New Xbox 360 System Update Preview

Major Nelson:

"I am happy to announce that we’re doing an Xbox 360 System Update Preview program for our next release, and the opportunity to sign up is now available. We are conducting an open call for US based participants* for a public preview to help us prepare for an updated Xbox 360 disc format. This is an important update as we continually strive to improve our products and we could not do so without the help of our great Xbox community. As part of the preview program, you will receive a copy of Halo: Reach along with other possible rewards."

[Blaze929]

Oh snap! Things might be getting a hellavu lot better for the Xbox 360.

[qface64]

how do i sign up?

i log in but it still takes me to the page to register an account
ive done this before when i signed up for the AOE beta soo i dunno im confused

[gamingdroid]

Try to sign in with your account that has your gamertag on it. Then it might ask you sign up for something called MS Connect. Go ahead accept, then come back that page and hit the registration link in the middle of the page linked from this article.

[darthv72]

a new compression that improves the storage capacity of the current dvd. Something that can be decompressed on the fly with virtually no loss of quality. Like when music went from redbook audio to mp3, wma and so forth. Converting the file type but preserving the quality and decreasing the file size.

[nveenio]

Couldn't it just be a new filesystem to help fight piracy?

[paintsville]

Wow 360 just keeps getting better and better. Bad news for the Sony Camp as disc space was the ONLY advantage that ps3 has over 360.

[antz1104]

Ugh! Its full! If nothing else I wanted a free copy of Reach. Good multi and if I get bored it'll fetch decent $ on amazon...

[Godmars290]

It has to be a new format program rather than a new physical format disk. That would just cause too much confusion.

[kneon]

There are companies that have worked on quad layer DVDs in the past but I doubt a drive can be updated via firmware to read such disks.

But it could be a new way of encoding the data. Panasonic and Sony increased the storage on each bluray layer form 25gb to 33gb with a different way of encoding the data, and that didn't require new drives. Something similar could be in the works for DVD.

[WetN00dle69]

I dont know if many of you remember an article posted here way back about a high capacity disk that was produced. This disk used the same diode the DVD uses.If i am not mistaken those disks hold about 500gb. And there is no doubt that if MS does indeed adopt this particular disk a simple firmware update could get them running on every 360. And yes its is a new Physical disk, i mean why else would MS be shipping those said disks to the beta testers if it were only a new format program?

*EDIT*
Its GE Holographic Tech Disk.
We will see what happens. Hopefully MS shines abit more info on this. All i know is that if it is indeed a new format with high capacity this is good news for every gamer since developers wont have to cut corners with their games due to insufficient disk space.

[PirosThe4th]

But Holo disk uses 2 diodes one for locating on 3d space and other for reading that location. Plus this still cost a fortune. They don't have layers they are basically 3d disks.

[EasilyTheBest]

Everyones going around in circles on here.

There will be another Sku of the Xbox 360 it will play Blu-ray discs and also still play the obsolete HDDVD discs aswell.

Its only for playing Movies and not games.

There will be an add on Blu-ray for Player for existing 360 owners.

[ForceCSW]

Go to IGN. They confirmed it's nothing to do with Blu-ray.

[Aarix]

Dude blu-ray is stupid and pointless to intergrate into a xbox.

[FunkMcnasty]

Nah, I doubt there'll be a bluray player for 360.. Don't quote me on this, but Im pretty sure that Bluray technology was owned and liscensed by Sony

[KotC]

I don't think they are talking about a new hardware disc format. Maybe an update or new tech for the old one.

[GCO Gamer]

I don't think the new format would be BluRay, knowing Microsoft they'll be doing there own thing. I mean, they have the HD DVD format. They could some how add that to the 360.

[madjedi]

Hdd drives haven't been made in 2-3 yrs, the supply is either ungodly small or non-existant you would need millions if they are using it as new disc format which i doubt is the case.

It would be smarter and cheaper to use blu rays than some new format unproven format.

[GCO Gamer]

@madjedi I wouldn't say it's "unproven" because there was an increased interest surrounding the disc platform when it was available. Anyway, it doesn't naturally need to be smaller, it just needs to be a same size and read the same way -- because if it doesn't, it will cause damage to the laser that reads the discs. However, it isn't impossible to make a disc format that holds more, but is the same size as DVD. As I was saying, an new version of HD DVD.

[shikamaroooo]

toshiba are the ones that made HD DVD and MS said they could use blu ray considering sony use windows OS for the computer

[monkeybizz]

More likey to be testing for ap2.5 or the next iteration. Nothing more.

[TheDivine]

gotta b to combat piracy now that ap 2.5 is chipped. May be to improve read speed and make bigger games but lol no, i believe its for piracy. Dvds are too easy to burn, they need this.

[jden28]

Yes it awesome...And I've done a little digging and found that there are 2 approaches Microsoft can take to get more on a dvd disc that will work with a firmware update on every x360 out there.

1. Take the Dreamcast approach and increase the density of data on the disc by packing the pits closer together alah... GD-Rom about a 40% increase to 12.5gb per disc...

2. Increase the number of layers on a DVD alah (VMD) which theoretically allows for up to 48gb per disc

[AlienLion]

It isnt as exciting as you think. It will have very little affect on you unless you hack for a living.

[BrianG]

I must say I am intrigued quite a bit. Maybe they are going with more layers? Different material? I'm about to sign up for my brother out of curiosity.

[GiggMan]

I'll sign up too. I know I better not have to buy another piece of hardware!

[Istanbull]

One of the main reasons why gaming cannot develop further this gen is because 360's old fashioned dvd drive.

Look at all the multiplatform games that had to be toned down to fit on a dvd.

[IcarusOne]

This complaint just doesn't hold water. Red Dead, Arkham, Crysis all say hello. Each of them is breathtaking in terms of graphics, content, and gameplay. To say that you NEED blu-ray to have a next gen game is just fanboy speak.

[SoSLy]

@icarus

Don't you think they would have been "better" tho?

[y0haN]

Games are limited by the GPU/RAM way before they're limited by a dual layer DVD.

[Motorola]

This is good for Playstation as well. Since they can make bigger games without having the limit of a disc limit on any console.

[GCO Gamer]

I'm just going say that, Blu-Ray is limited because the technologies it uses are "non-green", meaning it uses a lot of space.

[WetN00dle69]

Yep i highly agree. No more cutting corners because of disk limitations.

[evrfighter]

Smartest comment ill probably see in this article. I'm just gonna stop here and not give up hope on console gamers just yet.

