Strait from the (short) press release:
As a result of recent decisions made by Toshiba, Hollywood studios, and retailers, Microsoft plans to withdraw from HD DVD. Xbox will no longer manufacture new HD DVD players for the Xbox 360, but we will continue to provide standard product and warranty support for all Xbox 360 HD DVD Players in the market. As we stated earlier, we do not believe this decision will have any material impact on the Xbox 360 platform or our position in the marketplace. HD DVD is one of the several ways we offer a high definition experience to consumers and we will continue to give consumers the choice to enjoy digital distribution of high definition movies and TV shows directly to their living room, along with playback of the DVD movies they already own.
So, does that mean we will see a Blu-ray player add-on from Microsoft in the not-to-distant future? This is sure to heat up that speculation. They obviously jumped off the sinking ship as soon as Toshiba, Universal, and Paramount did. Will they lower the price of the HD DVD add-on to get rid of their remaining stock?
With Microsoft withrawing from HD DVD, does this mean they will now become a partner of the Blu-ray Disc Association? My guess is yes.
