Universal Studios jefe disses Blu-Ray, re-endorses HD-DVD
by Vladimir Cole 
{ Sep 18th 2006 at 11:00AM }
Everyone's atwitter with the news that Craig Kornblau, head of Universal Studios Home Entertainment just praised HD-DVD as the "hands down" winner of the HD format war, noting, "HD DVD has maintained its first-to-market advantage and delivered on the promises of providing the best high definition image and sound quality at the best value for consumers today."
But what's curiously missing is a little context. This is the same guy that publicly endorsed HD-DVD in a Microsoft press release five months ago, using many of the same words. Careless journalists and bloggers are quoting him like this is some kind of new development in the format war. Sure, it's interesting that he's continuing his support, but it's not particularly noteworthy.
[Via PS3 Fanboy]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
The Intangible Fact @ Sep 18th 2006 11:06AM
I KNEW IT!
OrangeFurious @ Sep 18th 2006 11:07AM
Um, if it's not particularly noteworthy, why are you posting it?
Silver R. Wolfe @ Sep 18th 2006 11:10AM
I agree with OrangeFurious.
You say it yourself and yet you still post it?
The Intangible Fact @ Sep 18th 2006 11:11AM
JUST TO MAKE YOU ASK WHY?
Then why did you post? Some sort of double standard?
marcin @ Sep 18th 2006 11:17AM
was universal support to BluRay only, HD DVD only, or did they support both prior to these comments?
Matt @ Sep 18th 2006 11:17AM
yet another tiny little nail slowly being hammered into the a big 'ol box full of un-purchased PS3s.
christopher7xii @ Sep 18th 2006 11:19AM
God... Universal only has ONE movie I want, Serenity. It makes me cry thinking I'll never be able to enjoy watching that on my PS3...
Raynre @ Sep 18th 2006 11:20AM
Anti-Sony bias! Bwablwablwablwablwablwablwabl...
mykie @ Sep 18th 2006 11:21AM
At least I didn't have to stay up until midnight to get this "news".
Canadian Geese @ Sep 18th 2006 11:25AM
"God... Universal only has ONE movie I want, Serenity. It makes me cry thinking I'll never be able to enjoy watching that on my PS3..."
You could always watch it on DVD or download it from the Sony store on your PS3 for the low low price of $29.99.
greatn @ Sep 18th 2006 11:26AM
They posted it to say it isn't noteworthy because a lot of blogs are treating it like it IS. They want to clear that up.
The Intangible Fact @ Sep 18th 2006 11:26AM
I think every site should be anti-sony!
JimmyHACK @ Sep 18th 2006 11:29AM
UM
universla is a hd-dvd party member... woopie big news here
vc @ Sep 18th 2006 11:29AM
What Greatn said: "They posted it to say it isn't noteworthy because a lot of blogs are treating it like it IS. They want to clear that up."
It's misinformation that's been spreading like wildfire since Sunday. Good to clear that up.
007craft @ Sep 18th 2006 11:30AM
Am I reading engadget or joystiq here? What does this have to do with video games?
Even if blu-ray fails, the ps3 games will still and always be on blu-ray discs. So how is this news relevant at all?
Phranctoast @ Sep 18th 2006 11:29AM
universal supported hd dvd only before. They are the ONLY studio that is exclusive to hd dvd.
blu ray has Sony, Fox, Disney, as their exclusive studios. All other studios support both formats (warner new line, paramount, etc)
If Universal came over to the blu ray camp, that will be the end of the format war. blu ray would have officially won. and btw toshiba is the only company makeing hd dvd players (they are kinda like sony was during betamax fiasco)
hd dvd sold maybe 50,000 players (number is probably a lot lower).
When ps3 hits the stores there will be 1.2 million players in peoples homes before the end of the year.
vc @ Sep 18th 2006 11:31AM
"Even if blu-ray fails, the ps3 games will still and always be on blu-ray discs. So how is this news relevant at all?"
You're only pretending to be clueless. If BluRay fails, Sony's is a whole lot less attractive and is saddled with an expensive technology that nobody else is using.
