Games Toaster: Xbox 360 HD player with free films

- Free films offer open in Ireland until end of January

Buyers of the of the Xbox 360 HD-DVD player in Ireland will be offered the chance to redeem five free films for the add-on.

The Xbox 360 player (pictured right with the games console) retails at around €170, while the offer runs until January 31, 2008.

The player is currently facing a massive advertising push by Sony’s rival high definition format Blu-ray. The Sony format is included in the company's PlayStation 3 console.

The two HD formats have been lined up by their backers as the successor to the DVD. Both are in a format war last seen with VHS and Betamax in the 1980s – like then, it is unlikely the two formats will survive in the medium to long term.

The Xbox offer includes 13 titles from Warner Brothers, Universal, Dreamworks and Paramount. These are: Serenity, the Chronicles of Riddick, Hulk, Children of Men, the Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Troy, Full Metal Jacket, Corpse Bride, the Prestige, Swordfish, Black Rain, Dreamgirls, and Word Trade Center.

Orla Sheridan of Microsoft Ireland said: “The HD-DVD player for Xbox 360 gives customers a high quality and affordable way to enjoy state-of-the-art HD-DVD movies. We’re delighted to enable everyone to enjoy the technology to the full and offer some fantastic movie releases, completely free”.