Market does not need Blue-Ray says UK X-box CEO

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Link: http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=23761

 

Microsoft has reignited its war of words with arch rival Sony following the launch of PlayStation 3 in Europe, with UK boss Neil Thompson attacking the system’s price tag and Blu-ray functionality.

 

Speaking exclusively to GamesIndustry.biz, Thompson dismissed suggestions that the PlayStation 3's in-built Blu-ray drive gives the machine a tactical advantage over Xbox 360.

 

"Do I want to make people pay £200 extra for a machine with discs that have storage space I don’t need? My answer’s no, I don’t need to do that today," Thompson said. "And I don’t think I’m going to need to do that for quite a while."

 

Thompson argued that the flexibility of 360, which allows users to upgrade their experiences over time, will be key to the console's success. "I’m not sure the market has moved to high definition [movies] yet," he said.

 

"And if and when it does, then the way that we’ve constructed the offering we’ve made means we’ll be able to go whichever way we want."

 

The inclusion of a Blu-ray drive in every PlayStation 3 unit has been cited as one of the reasons for the system’s hefty GBP425 price tag. The premium Xbox 360 unit carries a lower RRP of GBP 279.99, but does not allow users to play next-gen DVD movies out of the box. A separate HD-DVD drive must be purchased at a cost of GBP 129.99.

 

Sony executives have been at pains to argue that the additional storage Blu-ray offers is also essential for games, as it means developers are freed from memory restrictions they may encounter on other platforms.

 

But according to Thompson, Microsoft’s "nimble" hardware could adapt to anything the Sony console has in its arsenal. He cited the 360's latent ability to output in native 1080p - a feature previously only available on PS3.

 

"I’d be really surprised if technologically, and we’re a software company, we couldn’t get to a situation where we can deliver whatever content we need to," he offered - adding that improved compression techniques and the ability to deliver content via Xbox Live would negate any disc storage issues in the future.

 

"This is about the architecture of the hardware. With the PS3 you’ve got a big, heavy truck that requires a big, heavy engine. With Xbox you’ve got a much more nimble box that uses software in the architecture of the box in a much more nimble way."

 

Thompson concluded, "That’s the difference between us and PlayStation - we didn’t have a need to develop a really complicated engine to get Blu-ray players into the market. We wanted to deliver HD gaming. Judge us on what we’ve done."

 

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Your thoughts please.

[Imhotep]

Maybe the market didnt need Blu-Ray this year, but it will need something of that nature eventually. The PS3 is designed with a 10 year lifespan in mind. Im sure within a few years disks of a much larger size will become the standard, whether it be HD-DVD or Blu-Ray. Im sure Microsofts next console will be either HD-DVD or Blu-Ray based, depending on the status of the formats. It seems as technology improves, we run out of space just as quickly as it can be increased.. Just look at the new harddrive just announced for the 360.

 

Basically, Im sure something like Blu-Ray will be hard to dismiss in a few years time.

 

Good find man!

[robbalvey]

The PS3 is designed with a 10 year lifespan in mind.

And it's already failed at that!

 

--Robb

[Imhotep]

^lol true I should have put 'supposedly'.

 

I question that lifespan, starting with the system specs. If you really wanted to make a system that lasts 10 years, then why only put 256mb of ram under the hood? Can the cell processor really compensate for everything else?

 

I guess what Sony is really trying to say is they are betting on Blu-Ray having a 10 year lifespan.

[verticalzero]

Sony's Cell has 8 chips but only 6 are working (Sony switched them off) at this time.

 

Sony can activate the remaining 2 chips and this will give more power to the PS3 and thus creating games which looks like the "Spiderman and Gran Turismo" demo.

 

At the end of the day it is not Microsoft, Sony or Nintendo who wins, it's the people who buy the machines and films. It gives everyone more choice and better technology.

 

If you can buy all 3 machines, you won't loose out on anything.

[BorisTF]

If you can buy all 3 machines, you won't loose out on anything.

I have two of the machines (Wii & 360) and already feel that I'm not losing out at anything.

[Imhotep]

Sony's Cell has 8 chips but only 6 are working (Sony switched them off) at this time.

 

Sony can activate the remaining 2 chips and this will give more power to the PS3 and thus creating games which looks like the "Spiderman and Gran Turismo" demo.

 

At the end of the day it is not Microsoft, Sony or Nintendo who wins, it's the people who buy the machines and films. It gives everyone more choice and better technology.

 

If you can buy all 3 machines, you won't loose out on anything.

 

So they can turn on the remaining cells via a firmware update? Nice..

 

You are right in your last statement... I STILL haven't been able to find a Wii, and I feel like Im totally missing out on that.. The PS3?? Now, not so much.. but probably when the new Metal Gear comes out Ill feel that way.

[Masked_Maverick]

^Unless the new Metal Gear also comes out on 360