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Microsoft Thinks Blu-Ray’s Days Are Numbered
Blu-Ray discs have been on the market for a few years now, and the format has certainly caught on with tech heads and many PlayStation 3 owners, but will the format ever reach critical mass among a large consumer audience like DVDs and VHS did before it? Microsoft doesn’t seem to think so.
In a recent interview with Xbox Achievements, UK Xbox head, Stephen McGill said, “Blu-ray is going to be passed by as a format. People have moved through from DVDs to digital downloads and digital streaming, so we offer full HD 1080p Blu-ray quality streaming instantly, no download, no delay. So, who needs Blu-ray?”
McGill also brought up Microsoft’s decision to exclude a Blu-ray drive from its Xbox 360 system and thereby keep the cost of the unit cheap. “I think people now recognize what a smart decision it was to keep the pricing low,” McGill added.
It’s hard to dismiss McGill comments immediately. Recently legal digital downloads of PC games have exceed the actual sale of disc-based product. On the other hand, we see some merit in having a few Blu-ray discs on our game and movie shelves.
What do you think? Should we start carving Blu-ray’s tombstone now, or has McGill spoken a little too soon?
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