This matters for the same reason that the failure of UMD matters.
m3mnoch @ Sep 18th 2006 11:35AM
"Even if blu-ray fails, the ps3 games will still and always be on blu-ray discs. So how is this news relevant at all?"
because, dork. you, as a gamer, are paying $600 (instead of $400) for your ps3 so sony can experiment with yet another terrible media format.
m3mnoch.
nootau @ Sep 18th 2006 11:36AM
Its funny, Joystiq posts an obviously positive comment about Sony and BluRay support by pointing out this silly marketing stunt by universal but rabbid Sony fanboys cant see it. Sheesh.
Hans @ Sep 18th 2006 11:51AM
Now people are saying this isn't noteworthy. However if Universal's statement was in favor of Bluray then it would be like "Signs of Bluray success has started to show up".
devi8i @ Sep 18th 2006 11:47AM
@17 Isnt Nintendo also using their own format for DS/GBA Gamecube... and its basicly their own format for Wii as well since it wont play DVD movies......So Nintendo can be more than successful with their own formats but noone else is allowed to? Quite puzzling. And last I looked carts for DS are expensive to make far more expensive then DVD's, CDs and probably Blueray and HD-DVD...
greatn @ Sep 18th 2006 11:53AM
I tell you though. If PS3 did not use Blu-Ray... they would totally kill all the other consoles. They could sell their console for $300 again, one SKU(the good one), and give the X-box 360 a big whammy.
I think it was a mistake to force Blu-Ray on the PS3. It is what has caused the delays, it is what has caused the very high prices. It is what has caused the shortages. If Sony ahd stuck with DVD-9 like Microsoft they would be in a real position for complete domination.
Ironically, Nintendo eventually lost dominance because of a refusal ot switch formats, and Sony is losing dominance for a refusal to NOT switch formats.
Steve Roger @ Sep 18th 2006 11:57AM
Like I care what this guy says.
greatn @ Sep 18th 2006 11:56AM
Uh, yes Hans, if Universal did that it WOULD be noteworthy, because a major company would have switched teams.
Universal saying the same thing they said six months ago is about as noteworthy as Hilary Clinton coming out and saying "I've decided to run as a Democrat, I think the Democratic party is the one for me."
Negativecool @ Sep 18th 2006 11:57AM
I don't care why this was posted here, nor do I care if this is "noteworthy".
My thoughts on it are this: Craig Kornblau better pull his inflated head out of his misinformed ass if he doesn't want his movie studio left behind. This guy is supposed to be head of one of the largest movie studios on the planet and his statements make him sound like a retarded fanboy. The format war hasn't even started yet I guarantee. At this point, the only people even looking at HD DVDs and Blu rays are enthusiasts willing to plunk down $500-$1000 bucks for "sharper images" on their screens. This format war will not catch fire until you see the $9 bin at Wal-Mart full of blu rays and hd dvds...anyone see this within the next 5 yrs?...10? Regardless, it will be quite some time.
IMO it is a misstep for any movie studio to be exclusive to one format or the other. If and when the OTHER format becomes a hit with consumers, those exclusive studios who backed the loser are going to be caught with their pants around their ankles trying to run a foot race towards profitability.
I would love to see:
1) Blu ray blow out HD DDVD within the next 2 years (with the help of PS3 and other factors) forcing Craig Kornblau to "reevaluate" [read: eat his words] the position of his studio as a HD DVD exclusive--losing millions of dollars in the catch-up process.
2) HD DVD blow out blu ray within the same time period, annihilating the entire Sony corp. and forcing Fox, MGM?, and Disney also to "reevaluate" their position as blu ray exclusive--also losing millions in the catch-up process.
clo1_2000 @ Sep 18th 2006 12:03PM
@ 20
Nintendo isn't launching their own proprietary format for other purposes outside of video games. Sony is using the PS3 as a launchpad for video games and, more importantly for them, for movies. The DVD market is larger than the video game software market.
Also, Nintendo didn't jack up the price of their console $200 for a format that wasn't necessary. Look at Crysis and tell me that DVD can't handle next-generation gaming.
