HD-DVD Xbox360 Add-on Officially $129.99 Now >

	2008/02/07 15:01:05: Posted by DM
	Well, it looks like even Microsoft, one of the backers of the HD-DVD format, knows when its goose is cooked. The HD-DVD add-on is now officially priced brand new at $129.99. This is a real steal because with the format being near-dead, you can pick up HD-DVD movies that are the same resolution and sound quality as Blu-Ray movies for half the price. You just have to make sure you have a way to play the HD-DVDs once the format is offically dead. >Link
	Labeled With  xbox360 hddvd microsoft Comments [12]  | Rate this article: -- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10  | Avg. rating of 4.5

HD-DVD isn't dead; that is for sure!

Blu-ray may have a "larger" percentage of movies that will be released in the future, but it can DEFINITELY be argued that HD-DVD has a "Better" percentage of movies.

For example:

HD-DVD holds the record for the most successful sales of a high-definition movies. Transformers is the movies that set that record, and Transformers is only available on HD-DVD.



The fact that HD-DVD holds that records means that it still has plenty of "Life," left in it. Anyone who would suggest otherwise is the sort of idiot that doesn't respond to emails from celebrities.

Also, anyone who watched the Super Bowl knows that BY FAR the BIGGEST movie of 2008 is going to be Iron Man, by Paramount...which means it will be released in high definition ONLY on the HD-DVD format.

...and I can't wait to get Twister, from Warner Bros. when it is released on HD-DVD in May...Ya see, Warner Bros "exclusively" backing Blu-ray isn't as bad as it seems, because Warner Bros. had already released SO MANY movies on HD-DVD, and will continue to do so until May of 2008.

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All Microsoft needs to do is make it so this "stalemate" lasts for four more years, until the prices drop low enough for the next Xbox system to include some type of "dual-format" optical disc. This will allow both HD-DVD and Blu-ray movies to be played, which will be considered a BIG advantage that a Sony system couldn't match, since Sony would only want to support Blu-ray.

Not only that, but this "trojan horse" dual-format optical disc would literally "eventually" increase sales to the point where the number of HD-DVD and Blu-ray owners are equal. When that happens, HD-DVD instantly regains the advantage because it costs so much less to produce HD-DVD movies.



This format "War," is far from over, if Microsoft listens to intelligent people like me who have been making excellent suggestions to them from the beginning--maybe even hiring me, like editors have suggested to Microsoft.

.........Based on the idiots at Microsoft in Europe, I would say that there actually is an excellent chance Microsoft won't listen to me...and that my wonderful knowledgeable suggestions won't matter, because Microsoft won't listen.

After all, it makes more sense to listen to an "educated dummy" from a university like Yale that allows 5th generation students like George Bush to smoke cocaine and still graduate, going on to become president, telling the auto industries to go to hell, simply because he and his vice president own oil companies, and ENJOY the high oil prices that give them more profit.

Well, I may not have a degree from an Ivy League school, but I (and others on this website) are still more intelligent than some of Microsoft's psychotic idiots...people that charged $900 for the Xbox 360 in Europe when it was released.

Krogan just accept it, HD-DVD is on it's way out. Are you seriously touting how great it is to be able to buy WB HD-DVDs between now and May? That's just ridiculous. And I don't know why you want MS to force a format stalemate, the only people that lose out in the end are us, the consumers. Most people don't care one way or the other which format wins, they just want a clear winner before they dump too much money into a format that dies.

I wanted HD-DVD to win. But its pretty much a forgone conclusion that Blu-Ray will be the victor. Thats why I am glad I didnt jump into the HD movie format war either way. $129.00 for the HD-DVD add on is still too expensive. And still too late...

You might as well take that $129.99 and put it towards a standalone bluray player or a ps3. HDDVD may be around still, but who know for how long.

u know what Pimpdaddy your right i wanted HD DVD to win cause one thing we have DVD and HD DVD continue will be kool but instead BLUE ray which i dont mind either caues i never jumped in HD FORMAT yet, although i hate the fact that MS is trying to confuse consumers but either way i dont care... PS3 all in one just like PS2 !

This format "War," is far from over, if Microsoft listens to intelligent people like me who have been making excellent suggestions to them from the beginning--maybe even hiring me, like editors have suggested to Microsoft.

hahahahahahhahahahahhahahahahahhahahahahhahahahahahhahahahahhahahahahahhahahahah

KKrogan is the intelligent !!!!!

that shit cracks me up so good !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

blacktiger : Ya but I think people give the PS3 way too much credit for DVD's success. DVD was already the established upgrade from VHS. I never used my PS2 or Xbox for watching DVD movies. However that being said Sony did manage to win the HD movie format war by puttign Blu-Ray in the PS3. So if and when I buy a PS3 it will be for both movies and games. As much as Sony pisses me off thier gamble paid off.

This year, as the price of stand-alone Blu-ray players drop to $199, you will see the impace of the PS3 as "A Blu-ray movie player," become far less important.

It really is a shame for the PS3 that the system will cost $399-$499 when some of their biggest games of the year will be released, because it lessens the impact of the games by such a BIG margin.



If Sony would have launched the PS3 at the price of $299, like the PS2 and PS1, then by now it would be $199, just like the PS2 and PS1 were at this point in their lives. That would have allowed games like Grand Theft Auto 4 and MGS4 to have a major impact. Instead, the impact will be very much reduced.



