In the wake of last month"s HD DVD player rebate program, the HD DVD Promotional Group happily announced that HD DVD players now constitute 60% of all standalone high-definition players sold. So far, consumers have purchased over 150,000 dedicated HD DVD players, up from 100,000 in mid-April. This figure does not include the HD DVD drives available as a $199 add-on for the Xbox 360. According to the group, weekly player sales doubled during late May (near the beginning of the rebate program) and increased again last week.
The rebate incentive program is scheduled to end on June 16, which means that HD DVD player prices will soon rise back up to $399. Recently Sony announced its new BDP-S300 player will retail for $499, meaning there"s only going to be $100 separating the two low-end devices. It"s doubtful the price war will stop there, which is obviously a huge plus for us consumers. As in any war, the HD war depends on what the early adopters choose, and so far, there isn"t a clear winner.