MosquitoControl @ Sep 18th 2006 12:05PM
I don't get why people are so convinced this is a news site.
It isn't. It's a blog. It posts news, sure, but it is more about what the bloggers find interesting, think we'll find interesting, and think will get a discussion going. It's as much a community as anything, and the bloggers try to feed this.
As for this discussion, I still don't understand why people are so certain either of these formats will win. They could both lose. For one, they're being rushed to us. There is no great need for HD discs right now, won't be for 4-10 years, and think about how vastly better the product would be if we had waited rather than pushed HD out this soon. For another, digital downloads are creeping up quickly.
I have a lot of frustration with these formats. It can't fathom why some people are so pleased with this, it's just the studios being transparent. They sold us movies on VHS, then laserdisc. They sold them to us again on DVD, then they sold us the 2 disc directors cut, then they sold us the Criterion Collection, now they're out of options, we own these movies two or three times, and the revenue source has dried up. All those old movies that were sitting in vaults are now in our libraries, again bringing no money to the studios. So what do they do? Push a new format out there, despite a lack of demand. Try to get us to adopt it and buy these movies yet again.
Don't think for a second Sony, Philips, MSFT, etc think they're filling a hole for consumers. They know they're not. They know we don't need a new format right now and won't for a while. They're just hoping we don't know this and will therefore be drawn into it (with clever marketing) and just sink our money into products we don't need and probably already own.
We should have waited for more viable options.
dsub @ Sep 18th 2006 3:56PM
here's a good article on the matter...
projectorcentral.com/blu-ray_2.htm
devi8i @ Sep 18th 2006 12:38PM
Just because most any game developed today can fit on a dvd does not mean that games in 2 years will. Sony is spending a lot of money trying to push blue-ray as the next logical step in HD and trying to future prrof their console. IF teh gamble pays off it will mean sustainable product life for Sony. MS is headging their bet on HD-DVD, but offering their console in ala-cart format instead of one price for all. MS's approach is a little safer and if Blue-ray pans out over HD it would not be difficult for them to offer a blue-ray addon much like the hd-dvd add on. Neither company is trying to ram anything down anyones throat as some would suggest. As a consumer you decide where you are going to spend your money. If you dont want blue-ray or a ps3 then just don't buy them, thats pretty damn easy isnt it. Is teh consumer really going to be affected when their is only one choice in HD discs available? Does anyone complain now about DVD's? When it all pans out we will be back to where we are now, you want a movie you go to the store and buy a movie....who cares what technology is on the disc.
Does sony have a vested intrest in Blue-ray? Hell yes they do, they have a large company with many different offerings not just ps3. Including blueray in their ps3 is akin to MS subsidizing windows for computer manufacturers. They need to sell PC games, office suites and other software and to do that they need windows running on as many pcs as possible. Sony makes movies and blue-ray discs, they need something to play these on so they include it in their ps3. If they included a dvd player in the ps3 what since would that make? When GM creates a more powerful and fuel efficient engine they install it in their cars, they dont sit on it and wait until everyone else makes a better engine.
Draco @ Sep 18th 2006 12:38PM
@ MosquitoControl
I dissagree, I think HD-DVD/Blu-Ray are filling a void.
I've had my HD-TV (1080i) for 3 years now, yet only a half dozen times have I used the HDness of it. I can play Gran Turismo 4 in HD, or I can connect my computer to the TV and watch my downloaded movies/ play games in HD.
I can buy a HD-TV for 600$ so I can watch Simpsons in High Def, but thats a waste, I would much rather spend that 600$ on either a HD-DVD player, or a Blu-Ray (PS3) because as good as simpsons in HD is, I want High definition movies, not cartoons/soaps.
now I can't get a PS3 cause my wife thinks its a waste of money, and you probably know how it is trying to get yourself a new toy with "shared" money. but if I could get either a HD-TV tuner or a High Definition movie player, I would choose the player in a heartbeat.
point is, there was no option until HD-DVD and Blu-Ray came out.
