PlayStation 3 is a decent bargain, as a Blu-ray player
by Kevin Kelly 
{ Dec 27th 2006 at 5:25PM }
If you're still looking for something to do with your holiday dough, and you have a love and admiration for high definition of the Blu-ray format, then you can do no better than to pick up a PS3 and save yourself about $150. CrunchGear notes that Best Buy is selling internal Blu-ray drives for $749.99 (seriously, can we do away with the .99 pricing on things?), and that -- duh -- a PS3 is cheaper. Granted, those internal drives let you also burn your own Blu-ray discs, but the standalone players are still a good deal more than the PS3 is. In fact, we just checked at BestBuy.com, and the lowest priced Blu-ray player is $799.99, giving you 200 more one dollar reasons to get yourself a console ... if you can find one.The fact is, until some killer games come out, this might be all you'll be using this thing for. However, having seen Blu-ray movies in action, you won't be disappointed. They look pretty darn swanky, and you can almost smell the popcorn and feel the sticky floors.
Granted, this isn't exactly news -- and we've been saying the same thing here at Joystiq, but we're worried that the holiday cash might be burning a hole in your pocket, and we're looking out for you.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Gombard @ Dec 27th 2006 8:59PM
No thank you, but thanks for the offer.
skullfuck @ Dec 27th 2006 5:37PM
...and a joke as a game machine.
LMAO @ Dec 27th 2006 5:40PM
Well not really, it'll cost more than that. You'll need a HDCP enabled video card, ~$200-$600 (and if your HDTV does not have a DVI-HDCP port and only HDMI, you'll need to buy a DVI to HDMI converter, +$30) and a pretty powerful computer if you don't want any frame dropping while playing the video on your computer (Anandtech has an excellent article on HDDVD and Blu-ray playback on the computer). Let's not forget you'll need the latest version of Powerlink's DVD player to play movies on your computer (+$100) or something equivalent.
So the fact is, a PS3 is a good buy if you want it as Blu-ray player for now.
Or if you already have a X360, you could add $200 for HDDVD playback. An Xbox360+HDDVD ($500-$600) drive is about equivalent to than a stand-alone HD=DVD player ($500). But of course you can always play games with the 360 also.
Cabcru @ Dec 27th 2006 8:45PM
Heh, the PS3 is a cheap alternative to a device you never actually wanted in the first place? Excellent.
Hmmm @ Dec 27th 2006 9:23PM
This reads like an ad for Sony.
Spilt_Milk @ Dec 27th 2006 5:45PM
Looks like the fanboy blogers are getting desperate now and having to hawk thier failed system as a movie players for an already failed format.
It's sad really. Poor poor Keven.
Hannibal @ Dec 27th 2006 8:06PM
I saw Blu-Ray and HD-DVD together, and I couldn't tell the difference.
robby1051 @ Dec 28th 2006 12:46AM
failed system?
....
you say the same about the psp too right?
bearattack79 @ Dec 27th 2006 5:55PM
Blue gay player. Booooo @ myself.
NETNAVI @ Dec 27th 2006 8:33PM
Can I use the Blu Ray drive as a player and hook it up to my HDTV? Doubtful but worth a shot, right? Or am I wrong?
I would love to have a cheap player/burner for my TV and Mac.
skyrous @ Dec 27th 2006 8:29PM
I actually know a guy who did this. He bought a PS3 for a cheap blu-ray player. He's an older guy no interest in games but wanted blu-ray player, as a bonus the grandkids have something to play when they visit.
By the way is there still a shortage of PS3's? I was a little surprise when he said he walked into gamestop and picked up a PS3 with no problem.
Sean @ Dec 27th 2006 6:02PM
It's a bargain compared to a diamond studded paper weight.
EihBeir @ Dec 30th 2006 2:19PM
"Buy the PS3 as a cheap Blu-Ray Player!"
Great idea. Problem is, a high def movie player doesn't do you much good without a high def TV as well.
Can't put the cart before the horse, Joystiq.
Agent MOO @ Dec 27th 2006 6:06PM
You know what's a bargain for playing movies? A $50 dvd player.
Russell @ Dec 27th 2006 7:24PM
No, the PS3 is not a good bluray player. I have one.
I also have a Xbox 360 with HDDVD drive.
Neither are great next gen media players but the 360 is the best due to price and image quality.
The PS3 doesn't even have an IR port so it can't be controlled with a Harmony or other programmable remote. It's also got no analog multichannel output so you "NEED" a current gen receiver or processor to go with it even if you already have a high end multichannel setup from a year or so ago.
