Sony recently announced that it plans to equip the PlayStation 3 with a Blu-ray drive that might give the Blu-ray Disc format a head start on the competing HD-DVD format. According to ign.com NEC's and Toshiba's response to Sony's move is to try to convince Microsoft to use their HD-DVD format in the Xbox 2.

Xbox 2 may make use of the HD-DVD format, if some Japanese electronics giants have their way. Today, at the CEATEC Japan technology exhibition, now ongoing at the Makuhari Messe convention center, just outside of Tokyo, a manager at NEC revealed that his company is working to get Microsoft to use the format in the successor console to Xbox. A separate interview with Toshiba president Tadashi Okamura revealed a similar course for the electronics giant, with Okamura stating, in reference to HD-DVD, "We'd of course like them (Microsoft) to use it."

Microsoft however refused to comment on the specifications of the Xbox 2 according to Bloomberg Japan. The complete story is available here at ign.com.

Source: ign.com