MosquitoControl @ Sep 18th 2006 12:47PM
Draco - I've had mine just as long, and I agree, HD-tuners are mostly useless, thanks to the heavy compression of cable and satellite.
However, DVDs in progressive scan already look better than HDTV. And many movies look flat-out awful in HD, the effects clearly weren't made with this in mind. And, lastly, we're the minority and will be for quite some time. HDTV penetration has been slow and will continue to be so. More importantly, most homes will have one or two HDTVs. Say you have an HDTV in the family room, and an HDTV in the master bedroom. Your child has a 20" TV in his room. She wants to watch The Wizard of Oz. Do you buy the DVD version so she can watch it both in her room and in the family room on the HDTV, do you buy the HD version since it will look better and not let her watch it in her room, or do you buy the HD version and a $600 HD player and hook it up to her 20" standard TV?
devi8i - What, exactly, can be added to games in the next two years to make them take up more than a DVD? Keep in mind cut-scenes, which historically took up the most room on discs, are a thing of the past - 99% of games do them in engine. Keep in mind sound and texture compression can cram beyond what was ever imagined.
Keep in mind that flipping a disc once during the playtime of a gamae really isn't too big of a deal.
MosquitoControl @ Sep 18th 2006 12:55PM
Draco - what I mean, mostly, is that there is very little demand for HD discs right now.
There will be several years from now.
If we waited until there was demand we'd have infinitely better technology. By rushing these discs out before there's demand for them we're adopting a standard very quickly. We'll have these discs for a decade (maybe less, knowing these media companies, I could see Sony and Disney pushing us to adopt something new for the PS4...)
Had we waited a few years we could have terrabyte discs. We could have had discs that were more akin to the jump from CD (750MB) to DVD (8.4GB) rather than DVD to bigger DVD (25-30GB.) And yes, theoretically there could be 200GB BluRay discs, but will we ever see them, will the ever be cost effective (some argue 50GB BluRay never will be) and will standard players be able to read them?
Lillie @ Sep 18th 2006 1:00PM
Hey, Phranctoast, maybe you should do your research before you spout off. Toshiba is NOT the only company that makes an HD-DVD player. RCA and Sanyo make HD-DVD players, too, my dear. As well as the fact that The Weinstein Company ALSO backs HD-DVD exclusively.
I have YET to find corroboration on your information of studios that back blu-ray exclusively, save for Sony (Disney is most definitely NON EXCLUSIVELY supporting blu-ray). I also cannot find corroboration for the figures you give for units of HD-DVD players sold, but I CAN tell you with certainty that they are currently oustelling blu-ray by 33%.
Your figure of 1.2 million blu-ray players via the PS3 is surely wishful thinking on your part at BEST - there aren't even going to be that many PS3 units on the market before the end of the year!
Wow, you just make this stuff up, don't you? All you have to do is a little bit of research, hon. Just read a little.
Draco @ Sep 18th 2006 1:09PM
MosquitoControl -
You make a sensible point there, and I am forced to agree with you on some points :P
I don't believe waiting is the correct option though, I feel high definition movies waited to long, I have yet to see a true HD movie, so you may be right about the effects looking poorly. but would waiting 5 more years helped with that?
my oppinion is the movie studio's wouldn't produce better FX because there is *no need*. now that HD-DVD and blu-ray are out the flaws in their movies are aparent and will need be fixed.
HD-DVD or some type should have come out when HDTV's first came out, they would have been really expensive, but so were the TV's, and I bet you at least half of the people who bought HD-TV's when they were 10 grand would have spent the money on the HD-DVD player, now with HDTV's so cheap they player looks (and is) really expensive.
waiting for better technology is a dangerous game, technology expands exponentially, we would say why have a 200TB disk when in 2 years we can have a Petabit disk. then it would be well if we wait a little longer those Petabit disks will be cheaper, oh look new TV's can do 7680x4320 Progressive scan (next level). why would I want a crappy 1080P?
there we just missed en entire generation of movies.
