By Stevie Smith Feb 7, 2008, 10:07 GMT
Microsoft’s recent admission that it would be willing to incorporate a standalone Blu-ray player for the Xbox 360 -- should HD-DVD not prove to the winning format in the high-definition war -- might be on the cusp of coming true.
Is Microsoft on the verge of admitting defeat with the HD-DVD format? Credit: HD-DVD.
While the American software giant has certainly made no noises to the fact beyond expressing a willingness to be flexible, there’s little doubting that Toshiba’s HD-DVD format has sustained potentially fatal injuries as of late.
With studio after studio shifting its support exclusively to Sony’s Blu-ray platform over the past few weeks, news has now arisen that retailers in Australia are chucking out the baby with the bathwater by cutting the price of the Xbox 360’s HD-DVD player by almost 50 percent.
Prior to the price slash, the recommended Aussie dollar price of the standalone HD-DVD add-on had been hovering at around $249.95, but has now been abruptly torn down to an extremely pocket-friendly $129.95 (which is the USD equivalent of approx. $117).
And, as an added incentive for any tempted customers, the hugely discounted player also comes bundled with a HD-DVD copy of Peter Jackson’s King Kong.
According to a related report posted on leading Aussie gaming site GamePlayer, a Microsoft representative has commented that the company is “working with individual retailers to have the new pricing available as soon as possible.”
Microsoft’s movements in the Australian market come hot on the heels of a similar limited-time clearance attempt in the US, which this week saw online retailer Amazon slashing the Xbox 360 HD-DVD player from $179.99 USD down to a mere $79.99 USD. Existing as an even better deal than its Aussie counterpart, Amazon’s offer also included 6 free HD-DVD movies.
With current HD-DVD activity and attitudes smacking distinctly of rats leaping from a sinking ship, are such dramatic price culls indicative of Microsoft acknowledging defeat with HD-DVD, and should consumers be wary of snapping up an HD bargain that might soon be good for little more than propping open doors when and if HD-DVD finally folds.
And, more interestingly, despite HD-DVD proponents insisting that the format war is not yet over, will we soon be met by the unveiling of a standalone Blu-ray player for the Xbox 360?
Watch this space.
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