Also sony's refusal to support managed copy is why I won't be buying any bluray discs or set top players, I'm just renting them on netflix. My choice is HDDVD then Bluray then DVD on netflix.
Rabish12 @ Dec 27th 2006 6:08PM
It may be a great bargain as a Blu-Ray player, but as a player for HD media it's still a bit of a rip. You can get an HD-DVD player from Wal-Mart at $429.54 right now, which is MUCH lower than the $600 price tag on the PS3, and that was the first place I checked. Odds are that someone could find an HD-DVD player at a lower price.
Basically, you could get something that offers the same sorts of benefits where movies and video are concerned at a much lower price. If you keep that in mind, it isn't really that much of a bargain if those are what you intend to use on it.
Kevin M. @ Dec 28th 2006 4:02PM
Yeah... except that
Tristan @ Dec 27th 2006 6:20PM
This I agree with. I plan on using mine when I get it for this. There are a few games out there I want, but I'll leave most games to my 360.
mywhitenoise @ Dec 27th 2006 6:21PM
"They look pretty darn swanky, and you can almost smell the popcorn and feel the sticky floors."
...funny, here I thought DVDs looked WAY better than cinema theatres.
Rubang @ Dec 27th 2006 6:22PM
@#7, I got a $30 DVD player at Wal-Mart a couple months ago. The sucker wasn't even on sale.
Miz @ Dec 27th 2006 9:32PM
Even for $600, is a Blu-Ray player worth the investment at this point? Seems pretty risky to spend a lot of money on either HD movie format right now.
The Jeremy @ Dec 27th 2006 8:08PM
@Rabish12,
You can get the "lower-end" Playstation3 for $499. Instead of getting an 80GB hard drive, you'll get a 20GB hard drive, no wifi built-in, and no media card reader(s). But what you will get is a great game system - that is still waiting for good games - and a fantastic Blu-Ray player that beats the heck out of the low-end HD DVD player you mention as well as beating out Samsung's stand-alone Blu-Ray player that costs more.
The 20GB Playstation3's are also more readily available than their big-brother model. You can also pop out that small capacity hard drive and pop in a larger capacity hard drive down the road without Sony flipping out on you modding your system...unlike Microsoft's current policy regarding the Xbox360 and modding it with larger hard drives.
If you go with HD DVD, you won't be buying any movies from 20th Century Fox, Disney/Miramax/Buena Vista, or Sony/Columbia/Tri-Star Pictures. All three of those companies do not support HD DVD. The Warner Bros. family of movie companies support both formats, as does Paramount. The only major studio that exclusively supports HD DVD (for now) is Universal.
If you still want to stick with the Sony H8ers regarding using the MPEG2 codec, I suggest you check out some of the Blu-Ray titles from the other studios. X3 is encoded in AVC (which can tell both MPEG2 and Microsoft's VC-1 to suck it); says it right on the back of the box.
syco @ Dec 27th 2006 6:36PM
Wait, so you can't just drop a Bluray drive in your computer and watch movies (given the software)? You have to have a special graphics card too? Is this also a problem with HDDVDs? Because I was considering getting one when the format war was settled and the price drops, but I'm not buying a new graphics card to watch movies, especially not to validate some sort of draconian DRM nightmare these people are trying to pull over our eyes...
Ken Kutaragi @ Dec 27th 2006 6:37PM
Isn't the PS3 having trouble playing standard DVDs?
I'll stick with the more reliable HD DVD player.
Nando @ Dec 27th 2006 8:18PM
why all the hate on sony branded products???
The Kid @ Dec 27th 2006 6:43PM
I've never seen so much byotch a$$ haters. The PS3 is no joke and puts the 360 to shame! RFOM is much more challenging and has more depth than any 360 game to date; and this is a launch title. You didn't have to wait a year for a good game to come along; it's already here! Ridge racer 7; LMAO; makes Ridge Racer 6 on the 360 look dated and it too is a launch title.
Movies, Gaming, Music, downloadable content from the Sony Store etc..... this is the true next generation platform; the true digital hub; past, present, future of gaming/with a built in HD blu ray Movie player.
C'mon now; Microsoft!!!!! a computer software maker trying to make it big against the goliath of the Electronics industry?!?!?!?
Dead or Alive......LMAO; that shyte is laughable as soon as the first pixel hits the screen.
The 360 was wack as hell until Gears of War came and that game is nowhere near as good as Halo 1 and Halo 2. LOL; how long is that game?
