Sony’s flogging a Blu-Ray player, not a PS3 – Xbox boss
We’ve been chatting with the head of Xbox UK on everything from the Wii, PS3, Vista, Gears of War and a handheld 360. Here’s part two of our interview
Read part one of this interview
What are your hopes for the HD-DVD drive?
Some people will definitely want it, but I don’t think it’ll be a massive product because of the [next-gen disc] format wars between HD-DVD and Blu-Ray. One thing I can guarantee is the combined cost of an Xbox 360 and HD-DVD won’t be more than the PS3’s £425. For their next console, Sony is basically selling a Blu-Ray player, not a PS3.
What are the 360’s three big advantages over the PS3?
A proven games experience – including an exclusive online-playable version of Grand Theft Auto next year – the online experience and all the extra multimedia stuff the Xbox does.
But the PS3 does all that too.
From what we’ve seen, there are no great games for the PS3 yet, and Sony’s online plans are still far from clear.
This is a silly thing that’s been bothering us. When will we get a HDMI connector for the Xbox 360?
I can’t say yet, but don’t rule it out [our guess: November, the same time the HD-DVD launches].
How do British Xbox gamers differ from, say, European and US ones?
Funnily enough, UK gamers are more like US ones than European ones: they’re in to shooters, racers, where Europe is more in to casual games and sports. Obviously, soccer is big here.
When will the 360 be backwards compatible with all the old Xbox games?
It’s impossible to say at the moment, but we’re adding new ones all the time [see story here]. I also think the number of people who actually want to play old games on their new consoles is really low.
So, what’s the truth behind these rumorus of an Xbox handheld?
Right now, the plan’s to offer games and connectivity and devices such as phones and palmtops rather than having one gadget such as a PSP. I think handheld gaming will be a much bigger deal when everything’s properly interconnected. [No Xbox 360 Pocket for now, then].
