Whilst most expect (or hope) the PlayStation 4 to land (somewhere) this year, a new rumour surfacing this morning suggests that the new Xbox, due to revealed soon, might not be so lucky.
The rumour claims that there’s a ten year exclusivity window on console-based Blu-ray movie playback, and Sony have that exclusivity. It’ll expire in 2014, so if this is true, and Microsoft want the new Xbox to play Blu-ray movies, they’ll have to wait.
It’s not clear whether this only applies to Italy (where the rumour stems from) or wider Europe (or wider still) but it’s an interesting one.
The rumour (translated here) comes via high level staff at an Italian entertainment distributor, who is apparently saying the company is only counting on one console launching this year – the PS4. Whether or not Microsoft would delay the console launch because of this is anyone’s guess.
hazelam
so that would mean sony had console exclusivity on bluray playback like two years before the PS3 launch?
even if it is true, ms would just launch without bluray playback.
then either patch it in later or sell a dongle, like they did for dvd playback on the original Xbox.
hell, knowing ms, they’d probably patch it in but put it behind the gold wall.
TSBonyman
I can’t see why they would delay the console just for bluray movie playback, although it might be a stumbling block for those who were expecting to have that feature included from the off.
Eldur
I think the most important part of the whole article is where this ‘exclusivity’ deal applies. I can’t see Microsoft waiting around just so that they can tap the HUGE gamer market in Italy. Even an arrangement in Europe wouldn’t stay their hand I suspect, with only a ban on Blu-Ray in their home territory being enough to set back their timetable.
I think this is pretty much baseless.
Breezy
So if the new xbox does get released this year and blu-ray playback patched in later does that mean xbox launch titles will be released on DVD?
ClubberLang
I wonder if that’s why the Wii-U doesn’t have a bluRay drive.
BULLofDOOM
BluRay for games.
Xbox Video for movies via LIVE.
Anything else would be shooting themselves in the foot. MS are investing too much into Xbox Music and Xbox Video to risk losing potential revenue to BluRay movie playback. They are heading for a single purchase grants playback on any Windows / Xbox branded device (Win Phone 8/ Windows 8/Surface/Xbox). Pretty much chasing Apple and throwing money at doing so.
I only ever intend to watch BluRay films on PS3/PS4 anyway, suckered in to the clever strategies by Sony of associating the tech with Sony and the Playstation brand.
Starman
Well with it probably releasing around the end of the year anyway, they could just block playback till 2014 and give a free trial of their xbox movie service instead.
colmshan1990
This seems like something that would have been known long before?
shields_t
Am I not right in saying that by 2014 the ps3 won’t yet be 10 years old anyway? Surely also there have been a number of other manufacturers knocking out blu ray players for years too.