devi8i @ Sep 18th 2006 1:16PM
Well for starters,
more space will eliminate the need for seperate region versions of each game (for smaller games) by combining all region spefic versions on teh same disc thus lowering production costs
Smaller games could eliminate teh need for compression thus allowing more processing power and memory to be freed up on teh console for rendering as opposed to uncompressing and rendering. On very complex games this can yield improved game performance
And as the nex gen consoles mature, with larger disc space larger amounts of the games can be pre-rendered
Should oblivion have been put on 7 or 8 CD's just because it could have been and certain people don't mind swapping discs? Or how about GRAW or PGR3 should we just abandon DVD because compression is so good now? Teh first generation of games on the new platforms will not be even scratching teh surface of what is possible on the 360 and PS3, just liek teh ps2 and xbox before them near the end of their lifecycles is when developers really started to reach the full potential of teh hardware. PS2 and xbox could have launced with just cd players but it doesnt make any sense. Give the developers the room they need and they will use it and with hd-dvd and blueray you wont need to swap discs
Phranctoast @ Sep 18th 2006 1:17PM
Ok Lillie, your right there are more companies making hd dvd then toshiba.
Now do some research and tell me how many companies are making blu ray players...i bet a lot more
weinstein is not longer hd dvd exclusive. they are releasing movies in blu ray early next year. not a hard one to find. would you like me to put links to all this stuff?
1.2 million ps3 was the latest number. Is it wishful? well until the end of the year i guess any number out there is wishful.
Me @ Sep 18th 2006 1:36PM
This post is dumb as shit considering every PS3 has blu-ray in it. There will eventually be sooo many blu-ray players in homes all across America simply because the PS3 is badass and everybody that loves games and movies will buy it, including me and all of my friends, plus its cheaper than buying a hd-dvd player !!! Obviously blu-ray will take off and hd-dvd is just gonna sit on shelves!!!
Phranctoast @ Sep 18th 2006 1:39PM
hd dvd sales info.
http://hddvd.highdefdigest.com/news/show/233
Weinstein company support.
http://dvd.themanroom.com/dvd-newsview.php?id=294
Zoë K. @ Sep 18th 2006 1:51PM
I know this has been said a few times already, but...
...if it's "not particularly noteworthy," why have you made note of it?
Joey Ramone @ Sep 18th 2006 1:54PM
Who Care?
Recently Universal has done NO good movies? Miami Vice movie remake anyone?
HD-DVD doesn't support of FOX studios or Disney/Pixar/Buena Vista/TouchStone or MGM/Sony/Colombia/Tristar/Orion/United Artist making HD-DVD films.
That's more then half the industry. Blu-ray has support from everybody BUT Universal.
That means no HD-DVD versions of:
Bond 007
Pirates of the Carribean
Pixar films (Nemo,Cars, etc.)
Spider Man series
X-Men series
Disney Films
Star Wars
etc.
etc. etc. and half the classics owned by those studios
Phranctoast @ Sep 18th 2006 2:04PM
list of blu ray player.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=695468
List of hd dvd players
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=695463
Sony latest number on ps3...from this site
http://www.joystiq.com/2006/09/06/sony-1mln-to-1-2mln-ps3s-for-north-america-in-06/
Still having trouble finding Disney. They release under Buena Vista and BV supports Blu ray. Eight Below was released this week.
Dr.Swiss @ Sep 18th 2006 2:10PM
I think I'll just stick to plain ol' DVD.
It's pretty much standard for all new desktops & laptops to come with a DVD player/burner. (at least all the one's I've seen on both the PC & Mac end.
I think I'll switch to Blu Ray once it becomes the standard for the next laptop I buy. (Yes, that's right, I take care of my electronics so they last a long, long time)
m3mnoch @ Sep 18th 2006 2:14PM
devi8i/Draco/MosquitoControl
the uptake on hdtv -- both displays and content -- has a lot of the same similarities as any chicken/egg issue. it has nothing to do with skipping technology or waiting for the next best thing.
there are 3 key issues for consumers as a whole:
1) content.
2) accessibility.
3) pain points.
i'll use the ipod to illustrate.
it gained huge, huge, huge marketshare because it met all the points.
