MS rubbishes Blu-ray claims

Xbox 360 platform holder Microsoft has moved quickly to redress reports that the firm is planning to release a Blu-ray drive add-on for Xbox 360.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was quoted yesterday as saying that: Well I don’t know if we need to put Blu-ray in there—you’ll be able to get Blu-ray drives as accessories.”

This was widely interpreted by many outlets as being an admission that a Blu-ray drive for the console is on the way.

However, speaking on his blog, Microsoft’s Larry ‘Major Nelson’ Hryb has refuted such interpretations:

During an interview yesterday, Steve Ballmer was asked about Blu-Ray and the Xbox 360,” he explained. I wanted to clear something up. Steve was referring to Blu-Ray accessories for the PC.

As we have said in the past, we have no plans to introduce a Blu-Ray drive for the Xbox 360. In fact, the future of home entertainment starts very soon when Xbox 360 becomes the first and only console to offer instant-on 1080p streaming HD movies.

With a library of thousands of TV shows and movies to choose from, Xbox 360 owners can instantly watch the movies they want, when they want, in the highest form of high definition.”