[Counter Strike]

Crysis 2 , Gears 3 graphics are out of the roof why do we need more this gen ? Serious next gen i understand but this gen will be probably over in 2013.

And how the hell does they change the disc format over updates ? lol ?

[Biggest]

Larger disk size isn't just for graphics. Rage could have been the game intended were it not for DVD limitations.

[tmoss726]

I saw Rage at PAX and it doesn't look like DVD is holding them back. They got the 60 FPS and good graphics down.

[Bananas]

http://www.1up.com/news/rag...

They did clarify their original comments. We won't know if they're lying about it unless someone leaks the cut content.

[RevXM]

@tmoss726

I could prolly run Pong at 1000000000000000 FPS.
Doesnt seem like the floppy disc is holding it back.

FPS got little to do with actual graphics, data and render. FPS means Frames per second and that is generated by the hardware first and foremost.

What counts here is Sound files, Textures, models, shaders, effects and so on.

DVD is small and its holding back some games.
AND RAGE is a multiple disk game, I believe it is 3 discs.

[IcarusOne]

If MS can re-optimize the 360 without us needing to purchase new hardware, I'm all for it. I still don't think this gen has seen its peak, especially with all this new hype coming from MS (don't forget the recent Lionhead tech demo). Maybe it's just hype, maybe it's for real. We'll see.

[SnakeMustDie]

More layers for DVD? Bring it on

[Emilio_Estevez]

I doubt blu-ray, maybe another DVD format?

[DrRichtofen]

Agreed they just released a new version of the 360 with still a DVD drive, I highly doubt that they're going to add a new disc drive. Most likely as you said another version or format of the DVD that holds a little more space.

[Emilio_Estevez]

2 of 2 Dr's agree. It's confirmed.

[rezzah]

lol ^

[green]

Is it possible for more layers to be added to a DVD and for it to be readable?

I am no tech expart so no nothing about the subjuect matter.

[KotC]

A new type of DVD is plausible and would be compatible on most DVD drives.

[Balt]

While sony is out patching their 200th security hole and not giving the gamer what they truly want, microsoft is making strides. This will be a game changer.

Dispell it all you want -- any update that brings more to the table is a stride. Xbox360 owners didn't have bdr, they had hddvd. So any disc upgrade is a win for these guys. At least microsoft is doing something. Sony is probably sitting around plotting their next security update.

[Loner]

Well said

@ retrongames79

Sony havent crushed anything.They are no where near as dominate as they were in the past and have been in last place since the start of the gen

[Shadow Flare]

Not really. PS3 launched with an already perfect disc format for this generation. It's more like yet another feature Microsoft is patching onto the 360 because it was badly designed at launch. They didn't seem to do much future thinking for the 360 if they're actually considering making a new disc format for it.

Which can I add is Laughable. Before, you guys were like, DVD is fine, we don't mind changing discs, bluray is not needed and microsoft couldn't make a new disc format because it would alienate their current owners if they can't play certain games.

Now your like, microsoft is making strides by patching their hardware and Sony are stupid for trying to (successfully) eradicate hackers from affecting consumers gaming experiences.

Idiots

[guigsy]

Perfect disc format? The reason why so many PS3 games require installs is because it takes so long to read data off of Blu-ray discs.

[PirateThom]

But every PS3 has a HDD so what's the problem?

[Shadow Flare]

Uncharted 2. No install. No load times. It can be done

What do you call those 360 games where you have to install the second disc onto the optional harddrive in order to play the full game in which you paid full price for? Perfect?

Sony were much more forward thinking with their disc format choice then microsoft.

End of.

[guigsy]

Mate no need to get so defensive. You're the PS3 fanboy trolling a 360 article, expect to get your points rebuffed.

[OneSneakyMofo]

@Balt
While Microsoft is making strides, Sony is making games.

[Death]

That is so true. Sony is making games. Now if they can just get PS3 owners to start buying them, they will be all set. Just to be clear, this isn't a slam at Sony who is doing their part, it's to the PS3 owners who brag about all their exclusives but dont support the company by actually buying them.

-Death

[dragon82]

You ever stop to think that maybe all the PS3 fans bragging about exclusives ARE the ones buying them?? I mean even if an exclusive only sold 500,000 copies, that would be more than enough for every PS3 fan on this site to buy a copy and then some.

I myself own 30 PS3 exclusives.

[PirateThom]

An updated disc format?

When did the PS3 launch?

[DelbertGrady]

5 years ago. And it's still in last place.

[winflasher0]

@DelbertGrady

Aren't you one of the people comparing sales to quality?

[Shadow Flare]

Hmm....360 being outsold by ps3 every single year, making 360 the slowest, repeat, the slowest selling current gen console

The only, only reason 360 is in front of ps3 is because it had a 12 month worldwide / 18 month European headstart.

You know this by now, everyone knows this by now, stop trolling Delbert

[ArmrdChaos]

Wow...we have obviously pro Sony people in a pro Microsoft thread trolling and then calling others out for trolling? I really do need to go back and work on a psychology degree because this site is a thesis paper and a half. You people really cannot help yourselves...can you?

[No Way]

Dude, the x360 may have had a year head start ..
But, guess what? You heard of the PlayStation Brand?
They have had a (almost) two generation head start.

More people have known about the PS than the Xbox.
That whole 'one year headstart' excuse is bologna.
Come up with another one, shall you? Oh, and also!
The Playstation (basically) has one extra country; Japan.

[KratosGod3]

@No Way
you mean this:
"The Xbox (basically) has one extra country; USA".
you have to check WW sales and try harder
troll.

[Death]

Last time I checked WW sales the Wii launched at the same time as the PS3 and had no problem making sales to surpass the earlier released Xbox 360.

So far the excuses are it launched late, was too expensive, there was competition, launch games sucked and Microsoft is paying off the media, developers, publishers, manufactuerers, retailers, critics, and customers.

The only fact we know of is the PS3 is superior, has more exclusives with less sales because quality is better than quantity, the online is free and happy Xbot fans are sheep for paying to play since quality is PS3 exclusive. Oh yeah, PS3 fans don't play the sales game. Unless they are winning.

-Death

[SixShotCop]

DelbertGrady. That i must say was hilarious.

btw.. Shadowflare has issues.

[No Way]

I think you forgot to put a sarcasm indicator..?
The PS3 sells in North America, does it not? Yes.
The 360 sells in Japan .. huh? Hahah! Hell no.

So, how do you figure? That was a whack statement.
And, a horrible comeback. Also, you call me a troll?
Come back and speak to me when you have more than one bubble.