1) content -- it plays mp3s. instantly backwards compatible with everything in the past and everything going forward. mp3 (or any similar non-drm format) will never, ever die. supporting that was key and future-proofed the ipod.
2) accessibility. itunes. "sure, we support your non-drm stuff, but look how easy it is to buy new music! and we organize it all for you!"
3) pain points. by supporting and organizing the popular existing music format mp3 with a huge hard drive, it solved a major consunmer pain point of unifying everyone's music collection into a single, portable container. all of your music, no matter where you go.
now, let's look at high definition issues affecting both hd-dvd and blu-ray as well as high definition sets in general.
1) content. yeah. big hole here. sure, it supports backwards tech, but, as you've pointed out makes standard definition look pretty crappy.
new content? it's a huge hassle to capture/encode/convert anything existing to new hd content. it's a pain for the content providers to make new content in the new formats, thus, there's a dearth of content that justifies the new format.
this is the chicken/egg scenario. there isn't enough money coming from consumers for new content and providers aren't willing to "bet the farm" on making it for a slow-adopting technology.
another issue with content is that people just don't care about movies being in high def. no one really wants to see every pock mark in brad pitt's face. who cares if you can count every blade of grass?
it's the reason special effects laden movies don't typically ever win content awards. and, if they do, their effects support the dialog/story/writing/character development and are not, in fact, the sole reason to see the movie.
2) accessibility. how much does this new "high def" technology cost compared to older sd tvs and media? outside of japan, price trumps all.
3) pain points. the big jump from vhs to dvd was driven not by visual fidelity, but by the simple, easy-to-understand consumer pain point being solved: rewinding.
with the move to hd, it looks more like the move from black and white tv to color -- that took decades to gain critical mass.
what pain points does hd solve? "it's in higher definition, so it looks better!" that meets with a resounding "so?" from the typical consumer.
there is no consumer "need" being fullfilled by high defintion. that's why we see the "adoption rate" of hd looks more like the "attrition rate" of standard definition. it has nothing to do with "new technology for the sake of technology" or the toe-dipping premise that "if we keep waiting for new technology, there'll always be new technology to wait for so just buy it!"
the only people who say that are the people making new, useless technology.
m3mnoch.
charlie @ Sep 18th 2006 10:13PM
"When ps3 hits the stores there will be 1.2 million players in peoples homes before the end of the year."
Thats assuming Sony can sell the units it produces. People seem to take it as a given that the PS3 would sell out of however many units they produced. I'm not so sure- are there really that many rapid Playstation fans that are willing to shell out $600 for a system with no killer apps when by then they'd be able to get an X360 with HDD for $300 (I'm assuming, i dont think too adventurously, that there will be a 360 price cut for the holiday season) which has several established games, or a Wii (which has Wii Sports, Zelda, Farcry: Vengeance, and legacy games) for $250. Especially since almost nobody has the combination of a 1080p HDTV and surround sound system that might make the PS3 a worthwhile cost.
Steve @ Sep 18th 2006 2:29PM
"When ps3 hits the stores there will be 1.2 million players in peoples homes before the end of the year"
Bwaaahahahahahaha. That'll be a neat trick considering that they're only shipping 500,000 this years.
DJ @ Sep 18th 2006 2:41PM
To say that putting Blu-ray in the PS3 was a mistake is short-sighted and baseless. Without blu-ray, PS3 titles would resemble 360 titles due to the limited space.
Besides, Universal was the sole supporter of HD-DVD anyway, so this is really just old news. They'll come back once they realize how much revenue they're missing out on. By the way, when will Xbots get it in their heads that Blu-ray royalties DON'T go straight to Sony. There's like 15 companies besides Sony that are on the Blu-ray association, and they're entitled to just as much as Sony.
They claim that with new compression techniques, there's no need for more disc space. But what they fail to admit is that heavy compression requires heavy decompression and eats up a LOT of CPU power in the 360. The fact that even launch titles like Kameo and Project Gotham dedicated 25~33% of the system's power to decompression is evidence that not all is well in the 360 camp.
Another important thing is not to look at current generation titles and assume that games won't grow, but to look at how fast data size has increased over the past ten years.
