Downloads in, Blu-ray out in the near future?

We may have read reasons why Microsoft should support Blu-ray in the near future, but how about reasons NOT to? Here’s a good one: according to Microsoft, digital downloads will eventually become the main venue of media distribution, hinting that Blu-ray’s existence may become eventually irrelevant.  Read more in the full article.

Will Blu-ray, the winner of the erstwhile format wars, last long enough in the market? Well, not for long, according to Xbox executive Chris Lewis. “Going forwards, digital downloads is really where it’s at,” said Lewis in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz.

He explained that people are now more often getting their media through downloads. Blu-ray will eventually become the norm in media transfer and distribution.

He also added that digital downloads will dominate media distribution in the next 12-18 months, hinting that the Blu-ray disc will eventually become obsolete when that time comes.

“Before very long we will look back wistfully at shiny discs as something that was somewhat a historic phenomenon in a way that we kind of think about vinyl or VCRs today,” said Lewis.

Does this mean that Microsoft and Xbox will shunt the idea of supporting Blu-ray aside in favor of downloads? An earlier statement from Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer certainly states the possibility that they’ll support Blu-ray, but we’ll see what will happen. Do watch this space for your updates!

Via GamesIndustry