Bluray in PS3: Good idea, bad idea?

**hiphopcr** · 01-21-2008, 04:19 PM

The decision to integrate Bluray functionality into the PS3 has been highly pu pu'd on this message board. However, in light of the recent Warner announcement and the inevitable Bluray victory what do you think now?

I think the decision was originally risky and forward thinking and will now pay off huge. Indeed, I see Bluray functionality in the PS3 as a major driving force to the PS3's success in the years to come.

**WorknMan** · 01-21-2008, 04:26 PM

IMHO, it's a good thing they put it in there, because it is the only thing that makes the PS3 even remotely interesting. I think the difference between the 360 and PS3 is that the 360 is a game consule that just happens to play media files. The PS3 is a Blu-ray and media player that just happens to play games. A co-worker of mine is all excited about getting a PS3 and playing Final Fantasy on it... press a button, watch 20 minutes of video, press another button, watch another 20 minutes of video. Just doesn't sound appealing to me at all.

**Darksol** · 01-21-2008, 04:33 PM

Originally Posted by WorknMan

IMHO, it's a good thing they put it in there, because it is the only thing that makes the PS3 even remotely interesting. I think the difference between the 360 and PS3 is that the 360 is a game consule that just happens to play media files. The PS3 is a Blu-ray and media player that just happens to play games. A co-worker of mine is all excited about getting a PS3 and playing Final Fantasy on it... press a button, watch 20 minutes of video, press another button, watch another 20 minutes of video. Just doesn't sound appealing to me at all.

totally agree.

I'll say it was a good idea just for pushing Blu-ray, and it is probably one of the best if not the best blu-ray player out there. As a games console though, it is pretty much a failing score or slightly better at this point in time.

If the blu-ray storage format wins out there, who cares? Microsoft can come along with a more powerful console than the PS3 in the future and then use BD-ROMs as the disc type. As the BD-ROM will play current DVDs, they can easily support backwards compatibility with the 360 if the rest of whatever their future hardware is would support it. I would say that the PS3 helped enable a win for Blu-ray itself, not the PS3 as a whole especially if we are talking about a game console as there is much much more to a console than what type of storage it uses.

**Chris** · 01-21-2008, 04:39 PM

At this point, its not THAT bad of an idea. I mean afterall, the PS3 is failing as a GAMING system, at least it has a format with mass market POTENTIAL behind it.

**Nectar** · 01-21-2008, 05:00 PM

The reason it is failing as a game system is because of its price. Blue-Ray makes makes the console too damn expensive. Bad idea and will remain a bad idea (just like Blue-Ray itself).

It's a shame because the system doesn't seem to have a high failure rate (unlike the PS2). Of course, the console with the highest failure rate ALWAYS wins.

**alexjlopez** · 01-21-2008, 05:09 PM

Originally Posted by Darksol

I would say that the PS3 helped enable a win for Blu-ray itself,

Exactly--Bluray is the winner here, I don't know that the decision did anything at all for the Playstation brand, as I still believe they basically traded their worldwide leader in gaming console brand in exchange for winning a movie media format war. Sony would trade places with Nintendo in a heartbeat right about now.

**Slash** · 01-22-2008, 07:53 AM

I agree on the bluray stuff itself is a winner ,An you won't find a better bluray player that play your games

but imo the console failed as a games machine. ;( I was really looking forward to the ps3.

Going to give it more time so it can get some more games out for now though my ps2 is where my gaming is on sony.

**javierdlopez** · 01-22-2008, 08:31 AM

So here's the dilema... You're in the market for a high resolution movie player... You've decided on Blue-Ray in light of all of the recent news. The most inexpensive Blue Ray player happens to be the PS3, why wouldn't you buy one, and once you have one, there is a possibility you may actually use it as a console... Right?

I'm just not sure why they haven't released a Blue Ray player that's cheaper than the PS3... Doesn't make any sense.

**alexjlopez** · 01-22-2008, 09:24 AM

Originally Posted by javierdlopez

I'm just not sure why they haven't released a Blue Ray player that's cheaper than the PS3... Doesn't make any sense.

The answer is that the video game console business is sometimes willing to take a loss on hardware due to the promise of future earnings from selling software--you don't see that kind of compromise elsewhere in consumer electronics. The margins on blu-ray movies are a lot thinner than they are on $60 video games that are often ported to and from other formats for increased revenue opportunities.

I read yesterday that Sony is going further down this road by releasing a $299 PS3 SKU in the near future. IMO, Microsoft can get away with this kind of thing because of a strong software line-up. Sony's software lineup can't sustain that model.

Who would have thought the price of a PS3 would be cut in half just 14 months into the game. What a train wreck...

**javierdlopez** · 01-22-2008, 09:42 AM

Originally Posted by alexjlopez

I read yesterday that Sony is going further down this road by releasing a $299 PS3 SKU in the near future. IMO, Microsoft can get away with this kind of thing because of a strong software line-up. Sony's software lineup can't sustain that model.

Well I'll tell you what for 299 I'll buy a PS3, even if I don't play many games on it, that seals the deal with me on trying to find an affordable Blue Ray player.

Either way we're still paying for Blue-Ray's R&D costs, there really isn't that much to it, isn't it just a narrworer laser that allows more data onto the same sized disc? With older dvd players for less than $30, who can justify spending $400 on what will eventually see (maybe within the next 12 to 18 months) a drastic price reduction?