It seems odd that the fate of the next Gen DVD format may depend on the success of a video game system, but here we are. This holiday season could be the biggest volley in the HD format war to date. The PS3 with it's built in Blu-Ray player is just weeks away, and several online retailers have completely sold through their stock of preorder HD-DVD players for Xbox 360.

I have to admit, I am of two minds about this little device. On the one hand, I think an external optical dive for a game system seems a bit clunky. On the other, I like that it doesn't force people to pay extra for a player they may not need, and gives them the option to add on down the road. Sony is counting on the success of PS3 to bolster the Blu-Ray format, while Xbox is simply trying to compete in the HD movie arena. Furthermore, I think it's ironic that people bemoan the cost of the PS3, and praise the Xbox HD drive as a value-added bonus, as this essentially equalizes the two systems' price.

For those of you who already own an Xbox 360, it seems to be a pretty good deal. Depending on how many of these things they can move between now and January, I would tend to give Microsoft a slight advantage based solely on their installed user base. In other words, they already have a huge number of machines in homes, and comparatively, a 200 dollar HD-DVD player is a steal. at $600, Sony enthusiasts simply have a bigger pill to swallow up front. Neither player has hit the market yet, and there's still a chance either company may have screwed up something pivotal, like user interface. Hopefully both worked out their movie playback kinks on their previous systems, and the success, or failure of these two new game systems will help define a clear leader in the HD format war of '06.