Microsoft Again Dismisses New Blu-Ray Rumors

"Technology company Microsoft has again quelled rumors of an up-and-coming Xbox 360 running on Blu-ray technology.

A released statement denying the rumors counts as the second time the company has battled against hearsay, all of which circled around the assumption that the Xbox 360 will be adapting to the newer Blu-ray upon the death of its original HD DVD format.

The rumors this time involved technology manufacturer Lite-On, which would supposedly be creating the Blu-ray format products for Microsoft.

"Lite-On is not manufacturing Blu-ray devices for Xbox 360," said a spokesperson for the company, as quoted by Bit-Tech. "As we have stated, games are what are driving consumers to purchase game consoles, and we remain focused on providing the largest library of blockbuster games available."

The spokesman went on to say that Microsoft consumers will be provided with "premium movie experience" by the library of HD content, as well as the playback feature of DVDs shown in high definition.

According to TechRadar, Official Xbox 360 editor Jon Hicks stated that he was "not surprised" that Microsoft adamantly denied the rumors.

"If they were going to announce something like this then they would certainly not do it right now," he said. "As I've said in the past, they haven't ruled out Blu-ray on 360, and if we ever were to see anything, then I would imagine it would be announced much nearer to Christmas."

The Blu-ray format has quickly been raking in supporters, from technology companies to video retail stores, ever since it quashed the competing HD DVD in the format wars a few months ago."

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With Firefox 3, Microsoft Has Reason to Worry

"In the chronology of Internet browsers, Netscape came out earlier, but Microsoft figured out a way to do most of the same things at least as well, if not better. It didn't hurt that the company violated the law as it mobilized to crush a nascent challenge to its desktop monopoly.

Still, it's an incorrect rewrite of history to explain the triumph of Internet Explorer solely in terms of antitrust violations. Fact is that by the time Microsoft got around to the third incarnation of its Web browser, IE was arguably as good--if not better--than Netscape. We all know how that story finished up."

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