Ironically, the delayed version of Metal Gear Solid 4 will actually have a BIGGER impact than the PS3 version, because the Xbox 360 version of Metal Gear Solid 4 will include extra missions, and more importantly the Xbox 360 console will have dropped its price significantly by then, which means it will have the "new" game that will make a BIG impact with the mass market of consumers who haven't bought a system yet.

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HD-DVD is $129 right now, but it includes King Kong--which is AWESOME, and it also includes FIVE movies of your choice. I think that is an excellent deal. That is almost like getting it for free.

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If you truly care about "What is best for consumers," then you really should want the HD-DVD format to win, because it has strict performance standards that are superior to those of Blu-ray.



The standard used for HD-DVD movie discs is 30GB in size, compared to the movie disc size of 25GB for Blu-ray. That extra space provides extra features, and extra music formats on the HD-DVD versions of movies released for both formats. Look at Superman Returns as an example. It looks EXACTLY the same on the store shelves, but flip the box over and you will see the HD-DVD version has an extra sound format.

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The fact that movies like Transformers, Iron Man, Hulk, The Bourne Identity movies, Star Trek, Heroes, and so many others appear ONLY on HD-DVD means that we will NOT have a "format winner" for a loooooong time.

It may seem like Blu-ray has a 35-14 lead, but we are only at the end of the first quarter.



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Also, HD-DVD has the fundamental advantage of being Hybrid. If HD-DVD were to make it MANDATORY for all HD-DVD discs to be Hybrid--compatible with both HD-DVD and standard DVD, then that would be a HUGE advantage that would INSTANTLY turn the tide of the "format war," in favor of HD-DVD, because people could use the discs in both their HD-DVD players and standard DVD players.

If I worked for Toshiba or Microsoft, I would make that MANDATORY, or suggest it to someone like Bill Gates or Steve Ballmer, or Robbie Bach...but, nobody from Microsoft listens to me.



After all, I gave them my email address of [email protected] and they never contacted me, because they were too arrogant. But, the FACT is, I told them things that would happen 1.5 years before they happened. I told them to focus on things, but I was ignored. Only now does Microsoft realize these facts, but it seems too late now.

There is nothing wrong with recruiting a guy like me off the Internet, especially when you consider that HD-DVD is by far the worse marketed product in the history of electronics. So many missed chances for HD-DVD...so many missed chances.

But Microsoft, if you are reading this, it STILL isn't too late. I want want is best for the consumers, and that means I want HD-DVD to "win the format war." I know how it can be done. Write to me at [email protected] if you want to hire me.

Or you can buy a standalone HDDVD player that comes with 7 free movies for $149.99 from besbuy. At least that way when your xbox360 gets the 3 rings of death (which it will, just a matter of time) at least you want be left with a useless hddvd player.



And yeah... the xbox360 version of MGS4 will be superior to the ps3... just like MGS2 that was ported to the original xbox.... and if there even is a mgs4 for xbox360 that has xtra missions. What makes you think you woulnd't be able to download the new missions for the ps3 version of the game..

also... i'd rather play mgs4 on ps3 with 1-2 bluray discs where as if there is a xbox360 version it will have.. what 6 dvds?

yeah storage is about to be a huge issues with MS. Right now you have blue Dragon which is 3 disks, and Lost Odyssey which is 4. If the rumored MGS$ ever does come out i agree with sicbud....expect around 6 dvds. It will only get worse from there. Bluray FTW!

Response about "Space,"

Metal Gear Solid 4 isn't the kind of game that will use up multiple discs, like Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey.

Metal Gear Solid 4 would fit on one dual-layer DVD, just like Devil May Cry 4, and the much larger games like Oblivion: Game of the Year Edition, and Mass Effect.



Playstation 3 owners had better pray that Metal Gear Solid 4 doesn't use that much space, because that will mean Installation times of HOURS, and it would mean that people who bought the 20GB version of the Playstation 3 would automatically have to go out and buy a bigger hard drive.

Even owners of bigger hard drives would be in a position where they would have to go and buy a bigger hard drive for their PS3 if they happened to buy games like Metal Gear Solid 4, Devil May Cry 4, and Virtua Fighter 5.



That's the great thing about the Xbox 360; none of the Installation nonsense exists. Games like Devil May Cry 4 and VF5 can instantly be played on the Xbox 360, and they don't take up any installation space on the hard drive. But Devil May Cry 4, and even a fighting game like Virtua Fighter 5 take up HUGE amounts of hard drive installation space on the Playstation 3...and the PS3 version of Virtua Fighter 5 doesn't even let you play online, and the Xbox 360 version does!



I also think it's worth noting that it would be impossible for Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey to fit on a single Blu-ray disc. It would take two Blu-ray discs for Blue Dragon, and it would take two Blu-ray discs for Lost Odyssey...not that it matters, since both of those highly rated Japanese style RPG games are exclusive to the Xbox 360.

Square Enix will also be released an INCREDIBLE Role-Playing game exclusively for the Xbox 360, called "Infinite Undiscovery."

I don't know how many discs that game will be, but when you consider that the best Final Fantasy game of all time was Final Fantasy VII, which was on multiple discs, it is obvious that the number of discs used in a long RPG game doesn't matter. Changing discs once ever 20 hours isn't a big deal, since you would probably do that anyways by playing other games from time to time.

another nail in the hd-dvd coffin today. Netflix has officially announced they are going Bluray exclusive.