Sony in talks with Microsoft regarding Blu-ray

by Jem Alexander { Mar 6th 2008 at 7:00PM }

The Financial Times is reporting today that Stan Glasgow, President of Sony Electronics, has stated that there have been discussions with Microsoft to incorporate a Blu-ray drive into the Xbox 360. After the death of HD-DVD Microsoft announced that they would be discontinuing the HD-DVD add-on, leading on to discussions between Microsoft and Sony regarding the possibilities of a Blu-ray add-on, or even a fully integrated drive for future SKUs. The result of this would be an increased price point for the Xbox 360, along with a portion of all hardware revenue going to Sony. Yes, that means Sony would be making money off of every 360 and PS3 sold.

Of course, Microsoft are being coy about this entire thing, stating that they 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." Nothing new there, then. Nothing's confirmed yet, but we're intrigued to see where (if anywhere) these talks will lead.

Tags: blu-ray, microsoft, xbox-360

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Andy @ Mar 6th 2008 7:09PM

Considering most people who own Xbox's don't like Sony, I don't know how well this will go. One one hand, the format tussle is over but on the other, Xbox owners can be a bit stubborn. Especially the ones who wanted HD movies and have the add-on.

Good to see though as I'm sure there are some people who really enjoy HD movies regardless of format.

Maestro @ Mar 6th 2008 7:56PM

It's not like the drive is going to say SONY on it. I don't understand what there is to negotiate. Don't they just pay for a license? Nobody had to negotiate to put a DVD player in...they just payed the license fee per player.

Nick @ Mar 6th 2008 8:14PM

If they buy Sony drives it will certainly say Sony.

But this isn't a big deal at all. All these companies integrate each others patents, parts, and licenses all the time and the general populace never even knows about it. This situation is no different.

sm @ Mar 6th 2008 9:24PM

Most people who own Xbox's doesn't hate Sony. They are just gaming/HD nerds who has nothing to do but argue on the nets...

HalaMadrid!!! @ Mar 7th 2008 2:25AM

Sony owns blu-ray? I didn't know that. I thought that sony only supported the blu-ray format. now I have to search that up to see if its true

Tom @ Mar 7th 2008 3:33AM

No, Sony don't own Blu-ray. But I guess they're going to manufacture the drives. I wish they wouldn't do it actually.

HalaMadrid!!! - tough luck on the Champions' League debacle. Hahahaha

HalaMadrid!!! @ Mar 7th 2008 4:26AM

Thanks for the reminder Tom now I'm a sad hooligan:(

sean @ Mar 6th 2008 7:12PM

no matter what they arent aloud to use it for games though which sucks for them. o well glad PS3 had it built in from the start

halebound00 @ Mar 6th 2008 7:50PM

I wouldn't even let those bastards do an add on (which I am sure they will do) and integrating one into the system is just comical considering how they said it wasn't necessary. What it be called, the Xbox 360 Superfreshelite? Somebody at Sony better quit taking their crazy pills and tell them they can make an add on and only that.

john paul @ Mar 9th 2008 12:04PM

The add-on will have to be at least under 150 for people to buy it instead of the ps3.
Before microsoft had teh excuse that they were not the same format, but now they have no choice.

If this is true, then its great for both sides
especially Sony.
But obviously having this won't make 360 games on the blu-ray format. So 5 discs ¡FTW!

JohnQ @ Mar 6th 2008 7:22PM

I think having an integrated Blu-ray drive in the X360 would be an awesome idea. Blu-ray player prices would drop and the move would make people bring HDTV's and BR Players into their homes much faster.

There's also the possibility of Microsoft using Blu-ray discs for future releases, allowing for bigger games with better graphics. They could provide some sort of a rebate for an add-on drive for older X360's.

ryan @ Mar 6th 2008 7:25PM

it wont, for the same reasons why microsoft was not allowing hd-dvd to be used for games... they want everyone who buys a 360 to be able to play every game thats made for it

Popfrogs @ Mar 6th 2008 10:34PM

Ryan is 100% right on this one. I doubt Microsoft will release yet another 360 with a BR drive built in. However, if MS is staying true to form, this deal could pave the way for the new Xbox due next year (probably) to have a BR drive inside. After all, this model, physically, is a total disaster and even the latest revisions fail regularly. I'm betting they can't wait to get away from this very bad piece of hardware. If they stick with a similar architecture but beef it up, developers won't have to learn something crazy and can hit the ground running.

Of course this is 99% speculation but some Xbots have said that MS is releasing a new Xbox very soon, 4-5 year cycle and the 360 debuted in Nov. of '05.

eugene @ Mar 6th 2008 11:16PM

There's no reason why 360 couldn't get an intergrated Blu-ray drive. They just won't publish games on BD.

I think the bigger concern is the streaming of content. Since not all 360s have HDD (seriousl, WTF?) a BD360 would have to stream from a slower blu-ray drive.

