Microsoft says no Blu-ray for Xbox

Microsoft Corp is not in talks to include Sony Corp's Blu-ray high-definition DVD technology in its Xbox 360 video game console, an executive said on Wednesday. The comments by Aaron Greenberg, group product manager for Xbox 360, poured cold water on recent speculation that Microsoft could support Blu-ray after Toshiba Corp, backer of the rival HD DVD format, gave up when key movie studios and retailers abandoned the technology. (Reuters)

Wii Expected To Take Installed-Base Lead From Xbox

The popularity of Nintendo's Wii among casual gamers is expected to power the video game console's installed base this year ahead of current leaderMicrosoft Xbox 360, a market research firm said Thursday. The installed base of the Wii is expected to rise to 30.2 million units in 2008, up from 18 million last year, iSuppli said. This will take the Wii beyond the Xbox 360's projected total of 25.7 million this year. By 2011, the PlayStation 3 is expected to have an installed-base of 38.4 million units, rising at a compound annual growth rate of 39% from 10.3 million units last year. (Information Week, Forbes)

Microsoft Gains Traction In Media Devices

Just last week, Microsoft apologized for persistent glitches in its Xbox Live video-on-demand service. It took $1 billion in charges in its 2007 fourth fiscal quarter to cover warranty expenses stemming from a widespread hardware malfunction in the Xbox 360 game console. Those events left many of the company’s detractors positively aglow in schadenfreude. But Microsoft’s entertainment and devices division, which includes the Xbox, the Zune and other media platforms, is doing a lot better than those critics might think. (Forbes)