[solidjun5]

And you still have 1 bubble. Good use of it...not.

[ksense]

Microsoft is giving you more kinect..... not sure if that's what a gamer really wants....

[B1663r]

yes, not only will we be able to use kinect for zune, but netflix, and hulu+ as well. I do want this, because I watch tv in addition to gaming.

Please disagrees, tell me how kinect wont work for video watching;P

[jizzyjones]

Strides on DVD format, lol

[BrianG]

LOL, your funny Balt.

Xbox 360 had its major issues since launch, including security issues and problems with piracy, which they are still dealing with. Just because Sony's problems are in the news now doesn't mean MS doesn't have their own.

Also they are adding to the console, Sony has been doing that for years now, minus the removal of OtherOS and the backwards compatibility you guys always use to chant on about.

And I'm playing great games in 2011, both multiplat and more importantly exclusives. Which is what I want, the gamer.

[Raf1k1]

You're saying Sony is 'not giving the gamer what they truly want'?

I find that funny since what gamers truly want are core games on their systems. Now tell me, which system is lacking core games?

[wray77]

I find it hard to believe that five years on we're still having this pissing match.

[Biggest]

Balt doesn't feel that gamers want games. Check his comment in the "Sequel Reveal" topic. He hates games. He would rather have Microsoft give gamers new apps than new games.

[SixShotCop]

The importance of exclusives on this site is ridiculous. tbh, the PS3 owners i know couldn't care less. Multi platform games is where it's at!

[Redgehammer]

I don't think any of the consoles are lacking core games.

Last year, the 360 had more exlusives than the PS3. This year is Sony's turn, the following year will be Microsofts turn. That just seems to be the way it works. MS has plenty of console exlusives in the pipeline, and all anyone has to do is use a search engine to find that out. As a 360 owner I love what I have. I paid 90$ USD for 4 gold memberships that, after refunds of unused existing months, came out to 15 months months (and My sons and I were only on month to month). XBLA rocks out, the controller IMO is the greatest,and I have great friends on XBL. So exclusives to me are great, but it is not the deal breaker.

[Pedobear Rocks]

Do you actually believe the shit that just spewed forth from your keyboard? Wow.

[Crystallis]

""" sony is out patching their 200th security hole and not giving the gamer what they truly want"""

You gotta love the irony in that comment. I wonder what MS is giving you that you really want???

GOT CORE GAMES???

Sony is handing out core games left and right while MS is spewing Kinect all over the place. I think sony is giving gamers what they want.

[mendicant]

Yeah because all those amazing PS3 exclusives are really helping them with mindshare and being in first place. I mean, with all those exclusives it's amazing how something like CoD is one of the highest selling (if not the highest selling) PS3 games.

At the end of the day most people will buy one or two of these "amazing exclusives". I buy a lot games and maybe I'll get three out of the ones they announced. But it's okay, it'll be explained away as MS marketing, having a year headstart, you know...all the things Sony should have done instead of releasing a $500 console telling us that we'd work extra jobs to get one and having absolute crap to play on it for almost two years. That's how you run a business!

Some people are just delusional.

[BlackTar187]

Mendicant,

You really are delisunal.

"Yeah because all those amazing PS3 exclusives are really helping them with mindshare and being in first place. I mean, with all those exclusives it's amazing how something like CoD is one of the highest selling (if not the highest selling) PS3 games."

so sad that sales=quality for you.

Then you complaining that they have to many exclusives?

you 360 only gamers need some serious help. You guys brag about a casual devise. Say graphics don;t matter until crysis 2 came out. You complain about installs then you applud them when 360 release them. You say you don't care about multi DVDs then you celebrate when news is hinted at maybe a newer DVD or whatever. You guys point fingers at Ps3 people but you make your self look crazy over and over again time and time agin. You are on equal ground with the sony fanatics.

Saddest part is the 3 people who agreed with you probably didnt read your comment all the wya thru just read it was pro 360 and agreed. Its a sad state of affairs.

[darkziosj]

that why killzone 3 is selling like crap, even killzone 2 sold more, i dont understand why companys keep losing money making exclusives

[Thoreau]

you know the other day i played a hacked version of crysis2 on the 360.....

[mendicant]

@Blacktar187,

I can see that reading comprehension isn't your strongest ability so I'll help you out.

1) I didn't say that sales equals quality. The point that I was making and that you missed was that even with all this "quality" even PS3 owners don't care. Are you going to tell me that third party games like CoD don't sell better than the exclusives?

2)Where exactly was I complaining about having too many exclusives? I made a very valid point that you obviously missed. Try thinking while you read and see if you can figure out :)

3)Did you even bother reading what you wrote before you posted it? You know to make sure that you actually responded with something that makes sense? Let alone spelling. If you're going to call me delusional at least spell it correctly. Oh, and that would be "too" many exclusives, not "to".

And for the record I am a PS3 owner. I probably have more PS3 exclusives than you do. Check my psn, BookofJob. I also have a Wii and a 360. Because I play games, not names. Contrary to the beliefs of many of the N4G crowd, many of us have PS3's. We just don't worship them. It's a great system with its own issues. Just like anything else in life. It's almost like a cult with some of you people.

Nice try...well, no not a nice try. You failed really hard. Next time know what you're talking about before you commment. It makes you look ignorant.

[ForROME]

Thats funny I heard the same thing about

"Got cross game chat"

"Cross game invite"

About 5 yrs ago, where is it, lame, have a solid argument not a 12yr old style

[WitWolfy]

@Crystallis, well his telling the truth, since i joined PSN Jan last year next to no features were added to really justify that "IT ONLY DOES EVERYTHING".

Still waiting for something worth while to make me turn on my PS3 and gasp saying.."THIS IS WHAT NEXT GEN IS!" Dont get me wrong the games are awesome. But Sony should seriously concentrate on making a better XMB and add those features they said they would. Just my 2 cents

[da305kratos]

OK so Sony decides to provide a format that *improves* what was the current standard of the time in DVD's; provides a new avenue for high defintion to the mass while providing game developers more space for uncompressed data...Yet, Microsoft decided on backing DVD's as their game standard medium along with the very much failed HD-DVD, which in no way helped game developers and here you are saying Microsoft is the one making strides? Talk about a reach and a failed argument...go back to school kiddo

[BlackTar187]

there insane man. Both sides are but it is been on show for the last couple days slash week on this site.

[SnakeMustDie]

Sony offering Cloud Service isn't considered as "doing something". Ok

[BlackTar187]

nope its worthless unitl 360 does it then its AAW moving forward lol.