Johndude @ Mar 7th 2008 5:47AM

Agrees with popfrogs

Maybe add an extra core or 2 to the processor and a gig or 2 of ram with a bluray drive, make it more reliable and you have the XBOX 720

Wonderflex @ Mar 7th 2008 12:37PM

They would be nuts to allow an internal Blu-ray drive. It's part of the PS3 core value package and it would be allowing the competitor to have the ability to compete on a similar level. The only smart move is to force them to make all Blu-ray drives an attachment.

Stef Geiger @ Mar 6th 2008 7:28PM

It would seem like a dumb decision to let Microsoft make a blu-ray addon. Sony theoretically could eternally hold Blu-ray over Microsoft's head, which they should, since some potential 360 buyers might buy a PS3 instead. Letting Microsoft play would surely cannibalize sales a little.

Nathan @ Mar 6th 2008 7:56PM

Actually this wouldn't be bad for Sony at all. Regardless of which console is winning the war Sony would still make money off both consoles theoretically speaking.

Stef Geiger @ Mar 6th 2008 7:58PM

Not really. They'd likely make a few DOLLARS (if that) per console sold on the licensing.

Johndude @ Mar 7th 2008 6:32AM

Nah, if they do that MS will just work on Digital Downloads, dont think itl bother them that much lol

kevin @ Mar 6th 2008 7:30PM

this is going to stop all the microsoft fanboys to shut up saying how the ps3 copies from them but you know sony would do it for the money,remember BIG COMPANIES DONT HAVE DIGNITY all they want is money and dont care about the costumer so i honestly wouldnt be surprised if this happened.

stigzy @ Mar 6th 2008 7:42PM

So Sony has micro$oft by the balls and now they can feel that grip getting tighter every day .... bout time as they have had all us by the ball what with windows, messenger office and whatever they can come up with ............. and now the ball is the other court they have their tails between their legs ..... haha ...... who cares ...yes blu-ray in 360s would advance the HD era but i dont think games for 360 will be on blu-ray though they should be blue dragon 5 dvds ..... no need just chuck it on blu-ray but hey how are they gonna keep the installed base happy thats a lotta 360,s counting the bust ones ..(thats 2 for me) perhaps we should all just get together and reap the benefits imagine 1 main console and shared profits so much better than fighting over a market share and developers would things out there much quicker for us to buy no region protection or other versions to worry about imagine the online community it would ROCK

Sthlm @ Mar 6th 2008 8:21PM

ever heard of the Soviet Union?

John Benoit @ Mar 6th 2008 10:01PM

And punctuation? My brain ran out of breath.

JKPierce @ Mar 7th 2008 3:29AM

What John said. I stopped reading after the $, and scanned the rest to realize it would have been a headache to read anyhow.

Take a little time to get your point across legibly.

JoJo @ Mar 7th 2008 10:02AM

hmm..
i soo agree with you it will be called
THe PLAYTHREE60

Popfrogs @ Mar 7th 2008 1:13PM

I wonder if you posted this while listening to Flight of the Bumblebee. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVbuIZ-5-8o

Maestro @ Mar 6th 2008 7:59PM

The problem is that while BR may have won the format war with HDDVD, they clearly are not a market leader in delivering home entertainment. BR has a long way to go. They are now competing with multiple forms of downloadable HD content not to mention HD on demand. BR is going to count on video ownership as opposed to rentals...all IMHO

JapTastic @ Mar 6th 2008 11:39PM

Downloadable HD content being mainstream is many many years away. First of all, there is the fact that this country's internet speeds are far too slow for it to be really usable. Second, most computers can't even play HD video. You would have to by an HD player of some sort, which would defeat the purpose, because it would cost more than a blueray player. 3rd, you would only be able to play these movies on one TV, and you would run out of hard drive space very quickly. Downloadable HD movies just aren't feasable anytime soon.

Maestro @ Mar 6th 2008 8:01PM

Sony has M$ by the balls? Ever buy a SONY computer? Let's play a game of "Can You Name the OS Installed On All Of Them?".

Oh, and let us not forget there are 8 other companies in the BR camp who would be more than happy to take the money for the license fee.

dartmerc @ Mar 7th 2008 12:23AM

P-dub, SegaCD was mad; the reason it never caught on was because the Saturn was released less then a year after the CD addon was created. But by the looks of things, MS would be repeating this mistake anyway..

JKPierce @ Mar 7th 2008 3:31AM

Think Microsoft's home entertainment division is more relevant, as it's failed to turn a positive penny. Ever.

Investors can only wring their hands so long.

Pete @ Mar 7th 2008 9:41AM

The Microsoft entertainment division has been profitable for the past 2 quarters.

P-dub @ Mar 6th 2008 8:09PM

PSN: SamuraiBubba
I've said this before; even if MS does receive a Blu-ray add-on, it'll still be expensive, and it probably won't be used for games. Forcing 360 owners to buy an add-on so that they could play certain games on blu-ray would be an awful idea, since add-ons like that that rarely work *cough*32xandSegaCD*cough*.

