Sony adopts Blu-Ray for PS3 - colossal games on the way?
New storage medium decided.
Following a technical discussion held in Tokyo earlier this week, Sony has confirmed that, as suspected, PS3 discs will take advantage of Blu-Ray technology. Blu-Ray discs have a storage capacity five times greater than that of standard DVDs, so games and high-definition movies would normally have 27 GB to play with. And that’s just a single layered disc.
However, Sony has confirmed that PS3 will use its own standard of Blu-Ray discs, which are read-only and have a slightly reduced capacity of 23 GB. But that's no great loss. This system can also maintain full support for standard DVDs. That means that ‘old fashioned’ DVD movies should run fine, and the option for PS2 backwards-compatibility can be kept open.
The first Blu-Ray video players are intended for release before March 2005, and once this technology has been launched Sony will proceed to confirm further PS3 technical specifications. Expect more PS3 news before then!
However, Sony has confirmed that PS3 will use its own standard of Blu-Ray discs, which are read-only and have a slightly reduced capacity of 23 GB. But that's no great loss. This system can also maintain full support for standard DVDs. That means that ‘old fashioned’ DVD movies should run fine, and the option for PS2 backwards-compatibility can be kept open.
The first Blu-Ray video players are intended for release before March 2005, and once this technology has been launched Sony will proceed to confirm further PS3 technical specifications. Expect more PS3 news before then!
Companies:
Sony
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Comments
ohms 5 Aug 2004 13:42
1/14
wow, them's some big ass disks, I bet squaresoft would still need a couple for all their cutscenes. :)
as for backward compatibility, kutaragi san has guaranteed that playstation will always be backward compatible. in a previous speech he gave, he said that 'the playstation brand would always live on', or something.
what worries me is that this will push up the price of the console now, they kept PS2s price high for so long I think they'll be confident/arrogant enough to launch PS3 for £300-400, but with M$ and Nintendo launching around the same time (roughly), this would be a big mistake.
as for backward compatibility, kutaragi san has guaranteed that playstation will always be backward compatible. in a previous speech he gave, he said that 'the playstation brand would always live on', or something.
what worries me is that this will push up the price of the console now, they kept PS2s price high for so long I think they'll be confident/arrogant enough to launch PS3 for £300-400, but with M$ and Nintendo launching around the same time (roughly), this would be a big mistake.
bbam 5 Aug 2004 15:26
2/14
Why would some one want something to always be backwards compatible it becomes physicaly painful to play some ps1 games. Also it probably will push the price up so its all good watching my mates fork out for the ps3 just because it carries the playstation logo. I will only buy a ps3 for the same reason i bought a ps2 and that will be for Final Fantasy, i really wish they could put that on XBOX or GC so i dont have to always buy the playstations.
Anyway there some huge disks but as people always say its not how big it is is what you do with it :P
Anyway there some huge disks but as people always say its not how big it is is what you do with it :P
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ohms 5 Aug 2004 15:47
3/14
>Why would some one want something to always be
>backwards compatible it becomes physicaly painful
>to play some ps1 games. Also it probably will
>push the price up
well, I've probably only use my PS2 for PSOne games maybe once every few months, or less, but at least it's there and I don't have to lug out another console if I want to play International Track N Field or something. I have a PS2 under my TV and 3 Nintendo Consoles, I hardly play the SNES anymore, but occasionally I like to, so something like the GB Player that let's you play SNES games on the GC would be great, it'd save me some space too.
Back to the topic, I don't think it'll cost them that much more really, the PSOne is emulated through software now on the PS2, and they plan to emulate the PS2 in the same way. So when the PS3 arrives I can dump my PS2 and get one knowing if I ever want to play REZ, or Taiko no Tetsujin, or ICO again ...I can (well, in the case of Taiko, I can once it's chipped ;)).
>backwards compatible it becomes physicaly painful
>to play some ps1 games. Also it probably will
>push the price up
well, I've probably only use my PS2 for PSOne games maybe once every few months, or less, but at least it's there and I don't have to lug out another console if I want to play International Track N Field or something. I have a PS2 under my TV and 3 Nintendo Consoles, I hardly play the SNES anymore, but occasionally I like to, so something like the GB Player that let's you play SNES games on the GC would be great, it'd save me some space too.
Back to the topic, I don't think it'll cost them that much more really, the PSOne is emulated through software now on the PS2, and they plan to emulate the PS2 in the same way. So when the PS3 arrives I can dump my PS2 and get one knowing if I ever want to play REZ, or Taiko no Tetsujin, or ICO again ...I can (well, in the case of Taiko, I can once it's chipped ;)).
bbam 5 Aug 2004 16:12
4/14
Yea but im looking further ahead who wans a console that can play ps1,2,3,4 dort of thing? it becomes rediculus and pointless.
auzdafluff 5 Aug 2004 16:26
5/14
Then Microsoft announces Xennon will support HD-DVD the format the people incharge of DVD's want to see become standard. Blue-Ray may hold loads but that is useless space.
