Apparently, since the life span of HD-DVD seems to have nearly run out, Microsoft has decided to make its way to the winning side and incorporate Blu-Ray with the Xbox 360 – in forms of both a player add-on similar to the HD-DVD add-on (so even the users of the current Xbox 360 can purchase this and watch Blu-Ray movies I believe), and a revised Xbox 360 with a Blu-Ray reader integrated into it. Gutsy, right?

You bet. Not only does Microsoft risk its ego in appealing to Sony for a Blu-Ray license, it also spatters its reputation by admitting that the opposing side had better technology. I think it’s repulsive to jump off the sinking ship when you’ve supported it for so long, but also admirable to continue evolving its console. Besides, it doesn’t seem like they’ve got much of a choice anymore – Toshiba’s already jumped off the ship itself (so much for the captain going down with the ship), just unofficially. Either way, this past week has been a huge one for the whole industry and the outcome of the format wars.

I can’t say this doesn’t affect me, as a friend of mine had wagered that HD-DVD would come out as the winner and has been a diehard supporter (although he did purchase a PS3 for the sake of being able to play Blu-ray movies, for the sake of insurance). In fact, this whole month has been pretty Microsoft-y, with the whole Yahoo! situation, Danger Inc. and now the fall of HD-DVD. Interesting.

Breaking news just now, the Format War is (almost) over. Toshiba has allegedly backed out on its own creation, HD-DVD, leaving Sony and the Blu-Ray format the last man standing, triumphant even through the thick and the thin. What’s the matter? Why did Toshiba exit the battlefield? And how did Sony plan such a strategy, to ensure its victory? Just a few points to consider:

• Even though Toshiba might have won the war, Sony’s Blu-Ray discs would still have been used for Playstation 3 games – giving it some insurance.
• Speaking of the Playstation 3, it sure is one hell of a gaming console, but doubled as a Blu-ray player – meaning not only was it a great bang for a buck, it also enabled hardcore gamers to experience the Blu-ray definition on the side.
• Toshiba’s gaming counterpart, Microsoft, really did not take much of a role into pushing HD-DVD out there, whereas Sony did relatively well in promoting their own format.
• The initial disappointment with the Playstation 3 resulted in a stalemate in the format wars. However, as the popularity of the Playstation 3 grew, the popularity of Blu-ray grew right along with it.
• The Blu-ray disc looked much stronger on paper – and even though that doesn’t exactly ensure a victory, it sure gives it the edge when comparing storage capacities and bandwidth.

Source: http://digital-lifestyles.info/copy_images/blu-ray-japan-sales-lg.jpg

It’s safe to say that you can go out and purchase a Blu-ray player or a PS3 now. If you ask me, what really pushed Toshiba over the edge would either be Warner Bros. abandoning it, Wal-Mart abandoning it, or NetFlix abandoning it (er, it’s not very likely, but NetFlix does have some influence right?). Or Best Buy abandoning it. Either way, we all saw the walls crumble in recent news.