Xbox 360 HD-DVD add-on will cost $200
...but is estimated to translate into a £150 price tag in the U.K.
Quote:
The external HD-DVD drive add-on for Microsoft's Xbox 360 games console will sell for $200, according to media reports.
Taiwanese tech paper DigiTimes reported that the external USB drive will be available to buy before Christmas this year.
According to the paper, Taiwanese games developers and gaming service providers consider an external drive a better approach than Sony's plans to integrate a Blu-ray drive into the forthcoming PlayStation 3.
An external model offers greater flexibility, and the inclusion of an internal drive in the PlayStation 3 could reduce its competitiveness in the market despite Blu-ray's greater disc capacity.
Confirming the Xbox 360 HD-DVD USB drive at the E3 gaming conference in May, Albert Penello, director of global marketing for the Xbox 360, said that the add-on "carries with it an extension of the HD era that Xbox 360 offers, and provides the most visually stunning movie watching experience available".
It will also even up the playing field with it's main rival (PS3) on price, as the PS3 will retail at $599/£425....but as mentioned, already supports the larger format Blu-Ray media, and speaking of which Sony has started producing 50gb discs (4 hours of HD video @ 24Mbps transfer speed), priced at around $48 per disc: http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/21...b-blu-ray-disc
Liam
