It’s official folks – Microsoft has confirmed that they will be selling an external HD DVD drive for the Xbox 360 in 2006. I suppose the external drive will connect to the 360 via one of the USB ports that the system has. It’s not a bad thought although it would have been nice if the 360 shipped with an HD DVD drive to begin with. This announcement won’t mean much if there isn’t any content on HD DVD discs but it might help spur the growth of HD DVD in light of Sony’s inclusion of Blu-ray drives on the upcoming PS3.

The announcement came during Gates Keynote speech at CES 2006. Gates also announced that the XBox 360 is on track to sell between 4.5 million to 5.5 million units by the end of June 2006. Not too shabby.

Other tidbits in the keynote speech:

• Gates demoed Windows Vista and the new Media Center capabilities within Vista
• Over 6.5 MCE systems have now been sold
• Comedy Central has joined Online Spotlight
• Demoed EA Sport’s upcoming Fight Night Round 3
• Talked about Treo 700w
• Commented about various partnerships with companies including DIRECTV, British Sky Broadcasting, and Starz Entertainment Group

You can read the rest of the Microsoft Press Release covering Gates’ remarks at CES here.

[Check it out]

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