information is being reported as news and as a result of a recent interview, neither of which are true.

In an interview with ITmedia back at CES in January of this year, Peter said Xbox 360 has the flexibility to adapt to consumers' needs, allowing Microsoft to add features as consumers demand them - as evidenced by the offering of the HD DVD Player as an accessory. It is important to understand the context in which that statement was made. Microsoft firmly stands behind the HD DVD format as the best choice for consumers. Current reports indicating that Microsoft has a back-up plan, which includes Blu-ray support are incorrect. We're fully committed to HD DVD and have absolutely no plans to support other optical formats."

Posted by Jennifer Netherby on May 16, 2007 | Comments (1)