Sony In Talks With Microsoft and Apple About Blu-ray

In a recent report by the Financial Times, Sony Electronics US president, Stan Glasgow, made a statement claiming that Sony was discussing the possibility of offering Blu-ray in the Xbox 360 with Microsoft.

While any specific details are unknown thus far, we can assume, based on history, that a Blu-ray add-on will be the most viable option.

Generally, this would be conceived as bad decision by having a competitor adopt one of your main advantages, but that is not the case since Sony’s electronics division could stand to earn a very hefty profit from a deal such as this. Not to mention, this would obviously have a negative effect on the cost of the Xbox 360, and as previously mentioned, would require a separate purchase, which is a clear disadvantage to the PlayStation 3, which from day one had a Blu-ray player as a standard feature in every model.

In another statement made while attending a media dinner, Mr. Glasgow went on the record revealing another juicy revelation saying that they were also discussing with Apple to incorporate Blu-ray technology into their line of computers. So far, Apple has been reluctant to support Blu-ray in any of their products, and, like Microsoft, they’ve remained focused on furthering their lead in the digital distribution arena with their offerings on iTunes and Apple TV.

Commenting on whether or not such a medium as digital distribution will have any effect on Blu-ray, he also stated that Blu-ray, because of limitations in bandwidth and an overall favorability of physical discs between customers, will insure that Blu-ray maintains its position as a leader in the market.

A Microsoft representative who spoke with Financial Times refused to either confirm or deny the story, of course, saying that ”We have made no such announcement. Games are what are driving consumers to purchase game consoles and we remain focused on providing the largest library of blockbuster games available.”

With such an unscrupulous past, we question the relevance of Microsoft’s comments in regard to what’s actually going on behind the scenes, and we do indeed believe that, in some form or another, Blu-ray will be made available on Microsoft hardware, most likely on the Xbox 360.

By the end of the year, Sony is predicting that Blu-ray players will drop to as low as $299 from its current price point of $399, whereas in 2009, they expect another $100 dollar drop.

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