Gamertell

In an interview with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, Gizmodo pulled out a revealing tidbit concerning the possibility of Blu-ray being playable on the Xbox 360 game system.

Microsoft, which had sided with HD-DVD and then HD digital downloads in the late, great high-def format war of 2008, has basically flipped a corporate assertion that Blu-ray would never be playable on the console.

In the interview Ballmer said:

“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.”

It’s later followed up with a confirmation with Microsoft PR which basically said the company will continue to support “Blu-ray-quality video” in a downloadable format (and on the Zune - nice plug, eh?), not commenting on any plans for an external drive or add-on component.

At the very least this seems to imply that Microsoft allow an external Blu-ray drive to be connected to the Xbox 360 and operate without gamers getting booted for using an unauthorized device. From that lone line, it seems unlikely that the company will produce a drive of its own but, instead, allow console owner to take advantage of the many companies scrambling to produce affordable Blu-ray drives.

Let the rumor mill grid this one down to bits.

Read [Gizmodo]

Photo Credit: Screen shot from Gizmodo.