[palaeomerus]

" nope its worthless unitl 360 does it then its AAW moving forward lol."

You mean like what Sony said about rumble when a lawsuit forced them to launch without it? "Rumble is a last-gen feature", LOL.

360 has a swappable HDD you can take over to someone else's 360, and USB thumb-drive save and install support now. You PS3 only guys need cloud saves WAY MORE than 360 owners do. TOO BAD YOU HAVE TO SUBSCRIBE TO PSN+ FOR THEM, AND THEY AREN'T FREE HUH?

[dragon82]

Personally I would much rather have Cloud Saves than have to carry my HDD around with me. It comes in handy when you have more than one PS3 in your house like I do. I can just upload my save from my PS3 in the living room and then download it to my wife's PS3 in the bedroom and keep on gaming.

[WitWolfy]

Cloud saving is a worthless features, just might as well save the game onto a USB , copy and paste it to your PC and have it store locally. Who use some far away server??? Doesnt make sense.

[DigitalRaptor]

So Balt......

Adding a new disc format to the already 5-year-old Xbox 360, which would be too little, too late by my standards, is giving the gamer what they truly want? How does that work exactly?

How about giving them a reliable system, free online service and a mass interest in exclusive games? Nope. They're replacing your exclusive experiences with hope that you'll jump on Kinect.

I don't know where you've been for the past few months, but Sony is bringing out games that people on their system want to play. It's even got hardcore 360 fans to go out and puchase a PS3.

@ Loner
and this matters how exactly? To Sony I'm sure they've been on their toes a lot more than last gen, but I still see the same excellent games and experiences that I have come to expect from the PlayStation brand. OMFG no cross-game chat! Sony must hatez us!

So, how does being in third place (yet still being the faster selling console of the two) matter so much?

[palaeomerus]

What's so important about your standards again? Who cares about 'em but you?

Were your standards really excited at all about "Move Heroes"?

[DigitalRaptor]

Is that meant to be some sort of response? I'm not too sure what to say to that...

Playstation Move Heroes is never a game I was looking forward to, but if you have Move I guess it's a decent offering. Only the rabid fantards were raving about that one (probably because it had Jak & Daxter in it, I dunno).

But I look at the games that have come out so far and will continue to this year and I see quality. I'm not stupid enough to believe that 7-8.5s on Metacritic doesn't make a worthy purchase and a great game. My standards have been good to me so far. What were you saying again?

[StupidDude]

yeah, they never added anything with the firmware updates.

oh wait a second...

1) Trophy support
2) Cloud Saving
3) 3D blu-ray playback capability
4) Grief Reporting
5) Video / Photo editor and uploader
6) Friends lists
7) Text chat
8) Playstation Plus
9) Facebook integration
10) Flash player for Browser

in fact, just refer to this list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

now, for things they took away?

1) Other OS
2) Uh...

thanks for playing. enjoy your Avatar Kinect.

[tmoss726]

But it seems like they do have weekly firmware updates which take MUCH longer then on the 360 updates.

[Pedobear Rocks]

@tmoss

1. they are not weekly
2. they changed the update process a few firmware's back...you are no longer downloading the complete firmware anymore...just the update...thus much faster
3. if you are PS+ member it does it over night without you needing to lift a finger

[StupidDude]

it's not weekly.

they do take longer, yes. but, most of the time, it usually takes about 5 minutes.

which isn't nearly as big of a deal as people make it out to be. yes, in comparison, it does take longer. but, by itself, it is not a big deal.

[BlackTar187]

deleted

[Mister_G]

That's interesting, OtherOS was ADDED in FW1.60 :D

[kneon]

my PS3 updates are a very consistent 7-8 minutes from start to finish. So maybe the XBox updates faster, but does it really matter?

To make any significant difference the Xbox would have to update in negative time :)

[RedDevils]

tmoss726 is one of those dumbass xbox kid who think he know what hes talking about, but the truth is he know nothing lol

[Arksine]

You know what is ironic? This "new disc format" is likely an update to the security on 360 DVDs.

[palaeomerus]

The format update might make the required security section of the DVD format smaller leaving marginally more room for content like say ~500 MB or something.

Or it might be seeing a new compression/streaming scheme. We'll just have to wait and see and hope that whatever it is, that it works and doesn't cause any headaches.

I think a significantly expanded storage on a format readable by a normal DVD reader is pretty unlikely and anyone expecting that will likely be very disappointed, but nobody knows that this is about so the speculations are flying.

[MrBeatdown]

Right...

MS is playing catch up when it comes to disc format. Spin it all you want, but Sony was miles ahead of MS five years ago.

And Sony's "not giving the gamer what they truly want"? Are you high?

You know what GAMErs like? They are called games. And we all know Sony is slaughtering MS in that department.

Nice attempt at spin though. Very entertaining.

[Thoreau]

people that only own a 360 in america don't like to admit that the ps3 has it's perks, blu ray being one of them.

[GodofSackboy]

i thought what the gamer truly wanted was games. how ironic, in this case

[wsoutlaw87]

you realize youre talking about strides the ps3 made when it came out, right? which may not even be the case because we have no idea what he is referring to.
And in the last ps3 update i got cloud saves so ms can keep trying to catch up.

[No Way]

Do you not get it? His whole point is to get a rise out of you ..
And, by looking at the comments, here.. He surely succeeded.
You wanna know something? If you didn't come to an x360 only article ..
You wouldn't have to hear the shit he spews, here. Crazy, I know.

[dragon82]

Some of us actually own both consoles. Crazy, I know.

[Dorwrath]

@Shadow Flare

Uncharted 2 did have load times, they were masked by the cut scenes.

[thekiddfran]

Balt you are a retard.

[Pixelated_Army]

And what is that we truly want Balt? Hmmm? Because the only thing that I want from Sony are games and they're providing that without fail every month and yet MS has absolutely nothing in terms of exclusive AAA content for their flock.

GT5
KZ3
LBP2
SOCOM 4
Motorstorm Apocalypse
RES3
UC3
Infamous 2

Yeah...

[mrv321]

PS3... 50GB discs
360... 7.5GB discs, 1GB used for security that doesn't work.

So you tell me which needs the upgrade for more space? Just in case your blinded by the truth it's the one with the games on more than one disc.

You do realize HD-DVD failed quick... isn't supported and is either broken for people or a mug rest. How is it a win for those guys? I wouldn't consider spending money on something that isn't used a WIN.

