Xbox Head Proclaims Blu-ray Dead

Blacklaw writes "Microsoft has sided with Apple in a rare case of solidarity between the two companies, and declares that Blu-ray will be 'passed by' as a high-definition format. In many ways, it's hard to disagree. US markets have seen the demand for legal digital downloads of PC games exceed sales of the physical object for the first time, and Apple famously refuses to put a Blu-ray drive in its Macs, as Jobs prefers to send people towards iTunes to download their entertainment. That said, there's an argument for physical media, too. A recent survey suggested that the majority of gamers prefer physical discs, and digital downloads have the secondary effect of entirely cutting out the popular market for second-hand films and games — a plus for publishers, but a big negative for the consumer."

Comments

Hmm

[Pojut]

Eventually, yes...but I think optical media will still be around for a while.

Purely from a gaming perspective, it will be interesting to see if Microsoft includes Blu-Ray in its next Xbox. I doubt the next Xbox will be far enough in the future to support only digital downloads (due to ISP bandwith concerns), they won't be able to just stick with DVD9, and they would be pretty stupid to try to release their own optical format.

All that being said, I'll agree that Blu-Ray is likely the last (or the second to last) optical media standard that will ever hit mainstream status.

Re:If indeed, truly sad news

[StuartHankins]

Really? Once the laws are in place, it becomes illegal to do many of the things we take for granted. It's not only possible, but already happening.

• Amazon deleting books people bought is one example of taking back rights granted to consumers.
• My cable company stopped offering a guide channel unless you pay for the digital box -- what happens when the listings are no longer available for free?
• Maybe you like music lyrics -- have you seen the number of lyrics sites that have been shut down?
• How many games require an online account / online connection to play solo?
• How many games require online registration or activation after purchase?
• How much computer software auto-updates, sometimes removing features you paid for?
• You can't even cross the US border without worrying about the consequences of being caught with encrypted data/partitions.

What is being redefined, slowly but surely, is what rights you have as a computer user, what your computer is allowed to do, and what rights you have to "purchases" of content. Using encryption marks you for greater scrutiny by law enforcement. In some people's minds, merely using DeCSS or other software is against the law. It gets worse every day, in a little less freedom here and a little less freedom there.