PS3 HDD REQUIRED to Play Games but is NOT Standard?

[BenQ]

Something is either unclear or extremely fishy regarding the PS3's HDD.

"As part of the PlayStation Business Brief today in Tokyo, Ken Kutaragi confirmed that the PlayStation 3 will require a hard drive peripheral for games. Developers are being told to create games with the assumption that a hard disk will be present."

At which point most people assumed that a 60 Gig HDD would come standard with the PS3. But then this article came out....

"Earlier, we mistakenly reported that Sony would including the hard disk with the PS3 right out of the box. Kutaragi actually stopped short of confirming this"

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/696/696056p1.html

Unless the HDD is CONFIRMED as STANDARD very soon, this brings up an ALARMING possibility.

What if Sony is planning to sell the PS3 PRIMARILY as a "reletively cheap" Blue Ray player with no standard HDD. Maybe Sony figures that people will buy that first for the Blue Ray movie playback and then later if people want they can buy a seperate HDD which will enable the PS3 to you know.... play games.

 

[dukmahsik]

legit question. this press conference left more questions to be asked than answered.

all we know is:

- world wide launch in nov
- linux on hdd
- BR standard, HDD maybe not standard

 

[BenQ]

Did Sony provide a proper release date in November, or did they simply list November as the "Target Window"?

 

[pc999]

I guess it is for BD player use only or others simples use of PS3, like comunication by net using cameras and such as TS said back in E3 (and probably use it also as a Trojan horse for PS3 games/features too)..

 

[DuckThor Evil]

Unless the HDD is CONFIRMED as STANDARD very soon, this brings up an ALARMING possibility.

What if Sony is planning to sell the PS3 PRIMARILY as a "reletively cheap" Blue Ray player with no standard HDD. Maybe Sony figures that people will buy that first for the Blue Ray movie playback and then later if people want they can buy a seperate HDD which will enable the PS3 to you know.... play games.

Well basically it doesn't matter if PS3 with HDD included is 499$ or PS3 399$+HDD=499$ apart from the numbers that is the situation, you either pay the price of the HDD separately or you pay the price of the HDDin the PS3 package if it includes the HDD.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Like Memory Stick for PSP, chances are something will be bundled. If you have to have an HDD to play games but none is included in the default PS3 kit, when you pick one up in the shop you'll see a bundle with the bundle price including HDD.

They may be considering releasing non-HDD bundles as BluRay players, and maybe internet connection devices. It'd be a very limited device though and they wouldn't be making any money on sales of games, where the earnings per game sold is a lot higher for them than the earnings per BRD. And they wouldn't be selling mcuh content over Connect either. Unless you can buy to flash media perhaps?

 

[BenQ]

Well basically it doesn't matter if PS3 with HDD included is 499$ or PS3 399$+HDD=499$ apart from the numbers that is the situation, you either pay the price of the HDD separately or you pay the price of the HDDin the PS3 package if it includes the HDD.

I guess it makes sense.

Sony has stated that the PS3 will not be UNDER $425. So perhaps you can get a "Blue Ray Only" PS3 for $425 and for an extra $75 you can enable PS3 game playback.

I don't think that's gonna sit well with alot of people though.

Another IF coming....

Sony has also confirmed that ALL PS3 games will come on blue Ray discs ( and not some on Blue Ray and some on DVD as was previosly thought ).

Does this point to the possibility of a rather slow Blue Ray Drive in the PS3? 1.5X ( mnimum for Blue Ray Move Playback ) to 2X?

If it had a very slow Blue Ray drive a HDD may be "Required" simply so that load times aren't attrotiosly slow..... because they would be with a 1.5 - 2X drive and no HDD for support.

 

[Sis]

Like Memory Stick for PSP, chances are something will be bundled. If you have to have an HDD to play games but none is included in the default PS3 kit, when you pick one up in the shop you'll see a bundle with the bundle price including HDD.

That's not quite the same, though: the PSP does not require a memory stick to play--you just can't save your games. Of course, some would argue that this would be a requirement then to play games, but if so then it's been true of all game consoles since the read-only disc era.

If the HDD is required for a game to even play, and one does not come with the PS3, it would certainly be a first. It'd be like requiring the BD-ROM, but only offer it as an accessory.

(Note that I don't believe it likely that the HDD will be required to play games. And I'm very interested in Sony's idea of loading games onto a hard drive. After playing Xbox Live Arcade games, I'm now spoiled with the notion of just picking the game instead of getting my lazy ass off the couch and putting a disc in.)

 

[Brimstone]

Who knows, maybe even the base PS3 won't have a gamepad included, just a remote control. To be able to play games, you buy the game pak which includes the hard drive and gamepad.

 

[valioso]

if all games come on bluray does that mean that an HDMI connection is required to play games?

 

[Sis]

if all games come on bluray does that mean that an HDMI connection is required to play games?

Blu-ray acts as a ROM drive in that scenario so it wouldn't be covered by the AACS rules for movie playback (and AACS has some wiggle room with regards to HDMI anyway).

