Microsoft says no to Wi-Fi for Xbox 360

"It's down to cost"

24 September 2007 9:52 GMT / By Stuart Miles

Microsoft has confirmed to Pocket-lint that it has no immediate plans to include Wi-Fi in the Xbox 360 console even though it continues to push its online gaming service.

"It's down to cost", a spokesperson for the gaming division told us before suggesting gamers can spend an additional £60 for the Wi-Fi dongle if they want wireless connectivity.

"We currently include an Ethernet cable and 1 month's free subscription to the Xbox Live service. We don't want people not interested in wireless connectivity having to play for a technology they don't want."

However both the Nintendo Wii and the PS3 games consoles include wireless connectivity allowing gamers to connect to the Internet without having to plg into their broadband router.

It's not the first time a technology has been left out of the console. When first launched in December 2005 in the UK, the Xbox 360 didn't come with a HDMI output even though the games console can play games in HD resolution.

Microsoft has since corrected this with the recent introduction of a HDMI socket in its new Xbox 360 Elite console and the roll out in the next couple of weeks to its Pro and Core ranges.