Let's take a normal PS1 game, Crash 3:Warped. It took up 236 Mb out of the available 700 Mb on a CD. Not that much, and if these guys were analysts back then they'd say "Hey, they didn't even bother to use the whole disc. We can still use CDs for the PS2 era".
But with an exponential leap in data size, DVDs became vital to allowing PS2 developers to realize their true visions. Sony took a risk and used technology that was available, but unproven.
5 years later Naughty Dog released Jak 3 and used up almost an entire DVD worth of space, 4.17 GB. It uses absolutely no CG, and arguing that they just used sloppy coding would be ludicrous considering that it's more technologically advanced than almost any game out there.
Within a single generation, there was a 10~17x increase in game data, and that was before the HD era. Now textures are becoming 4~8 times more detailed, and now games are using layers and layers of different textures to achieve different effects (some of which don't survive compression very well).
To think that we don't need more storage capacity for games is to assume that even with HD resolution, more complex animations, more complex programming, better audio, higher polygon counts, and an exponential leap in texture quality, we only need a 2x increase in storage capacity. (single layer to dual layer dvds) Where the logic disappeared is beyond me. The fact of the matter is that they're jealous and angry that the 360 isn't going to have any of the benefits that Blu-ray gives to the PS3. When you're only paying $100 more than the competition to get the bonus functionality of a $1000+ machine, that's pretty awesome. And it makes the competition pretty hateful and nervous.
----------------------
In the grand scheme of things, the PS3 only costs as much as two iPods or two digital cameras. Besides, most people initially will be purchasing it for games, not movies. They have the embedded choice of using its Movie capabilities whenever they feel it to be appropriate. And once consumers see the improvement in visual quality (should they have an HDTV) there's no stopping them from purchasing what they want. Sony includes choice inside their console, while Microsoft charges you extra for it.
Silver R. Wolfe @ Sep 18th 2006 2:39PM
If Joystiq wanted to show what a big deal it wasn't they shouldn't have posted the 'news' at all and just let it slip away.
diskoboy @ Sep 18th 2006 3:40PM
What funny - neither are selling right now. People are waiting for the prices to drop.
When Universal puts out Jaws, I'll buy whatever format it comes out on (which I'm guessing will be HD-DVD since Universal is jumping on that bandwagon). But until then, I could care less about either platform. And I've got a HDTV...
devi8i @ Sep 18th 2006 3:07PM
@46
I don't think either MS or Sony are wrong in their efforts, MS is selling their product ala-cart so consumers can purchase as they are able to or want to and Sony is offering up a similar product but with everything rolled up together, both approaches appeal to different types of consumers. I personally like to have everything in one package as opposed to adding on. But, price is really not the mitigating factor as both products with all the bells and whistles (wireless networking, HD drives) will cost similar amounts of money. As both products mature production costs will decrease and thus sale prices will decrease as well.. This is when the installed base of both consoles will increase.
m3mnoch @ Sep 18th 2006 3:11PM
dj -- blah, blah, blah.
"5 years later Naughty Dog released Jak 3 and used up almost an entire DVD worth of space, 4.17 GB."
so, you're saying that jak 3 has more detailed textures and geometry than, say, condemned -- which weighs in at 3.9 gb?
the big difference you (and the "old skoolz" dorks at naughty dog. go greg!) are missing is that the ps2 doesn't have the snorts to decompress all the textures on the fly. so, yeah, when you're storing all your textures as 24 bit, uncompressed targas -- duh -- it ends up huge.
i'm so freakin' tired of this lame argument trying to justify the blu-ray drive in the ps3.
a real world example is this:
http://www.theprodukkt.com/kkrieger
kkrieger is only 96k (yes, kilobytes - not megabytes) but has (relatively) huge system requirements. that's because it decompresses textures/creates procedural textures on the fly.
i've written up a big, long thing a long time ago that will help explain to you exactly why dvd9 is big enough for next gen games and beyond. the short answer is two words: developer budget.
http://m3mnoch.wordpress.com/2006/01/12/dvd-9-is-not-too-small/
m3mnoch.