Other than that all you needed was your xbox 1 for halo 1 and Halo 2 cause the 360 game lineup is mostly ports of PS2 and pc games.
Ebgames and Gamestop should just put a microsoft logo on all the signs of their stores. It is obvious Microsoft shipped units to try to make it's goal and the systems are taking up all 4 walls.
I heard a parent at the store today saying, is that all you have? And they walked out of the store with their gift cards.
I happily bought Fight Night 3, Resistance Fall of Man, NBA 07 and Ridge Racer 7 along with the X-men III blu ray movie. This fat little pudgy dude (at the kings plaza, brooklyn gamestop on the second floor) looked at me with disgust when I dropped the loot on his counter. There is no doubt in my mind gamestop/ebgames employees are trying to encourage sales of the stale inventory of xbox 360's and accessories sitting on the shelves.
PS3 baby; Superman Blu Ray movie is damn near sold out everywhere! X-men III Blu Ray is flying off the shelves. NBA 07 at the ebgames/gamestops @ kings plaza mall in brooklyn (SOLD OUT)
Good luck with your 360's. That machine barely has a pulse since the ps3 and wii launches.
And how is it doing in Japan?
How much extra do you have to shell out to watch HD-DVD's and connect to the internet wirelessly?
That's 350.00 extra!!!!! OUCH!!!! 200 + 100 + 50.............That's 750 dollars; 250.00 more than the ps3!
Or you can remain in the past with the last generation and not go wireless, have a third of the hard drive space and play imaginary HD-DVD's on your weak a$$ systems!
PS3 is a winner!
boo @ Dec 27th 2006 6:49PM
Your name is the only accurate part of that post kid...
Ironhide Delta @ Dec 28th 2006 3:44AM
I've never seen such a desperate justification of an incredibly expesive piece of hardware with virtually no games, and those games that are on the 360 are in fact better looking and smoother frame rates.
Seriously "The Kid", are you that fataically devoted to Sony that you honestly can't see even one good game on the 360? I've got at least 11 good games for my 360, and when the ps3 comes out with a game that proves to me that the ps3 is worth it, I'll get it. Until then, please stop with the dick comparisons you seem to need to justify yourself. It's just sad really.
KingOfGods @ Dec 27th 2006 6:51PM
I constantly have problems losing video signal when switching between resolutions on my PS3.
I'm on the XMB at 1080p and pop in a game at 720p (or play a game straight from the HDD) Using HDMI, The signal pops on and off for a few minutes or until I turn the TV off and back on.
I thought this was a prob with the cable but I tried the same cable on my HD cable box and it works fine.
So much for "True HD"...I'll stick to the HD-DVD add-on and the up scaling of DVDs on my 360. My PS3 will continue to collect dust.
sploy @ Dec 27th 2006 11:25PM
@The Kid... Thank you, I was watching some stand up comedy on TV, but I'm actually having more fun laughing at you...
Give up your day job... become a full time blu-ray-fanboy please.
CHUDGOO @ Dec 27th 2006 8:26PM
I'm just curious...
How many of you would -honestly- be interested in Blu-ray if it weren't bundled with the PS3?
Also, how many of you are bothered by having to swap discs on 'epic' games to the point where you'd pay a ~33% premium for the ability to consolidate it onto one disc?
Nicomcm @ Dec 27th 2006 9:43PM
Only the PS3 has HDMI 1.3 with 7.1 Dolby True HD + online for BD-Live content on Blu Ray Video with Java in the futur...
( Sun support Blu Ray )... And PS3 is fast... and compare to the 360 HD-DVD.. HDMI + less noise... And the PS3 use it for game xD
sadt @ Dec 27th 2006 8:37PM
I sense that #14 is a fanboi. What do you guys think?
B33 @ Dec 28th 2006 12:32AM
"Your name is the only accurate part of that post kid..."
It's sad how fanboys have no way to defend a console they worship and just post pure crap to try to discredit true statements.
tkodarkside123 @ Dec 27th 2006 7:06PM
@ the kid.
Holy crap dude, if there ever was a fanboy more present..............
FSK405K @ Dec 27th 2006 8:31PM
How much is Sony paying The Kid? Shouldn't he take some kind of writing class with that money?
Rubang @ Dec 27th 2006 7:11PM
That was fucking awesome.
Izuna Drop @ Dec 27th 2006 8:55PM
#14 -
If you're playing NBA 07', that's your first mistake. I have the PS3, Xbox 360, and the Wii, and I have to say, although Resistance is a decent game, it is not as good as Gears. Resistance is a run and gun shooter. Gears and Rainbow 6 (which will be out on PS3) are tactical and require strategy. The multiplayer on GoW and R6 are also excellent.
