Sony, Microsoft in talks over Blu-ray on Xbox 360

Rumors of Microsoft adopting Blu-ray after the fall of HD-DVD may now have some merit, as Sony Electronics U.S. president Stan Glasgow just revealed that there are discussions between the two giant companies about Microsoft having Blu-ray drives on the Xbox 360. Whether we’re going to see a Blu-ray add-on or Blu-ray-equipped Xbox 360 SKUs is still in the air, but we at least know that MS is looking at the high-capacity format. More details await at the full article.

Now that the Blu-ray format has taken the crown after Toshiba dropped HD-DVD, Microsoft is reportedly in talks with Sony about the Xbox 360 adopting Blu-ray. Sony Electronics U.S. president Stan Glasgow has revealed that discussions are on-going.

Nothing is concrete as of now, but considering how Microsoft was able to bring HD-DVD add-ons to consumers, it seems reasonable to believe that a Blu-ray drive attachment is possible. As pointed out by the Financial Times, the Xbox 360 can go head-to-head with the PlayStation 3 if it had Blu-ray, but Sony will still be earning revenues.

When asked for comment, Microsoft only stated that:

We have made no such announcement. Games are what are driving consumers to purchase game consoles and we remain focused on providing the largest library of blockbuster games available.

On the other hand, Glasgow also said there are talks with Apple regarding Blu-ray. However, Apple intends to focus on digital media via downloads instead. Glasgow disagreed with the idea. “Downloading will build over time, but this will be over a period of years,” said Glasgow.