Blu-ray will not matter...

[Geo]

I don't think BR is killer for PS3 in the sense that a ton of people will buy it just for that. Sure, maybe some will, but I tend to doubt it would be a lot.

Where I think it really helps is Joe and Jane parents getting ready to plop down for a console for Jr. They aren't going to play that console as a console, but what they do see is an addon that means "the whole family" gets to enjoy cutting edge technology too, and at relatively moderate add-on cost and risk if that format war goes against them in the long-run. I think that is relatively powerful, at least in the first year. How powerful it is in years 2-5 depends on how well BR does in the larger battle.

 

[Ty]

In my opinion, BR in the PS3 isn't a killer app yet.

I don't think it's positioned to be a here-and-now killer app for all the reasons you argue (many of which others and I have mentioned a long time ago).

But I think folks are narrowing their focus on either games or movies and coming up with the conclusion that BR really isn't "needed yet". Fine, I won't argue that because you're probably correct about "need".

That said, I've always believed that good marketing is not catering to a market that already exists but instead creating one that didn't exist before. So even though the consumers don't have a need for HD movies or BR games, when Joe consumer sees a video game console with the PlayStation brand (still quite reputable) selling against an Xbox 360, they are of course going to judge by price first and foremost (imo).

Then assuming (and this is a big assumption) the games are similiar in experience for both they'll also factor in that one plays superior movies. What if they don't have an HDTV yet, you ask? I say, find me a person who doesn't have an HDTV and doesn't want one.

That is, the desire to future-proof their purchase is a value-added incentive that even an extra $100 bucks over the X360 might pale against.

 

[speng]

I don't think BR is killer for PS3 in the sense that a ton of people will buy it just for that. Sure, maybe some will, but I tend to doubt it would be a lot.

I'm getting a PS3 because of BR. Among the other strengths it has and the games that will likely be made for it.

Blu-Ray may not be the killer app, but it will be a big difference later on if the Blu-Ray format wins. In 2007 when there are a fair amount of movies in the format people will choose a PS3 over an XBox 360 for that capability.

For example, I am a gamer but I like watching movies at home. I'm fresh outta college I don't really want to spend the money on a new BD-R player, why not satisfy both my needs with one console? For a fraction of the price of both.

Early on it will not matter as much, later on 2007 and beyond it will.
Also in the early months of a console it's mostly the hardcore fans and the hardcore gamers who buy it.

I think it's a HUGE check mark for Sony, and will become apparent in 2007.

Speng.

 

[Joe DeFuria]

In 2007 when there are a fair amount of movies in the format people will choose a PS3 over an XBox 360 for that capability.

...And if in 2007 there's an XBox360 SKU with high-def drive....

 

[one]

I agree that Blu-Ray does not matter from a games perspective - BR does not give you more CPU power, more GPU power, more memory, better bandwidth spec, better control.

Bly only matters from a storage perspective and from a HDTV movie playback perspective.

But it gives you less noise :smile:

 

[speng]

...And if in 2007 there's an XBox360 SKU with high-def drive....

It already missed the boat...with a split user base. Roughly 4 million folks without that kind of drive, so games will not take advantage of it.

But it does lessen Sony's BR check mark for HD movie playback.

Speng.

 

[Joe DeFuria]

It already missed the boat...with a split user base.

"Split user base" means nothing with respect to choosing a console in 2007 that inludes hi-def movie playback capability (which is what your last post was exclusively about.)

 

[Carl B]

I agree with half the posters here; that blu-ray really doesn't matter as far as games are concerned. Multiple DVD's, whatever... I mean obviously it's nice to have, but a BR/BD drive's big advantage is in the field of movies. I think blu-ray is going to leap into the public consciousness in a *big* way this next year, beginnign at CES and gaining momentum with an advertising blitz and the rest of it as the year goes on. The PS3 has already helped Sony increase support for the format, and increased support for the format potentially increases the appeal of the PS3 itself. It's kind of a positive spiral for Sony once started.

For me, the 'extras' are something I'm all about. Of all the things I *didn't* want cut from the PS3 back in those rumor-filled days, the blu-ray drive was first and foremost. I like to get increased functionality whenever available, and I'm such that I prefer all-in-one devices to standalones. Obviously, the price differential is also such also that I will in the near future own a blu-ray player in the form of PS3 where otherwise it would have taken me years to jump on.

