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April 8, 2008 | 5:42 PM PST
by: Nathan Grayson
File this one in the "futile gestures" folder; Major Nelson, without even the slightest hint of irony, broke the news that a new update is now available for the Xbox 360's HD-DVD player. This move, which is akin to purchasing a birthday gift for someone who's six feet under, is quite perplexing, to say the least. Actually, this update dwarfs even the above analogy, since zombies are always a looming possibility; HD-DVDs, on the other hand, aren't ever coming back.
Nevertheless, for the few stalwart HD-DVD supporters out there, this update addresses vague "compatability issues with certain titles" and adds "additional support for network features." Either hop on Xbox Live and give the update a download or wait until it's available on the official Xbox website.
source: Major Nelson
Editor's Take: It's kind of odd to see Microsoft, of all companies, supporting a dead format; I mean, they plunged a knife into the original Xbox's still-beating heart and left it in agony, with only third-pary developers to witness its final hours. My guess: this update was already complete before HD-DVD flatlined, so Microsoft just decided to push the update out the door instead of admitting it was a waste of time. As a bonus, it creates the illusion that they're still supporting the HD-DVD add-on, thus helping move a few more severely discounted units.
February 8, 2010
