In response to recent comments from Microsoft's VP of marketing, Peter Moore, the company has issued a formal statement clarifying its position on next-generation DVD support for the Xbox 360 console.

Speaking to Japanese website ITMedia at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Moore had stated that a Blu-Ray drive for the Xbox 360 could be released if the Blu-Ray standard - which is backed by Sony - wins the next-generation DVD format battle.

The Xbox 360, the first of the next-generation of games consoles to reach market, currently uses the standard DVD format, but a peripheral HD-DVD drive has been announced. Microsoft has publicly backed Toshiba's Blu-Ray rival, despite strong support for Sony's preferred technology (which will ship as standard in the forthcoming PlayStation 3 console) from the majority of film studios.

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