Cool Paul @ Mar 6th 2008 8:29PM

now that this format war is over I just wish they would talk about merging their game divisions. At this rate MS will never catch up to Sony's hardware capabilities and Sony will Never catch up to Microsofts software. They are both pretty much the best at what they do. they need to merge so we can have one format in video games I don't understand why it's ok for games to have 3 formats, it's slowing down the development of the industry.

JKPierce @ Mar 7th 2008 3:35AM

While I agree it's ridiculous that Microsoft has its own separate thing going, it's equally bizarre to think their software is superior. In the current generation, sure, but that's a minor matter of a year or two until it's reversed.

Unless the Sony's momentum dies off, which doesn't seem particularly likely.

Popfrogs @ Mar 7th 2008 1:21PM

Actually a merger of the two would be a disaster for the industry. Notice how Microsoft always loves to patent everything then coerce other companies into using their tech.

Of the two consoles, Sony's is the most open and even Blu-ray adheres to open standards with Java being the 'OS' for the discs. Microsoft, on the other hand, is 100% proprietary, including the ports you use to plug their branded stuff in. See Nintendo for another example of closed hardware+software.

Personally I prefer Sony's ethic here. When you work with open standards, you technically make your platform easier to deal with and cut down on licensing fee nonsense.

ddr @ Mar 6th 2008 8:48PM

"it wont, for the same reasons why microsoft was not allowing hd-dvd to be used for games... they want everyone who buys a 360 to be able to play every game thats made for it"

Last I checked both HD-DVD drive and a Blue-Ray drive play DVD's as well. So can't a hybrid Blue-Ray/DVD drive be put in a 360?

Popfrogs @ Mar 6th 2008 10:36PM

You missed his point. The point is that MS can't release a piece of hardware that's exclusive, i.e. unless you have this model of the Xbox, you can't play this or that game. That's why the HD-DVD player never got integrated, the devs may make a game on HD media then non-HD owners couldn't play it. Which kinda defeats the purpose of integrating that drive.

Jove @ Mar 6th 2008 9:00PM

hell yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! go blu ray! lolz

kentuckyfried @ Mar 6th 2008 10:56PM

Oh, the sweet irony....

Jay @ Mar 7th 2008 12:10AM

Omg, lol I watch Terminator on my Computer in HD streamed every weekend from Fox.com and it's flawless. HD being downloaded or streamed is here. Don't kid yourself besides for games Blu-ray will not over take DVD, and if it does it will take 5-7 years. HD movies only account for about 2% of dvd sales atm.

Da @ Mar 7th 2008 12:23AM

And what percentage to HD download movies account for d!ckhead?
Great, i'm super f*cking happy that you get to stream Terminator, but I bet your mum and her friends don't stream their movies and shows, and even the kids at school cooler then you still like to own a DVD collection (or Blu-ray if they're into tech).
It'll be 8 - 10 years before HD streaming *matches* physical disk sales bub, so I wouldn't hold my breath (or maybe it's best you do).

JKPierce @ Mar 7th 2008 3:37AM

You might want to look up 'Internet' on Wikipedia. The technology just isn't here yet. We'll likely get it in our lifetime, sure, but the physical format is absolutely not going anywhere as long as the inter-tubes get so clogged easily.

Jonah Falcon @ Mar 7th 2008 12:15AM

"Yes, that means Sony would be making money off of every 360 and PS3 sold"

Microsoft will not be intergrating a high def drive into their system. The access speed is far too slow for games developed on DVD-9. As with the HD-DVD drive, it'll be completely optional.

TCampbell76 @ Mar 7th 2008 2:00AM

"Yes, that means Sony would be making money off of every 360 and PS3 sold."

I dunno. I've been to quite a few SCEA and SOE offices from California to Colorado and I have seen many of their computers running Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office. lol So it's not like Sony isn't paying Microsoft a dime either - unless Sony pirates all their software or switches to Mac.

JKPierce @ Mar 7th 2008 3:38AM

Again, you've got a business software standard versus a home entertainment division failing to turn profit.

The operating system argument isn't really relevant at all.

cg @ Mar 7th 2008 3:09AM

Get down on your knees Microsoft!!!
GROVEL!!!
BEG!!!
for SONYs BLU RAY technology!!!
We may allow you to have a license, there again we may not!
We havent decided yet!!!
PLEAD for our BLU RAYZ!!
DOWN ON YOUR KNEES MICROSOFT!!!!

Jay @ Mar 7th 2008 6:42AM

JK
1. Terminator is a show not a movie it's an example of how HD (720p I'm sure) is already being used with current internet speeds streamed and crystal clear, get your head out of your ass, most movies now in HD I can download/rent from either itunes or Xbox Live and don't have to worry about finding space for a collection

2. I collect dvd's and have over 500, which I'm in the process of buring to my home server so I can stream them to all the tv's and pc's in my house, after that I'm using them for coasters because physical media sucks.