Xbox 360 Blu-ray debate reignited

Many headlines on the internet this morning will lead you to believe that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer confirmed overnight plans to release an external Blu-ray drive for Xbox 360.

Whether this is actually the case or not remains to be seen.

The furore comes courtesy of an interview with Gizmodo. When asked about the possibility of a Blu-ray drive for the machine, Ballmer stated:

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 has been interpreted as a confirmation of a Blu-ray add-on. However, the statement could just as easily be a broader one referring to the fact that consumers are free to buy standalone Blu-ray players right now.

Indeed, Ballmer elaborated: Our immediate solution for Blu-ray-quality video on an Xbox 360 is coming this fall with Zune Video and 1080p instant-on HD streaming. As far as our future plans are concerned, we’re not ready to comment.”

Don’t expect any sort of conclusion to this long-running debate in the near future.