Anyway so yeah, for me blu-ray has nothing to do with games, and I have a hard time believing when people say 360 games will suffer unduly for lack of it. But it *does* have appeal. And if MS does eventually go the HD route, Sony or not, they'd probably be best to choose blu-ray over HD-DVD at this point.

On the side, always firting with the idea of an Xbox 360 purchase, I can confirm there as well that it's the console's media center compatability/functionality that is primarily it's main draw for me at the moment, that and Geometry Wars.

So 'extras' do matter, at least for some people.

 

[DemoCoder]

From my standpoint, anything not builtin splits the base, and makes developers have to either excessively worry about supporting a split platform, or choosing the lowest common denominator. That's why the optional HD is lame. If another SKU comes out with a different optical drive, they will have to make sure it delivers equal or superior latency and throughput, else people who code streaming game data will face a problem.

But MS shipping an HD-DVD SKU in 2007 is missing the boat entirely. By then, supposedly cheap HD-DVD players from China will have already flooded the market, so they'd be competiting with el-cheapo HD-DVD players. In Sony's situation, they get BD on the market before cheap standalone players, thus people who would otherwise not care about a game console, end up with a PS3. Moreover, I think it will be clear by 2007 who is winning the content war (my prediction: BD), which mean they would be producing a SKU for a dwindling market.

Is this the hypothetical SKU that finally adds proper digital Hi-Def support (e.g. HDMI)?

Sony will unquestionably have a HUGE "checkbox" feature in their advertising against the XB360.

 

[Nicked]

"Split user base" means nothing with respect to choosing a console in 2007 that inludes hi-def movie playback capability (which is what your last post was exclusively about.)

PS3 will have the mystique of the high-def console, movies will be advertised with PS3 compatibility for a while and consumers will have set thoughts. Too little too late, IMO.

 

[DudeMiester]

Actually BlueRay does matter from a gaming perspective. It has a much faster read speed, which means equally faster loading times. It doesn't matter for actual contect though, if you don't mind switching disks halfway through the game, lol.

 

[seismologist]

I think Blu Ray is as much to games as the first Xbox hardrive. It probably wouldn't get much support sold as an accessory.

But as an integral part of the console will give developers some nice options throughout the PS3's lifespan.

 

[SMOKE]

BRD will be th ekiller app for Sony and you shall all see at the CES event in Jan. Everything there will be on BR and there new upcoming line of HDTVs. CES will push TVs and PS3s like nobodys business. Games will be massive and most of you devs on here know this already, why is it that such features are always cut from games when there previously announced before the game is finished. This will not be the case for BR and skies are the limits for devs who put more into there games than they could before all onto one disk. When you guys see the actual movies running off of BR your mouths will drop when you see trilogies on one disk in Hi Def format. Can you imagine playing thru ZOE 3 with a new graphics engine such as UE3 but this time playing from ZOE 1-3 as if it were one game. actaully have all 4 MGS on one disk. Please folks, im just the consumer here and I speak for those who feel like me and have to or want everything new that comes out. I am not a MS buff and I didnt have an xbox this gen either but when 360 showed its Hi Def gaming (I already own and HDTV) I got it to see what I am looking forward too from the PS3 and its going to have people who havent gamed in a while picking up systems for gaming and movies alone for a cheaper price for those HD buffs out there. BR FTW

 

[see colon]

The PS2 installed base is 100 million. GC and Xbox COMBINED are at 40 million. There are roughly 60 million (at least) gamers who exclusively enjoy the playstation brand, and are quite happy with it. The vast majority of these people will be getting a PS3. For MS to have any hope, they'll have to TRIPLE their installed base, and hope that anybody that owns a PS2 and something else... DOESN'T buy a PS3 this go around. Highly unlikely.

how many of those PS2 owners bougt an RF adapter to go along with their PS2? a decent portion of the gaming community don't have HD displays and might not care about HD movie playback even if they do.

i don't predict BRD or HDDVD will have anything close to the adaption rate that DVD had. convenience is what consumers want. we didn't switch from LPs to cassette and then CDs because they sound better (for those that don't know LPs offer a wider range of sound than either cassette or CD), we switched because they were convenient. portability, compatabilty, reasonable durability... these things matter.

that said, BRD will matter to sony. if they win the format wars then everything is good. but if they loose the format war, they are stuck with a more expensive drive that adds little to nothing to the PS3. i don't think it'll affect microsoft either way since they aren't directly gambling on any HD video format. if HDDVD wins they'll have support via media connect. if BRD wins they migt have support via media connect.

