spaulagain
New member
Um, isn't it obvious? So people can play Blu-Ray movies and disc based games. Why is this even a question?
The more I think about and read about the Xbox One, I feel like the Bluray drive should have been optional. MS is going all out on digital, so why require people to have Bluray? For gaming purposes, it appears discs are going to be no different than download cards and they don't replace the need for internet connectivity. I don't buy physical media movies anymore. The drive is taking up valuable space and serving no purpose to me. People complain about Kinect -- at least it will be functional. The HDDVD add-on for 360 was a good solution for people that wanted a high def movie option. Wish they would have done something like this with One. MS might have hit the $399 mark without Bluray, allowing for some loss knowing all business on the console would be digital and therefore more profitable. It wouldn't surprise me at all to see a future hardware revision without any optical drive.
The bolded part answers your question. Not everyone, not even close, shares your thought on this. One of the main reasons I'm interested in the X1 is also to serve as a blu-ray player. While I plan to get most of my games digital, most of my rented movies are still physical. While I have a very reliable internet connection, it's the cheapest I can get, which means that I get only about 180kB/s download speed, which is why downloading all my movies digitally too doesn't sound too lucrative. Not to mention all the DVD movies and series we have bought and will likely keep buying too when there's some nice sale on some good series.
I'm pretty sure that the drive at this point still delivers more value for both the cost and space taken than just about anything else they could've used the time, space and resources for.
That said, you might be right. There might become a "Slim/Light" version revision with no optical drive and many people might just opt for this if they already have a bluray player and a fast internet. That said, personally I rather have the bluray player in the xbox to eliminate the need for yet another device and switching inputs etc.
I already have a bluray player, but it also serves as the receiver/sound system. With the Xbox One, everything I use will be available through the Xbox. So my TV will go into the Xbox for video, and the Receiver into the Xbox for sound. No more switching inputs .
I think I'm with the OP on this one: I'm done with physical media. I have no desire to pop any discs (games or movies) into a tray. I'll stream and digitally download everything. The OP is right that bundling the Kinect is crucial, but the Blu-ray player is not. As another mentioned, why not offer a slimmer console that is digital only? Even if it only shaved off $50 from the total (I see others are claiming it would be more like $30-40, but they would also save some money on royalties to Sony and reduces parts in a slimmer console, no? so maybe they could cut the price by $50, but even if it was $40 cheaper, I'd still take it), that would help halve the gap between the PS4 and make it more enticing for some. Even more so, it will promote Microsoft's original vision for Xbox One: digital only games. Seems like a no-brainer to me. Every Xbox One with a Blu-Ray drive in is money in Sony's coffers.
How did you work that out? Sony don't have any patents or rights to blu ray players so no money goes to them.
no they didn't, and no they don'tSony created the blu-ray format, Sony DOES have a patent on blu-ray
no they didn't, and no they don't
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-ray_Disc_Association
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-ray_Disc
The current gen PC games arnt 20-45gb, usually closer to 15gb than 20gb and they still look the same/better and are as big as most likely majority of next-gen games on consoles will be for many years, thus I dont expect the next gen games to cross the 20gb mark for a while. Naturally now that the disc format supports it, they might just be more likely to do it. Especially multiplatform games on consoles likely also limit the outcome more or less on PC, cos they dont want to make the game drastically different.
10.1 digital audio? Hell why not 10.2? How is that even configured in a living room for instance? 2 front, center, 3 back, 4 sides? I think I need a house with bigger rooms.
10.1 digital audio? Hell why not 10.2? How is that even configured in a living room for instance? 2 front, center, 3 back, 4 sides? I think I need a house with bigger rooms.
10.1 is already way ahead of regular home audio systems. And when you have that many speakers, it becomes less about sides/front/back than simply surrounding the room in what way works for your room. And honestly, if you have that many speakers, and two subs, you're going to need a good amp and your Xbox will just plug into that. Bass doesn't really need to be directional, so splitting it is kind of pointless.
Also, as a related FYI, Microsoft did not invent HD-DVD. They licensed and used it. (Toshiba and NEC started the standard)Corrected, but, they were the major players and investers in Blu-ray format. I stand corrected but, even if so, Microsoft's name is not on the list and they would be paying something to the Blu-ray Disc Association.
You won't be alone, nobody will be opening the disc drive. It's a slot loading drivefine, fine, give me the Xbox One with the disc drive I'll never open
Interesting. I remember the Blu-Ray vs. HD-DVD battle as well and for some reason assumed Sony had patents on the format.
Anyway, I am not talking about removing the option of a Blu-Ray Xbox One. I'm saying, sell a Blu-Ray version and a slimmer console without Blu-Ray (or any disc drive). It's not like bundling the Kinect (which is a must, otherwise it fragments the market) it would just be a different model that doesn't use physical media, which is what they are pushing for anyway. It sounds though that the price difference would be miniscule, so maybe it was a bad idea in that sense (although, that surprises me if that is truly the case), but even if they could make it slimmer without it (although, I'm guessing this difference would be miniscule as well--in that case, fine, fine, give me the Xbox One with the disc drive I'll never open).