As reported last week, Microsoft have already announced that they will be producing an add-on HD-DVD drive for the XBox 360 to allow viewing of movies on the new format, but it now seems that the possibility of a Blu-Ray drive is also on the cards.

Peter Moore, the head of Microsoft’s gaming division, has said that should Blu-Ray win the new media competition, then Microsoft will be happy to provide an add-on Blu-Ray drive as well. He also took the opportunity to take a swipe at PlayStation 3, saying that because Sony have committed to this format then PS3 may lose out if Blu-Ray doesn’t win out in the end.

Personally, as I mentioned in my original post about the HD-DVD drive, I don’t see Sony losing out because of this. When the PS2 was launched, stand alone DVD players were still not common in many homes, but when PS2 first appeared there was also a rise in sales of DVD movies, especially in Japan. Many people are unlikely to upgrade from their existing DVD players straight away, and for some if they can buy a games console that also lets them play movies out of the box, then that’s an added bonus. Also, don’t forget that since Sony own Columbia Tristar, there’s at least one large movie company who will definitely be supporting Blu-Ray over HD-DVD.

Additionally, history teaches us that most console add-on peripherals tend not to sell in huge numbers, so it seems unlikely Joe Public will decide to buy an add-on drive for XBox 360, especially when the pricing of such a drive is likely to be not far off a dedicated movie player.

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