Rumor: New HD-DVD Drive in 08? edit: Rumor Smashed!

[FFMooglestar]

via Engadget:

Xbox 360 to get a new HD DVD drive in 2008
http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/20/xbox-360-to-get-a-new-hd-dvd-drive-in-2008/

Details are beyond sketchy at this point, but Personal Computer World is reporting that Mark Bennett, Microsoft's European HD DVD business director, announced that Microsoft would be shipping a revised 360 HD DVD drive in 2008 -- presumably one with improved support for HD DVD's HDi interactive features, which Microsoft is touting as being "nine months" ahead of Blu-ray. That's all the info we have for now, but you can bet we haven't heard the last of this one.

Interesting if true. May hold off on buying one until more news surfaces.

edit: Rumors smashed, http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/rumor-smashed/relax-no-new-xbox-hd-dvd-drive-in-2008-302183.php sorry to cause any problems. Thread can be closed!

[Sporadic]

I don't get it.

HDi should be a firmware thing not hardware and it's already supported by the current add-on.

[R1V3R5]

I don't get it.

HDi should be a firmware thing not hardware and it's already supported by the current add-on.


Maybe the HD-DVD drive is actually changing manufacturers and this is just misinformation?

[jrutz]

Unless this is a new revision to the HD DVD spec, there isn't anything the current 360 HD DVD drive can't handle regarding HDi. I don't get it...

[ITDEFX]

WOW and I was getting ready to buy a HDDVD drive for my 360 when Transformers HDDVD comes out next month.

hmm...

maybe I should wait.

[LinkinPrime]

That's total BS...endgadget has it all wrong, if they come out with anything new it will be a black one to match the Elite.

[KaneRobot]

I'm calling bullshit on this. HD DVD's hardware specs are finalized.

As already said - if they do bring out a new one, it'll be either cosmetically different (ie black) or maybe a new manufacturer. Or as a longshot, something that will pass lossless audio (and that would require a revision to the 360's hardware itself).

[getmyrunon]

That's total BS...endgadget has it all wrong

You say this like it is a fact - can you back this statement up?

[Mechafenris]

I don't think the "new" drive will be an "enhanced" anything, since most of the functionality of the HD-DVD drive is derived (that's a lot of D's) from the firmware, rather than the particular construction... I suspect we might be seeing a black one for Elites, and a green one for the Halo 3 set. ;) (More likely the former, rather than the latter...)

Maybe they at Engadget equated a new package with a new drive, rather than simply updating the firmware (for those of us who have drives already), and the "new" drive being a firmware updated drive, perhaps with a new HD DVD bundle...

[guyver2077]

ive actually been hoping they release a black one