 

[Vince]

It probably wouldn't get much support sold as an accessory.

But as an integral part of the console will give developers some nice options throughout the PS3's lifespan.

That's like saying DVD wouldn't get much support sold as an accessory. That it will only give "nice options" to developers.

IMHO, Blu-Ray is unbelievably underrated as a feature. Due in no small part to it's (or an analagous format's) lack of support on another certain platform. Which is ironic as when it comes to the inclusion of systems to make a developer's work easier, it's generally a good thing (ie. XNA); except when it comes to fitting a developer's game on a physical format, then it's the developers fault for not working effeciently enough. Doubly ironic as you're bounding the very creative potential and imagination of developers some entities once touted so highly... *shrug*

Granted, just as there was a significant proportion of early generation PlayStation2 games which came on CD; the same will be true of DVD. But, as in the former case, within a generation the ratio will invert and DVD use will collapse down to the 0-10% interval.

 

[ihamoitc2005]

Blu-Ray important

That's like saying DVD wouldn't get much support sold as an accessory. That it will only give "nice options" to developers.

IMHO, Blu-Ray is unbelievably underrated as a feature. Due in no small part to it's (or an analagous format's) lack of support on another certain platform. Which is ironic as when it comes to the inclusion of systems to make a developer's work easier, it's generally a good thing (ie. XNA); except when it comes to fitting a developer's game on a physical format, then it's the developers fault for not working effeciently enough. Doubly ironic as you're bounding the very creative potential and imagination of developers some entities once touted so highly... *shrug*

Granted, just as there was a significant proportion of early generation PlayStation2 games which came on CD; the same will be true of DVD. But, as in the former case, within a generation the ratio will invert and DVD use will collapse down to the 0-10% interval.

Many forget that soon everything is HDTV only by USA law so DVD will be like VHS and look old and ugly even compared to standard broadcast quality. But HD format disc like Blu-Ray will look very good and have good sound. Same as no one likes VHS anymore, one-day no one likes DVD.

 

[Ty]

that said, BRD will matter to sony. if they win the format wars then everything is good. but if they loose the format war, they are stuck with a more expensive drive that adds little to nothing to the PS3.

First Assumption - BR loses:

First Scenario: BR Drive costs more than a DVD drive to make - Why couldn't Sony just drop in a DVD drive or even HD-DVD drive into the newer revisions of the PS3?

Or

Second Scenario: BR Drive costs the same as a DVD drive to make - no reason to replace the BR drive then since it wouldn't save Sony any money.

Don't really see how Sony would be stuck using a BR drive. They've already lost the format war so would they stick it out? I guess they certainly have before but nothing is preventing them from switching as far as I see.

 

[Danalys]

Many forget that soon everything is HDTV only by USA law so DVD will be like VHS and look old and ugly even compared to standard broadcast quality. But HD format disc like Blu-Ray will look very good and have good sound. Same as no one likes VHS anymore, one-day no one likes DVD.

i've heard this repeated many times. never seen any proof. i'm assuming people confused digital TV for hi-def TV.

 

[Nicked]

First Assumption - BR loses:

First Scenario: BR Drive costs more than a DVD drive to make - Why couldn't Sony just drop in a DVD drive or even HD-DVD drive into the newer revisions of the PS3?

Or

Second Scenario: BR Drive costs the same as a DVD drive to make - no reason to replace the BR drive then since it wouldn't save Sony any money.

Don't really see how Sony would be stuck using a BR drive. They've already lost the format war so would they stick it out? I guess they certainly have before but nothing is preventing them from switching as far as I see.

BRD games like GTA4?

But his point is moot, Blu-ray losing is a slim chance at best. Regardless of what people want, it IS between Blu-ray and HD-DVD, HVD/holographic tech won't be affordable for a long time...and based off support, Blu-ray is the clear winner.

Of course, now AACS has been finalised Toshiba can make good on their promise to "promptly" launch HD-DVD in Japan. Its already delayed in the U.S and expected to hit around the same time as Blu-ray. Personally I think Toshiba are playing for time and a way to save face as they back out of this format war.

 

[Nicked]

i've heard this repeated many times. never seen any proof. i'm assuming people confused digital TV for hi-def TV.

This is correct, but nearly all broadcasters are switching over to HD with the switch to digital, and before long SD/EDTVs will be off the shelves. Consumers will be upgrading, and soon.