Microsoft Denies Plans For Xbox 360 Blu-Ray Support

Following Microsoft VP of marketing Peter Moore's remarks in an interview where he claimed Blu-Ray support was possible via another add-on to the Xbox 360, Microsoft have issued a clarification firmly stating that the company has no plans to support Sony's next-generation media format. "It is important to understand the context in which that statement was made," said a company spokesman. "Microsoft firmly stands behind the HD-DVD format as the best choice for our consumers. As we’ve said before, we’re confident that HD-DVD will bring the excitement of high definition movies to the consumer faster and at a greater value. We believe that consumers have signaled what format they want to enjoy high definition DVD and we’re going to follow them down that path." Microsoft is one of the staunchest supporters of the HD-DVD format, the major competing format to Blu-ray. Both formats have the backing of several Hollywood studios' promise to release movies on the new media, though Blu-ray currently has a slight edge in terms of number of supporters. Microsoft announced at CES 2006 that it will release a peripheral allowing the Xbox 360 to play HD-DVD movies, in order to compete with the PlayStation 3's native Blu-ray support. "The question of whether Xbox 360 has the flexibility to adapt to consumers’ needs is a different issue entirely," according to the statement. "Xbox 360 is a future-proofed system – one that allows us to add features as consumers demand them - as evidenced by our offering of the HD-DVD drive as an accessory. Current reports indicating that we have a back-up plan, which includes Blu-Ray support are incorrect. At this point, we’re fully committed to HD-DVD and have absolutely no plans to support other optical formats."