Sony is trying to combat piracy, but I HIGHLY doubt the encryption guys are the same ones as the art, render and code guys... do you? I could be wrong, but modifying a .dds file is somewhat different to AES.

[rezzah]

If they go Blu-Ray then Sony will profit from this. It'll be interesting to see what they decide on doing.

New DVDs?
Blu-ray?
Digital?

[kneon]

I assume you are referring to the XBox.next because this generation won't add Bluray, there is little point, even though read-only bluray drives now cost only a few dollars more to manufacture than DVD drives.

As for Sony profiting from the XBox, they already do as they are part of the consortium of companies with patents on DVD. The fact that Sony would get some money will have no bearing on their decision as to whether to use Bluray in the future.

[rezzah]

During the time when bluray won the war everything was bascially switching over to Bluray in general.

And when MS didnt want to change over people speculated that it was because Sony would gain from it.

So that is what I believed, but I see that it doesnt really matter anymore due to the lower price.

[mrv321]

THE NEXT GENERATION WILL NOT GO DIGITAL. I won't be downloading a 50GB file anytime soon and with more restrictions on the internet than ever you won't either.

[Greentea]

Better late then never. Also why are you guys so mean? It is just videogames we are all gamers. Stop this nonsense it makes no sense.

[NoobJobz]

Exactly.

[CaptainMarvelQ8]

yes,because i would have never thought that nonsense makes no sense

[Greentea]

You forgot /s lol. Why can't people stop insulting. Bet you guys don't act that way when you leave your keyboard or mobile devices (on my iPhone)

[CaptainMarvelQ8]

it was a joke
seriously,how can you call that an insult?

[Greentea]

@ Above wasn't offended. Just talking in general. Don't mind me talking to myself lol. Thought I was replying to myself. I hate my phone :(

[NoobJobz]

I signed up. Ive been in almost all the preview programs. I love getting stuff before all my friends. Cant argue with a free game. Not my choice for a game but it will do.

[ReBurn]

I'll sign up. But if it bricks my 360 I'm gonna be upset.

[Convas]

I signed up too. Hell, I'm REALLY excited to see what this is leading too ... Damn.

Hope I get in. XD

@ReBurn: MS would be hearing from us if that were to happen.

[Elven6]

Don't expect to get anything if your 360 breaks though, the TOS state the beta should be used for secondary consoles if possible in case there is an issue.

[Eamon]

I wonder how this will work. If the new format will remain on the 360 console how will the current drives read it?

[Kingdom Come]

Being primarily a 360 Gamer, Color me Intrigued...
And, who called the Disagree Police?

[NoobJobz]

This guy did.

http://aznbadger.files.word...

[Kon]

Haters gonna hate. I'm loving the tears of certain people.

[ApexHell]

im guessing game installs will be coming if they make more layers on the dvd.

[Masterchef2007]

I really dont think it will be a new format. Maybe its a new compression technique or they will reduce the copyright protection size.

[etowntwo]

Why so much hate always on this site???

Crysis 2, being arguably the best looking game on consoles, proved you don't need blu-ray or the power of the Cell to make AAA amazing looking games.

So ANY updates, whether it be for the Ps3 or the 360, should be a good thing

[tmoss726]

Exactly. More competition = better for consumers. The fanboys missed that part.

[Silly gameAr]

I agree with everything you said except for the Crysis 2 best looking game on console bit. Come on man. You mean you still believe that?

[etowntwo]

I said "arguably" the best looking game.
Many reviewers and gamers agree. Many ps3 gamers don't.

In the end ... Can you straight faced honesty say Killzone3 blows Crysis away in Graphics? If you believe its better, it isn't that much better.

Point being ..... Both consoles are generally on par as to what they are capable of. With Sony having an advantage with so some great internal game studious like GG, SM, and ND that really really made the ps3 shine with amazing looking games.

[dragon82]

I own both consoles and just about every exclusive worth having for both. I can honestly say that Crysis 2 is damn close to being the best looking game this console gen.

I own Crysis 2 on PS3 by the way.

[BlackTar187]

really believe crysis 2 is the best looking game? Yea maybe a still even there i dont agree but in motion and a complete package is a complete joke.

[4Sh0w]

well I totally disagree, Crysis2 looks slightly better to me than anything on consoles,and I own all the top games on both consoles, then again I still think Alan Wake had the best lighting of any game until Crysis2.

At this point its obvious bluray was never a must have format but rather a nice to have format. Like Ive always maintained both consoles although clearly different in architechture generally have the same capability in terms of what they can realisticaly produce for games, disc format is simply about more space which is ideal, however its easily trumped in importance by dev talent and budget.

[WetN00dle69]

etowntwo

AWESOME user pic!

[etowntwo]

thanks bro...

that is now my ex.

[WetN00dle69]

lol, nice.

[Les-Grossman]

I signed up so color me curious

[AnimaOnline]

Don't get too excited, he means a new format of DVD. Note that they're not sending testers any new hardware, just new discs. Considering that the Xbox 360 doesn't include a Blu-ray player, it's going to be a new type of DVD not previously used by the Xbox 360.

[Pedobear Rocks]

Yep...new security features.

[Thecraft1989]

This sounds like the most likely theory from what he said; but what company in the right mind would start manufacturing new types of DVDs as I can't see MS doing it themselves.

Not to add the fact that an upgrade would near impossible without an upgraded DVD drive.

[Redgehammer]

"Even if you’re not a console gamer, you have to appreciate that this is essentially the first mass-market, desktop chip to squeeze a CPU, GPU, memory, and I/O logic onto a single unit." I think any company that do that has a reasonable chance of developing a new disc format.
In 1978 when the first laser disc player hit the market they were using using one of three formats. 30 years later those formats evolved (just like all other forms of technology) exponentially into the formats we know today.

Addendum
So far in a week, I have read some things that really have me excited for the future of my console of choice. Mega meshes, new disc formats and ew techniques to improve the performance of Kinect. Exciting times indeed.

[FGHFGHFGH]

I thought Intel already did that. Even though Intel graphics suck. Intel's manufacturing is like the most advanced of the chipmakers

[AnimaOnline]

To add to my last comment, this is obviously still good news for 360 owners. I'm just trying to stop people setting their expectations too high. The N4G post clear points the finger at Blu-ray which doesn't at all appear to be the case.

[BabyTownFrolics]

From the sign up form:

Custodian of Physical Media. By signing below, you are accepting responsibility as a custodian of any physical media you receive during this program, including any Preview game discs. You must not sell, give, or otherwise transfer possession of the Preview Materials, including any physical media, to anyone else (e.g., do not auction any Preview Materials on ebay).

