Xbox 360 games will never use HD-DVD
It makes sense, of course.
Xbox 360 games will never come on HD-DVD discs. Even if Microsoft decides to put an HD-DVD drive into the Xbox 360, it still won’t happen. Why. Well, the answer is obvious! 
If you sell games on HD-DVD discs, then all those people that own Xbox 360 boxes with just normal DVDs will be out of luck. So the software publisher will have to have a version for them. And why would they want to bother with two versions of a game? Japan’s chief of Xbox operations, Yoshihiro Maruyama, has confirmed it.
But he also made an additional interesting statement:
However, it’s telling that Maruyama used the phrase “next-generation DVD” rather than HD-DVD specifically. In recent weeks, several supporters of the HD-DVD standard - which is being pushed by Toshiba and its partners - have defected to the camp of rival standard Blu-Ray, which was developed by Sony and will be used by the PlayStation 3.
I proposed a long time ago that Microsoft should Blu-ray in the XBox 360. Maybe Microsoft read my article and is thinking about it! 
GamesIndustry.biz - Xbox 360 games will never use HD-DVD - Maruyama
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November 1st, 2005 at 10:00 am
I disagree with your technical reasoning for why games on the 360 will never arrive on HD-DVD. While MS may choose not to use HD-DVD in favor of a more popular dvd format, there’s no reason why they couldn’t go with HD-DVD, and not leave everyone in the cold by using a DVD layer:
http://www.toshiba.co.jp/about/press/2004_12/pr0701.htm
November 1st, 2005 at 10:36 am
But why bother? The DVD layer would have to hold the whole game. If the DVD layer can hold the whole game, then why do you need an HD-DVD layer? Only if it has more content. But if you put extra content on the HD-DVD layer that’s not on the DVD layer, the gamers that are left out will scream bloody murder.
November 1st, 2005 at 4:17 pm
you’re right - I doubt they would, just pointing out that it’s technically possible. Your statement, ” If you sell games on HD-DVD discs, then all those people that own Xbox 360 boxes with just normal DVDs will be out of luck. ” suggested that there would have to be separate media versions of the game for each platform. Just wanted to say that’s not neccessarily true. Your reply however, gives a more realisic reason for why it won’t happen. So, thanks for clearifying your thoughts.
There could be some interesting bundles tho - say for example, get “The Matrix” in HD-DVD and get “The Matrix XBox360 Game” for free on the same disc. Although, that’s more of a novelty IMHO.
November 1st, 2005 at 4:33 pm
Thanks Baron. You’re right that they could technically do that, and your Matrix idea was something I hadn’t thought of. Kinda cool, actually.