Xbox 360 Fanboy

Not one to be outdone by the likes of Best Buy, Amazon is now offering a $50 credit to anyone who purchased an HD DVD player from the website before February 23, 2008. Strangely enough, the credit can be redeemed for up to 10 players by any one customer. Why in the world anyone would buy 10 HD DVD players, we'll never know. Also, there are a few restrictions on the deal. The credit can't be used on "special-order titles, e-books or downloadable e-content, wireless service plans, gift certificates, gift-wrap, taxes, or shipping and handling charges." Still, it's not a bad offer and it's hard to argue with free money.

Find a copy of the email being distributed by Amazon after the break.

[Thanks, zlionsfan. Via Engadget]

Even though HD DVD died a slow and painful death, Microsoft is still showing current Xbox 360 HD DVD player owners ongoing love with the release of today's auto update. Once connected to Xbox Live with a HD DVD player firmly integrated into your 360, you'll be prompted to download a new update that's said to help with compatibility issues with some titles and will add additional support for network features. Even though this update won't resurrect Toshiba's commitment to HD DVD, it should make your HD movie experience a tad bit more enjoyable.

There's an "interesting" deal up north for our Canadian friends who are still (for reasons we don't understand) interested in owning an Xbox 360 HD DVD player. From now through May 2nd, Best Buy Canada is being generous by offering a free $50 gift card to anyone who brings in a receipt proving that they have purchased a HD DVD player after January 1, 2007. And wouldn't you know some Best Buy's in Canada still have a few Xbox 360 HD DVD players laying around for $50. You see what we're saying? The "free" offer? That's right, you can grab a new 360 HD DVD player for $50 AND get a $50 gift card in the process, thus making your purchase technically free. Yes, your mileage will vary as our tipster xenocidic had to try two locations to get Best Buy to pony up a gift card, but it's worth a try if you're feeling some nostalgic HD DVD love.

[Via xenocidic]

We didn't think HD DVD early adopters could get any luckier when Best Buy started handing out $50 gift cards, but we were wrong. Future Shop, Canada's largest retailer of consumer electronics, is offering a $100 trade-in promotion on all HD DVD players towards the purchase of select Samsung or LG model Blu-ray / HD DVD combo players (which retail for $499.99 CND each).

Future Shop has sweetened the deal to consumers by promising to donate returned HD DVD Players the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada for use in their after-school and evening programs. Charity and a discount in the HD format war? That's the Canadian hospitality we're accustomed to hearing about!

The promotion began on March 7 and will run until April 3 across Canada.

Yesterday our email exploded with news tips regarding the latest in the Blu-ray Saga. In an interview with the Financial Times, Sony Electronics US president Stan Glasgow proclaimed, "Sony is in talks with console rival Microsoft about offering a Blu-ray drive for the Xbox 360." While Microsoft has since denied any HD discussions are happening with Sony, we remember that a few MS execs let it slip that this could be an option if Blu-ray won the "war," which it did. One thing to keep in mind Xbox fanboys, this decision stems from wanting to offer multiple avenues to HD content to Xbox 360 users and doesn't mean we'll see that new SKU that slaps Master Chief's next outing on a BD disc. At least we think.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

This is the curtain call, there is no more to see. Wipe the tears from your cheek fellow fanboys, for this will be final installment of This Week in HD DVD.

Toshiba and Microsoft no longer support the HD DVD format, so we'd feel guilty and a bit dirty to continue our own support of a format that deserves to simply rest in peace. You will be missed HD DVD. That's a fact. You were strong and wise, but you were unable to gather support by the masses and as a result, you passed at a young age. This is it, the final curtain call. Goodbye HD DVD and goodbye to This Week in HD DVD. We promised we wouldn't cry ...

HD DVD Movie Releases: February 26th
• The Assassination of Jesse James
• Beowulf
• The Brave One
• Cecilia & Bryn At Glyndebourne
• Dragon Tiger Gate
• Freedom: 1-3 Gift Set
• Freedom: 4
• Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 2 Resurrection
• Rain in the Mountains

Update: It's official. Xbox.com now lists the Xbox 360 HD DVD player at an MSRP of $49. W00t! (Thanks, Cal)

Rumored for a while now, it has just been unofficially confirmed that the MSRP of the 360 HD-DVD add-on has been reduced from $130 to $50, cheaper even than a newly-released game. So far, K-mart and Amazon have reduced their price (and Amazon offering free shipping). Microsoft has not yet updated their price so this is still unofficial, but even so, it's likely that other retailers will be following soon. With the production ending on all HD-DVD players everywhere, the HD-DVD add-on is now good only as some sort of obscure collectors item. Then again if you've got a President Grant burning a hole in your pocket and you've got a hankerin' for some quick and easy HD movie action, this is a good short-term solution until all the cheap HD-DVDs dry up. Besides, if you're quick you could always get these free ones, and then not have to immediately buy any HD-DVDs at all. Remember the losing format, and look forward to digital distribution to (with luck and lots and lots of bandwidth) save us.

It's official. After sidestepped inquires to retailers and unanswered questions during the Blogger Breakfast, Gamescore Blog sends the word that Microsoft has officially ended production on the HD DVD add-on drive for the Xbox 360. Citing the recent decision from Toshiba to shut the format down, Hollywood exodus and various retailer announcements, Microsoft is out of the HD DVD business. Current owners of the HD DVD drive, who haven't flooded eBay with their defunct format, will be happy to know that Microsoft will, "continue to provide standard product and warranty support for all Xbox 360 HD DVD Players in the market."