I wonder if its an external optical drive that connects through USB, or some proprietary multiple layered dvd.

[Wikkid666]

No and no.

It's a new type of compression.

[SixShotCop]

My guess is a multi layered DVD.

@Wikkid666

Do you know or are you assuming? The latter? Thanks!

[Wikkid666]

Can't be an add on drive and and can't be an new multi layer dvd. So what does that leave?

[hot111]

You will get a disc to test.

[Silly gameAr]

This is actually pretty cool. If it's a disc format with more space, that means bigger games and devs will have more to work with. That's a big win for 360 and PS3 owners.

[tdogchristy90]

^this

More disk space for 360 would lead to better competition and help with the "360 is holding ps3 back" articles. Not to mention possibly furthering this generations life cycle and allowing more fun for everyone without having to spend money on new hardware.

I say that if this is indeed a test for more disk space then it's a definate win for the gaming community as a whole.

[Redgehammer]

I hate to be anal, but the sign up said disc. if it were disk then they would be doing something to the HDD. I also agree with your comment.

[Droid Control]

This is IMPOSSIBLE!

There is no way this is real. Its an April fools joke. Microsoft are so cruel, i want blu-ray in my 360, not lame heart breaking jokes.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

Well... I just signed up for the program so if this is fake as you imply... MS is going through a lot of trouble to make a big joke.

Now... what this all really means? I doubt its going to be anything earth shattering. My guess is they are formatting DVD's differently to maximize space...

[Redgehammer]

I have been is the MS preview program for the last three years, but there were never any games given away before. I do not believe this is a April fools joke. I certainly love previewing stuff before it come out to the general community. It certainly seems plausible that a new formatting technique could be the answer.

[Allowen]

The Xbox360 games are caped to 6.8G size per disk.

Maybe if Microsoft could allow developers to use up to 9.0G of the disk for future games it would be awesome enough and the xbox360 owners would not need to spend a single cent.

I know that the games on the 360 VS Wii are totally different level but it is funny to know that the disk space battle is 6.8G VS 9.0 G size.

[YOUR-MUM]

Can M$ pull this off. Creating a new dvd format for there games only. Seems like the way to go if in the next gen they still do not want to support blu-ray.

[Raider69]

I get the feeling that this is just a new way to combat piracy on the 360!A new kind of dvd that makes security checks on the xbox 360!The new xbox slim already makes 50 security checks to the dvd drive firmware, and thats already been beaten by the new CFW LT+,i gess MS wants to implement more security checks in the DVD disc itself insted of making more checks to the dvd drive.

[nodga]

I would think it does mean a new disk format as why would they give everyone a new copy of Halo: Reach surely this would agree with the statment cause seems a bit strange to give away a big game that most xbox 360 players who will sign up have got this

[earbus]

Pc games arnt on brue way they seem to be fine .

[PirateThom]

This argument is, once again, stupid on a console with no standard hard drive.

PC games install to a hard drive, once extracted they're often much larger than a DVD can hold. Compression can only do so much.

Even Crysis 2 on PC requires more space than a 360 DVD offers.... how can that be?

Again this "PC games aren't on Blu-ray" arguement is the arguement of someone who doesn't know what they are talking about.

[earbus]

Well sorry uber tom tech man dont burst a blood vessel i just dont think blue ray is important other than movies so no skin off my sack.

[tatotiburon]

OMG i can't wait to E3

[kazuma56]

maybe it's the hd-vmd format. this technology can store 30 go on a standard DVD.

[madjedi]

The one that last i heard required a 12-15 thousand dollar player to work as of a couple yrs ago.

[Der_Kommandant]

Vinyl discs?

[OC_MurphysLaw]

I must say the new "disc format" has me very intrigued. I mean MS can't ditch DVD at this point...that would litterally kill their console base... so its got to be some kind of itteration on the DVD and/or a new way of compressing info on the DVD...

I would bet dollars that the copy of Halo Reach you recieve is utilizing this new disc format in some fashion.

[jrbeerman11]

well isn't that the point? How else could you test a new dvd format without a game?

[badkolo]

im signed up and this is peeking y interests but also tells me no new console is coming soon, but this seems to be fo the 360 and this is BIG BIG NEWS, cant downplay this at all.

im freaking stoked.

jesus can everyojne stop speculating and read the information provided. now lets wait to hear exactly what this is and not get into fights over ps3 and 360.

it clearly states "" updated Xbox 360 disc format "" on major nelson. either this is lame and its a security disc since it also includes halo.

or this is a new dvd format that holds alot more Gigs, if so then ms will be on fire for a while to come.

[badkolo]

i also wonder if this has anything to do wih loinheads new mesh technology.

[AnxietyAttack]

Part of me wants it to be an actual new disk format and part of me doesn't. I just bought a new 360 250G Slim! Dam!!!

[NotSoSilentBob]

Blu-ray can't be on the 360 as the requirements for Blu-ray 1.0 were 1080p NATIVE output. The 360 CAN NOT DO THAT. For any one to think MS would add Blu-ray as a GAMING option is delusional. They might havve been able to add it on like HD-DVD but without native 1080p output, the Blu-ray Disc Association will not give it a stamp of approval.

[NotSoSilentBob]

6 monkeys can click disagree but can't state why. N4G needs to add in if you click disagree you have to put why.

[iNMyFiN4LH0uR]

golly jee, they bringin bak hd-dvd

[xfrgtr]

April fools

[ThatsGaming]

I doubt it is blu-ray. Like many have stated it is probably just allowing developers to use more space on DVD.

MS has no significant reason to add blu-ray support. They got here without it, and it doesn't seem like this is a dominant issue with 360. Sure it would be nice to have, but it is not at the top of most 360 owners' lists...

I would rather MS work on putting a solid state drive in the 360, improve DRM so you can transfer between consoles more smoothly, add you tube support, hulu support, or announce some of the holiday goodies for 2011.

[badkolo]

its obviously not just a update, it is both, a new dvd format and an update, says so cleary when you sign up, not new hardware but new update and new dvd format.

we have heard for years that dvd has been worked on and they can bump it up by many gigs and we also here the same for blueray how they can bump a bluray disk to 300gig or whatever it is. so the dvd might be getting a upgrade.

[zackacloud]

Please update dvd it ok

But blu ray that dont make anysence

Blu ray from it name it use blue ray

On other side dvd use red ray

[Crazay]

.

