If Xbox had an HD DVD player

If Xbox 360 had an HD DVD player, would they be neck in neck sales with Blu-ray right now? Figures show that Blu-ray has lead sales in high definition discs for the most part. Having the support of most major studios plays a big role in this. But what if Microsoft would have integrated their HD DVD player into the Xbox 360 as did Sony with the PS3? Or even included the external HD DVD player as a bonus with the purchase of an Xbox 360?

The race would be neck and neck, or even tipping the scale towards HD DVD, as cost seems to be the major factor in consumers adopting high definition technology. Second to cost could be product awareness and/or consumer apprehension about which format to buy.

According to Home Media Research, Blu-Ray outsold HD DVD by 2 to 1 in the United States during the first half of 2007. A total of 3.7 million high-definition discs have been sold, which includes 2.2 million Blu-ray and 1.5 million HD DVD though the end of July 2007.

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