This is going to be Betamax vs. VHS all over again. Sony lost that time with Betamax while the group of manufacturers led by JVC won. HD-DVD is backed by all, ALL the major studios and most of the manufacturers except Sony and Sony isn't big enough to sustain Blu-Ray by itself. Once Blu-Ray flops so will the Playstation3 as its main media format will be useless.
This is going to be Betamax vs. VHS all over again. Sony lost that time with Betamax while the group of manufacturers led by JVC won. HD-DVD is backed by all, ALL the major studios and most of the manufacturers except Sony and Sony isn't big enough to sustain Blu-Ray by itself. Once Blu-Ray flops so will the Playstation3 as its main media format will be useless.
Zippy1979 5 Aug 2004 16:51
6/14
Why is it so ridiculous to have a backwards compatible console even at a stage of PS9?
Look at the Classic NES releases for the Gameboy and how popular they are. People still like to play old games and the retro scene is massive.
As a consumer the more features the better, do you work in manufacturing for Sony? Why do you want to strip out features it seems every gamer but you want to use?
Look at the Classic NES releases for the Gameboy and how popular they are. People still like to play old games and the retro scene is massive.
As a consumer the more features the better, do you work in manufacturing for Sony? Why do you want to strip out features it seems every gamer but you want to use?
holoman 5 Aug 2004 17:11
7/14
Colossal Storage Corporation
Atomic Holographic Optical Storage Nanotechnology
UV Photon induced electric field poling.
http://colossalstorage.net
Atomic Holographic Optical Storage Nanotechnology
UV Photon induced electric field poling.
http://colossalstorage.net
almondVanHelsing 5 Aug 2004 18:05
8/14
Given that GameCube didn't flop while having a proprietry disk, why do you think PS3 will?
Also, Beta VCRs lost out in the home, but are still used almost exclusivly in broadcast areas. Not exactly a failure for Sony?
Also, Beta VCRs lost out in the home, but are still used almost exclusivly in broadcast areas. Not exactly a failure for Sony?
Mecha Ghandi 5 Aug 2004 18:08
9/14
Ben Furfie wrote:
This is going
>to be Betamax vs. VHS all over again. Sony lost
>that time with Betamax while the group of
>manufacturers led by JVC won. HD-DVD is backed by
>all, ALL the major studios and most of the
>manufacturers except Sony and Sony isn't big
>enough to sustain Blu-Ray by itself. Once Blu-Ray
>flops so will the Playstation3 as its main media
>format will be useless.
That may be an issue when it comes to pre-published videos, but I don't see compatibility being an problem for the PS3 itself. It's not like you'll be able to play PS3 games on anything other than a PS3.
And in terms of non-Sony support for the non-PS3 rewritble Blu-Discs, Fuji, Dell and Panasonic (Matsushita) have all joined in so far.
I don't think this is necessarily comparable to the Betamax/VHS scenario anyway. If there was a games machine that as many people owned as do PS2s (and perhaps PS3s in the future) and it played back Betamax movies too, it would have been a much tougher battle.
I think it's more similar to the Sony Minidisc versus Phillips DCC battle. Although minidiscs never really took off, they did hella better than the DCC (or was it DDC? ;)
This is going
>to be Betamax vs. VHS all over again. Sony lost
>that time with Betamax while the group of
>manufacturers led by JVC won. HD-DVD is backed by
>all, ALL the major studios and most of the
>manufacturers except Sony and Sony isn't big
>enough to sustain Blu-Ray by itself. Once Blu-Ray
>flops so will the Playstation3 as its main media
>format will be useless.
That may be an issue when it comes to pre-published videos, but I don't see compatibility being an problem for the PS3 itself. It's not like you'll be able to play PS3 games on anything other than a PS3.
And in terms of non-Sony support for the non-PS3 rewritble Blu-Discs, Fuji, Dell and Panasonic (Matsushita) have all joined in so far.
I don't think this is necessarily comparable to the Betamax/VHS scenario anyway. If there was a games machine that as many people owned as do PS2s (and perhaps PS3s in the future) and it played back Betamax movies too, it would have been a much tougher battle.
I think it's more similar to the Sony Minidisc versus Phillips DCC battle. Although minidiscs never really took off, they did hella better than the DCC (or was it DDC? ;)
Joji 5 Aug 2004 18:22
10/14
I don't agree with that. You'd be surprised the amount of people who don't sell their old games and consoles. I'm one of those people and if PS3 can run older stuff that's icing on the cake. Just because there's a next gen console shift, doesn't mean the games for your previous system are rubbish.
