Microsoft released an external HD DVD drive for the Xbox 360 in 2006.
The Xbox 360 HD DVD Player connected to the console through USB and allowed owners to watch films released on Toshiba-backed HD DVD discs. Microsoft kept the format drive external instead of building it into the console, allowing the standard Xbox 360 hardware to remain focused on games and DVD playback.
HD DVD competed directly with Blu-ray Disc during the high-definition optical-disc format war. After major studios and retailers shifted support toward Blu-ray, Toshiba announced the end of HD DVD in February 2008. Microsoft then discontinued the Xbox 360 add-on.
The accessory did not play Xbox 360 games. It was a movie player, and the console’s ordinary game discs continued to use DVD technology.