CES 2006 is finally underway, and Bill Gates’ keynote speech at the event touched upon a number of key issues – including the fact that an external HD-DVD drive will be available for the XBox 360 in 2006.
From the Microsoft Press Release:
“Gates noted that Xbox 360 has also become a powerful application for high-definition television, adding that nine out of 10 Xbox 360 owners currently own or intend to purchase a high-definition television set.* He announced that more than 50 new high-definition Xbox 360™ games will be available by June 2006.
Building on Xbox 360 leadership in high-definition experiences, the company announced plans to deliver a new Xbox 360 external HD DVD drive in 2006. The new drive will offer millions of Xbox 360 owners the ability to easily enjoy HD DVD movies and will provide consumers with even more choices for experiencing high-definition content, in either physical or digital form.”
There will probably be a lot of Microsoft bashing resulting from the decision to make the device external, but given the fact that an HD-DVD Blu-ray format war is likely, it is probably the most logical decision to make it an accessory as opposed to integrating it fully with the console.
Read the full press release here.
Posted by Sean
