New Xbox 360 Disc Format isn't Blu-Ray
Print
When Microsoft's Major Nelson announced a public preview of an "updated Xbox 360 disc format," the Internet was immediately abuzz with speculation that Blu-ray was finally coming to Redmond's flagship console. We hate to be the ones to break it to you, but that isn't the case. As has been the case with every previous rumor suggesting the Xbox 360 is getting a Blu-ray drive, it's not happening, and it probably never will. Want to know what this new format is? Hit the jump.
Eurogamer's Digital Foundry says "a highly placed development source has confirmed...that the new disc format being beta tested in a new dashboard upgrade adds 1GB to the storage of the Xbox 360 game discs."
As it stands, the maximum space reserved for game data on current discs is 6.8GB out of a maximum of 7.95GB on a standard dual-layer DVD. The remaining 1+GB is for a DVD-Video partition and anti-piracy security sectors. The new format either does away with this partition entirely or greatly reduces it.
More like this
25
Comments
Comments are closed on this article
BF100
March 30, 2011 at 1:55pm
First no one company owns the sole rights to blu ray. If they did they would have gone in front of the supreme court for having a monopoly. Now on to the next topic. This can still be a new format in many ways. The format in which the actual data is written may have been changed or they may have tweaked certain hardware settings with the update in oedwr to gain a performance boosts which allows a new unknown dis type to be used. None of this will truly be known until the disc are released to the public or the information is released.
Caboose
March 30, 2011 at 2:30pm
Monopoly
mo-nop-o-ly
1. exclusive control of a commodity or service in a particular market, or a control that makes possible the manipulation of prices. Compare duopoly, oligopoly.
2. an exclusive privilege to carry on a business, traffic, or service, granted by a government.
3. the exclusive possession or control of something.
4. something that is the subject of such control, as a commodity or service.
5. a company or group that has such control.
6. the market condition that exists when there is only one seller.
7.( initial capital letter ) a board game in which a player attempts to gain a monopoly of real estate by advancing around the board and purchasing property, acquiring capital by collecting rent from other players whose pieces land on that property.Blu-Ray technology is patinted, and licensed out to other companies. Just because you see an LG, Panasonic, LiteOn, Samsung, etc doesn't mean that they all own a part of Blu-Ray technology. Sony and/or LG owns the patint to Blu-Ray technology and it is licensed out to other companies so that they too can produce a Blu-Ray product. They then pay a royalty back to the patint holder.
--
This "new" disc type is going to still be DVD. Unless the 360's drive magically reads discs other than CD's and DVD's, the current DVD format will still be used. The article indicates what is being done with these discs. Its not rocket science. Some simple reading goes a long way. Why don't you try it some time.
BF100
March 30, 2011 at 9:22pm
A new unknown format does not necesarrily mean new hardware is needed. it would be possible to create new formats for new or even legacy technology and the only thing to make it work would be software updates. The components of a dvd drive pretty much oil down to a red laser used to read what is written on the disc and a motorized "mount" that spins the disc. Software can be altered to accomodate for changes in technology. Ask hackers of all sorts. I've seen where people have taken newer games and altered some dependencies or what not to have them play on older technology.
Caboose
March 31, 2011 at 8:13am
Can you cite any examples of how the hacking community has taken a standard DVD, CD or Blu-Ray drive and made their own format?
BF100
March 31, 2011 at 1:24pm
ok at no point did i say they made their own formats. the point i was making is that changes in software can alter what some devices are capable of to a point. if microsoft had decided to try to create a new disc format they would only need to insure that it is readable by red laser...i.e. the device that reads the information off of the disc.
blindhorizon
March 30, 2011 at 1:06pm
If your reading this post donw waste your time following the link trying to sign up, the signups were closed after about 4 hours of it being avalible. i tried at 8am this morning and it was closed.
I'm pretty sure that people are just "Spawn camping" on that site hoping it will come back up for registration again. plus most hard core guys have that site bookmarked checking it hourly hopeing for some other kind of free-bee from microsoft.
JeyNyce
March 30, 2011 at 12:59pm
Because like it or not a console is nothing but a very under power computer
zefrem7
March 30, 2011 at 12:03pm
Why don't they just take a dead format like HD-DVD and use that exclusively for xbox games. Similar to what Gamecube did with their smaller disks (I don't remember what the format was called). Having a closed format would also reduce piracy.
hammeredtoast
March 30, 2011 at 4:21pm
Because this would be a hardware upgrade to the 360, and that doesn't make sense at this point, considering every active 360 user would have to buy it, unlike Kinect, which is a niche object.
Caboose
March 30, 2011 at 12:25pm
GameCube just used Mini DVD's. You could buy them anywhere. It was still a standard DVD drive, only smaller.
And you were able to get modded cases to support full-size DVD's or (the more dangerous method) cut a standard DVD down to mini-dvd size.
BlazePC
March 30, 2011 at 11:49am
LG doesn't "own" bluray.
The Association patent holders do; some hold more than others.
Go research that...
aarcane
March 30, 2011 at 11:43am
I'm still guessing they'll be adding an r/rw segment to perform console lockins.
Caboose
March 30, 2011 at 12:25pm
How? There is no writer in the 360. And no, a software update won't magically enable it.
hammeredtoast
March 30, 2011 at 11:09am
Okay, so let me get this straight: It isn't a new format, it just means that DVD's will be printed differently, right? Am I reading this right? And it's going to, basically be, a software update? We good here? I'm following? It's early.
zack822
March 30, 2011 at 10:50am
dethdeks: Blu Ray is owned by LG not Sony, Hince the recent copyright suing. as for the new format, this wont stop nothing, it will just add more problems with the xbox. when is microsuck gonna relize that there just making more problems for themselves
dethdeks
March 30, 2011 at 10:02am
a reason xbox will never get blu-ray is because blu-ray rights are owned by sony. and i highly doubt sony is gonna let its main comptetor have access to it for there game console.
hammeredtoast
March 30, 2011 at 11:07am
And the royalties Microsoft would no doubt have to pay to Sony. I'm guessing, based on nothing.
hammeredtoast
March 30, 2011 at 11:07am
And the royalties Microsoft would no doubt have to pay to Sony.
Jesterace
March 30, 2011 at 8:46am
If it were to be blu-ray all the beta testers would need new hardware instead of just getting discs to test with the new dashboard. I wanted to test but alas being in Canada we are left out.
Connect with MaximumPC
Featured Content
The gang discusses the GTX 690, Trinity, Ivy Bridge, Amazon, big-box stores, MMOs,...
This month's issue
Feature
Build a PC On Any Budget
Feature
Cloud Services Showdown
How-To
Encrypt Your External Drive
Build It
Upgrade an X58 Rig
Most Commented Articles
Latest Max PC Tweets
- maximumpc: Original RickRoll Video Returns to YouTube After 24-Hour Copyright Hiatus http://t.co/MaH9Sxyy9 hours 1 min ago
- maximumpc: Corsair has decided not to go forward with its $78 million IPO, citing weak equity market conditions http://t.co/A5a4DAzj9 hours 10 min ago
- maximumpc: Want to work at Maximum PC? Our Online Managing Editor, Alex, is moving away, so we need a new one. http://t.co/9Z7JCh0E2 days 6 hours ago