[MeNoRasta]

What about green ray?

If someone from MS reading this you can have my idea long as i have 25% of each green ray disc sold. deal?

[xtreampro_REVENGE!]

Wow it seems a lot of you are very slow on this site. There has already been so many advances in DVD technology. TDK developed a Single-sided 200GB DVD and that was back in 2006.

A single sided Blu-ray can store 25GB whereas TDK's can store 200GB, but whether it would've worked with existing DVD drives is unknown.

But this is 2011 and MS's R&D is insane from what I've read and seen so this could be interesting.

[Crazay]

I think I remember what you're talking about and it was some form of holographic disc that had lasers read all surface locations 360 degrees. Though I realy can't remember al the details on that.

[xtreampro_REVENGE!]

You're talking about HVD which is different to I mentioned.

[madjedi]

@xtream So because they are not interested or familiar with the numerous experimental disc formats, they are now very slow.

Just because other people aren't geeky tech nerds like some of us, doesn't give you the right to call them slow, it's called being an arrogant ass. Maybe they are interested in other issues, did you consider that before insulting them? Stupid jackass.

Ms is a software company, not a hardware company, someone else will do the grunt work.

Since you want to throw numbers out there, get your data right, blu ray hold 25 gigs per layer not sides, all my movies and games read from the bottom, because the other side has a nice label on it.

And there is another varient similar to br format that can hold around 600 gigs-1terabyte.

Your pitching a fit about people not knowing some obscure disc format, read up on how nanotechnological advancements are transforming almost every aspect of industry and medicial treatments. Something actually important beyond just gaming.

http://www.nanotech-now.com...

@crazay it's probably holographic versatile disc, is the one your referring to.

[Crazay]

could be ya.

[xtreampro_REVENGE!]

Actually I've been using this site for 3 year now and I've noticed that a lot of the users have little knowledge of all the technological advances that are happening.

And the fact that no one mentioned what I did proves my point, but I said a "lot of you" and everyone.

"Since you want to throw numbers out there, get your data right, blu ray hold 25 gigs per layer not sides, all my movies and games read from the bottom, because the other side has a nice label on it."

Blu-ray doesn't hold 25GB per layer, if it did we would have 1TB+ BR discs by now, get your facts right.

"Your pitching a fit about people not knowing some obscure disc format, read up on how nanotechnological advancements are transforming almost every aspect of industry and medical treatments. Something actually important beyond just gaming."

I've been looking at this field for many years now and my knowledge is growing, gaming is the least of my concerns which is why I hardly ever touch my PS3.

Btw MS's R&D facility develops hardware, how do you think they made the 360, Surface etc.

[Crazay]

It can't be BluRay for the simple fact that Bluray requires a different laser, it's unlikely that it's a new "DVD Format" in the traditional sense of the expression because again, adding an extra 4.7GB layer to the disc would again require a finer laser that would also require new hardware.

This update is software only.

What they probably mean is a new format data compression (much lie the Dreamcast and their disc format) and or new security algorithms and features to help combat the never ending battle with Hackers.

[Money-Mike]

Well Microsoft did have the oppurtunity to fully integrate HD-DVD if the had chosen too. Unfortunately they stuck with what was most convenient and cost effective for the time. Although it would've been interesting to see how the format war could've turned out. The 360's install base could've theoretically boosted sales toward HD-DVD. This new "format" could be interesting, but Microsoft really needs to consider adapting Blu-ray as the standard medium for their next console.

[kung-fu-grip]

The could use blu-ray for next console if they want to keep being cheap cause I'm sure by next-gen, consoles will likely be using either digital distribution or a format far superior to blu-ray. They'll probably run blu-rays but won't be the standard format for next-gen games when there are already newer stuff which will likely hold terabytes with quicker game installs.

[Aarix]

The blu-ray will hold them back next generation. It'll be the same god damn problem. Yes, I always wondered what would happend if ms stuck with hd-DVD as well. Also ms doesn't NEED blu-ray. It's a big company Im sure if their going to integrate a bigger disc it will be personally from them.

[badkolo]

it might not mean much free space either, if so they would be touting that fact, this could just be some security feature or something like that

[GuruStarr78]

Signed up. Status is pending. I got in last year, so I'll probably get in this year. It kinda sucked though because every time you start up your Xbox 360, it required another update.

[caperjim]

Maybe this is actually a test for their future console since its so late in this generation. I doubt they will ever use bluray for xbox 720 so they will try this on the 360 first. If it works out then they will use it for the first few years on the xbox 720 then i say digital download will be fully used.

[Silentscope]

For everyone that keeps saying "if they go with blu ray" and things like that, they are not going to switch the physical format of the games. If that were their plan how would they expect everyone who is getting the preview to test it? The dashboard preview is going to be on every kind of xbox from launch consoles to the new Xbox S.

[kung-fu-grip]

I remember reading about a supposed 50+gb HD-DVD being developed years ago but I dunno how Microsoft would even pull that one off.

[Ace_1975]

Developers don't have the time or the money to make much use of extra storage on disks, they usually just fill it with uncompressed video and better audio. PS3 does not have better games because of Blu-ray. Killzone 3 is actually only about 5GB, the rest is all video filling up the disk

[Orionsangel]

So Xbox 360 is getting a new disc format? This must be to hold more storage and to compete with PS3's bluray format. No more multi-disc games for 360. Forza 4 will probably use the new disc format.

[kung-fu-grip]

I wouldn't be surprised if we see this new format as early as the new Gears release.

[macky301]

Guys,.. It is probably just disc protection tech,..

I don't want to sound like a dick,..but just pray they don't take off 'reserve' even more of DVD9 because of it,..

I think they may actually free some space,.. because Carmack and developers are bitching,..

[Orionsangel]

I think it might be both and maybe each disc holds 25gb?

[neoandrew]

There are also an 17 gb dvd's who knows...

[RAmar101]

Massive denial and hurt in this thread, roll on infamous 2 :)

Microsoft making strides whilst sony makes games lol

I'm loving the meltdowns I love them so much, oh the pain.....

[KotC]

How are those daily security updates going?

[Loggie]

A possibility, was spoke of in 2005, but who knows.

At 40 times more than a standard single layer DVD it would allow for 188gb.

[Ashriel]

It would be great news if the "updated disc format" means more space in the game's disk! I'm hoping it is.

[shikamaroooo]

i dont see how this could work unless MS would release new hardware with a different laser common sence guys

[Aarix]

Maybe a bigger disc with all the reading and coding of a DVD. Who knows.

