For those of us still on the fence -- watching the HD-disc-format war fight itself out before committing to either Blu-Ray or HD-DVD -- Microsoft UK's Neil Thompson has some good news:

Speaking to the BBC, Thompson is quoted as saying: "Whatever format wins it is highly likely we will offer a solution. The only debate is if you want to watch Blu-ray movies and pay the extra money for that feature. We prefer to offer the consumer choice."

translation? "We love your money. Buy the HD-DVD drive now, and if the format fails we'll be happy to sell you a Blu-Ray drive in a year or so."

The bit about "consumer choice" is PR-speak at its best, but I think that it's important to realize that you do have a choice -- to not buy into either of these stupid formats. The industry should have worked out a common HD format on its own, and it is not your responsibility as a consumer to fight this war for them. When they make up their minds, I'll be willing to start buying.

via Gamasutra