Playstation 3 to use Blu-Ray

The Kernel · Post by **The Kernel** » 2004-08-04 02:10pm

Well, it's now official, the PS3 is going to use Blu-Ray. Here are the details:

Gamespot wrote:TOKYO--According to Kyodo News, Sony officials announced today that they will use of Blu-Ray Disc technology in their next-generation console, most commonly referred to as the PlayStation 3. Sony revealed their decision at a press conference held by the Blu-Ray Disc Founders, an organization committed to developing and standardizing the next-generation optical disc format. The BRDF also used the occasion to announce that it will finalize the specifications for the read-only version of Blu-Ray Discs (BD-ROMs) by September 30.

Sony has been investing heavily into Blu-Ray product development and was the first company to have a disc recorder on the market. The company had previously hinted that it may use to format in the PS3. Sony's Blu-Ray Disc R&D division chief Kiyoshi Nishitani commented in an interview with Asahi PC magazine in March that the company would like to establish ground in the Blu-Day Disc market by adopting BD-ROMs for its "home video game console."

The Blu-Ray Disc Founders organization is comprised of Sony, Panasonic, and 11 other major electronic makers. Like its predecessor, the DVD, the BD-ROM will primarily be used for movies. The companies plan to start marketing Blu-Ray Disc playback machines (without recording capabilities) by the end of the fiscal year.

Sony is relying heavily on the Blu-Ray Disc format, so the use of Blu-Ray as the market standard in next-generation media is vital, especially since the company also publishes movies through its Sony Pictures subsidiary. Sony hopes adopting the Blu-Ray discs for the PS3 will help spread use of the format, similar to what the PlayStation 2 did for DVDs.

Early expansion of the Blu-Ray format would be ideal for Sony, considering it will have to compete with high definition DVDs (HD DVD) in the future. Blu-Ray discs can hold 25GB on a single layer and 50GB dual-layer discs, while HD DVD Discs--which have yet to be released--will hold only 30 GB on a dual-layered disc. However, HD DVD has the upper hand when it comes to convenience, as its players will be backwards-compatible with current DVDs. Sony did not say if the PS3 would be able to play DVDs or will be backwards-compatible with PS2 games.

Sony said it will reveal details more on the PlayStation 3 at a premiere event in Japan on March 31, 2005. The console will also be on display at next year's E3 in Los Angeles.

Barring any massive fuckups by Sony, they have now got the next-gen DVD format war essentially won. There is simply no way to compete with an install base of 75+ million over five years.

The Cleric · Post by **The Cleric** » 2004-08-04 02:18pm

Backwards compatibility will screw them over. No one wants to shell out another $20 for each movie just to go to Blu-Ray.

The Kernel · Post by **The Kernel** » 2004-08-04 02:28pm

StormTrooperTR889 wrote:Backwards compatibility will screw them over. No one wants to shell out another $20 for each movie just to go to Blu-Ray.

All that talk about lack of backwards compatibility is horseshit. Sony has already said on record that the PS3 is compatible with PS2 games which means it will be able to read DVD. Furthermore, the standalone Blu-Ray decks can also be made dual read with little effort (although not quite as little as HD-DVD).

The Cleric · Post by **The Cleric** » 2004-08-04 02:35pm

That would make it better, but there are other formats under study. Something to do with a purple light or something?

Ace Pace · Post by **Ace Pace** » 2004-08-04 04:10pm

If the Ps3 would work with PS2 games, would it also work with PS1? that would immidietly win over tons of people for sony, and would be great for us gamers.

DaveJB · Post by **DaveJB** » 2004-08-04 04:28pm

It could work with PS1 games, but it's by no means guaranteed. The reason PS2 is backwards compatible is because it's got a PS1 processor that takes over whenever you want to play a PS1 game. Whether or not Sony puts a PS1 processor in PS3 will depend on how economical/feasible it is and whether it'd be in great demand (the PS1 will be more than ten years old when PS3 comes out).

The Kernel · Post by **The Kernel** » 2004-08-04 06:08pm

StormTrooperTR889 wrote:That would make it better, but there are other formats under study. Something to do with a purple light or something?

There are only two next-gen optical specs under consideration, HD-DVD and Blu-Ray. There are no other technologies that will see reasonable adoption.

It could work with PS1 games, but it's by no means guaranteed. The reason PS2 is backwards compatible is because it's got a PS1 processor that takes over whenever you want to play a PS1 game. Whether or not Sony puts a PS1 processor in PS3 will depend on how economical/feasible it is and whether it'd be in great demand (the PS1 will be more than ten years old when PS3 comes out).

Actually, PS1 support is inherent in PS2 support because the I/O chip in the PS2 design is a PS1 system-on-a-chip. If you put in PS2 compatiblity, PS1 compatibility is assured as well.

General Zod · Post by **General Zod** » 2004-08-04 06:26pm

they're going to use blu-ray technology, eh? given that the burners and readers for that are still in their infancy, wouldn't that make it horribly expensive? iirc the drives for blu-ray discs are estimated to cost around $5k apiece. i'd shudder to think how much the console would cost.

The Kernel · Post by **The Kernel** » 2004-08-04 06:36pm

Darth_Zod wrote:they're going to use blu-ray technology, eh? given that the burners and readers for that are still in their infancy, wouldn't that make it horribly expensive? iirc the drives for blu-ray discs are estimated to cost around $5k apiece. i'd shudder to think how much the console would cost.

Those prices reflect a desire to recoup R&D costs and are also for recording units. The Blu-Ray inside the PS3 would obviously be stripped down (as to not jeprodize the sales of Sony's Electronics unit) but functional enough. As for absolute costs, Sony developed this technology and there is nothing inherent about Blu-Ray that would make it much more expensive than DVD players. Figure the same $300+ price tag of the PS2 at launch.

phongn · Post by **phongn** » 2004-08-04 08:33pm

Looks like BD-ROM is indeed the winner, then. Neat, but I wish they switched to MPEG4.

Arthur_Tuxedo · Post by **Arthur_Tuxedo** » 2004-08-04 08:50pm

phongn wrote:Looks like BD-ROM is indeed the winner, then. Neat, but I wish they switched to MPEG4.

They didn't? An article on Blu-ray linked to by HardOCP said they supported both MPEG4 and VC9.

phongn · Post by **phongn** » 2004-08-04 08:57pm

I think that's HD-DVD.