MS: Blu-ray being passed by

Microsoft has issued its most blatant dismissal yet of high-capacity disc technology Blu-ray, seemingly ending all talk of its possible inclusion in future versions of the Xbox 360.

When asked if the inclusion of just DVD technology and not Blu-ray in Xbox 360 could potentially lessen the console’s lifespan, director of entertainment and marketing Stephen McGill told Xbox360Achievements:

I think people may have spoken about that originally, but that’s long gone. I think people now recognise what a smart decision it was to keep the pricing low.

Actually Blu-ray is going to be passed by as a format. People have moved through from DVDs to digital downloads and digital streaming, so we offer full HD 1080p Blu-ray quality streaming instantly, no download, no delay.

So, who needs Blu-ray?”

Last month developer Dave Cox, who is currently working on Konami’s Castlevania: Lords of the Shadows, claimed that Microsoft needs to help developers overcome the storage problem” that the Xbox 360’s reliance on DVD is causing.