I'm sure there's a lot of people out there who would welcome this kind of feature, especially with Nintendo most likely doing the same.
As for the Blu Ray format, I see no reason who it shouldn't take off well if it's for a console. If t was a normal DVD player you'd have to wait for ages for the price to come down, then for everyone to discard their current DVD players. A very hard thing to do when you can now pick one up for as little as 40 pounds.
I'm sure there's a lot of people out there who would welcome this kind of feature, especially with Nintendo most likely doing the same.
As for the Blu Ray format, I see no reason who it shouldn't take off well if it's for a console. If t was a normal DVD player you'd have to wait for ages for the price to come down, then for everyone to discard their current DVD players. A very hard thing to do when you can now pick one up for as little as 40 pounds.
DoctorDee 5 Aug 2004 19:40
11/14
Joji wrote:
>Just because there's a next gen console shift,
>doesn't mean the games for your previous system
>are rubbish.
Too right! I mean, let's face it there are still more great PS1 games than there are great Xbox games!
>I'm sure there's a lot of people out there who
>would welcome this kind of feature, especially
>with Nintendo most likely doing the same.
I still have all my PS1 games, I'll keep all my PS2 games. It's a rock solid strategy.
>As for the Blu Ray format, I see no reason who it
>shouldn't take off well if it's for a console.
Thing is since BluRay is backwardly compatible with DVD, there's no "loss" in changing to BluRay - all your old software (films, I mean) still works.
During the VHS/Beta battle (and let's face it, Beta was FAR superior to VHS, f**kwits won - Britney outsells PJ Harvey), Sony didn't own any software companies. Now they are one of the biggest publishers of music and movies, so they can back their own format, and not back the rival one...
>Just because there's a next gen console shift,
>doesn't mean the games for your previous system
>are rubbish.
Too right! I mean, let's face it there are still more great PS1 games than there are great Xbox games!
>I'm sure there's a lot of people out there who
>would welcome this kind of feature, especially
>with Nintendo most likely doing the same.
I still have all my PS1 games, I'll keep all my PS2 games. It's a rock solid strategy.
>As for the Blu Ray format, I see no reason who it
>shouldn't take off well if it's for a console.
Thing is since BluRay is backwardly compatible with DVD, there's no "loss" in changing to BluRay - all your old software (films, I mean) still works.
During the VHS/Beta battle (and let's face it, Beta was FAR superior to VHS, f**kwits won - Britney outsells PJ Harvey), Sony didn't own any software companies. Now they are one of the biggest publishers of music and movies, so they can back their own format, and not back the rival one...
zerocool 5 Aug 2004 22:12
12/14
i own every game from every console that i have ever owned. i think that it is cool to have backwards compatibility in consoles. remember there is speculation that xbox will be backwards compatible also. i love busting out my old ps1 games on my ps2. cus most games nowadays just plain suck. theres only a few really good games a year now and to hold me over i play all my old games
config 6 Aug 2004 09:09
13/14
holoman wrote:
>Colossal Storage Corporation
>
>Atomic Holographic Optical Storage Nanotechnology
>
>UV Photon induced electric field poling.
>
>http://colossalstorage.net
There's something just a bit whiffy about that site. Most of the text reads like random pseudo-science. Plus, how come I haven't heard about this tech on Tomorrow's World? (yes, I know it's dead. I pay my licence fee for the BBC to can interesting s**t and replace it with re-runs of Dad's Army or Hi-De-Hi)
If it's true, I'll mess my knickers with man goop.
>Colossal Storage Corporation
>
>Atomic Holographic Optical Storage Nanotechnology
>
>UV Photon induced electric field poling.
>
>http://colossalstorage.net
There's something just a bit whiffy about that site. Most of the text reads like random pseudo-science. Plus, how come I haven't heard about this tech on Tomorrow's World? (yes, I know it's dead. I pay my licence fee for the BBC to can interesting s**t and replace it with re-runs of Dad's Army or Hi-De-Hi)
If it's true, I'll mess my knickers with man goop.
gibroni99 9 Aug 2004 18:21
14/14
This doesn't seem like big news. I figured this would happen considering Sony's backing of Blu-Ray as to the rest of the industry backing i think it's HD-DVD this way their product (Blu-Ray format) will already be in millions of homes guaranteed. Which is good, but how much is this thing going to cost now my guess is $400.00 - $500.00 US. This will be a problem for Sony because we know Nintendo's machine will be a lot cheaper and come out sooner. Microsoft's machine will be $300.00 I'm guessing and coming out sooner. Sony is too confident in my opinion. They better have FFXIII, MG4 ready to go and gorgeous at launch, or we may see a shift in power.