Sony responds to HD-DVD discontinuation

Sony America has responded to the discontinuation of HD-DVD by saying it realised this would happen all along.

Predictably, SCEA bigwig Dave Karraker stood by Blu-ray and leaned on all sorts of arguments we have heard before.

"It's unfortunate that Microsoft's external HD-DVD drive will not enhance the experience at all for the gamer," Karraker told Kotaku, while probably pausing for sips on a celebratory cocktail.

"Sony realizes that to truly take gaming into the next generation requires a larger data format for both games and movies. PS3 uses the Blu-ray format for gaming, giving developers 50 GB of high-definition storage on a single disc, while Microsoft's 9 GB DVD gaming format is an obstacle for storing HD content.

"Furthermore, Microsoft's announced HD games patch is really just a compatibility feature - upscaling lower-resolution content does not make it Full HD (1080p), something that PS3 can do out of the box," he added.

Toshiba officially announced it would discontinue the HD-DVD format this morning, citing "major changes in the market" (studios and retailers choosing Blu-ray) as the reason for its decision.

While it paves the way for the Sony-championed format, many observers feel Microsoft was never that bothered about HD-DVD, but rather supported it to promote consumer indecision. Its real goal, many feel, is digital distribution.