[IHateYouFanboys]

chances are this is just a change in how the data is stored on the disc, most likely freeing upsome of the ~2gb thats reserved for Security measures etc.

shouldve been done years ago, since the security doesnt seem to work lol. not that itll make a difference, most games only take up 4-5gb of the disc anyway, even the biggest games of the generation.

[jrbeerman11]

So far... but they dont want to be left in dust for the future considering that this generation still has a year or so left at least.

Mass Effect is the only two disc game I own on 360, but I am sure that having less space can change how past and future games are made, such as chopping off content to fit on disc and then release as DLC instead.

[therapist]

it's a test for next gen...which is coming soon baby, sooner than people here think

2012 at the LATEST, hopefully this year!

[Kwertie]

dont get your hopes up, this is likely just a new encryption method they are rolling out to prevent people copying games

[alex3369]

i bet you are completely right.

[HeartDisease]

alot of people think its a new compression type. what the hell would they need testers for a new compression type for? to see if you can still insert a disc into your xbox? that makes absolutely no sense at all. even if its a new type of dvd, they would know if the xbox drive can read it or not. perhaps the drive can read it but with some difficulty, and they are taking testers to gather statistical information on failure rates or whatnot.

i do know that you do not need testers to test a new compression type on an isolated machine such as the xbox. time will tell what the hell MS has up its sleeve.

[Dorwrath]

Dude it's not just that, they have the kinect enabled netflix, Hulu Plus and anything else thats new to play with oh and probably avatar kinect as well coming on the update.

[Trroy]

Just for clarity, if MS can increase the current 6.8GB/disc storage on 360 discs to something closer to 8.5GB/disc, that's a big deal for any publisher who can manage to save a disc for their 360 game, when it comes to cost-of-goods.

It may seem like a small thing, but in reality it makes making large world games on the 360 much more feasible, in the financially-minded eyes of publishers everywhere.

Remember that MS has recently been pushing megamesh / megatexture technology quite heavily... it would be horribly ironic if the PS3 was the only console that truly realized that technology, due to differences in disc space limitations, and a guaranteed HDD on one console, but not the other.

[Jocosta]

I wonder if this will have any impact on games like Rage, since its still pretty far off.

[Loggie]

A possibility, was spoke of in 2005, but who knows.

At 40 times more than a standard single layer DVD it would allow for 188gb.

[shikamaroooo]

but xbox 360's would be able to read em

[Barajas_201]

why are people using sales of consoles as excuse? is not like you people get any of that money so stop using sales as excuse, its lame

[TronEOL]

You're gonna need Xbox Live Gold to use it, I bet.
Since almost every single feature launched for Xbox360 has almost always been XboxLive Gold Exclusives.

[Buho]

LOL why not just go with Blu-Ray instead?

[alex3369]

first the xbox doesnt have the drive to handle it. hence its a dvd drive and also they wont pay royalties to an opponent in the same market to use their technology

[rlm41]

People have been working on multiple layer DVDs that are a fair few times bigger than the Blu-Ray disc for a while now.. I read last year (or year before) an article about how scientists found a way to add another layer to existing DVDs so that they were HUGE in capacity yet still be able to read by existing DVD players which means the Xbox 360. Back then they said it could be a couple of years until it would be able to hit the market..

So this technology has been developing for a while now, I wouldn't be surprised if Microsoft announce a deal with someone for a very high capacity DVD to work with the 360 at this year's E3.

[sethbalmore]

taken from a chat log....

[2011-03-29 11:11PM UTC] #fw <c4eva-> MS will introduce xgd3 – this will add more ap checks, cvi (content integerity) checks, increase the disc size and adds a new layer for protection issues – all in the 20500 sdk! bring it on!

also taken from GBAtemp----->
"Now you ask what it is exactly? Microsoft will introduce the so-called XGD3 disc formats from around late April / early May.
Currently, the XGD2 (Xbox Game Disc 2) formats in use.
The disc image will always have a fixed size of about 6.8GB net and as such are limited to this maximum limit.
The format offers something XGD3 about 1GB more memory (also net) and reached thus roughly 7.8GB.
This 1GB available to developers of course. However, this new hash checks and anti-piracy measures are used.
This XGD3 disc image (if one can read in the conventional way),
cannot be burned to a commercially available double-layer discs, because they are outside the size capacity.
During pressing of the discs in the press shop are virtually forced validation data to the extreme edges of the disc,
which on the one hand, the verification, on the other hand, as an anti-copying system,
since these sectors are not to describe blanks, not to mention the fact that Brenner these do Außnahmesituationen can only describe.

Microsoft reached so many years, an almost sure way to stem the Kopierbarkein.
This is especially which are now contained to a plague which has become piracy.
Only JTAG owners need not imply any idea of what to do next. Text of flying short shrug their shoulders and jump to the next topic.

For everyone else this means, however, that in future, first no more games can be copied.
(Personally, I welcome this step, the longest was necessary in some form!).

The introduction is so well established, however, also certain that we can expect from almost all programs,
the new version that can deal from now on with the XGD3. On the hardware side the way,
no interference is expected. XGD3 discs will work with all previously released (and future) models of the Xbox 360."

[hazelamy]

america only, figures.

[ZeroChaos]

Anyone else do a Bender moment when they read it was United States only.

"Screw your new disk, I'll make one myself, with bells and whistle actually forget about the whole thing."

[SuperSaiyan4]

US only??

[RedSoakedSponge]

boooooo @ US only :(

[SuperSaiyan4]

I mean seriously how can anyone BETA test an update which allows more storage on the disc??? And again being for USA only absolute nonsense.

Also @ sethbalmore you must be wrong since I have seen many Xbox 360 games use as much as 6.9gb...

[Naruto_Uzumaki]

i am confused what is this update?

[Tzuno]

I expect anti piracy and a lot of improved graphics due to more data on the disc via compressed files.

[daniel856]

I honestly think that it's not the same dvd they are using. if it's just the same dvd's they are using then why would they say that they have a new disc format ? the only disc format that can actually be used on xbox 360 is called the forward versatile disc. it has 5.5 gigs of space on a single layered disc and 11 gigs on a dual layered disc. not only that but M$ is supporting the format too. I think that they are gonna use that disc format cause it's the only format that can be read on a dvd drive. If they are using this disc format it would be far better then using the stupid dvd which was limited to 6.8 gigs of space. lets hope they are using FVD format for much more space. it may not be blu-ray but it offers more space then a crappy dvd and it will be better for developers too who need the extra space for games.