With the announcement Microsoft took the opportunity to reiterate it's statement that this format massacre war has little impact on it's Xbox 360 business and reminds consumers that the HD DVD was just one of the various ways the Xbox 360 offered HD content, another being through the Xbox Live Video Marketplace. On a side note anyone wondering what they can do with their HD DVD drive, this video might help.

[Thanks, OSpazX]

According to one of Ars Technica's insider moles, Microsoft will be either announcing or secretly informing retail stores that the Xbox 360 HD DVD player's new retail price is (drum roll) $50. Yup, $50. A drop of $80 from the recently announced price drop to $129. Ars Technica says that the new $50 price tag was to be revealed yesterday the 21st, but so far we haven't heard anything from Microsoft regarding any price cut. We also searched a few major online retailers for a magic $50 price tag, but were unsuccessful. We'll just have to wait and see what becomes of the 360's HD DVD player as we expect its price to drop significantly as it dies a slow, tortuous death. The same death that the entire HD DVD format has been experiencing. But on the brighter side of things, we hear the 360's HD DVD player makes a fantastic door stop, so be sure to keep that in mind.

[Thanks, jmurzzy911]

Our friends at Engadget Japan (English link) were able to live blog a press conference that ended a few hours ago where Toshiba president Nishida-san officially confirmed earlier reports that HD DVD had fallen for good in the console war. During the conference a lot of numbers were dropped on the overall impact of the HD DVD format, but instead of just dolling out the info like we've been doing all week long we thought we would write a letter to our downed friend and tell him how we really felt.

Dear HD DVD,
Hey, it's everyone here at X3F. So you had a good decent run in the high definition format war and it didn't go the way you hoped. Now, like all those ET cartridges buried in the desert, you've found a new home padding Nevada for some kind of future nuclear test. Take solace in the fact that you have around 730,000 HD DVD players worldwide taking up space in homes like an overweight passenger who has to buy two seats on a United flight. Our fans made up for 300,000 of those units by way of the Xbox 360 add-on and while we here at X3F tried to give you as many shout-outs as possible it just didn't look like you were getting on anyone's good side.

It's funny, this whole thing really has nothing to do with video games but we keep talking about you. Maybe it's because of the whole Xbox 360 add-on thing or maybe we're just trying to ignore the fact that a new optical format in the age of digital distribution makes about as much sense as controlling an escalator with a chicken-n-beef burrito. So will Toshiba start making Blu-ray players or begin work on a new format? They won't say. What we know for sure is that somewhere Michael Bay is licking the sweet tears off of an HD DVD owner's face while pumping a fist to the sky crying for the head of Mr. Bill Gates. Wow, that rhymed! We're poet's and we didn't even know it! Nice, two for two.

With love,
X3F

We don't think you need anymore reminding that HD DVD is getting its bum whooped lately. Heck, just take a look at our HD DVD tag and you'll see a solid dozen stories reporting about its eventual downfall. So, we guess our general negative feelings and bummy attitude is warranted. We're depressed about this HD DVD stuff and depressed that our This Week in HD DVD column may be coming to an untimely end. That's it then. No golden foil from us. Here are your HD DVD releases for this week. If anyone still cares.

HD DVD Movie Releases: February 19th
• American Gangster
• Galaxina
• The Invasion

While haven't seen this much side stepping since our annual Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance tournaments ended, it looks like HD DVD is a few steps from being officially gone and a rehash of an old rumor isn't helping the situation. Reports are coming in from Australia's Smarthouse citing "insiders at Microsoft in the USA," claiming that a Blu-ray add-on is already well in development and could be ready to launch in as little as three months.

Microsoft has yet to comment on the validity of the report but according to a story on Engadget they've said, "we will wait until we hear from Toshiba before announcing any specific plans around the Xbox 360 HD DVD player." Since Microsoft has little to do with this format war it wouldn't be surprising to see a Blu-ray add-on in the mix sometime in the future, they've even said it could happen a few times already.

[via Joystiq]

Let's be honest guys, it hasn't been the best week for team HD DVD. Retailers have been dropping support left and right, wild speculation has been running rampant across the internets and Engadget even put HD DVD on their "death watch" list. Ouch. Rumors have even been swirling that Toshiba will be announcing the death of HD DVD as early as sometime this week. But we're guessing Toshiba isn't ready to pull the plug yet as earlier this morning they put out a statement regarding that rumor saying that "the media reported that Toshiba will discontinue its HD DVD business" but "Toshiba has not made any announcement concerning this." They go on to say that "although Toshiba is currently assessing its business strategies, no decision has been made at this moment." Toshiba also confirmed that Toshiba likes to refer to itself in third person.

So, there you have it. Toshiba isn't throwing in the towel just yet or they simply aren't ready to announce that they will be throwing in the towel. Still no answers and all bad news for HD DVD ... humph.

According to Engadget, sources from across the globe are confirming earlier reports that Toshiba would be bowing out of the optical disc format war, but it will happen sooner than we originally heard. Reuters and the NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) claim to have inside sources that confirm that Toshiba is officially retiring the HD DVD format as soon as possible and will be shutting down its DVD factories in Aomori Prefecture located in northern Japan. The shutdown will reportedly cost Toshiba hundreds of millions of dollars.

The death spiral of HD DVD seemed to have been kick started in June 2007, when the corporate rental giant Blockbuster said they would only carry Blu-ray within it's retail locations. Then in early January 2008, Warner Bros. confirmed they would drop HD DVD in favor of the Sony backed - but not owned - Blu-ray format. Earlier this week HD DVD was knocked to the ground and repeatedly kicked as Netflix and Wal-Mart chose to support Blu in this completely ridiculous interesting format war.

While we wait for official word Stateside from Toshiba it certainly looks like this format war is completely done-zos.