Microsoft has released an official statement in response to recent comments from Microsoft's VP of marketing, Peter Moore, about its position on possibly offering a Blu-ray drive for its Xbox360 console.

According to gamesindustry.biz, an industy gaming website, Microsoft have said:

“As we've said before, we're confident that HD-DVD will bring the excitement of high definition movies to the consumer faster and at a greater value. We believe that consumers have signalled what format they want to enjoy high definition DVD and we're going to follow them down that path."

"The question of whether Xbox360 has the flexibility to adapt to consumers' needs is a different issue entirely", the statement continues. "Xbox360 is a future-proofed system - one that allows us to add features as consumers demand them - as evidenced by our offering of the HD-DVD drive as an accessory. Current reports indicating that we have a back-up plan, which includes Blu-Ray support are incorrect. At this point, we're fully committed to HD-DVD and have absolutely no plans to support other optical formats."

Confusion started when Moore gave an interview to Japanese-language website ITmedia suggesting that you may be able to get a Blu-ray disc drive for the Xbox360 by the end of the year.

Moore's comments were, it appears, intended to add weight to Microsoft's believe in the "future-proof" flexibility of the Xbox360 rather than suggest an alternative next generation drive to the HD-DVD one already announced.

The official statement reads: "It is important to understand the context in which that statement was made. Microsoft firmly stands behind the HD-DVD format as the best choice for our consumers."

>> Microsoft - Official website of Microsoft