Microsoft And Toshiba Cooking Up Xbox With HD DVD Drive October 20, 2007
Read more Consoles , Entertainment , Games , Gizmodo UK , PS3 , Xbox
It almost seems inevitable but rumours from down under suggest that Toshiba and Microsoft are developing an ‘entertainment’ Xbox 360 console which will feature not just an internal HD DVD drive with support for 1080p video content, but twin digital TV tuners, EPG support, wireless networking, a docking port for MP3 players and a bigger hard disk drive. Pretty much all of the PS3 advantages and a few others thrown in to boot.
According to a Toshiba Deep Throat in Singapore, speaking to Smarthouse:
“An Xbox with a built in HD DVD drive is critical. They and we are working on it. It also has to be more than a gaming machine. Microsoft recognise this. A version of the device may also be sold under the Toshiba brand name”.
He goes on to say that the companies have explored an ‘open-box’ version of the console that could be slotted into HDTVs above 40in. Toshiba is also said to be working on the horrific noise the Xbox 360 pumps out when it is in use, which makes a lot of sense since it has an admirable track record in developing quiet hard drives for notebooks.
So, according to the gossip, the next Xbox – which would be late next year – would have everything inside except the kitchen sink and a built-in popcorn maker. Sounds too good to be true.-Martin Lynch
Editor and Contributor | Martin Lynch
RSS Feed
Comments
Thats more than likly because it is.
Its a shame, seems like I will be buying a new model each and every year for the foresable future.
Brought the Premium, then the Elite now going to get the Ulimate ;) (oh wait is that not what I am running)
I am not saying it is wrong that Microsoft wants to better the products they have out, look at the OS they have SP's once a year to better them, but they are free, I am just saying that MS should have thought about the future and made a console that would have stood the test of time for a while rather than rushing to market to beat Sony. (which IMHO it still does ;))
Digital tuners, connecting mp3 players and allready sony's 60 GB has the ability to plug in sd cards from digital cameras. The game console seems to be evolving into the media entertainment hub, the one gadget you will need under your main tv. If this is the way then microsoft should be able to capitalise on streaming media from a pc and NAS device.
If only they include built in wi fi and cut down on the number of versions of the console, MCV report that microsoft is allready looking at a fourth generation of chips for the console. So the question becomes when is the right time to buy a next gen console?