Microsoft bashes Sony’s Blu-ray strategy

“This is the company that brought out Betamax – we don’t quite know where they’re going to go with this”. The executives or Microsoft are bashing Sony’s Blu-ray release strategy as hard as they can. But what really is the motive for this verbal attack?

Sony actually started the hard talk by saying that the next generation does not start until they say so. If you look at the HD-DVD launch, what they have is a poorly designed Toshiba HD-DVD player, which is actually a mini PC disguised consumer electronics. I am quite sure that Pioneer and others can and will do better when their release their first generation of Blu-ray products. And when we look at the Xbox 360, it is safe to say that there has not really been a rush to the next generation of consoles - many people lack the high definition TV that is required in order to benefit from the improved visuals. And Microsoft made a huge mistake, I think, by trusting on old legacy DVD technology and then releasing a HD-DVD add-on with Xbox 360.

Indeed Sony and the Blu-ray camp are playing poker. They will be ready for the next holiday season. Is High Definition the word for next Christmas?

“Sony are now making people pay an extra few hundred pounds for a Blu-Ray DVD drive which we don’t know is going to be the standard in the next-generation DVD formats,” Thompson insisted.
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“If gamers over time choose to go to HD-DVD we’re going to give them the choice to do that, but we’re not going to force them to buy that day one,” Thompson remarked.

“I find it concerning for consumers that they’re being forced into a purchase… I don’t think they need to make that decision for another two, three years maybe. Sony now have a very interesting business model I think they’re going to find challenging.”

Source: Gameidustry.biz