In a response from the Microsoft run Gamerscore Blog regarding the recent news that Toshiba will be abandoning the HD-DVD format, the company writes:

We do not believe the recent reports about HD DVD will have any material impact on the Xbox 360 platform or our position in the marketplace.  As we’ve long stated, we believe it is games that sell consoles and Xbox 360 continues to have the largest next-gen games library with the most exclusives and best selling games in the industry.  We will wait until we hear from Toshiba before announcing any specific plans around the Xbox 360 HD DVD player.  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.

I believe Microsoft is in an extremely vulnerable position right now, and is simply trying to deflect attention from the situation while it readies a response.  The demise of HD-DVD came along extremely quickly.  In early January Warner Bros. announced they would be phasing out HD-DVD in favor of Blu-ray, followed by several other similar announcements by Netflix, Best Buy and, last week, Walmart.  In just about a month and a half, the situation went from about neutral, to a full collapse for HD-DVD.

Microsoft had long been in the HD-DVD camp, supporting it directly through the HD-DVD add-on for the Xbox 360.  However, they had stated numerous times that if Blu-ray turned out to be the winning format, they would have a solution for it.  This was likely something that Microsoft hoped to avoid, but that time has come.

With HD-DVD dead in the water, the next generation movie format has officially been determined.  Now consumers can finally make a purchasing decision without worrying about choosing the losing format.  However, where will those consumers turn?  Their choices are to get a standalone Blu-ray player (currently the lowest price one is $399) or for the same price pick up a Playstation 3 that can play both Blu-ray movies and PS3 games.  The choice seems obvious.  Suddenly Microsoft, with their Xbox 360 is left on the outside looking in.  Until they come out with a Blu-ray solution, they are extremely vulnerable.

Rumors are flying that Microsoft will have a Blu-ray addon available by May/June.   These next three months could turn the tide in the console race.

In a move that is sure to disappoint many sports gamers, EA and the NFL have agreed to extend their exclusive deal to make NFL licensed games till 2012. EA’s Peter Moore assures gamedaily that it was the NFL who sought this deal, not EA.

The NFL lives in a world where it feels above the common ideals of competition and innovation. As a monopoly itself, it is exempt from many of the rules and regulations that the rest of corporate America must adhere to with congressional oversight supposedly keeping it in line. Somewhere in all of this, however, the NFL decided that having competition in the video game market, where several publishers would have to seriously innovate in order to succeed, was less important than raking in a huge amount of cash up front.

In the end, the consumer pays the price for these actions. The NFL and EA both get paid, while the sports fan consumer is relegated to pay $60 for what ends up being a roster refresh. Without innovation, the Madden franchise has stagnated, and true sports fans are stuck.

Believe it or not but a brand spanking new NES game has been released after over a decade thanks to Retrozone. the game in question is Airball which was ported to multiple computer systems back in 1987. The NES version was in the works at the time but was canceled however, Tengen’s lost game has been found and for the first time is being offered for sale at about $35 with full color manual, brand new parts and some legacy style packaging making this one hell of a piece of work for a mere homebrew production.

A commercial with in game footage can be found on Youtube and I can tell you, the game is impressive from the looks of it, this Editor may have to pick up a copy!