Xbox360 accessory HD-DVD player will employ USB!

May 8, 2006

Here we have an interesting article over at the Xbox page. In it amongst the HD-DVD hype is detailed (at least a bit), the much pondered and anticipated HD-DVD external drive for the Xbox360. If you thought it was going to use HDMI, well, you might be mistaken! From what they are saying here, it will use good old USB.

Xbox 360™ ushered in the era of high-definition gaming by standardizing high-definition resolutions and 16x9 widescreen support for every game (Xbox LiveÂ® Arcade included) on the system. What's more, Xbox 360, while powerful on its own, is also a foundation from which new technology and accessories can be added. Chief among these is the recently announced HD DVD add-on.

This much anticipated accessory carries with it an extension of the HD Era that Xbox 360 offers, and provides the most visually stunning movie watching experience available.

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This new accessory will connect to the Xbox 360 console with a USB cable, enabling it to harness the power of the Xbox 360 console for the HD video outputs and digital surround sound. As an accessory, it becomes another shining example of the flexibility of Xbox 360 designed into the console in order to grow and add new features. It's also just one of several new accessories being announced at E3.

You can check out the article in it's entirety here. If
you are a Blu-ray fan though, you might feel your blood pressure rise reading all about the wonders of HD-DVD. 😉 Still no pricing available for this player as of yet. But, with the Sony PS3 rumored at 499 bucks, which includes an integral Blu-ray drive, one would think Microsoft would not be able to charge much for this afterthought. Maybe one of the camps, or hopefully both, will announce official pricing at E3....but don't count on it. So much is riding on this phase that we may have to wait a bit longer.

Source: Xbox