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The PlayStation 3 comes bundled with a Blu-ray drive, which adds to the overall higher cost of the hardware. By contrast, Microsoft’s strategy is to utilize DVD technology to keep the cost of the Xbox 360 down to $300 and $400 for the Core and Pro systems, respectively. Furthermore, those without HDTVs are not required to invest in a technology they may not want or need.
Users with HDTVs that want high-def video can spend $200 for the Xbox 360 HD DVD Player add-on. It’s an external drive that houses a Toshiba HD DVD drive. On the back are two available USB 2.0 jacks, a mini-USB jack (to connect to the 360), and power button. Also, Microsoft conveniently includes in the package an Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote and a movie. To get going, plug the player into the outlet, connect it to the 360 and turn on the console, insert the included driver disc, and you’re ready to watch movies two minutes later. Microsoft also includes a copy of “Peter Jackson’s King Kong” so you can enjoy a high-def film in minutes.
Overall, the installation experience was simple, and the movie playback on our high-def LCD looked stunning at 720p (we used the component cable connection from our 360 to the HDTV). All the heavy work is done by the 360’s processors. The glaring omission here is the missing HDMI support, which would be required to view high-def content on your HDTV without down sampling if content creators opt to include the image constraint token on future high-def movies. That’s not been the case so far and it’s unlikely to happen anytime soon. However, the majority of users who want 1080p will also need HDMI support.
Microsoft has stated that the 360 can support digital out, but no announcements have been made regarding HDMI. We love the hardware, but the lack of HDMI support is cause for concern.
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