 

[BenQ]

I wonder where Pointblank and Eva are

 

[Guden Oden]

Unless the HDD is CONFIRMED as STANDARD very soon, this brings up an ALARMING possibility.

I think you're making a much bigger deal out of this than neccessary. Sony ISN'T going to sell a games console that you can't play games on unless you also buy an optional harddrive for it. No way in hell that'll fly.

Instead, what we can hopefully infer from the statement made is that games are required to be able to use a harddrive if present.

Assuming the PS3 doesn't come bundled with one as standard of course...

if all games come on bluray does that mean that an HDMI connection is required to play games?

No, the HDMI connection only applies to upcoming movies, where the studio/manufacturer chose to not allow HD resolution material over unprotected analog. So far I don't believe any studio has announced they'll actually DO this, as only a small minority of TV sets, even HD sets, even support HDMI. It's usually bad to piss your paying customers off, so I hope content providers are wary of using this ability.

 

[DigitalSoul]

What about the 3 memory card format? CF, SD and memorysticks. I assume you'll be able to save games on those. They probably wont be a substitute for an HDD though...especially for download content.

 

[BenQ]

I think you're making a much bigger deal out of this than neccessary. Sony ISN'T going to sell a games console that you can't play games on unless you also buy an optional harddrive for it. No way in hell that'll fly.

Instead, what we can hopefully infer from the statement made is that games are required to be able to use a harddrive if present.

I think being able to buy a Blue Ray only PS3 player is likely.

And how can you infer ....

"Instead, what we can hopefully infer from the statement made is that games are required to be able to use a harddrive if present."

When Sony flat out said.....

"As part of the PlayStation Business Brief today in Tokyo, Ken Kutaragi confirmed that the PlayStation 3 will require a hard drive peripheral for games. Developers are being told to create games with the assumption that a hard disk will be present."

And in their Power point presentation, it clearly states "HDD is REQUIRED!"

http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20060315/psm10.jpg

 

[scooby_dooby]

Come on guys, lets use a little common sense. If they aren't sure whether the HDD will actually ship as standard, then there is no way they are LITERALLY going to require the HDD for games.

All KK is saying is that they are going to really push developers to make use of the HDD, and to program for it, i.e. it will be required that every game will 'support' the HDD to some extent

 

[DuckThor Evil]

Sony ISN'T going to sell a games console that you can't play games on unless you also buy an optional harddrive for it. No way in hell that'll fly.

I think that's more likely false than correct, unless HDD is included in the package which is not certain at the moment, as Sony hasn't decided on that yet. I really don't even see any problems in this policy.

However I think it's fairly certain that people will still have to rise from the couch to swap the disks, I don't think it's going to be possible to transfer whole game to the HDD, because You wouldn't fit too many games onto HDD, Blu-Ray game would take a lot of space.

 

[liolio]

I think being able to buy a Blue Ray only PS3 player is likely.

And how can you infer ....

"Instead, what we can hopefully infer from the statement made is that games are required to be able to use a harddrive if present."

When Sony flat out said.....

"As part of the PlayStation Business Brief today in Tokyo, Ken Kutaragi confirmed that the PlayStation 3 will require a hard drive peripheral for games. Developers are being told to create games with the assumption that a hard disk will be present."

And in their Power point presentation, it clearly states "HDD is REQUIRED!"

http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20060315/psm10.jpg

How long this will continue.
The slide says (in order)
HDD is required :
60GB
upgradeable
enhance gameplay
network game|application
powerfull network plateform
full internet access
home server
linux os.

Hdd is not required for gaming, i'm peace off by all the sony's lies, but if you need HDD for playing it'll be in if not it will depend of cost.
It seems that Sony don't want to split his users base, they will adjust this in regard of the competition (MS).
If MS do too well, and Sony needs a more cost attractive product, they 'll do a core system, Game and BR only, it's obvious....

they should have write :
HDD is required for :
enhance gameplay
network game|application
powerfull network plateform
full internet access
home server
linux os.
the HDD will be 60GB and upgradeable.
i don't see gaming anywhere.

For this

"As part of the PlayStation Business Brief today in Tokyo, Ken Kutaragi confirmed that the PlayStation 3 will require a hard drive peripheral for games. Developers are being told to create games with the assumption that a hard disk will be present."

i think it the same as the 1080p resolution gimmick, devs have chose 720p, in this case be sure they know a lot more than us and they 'll make a choice based on commun sense.

 

[supervegeta]

Wow, sony is dumb if do not realize this , 3.5" hd are dirty cheap, why the fuck not including an external 3.5 hd with a sony custom design ?

It would not be a problem to me to have an external little box near the console , you could also easly take it , connect to the pc and dowload the movies to play with the console.

Or at least sony could give the option to use an external usb hd if it is requied to play games.

 

[DuckThor Evil]

, why the fuck not including an external 3.5 hd with a sony custom design ?

Because that is horrible idea ,horrible...