I have the HD-DVD add on for the 360 and it is excellent. The video quality is outstanding.
In regards to the PS3 launch titles they are no better than those of the 360. Call of Duty 2 was easily as good as Resistance.
Blasting people and making ignorant comments is really overdone. Just learn to respect that video games, like music and art, are subjective and people have different tastes.
Judd @ Dec 27th 2006 9:23PM
Obviously, as a Blu-Ray player the PS3 is a bargain. I don't understand how everyone was so suprised by the price tag of the PS3 as $600. If you're looking for a family, party game system it's the Wii. The 360 is great for online multiplayer as the $50 a year is well worth it. And for people who are tech savvy, the PS3 is a great media center. Forgetting just about the Blu-ray, the sheer number of formats supported through its outlets is incredible. Unfortunately, as gamers $600 is way too much for a video game system.
See, the real problem here is choice. The Xbox 360 I got not knowing it would allow the possibility of adding an HD-DVD. That's why I consider it as costing $200 not $600, because I bought the Xbox 360 regardless.I might end up getting it as $200 for a HD-DVD player is pretty good. Sony has been in the red so they are forcing their Blu-ray player into people who are going to buy the PS3, and let me tell you something, it will work.
This is what I don't get against people who claim the PS3 is going to fail. People need to distinguish between what systems they like and what is logical. Personally, I own an Xbox 360 and a Wii, and have no intention of buying a PS3 but it doesn't matter. The PS2 installed base is so beyond the competition that people will buy the PS3 for $600 even if they never heard of Blu-Ray. I was in my school store the other day, which for some reason was selling next-gen games, and the guy behind me was checking out some sports titles. I said to him "The Xbox 360 looks like the system to get this time around." He tells me "Nah, it's gosta be the Playstation."
I'm sure this guy has no idea what Blu-Ray is. You think he cares? No, he knows that he played Madden and Grand Theft Auto on the PS2(even though they were out on the Xbox), so he's going to buy the PS3.
Don't you guys see? It doesn't matter what we say, or bloggers say, or what these fucking analysts who are paid to guess think, the PS2 was way too strong to assume they won't come out on top again. 21 million Gamecubes, 24 million Xbox's, 111 million PS2's.
Add in the fact that most people don't really care about High-definition DVD, the PS3 sales will force the format into more homes than any other format. You'll see by the end of 2007(assuming that Sony has met demand), there will be about 10 million PS3's out there and maybe 1 million HD-DVD's. Consumers might not care to spend $700 just for a High-Def movie player, but they probably don't mind spending $5 more for a movie format they already own.
Tristan @ Dec 27th 2006 7:20PM
This kid is an idiot. If ps3s are still on shelves and people don't want to buy there is a problem there. If you look at gamespots comparison of ridge racer 7 and 6 you will see that 6 looks the same actually it looks a little better.
Steve2 @ Dec 27th 2006 7:22PM
Decent bargin? It's a steal.
The first DVD player I bought cost me $830 (list $999) and it didn't play games.
As to the 360, honestly, 360 is too loud to use as a player, and I feel HD-DVD is less likely to win, due to being a go it alone format with hardware backing only from Toshiba (BluRay is backed by Sharp, Sony, Samsung and Pioneer). I'd probably buy the $200 360 add-on (making the 360 even more expensive than an equivalent PS3) if I felt HD-DVD was the frontrunner, despite the ridiculous amount of noise the 360 makes while playing videos (the HD-DVD drive itself is pretty quiet).
KingOfGods:
It's your TV. My PS3 doesn't do this on my (non-1080P capable) HDTV or either my two friends 1080P capable HDTVs I tried it with (in 1080P modes). I played games and BluRay movies on both, and never had such problems.
h0mi @ Dec 27th 2006 7:23PM
Aren't there more titles for HD-DVD than bluray?
The ps3 is a bargain, for now, as a bluray player. The ps2 was a bargain, initially as a dvd player. Until people noticed that DVD player prices were competitive and also noticed how a lot of home-authored DVDs didn't work very well in the ps2. That won't be a problem for the foreseeable future with the ps3 until BD-DVD burners are more ubiquitous, but if (big if) those standalone BD-DVD players do a better job of playing the discs, it might be worth the extra scratch.
Carl @ Dec 27th 2006 11:47PM
I picked myself up a PS3 the other day from the BB, apparently they had 50 laying in the back, but being unadvertised only selling to those who asked. Anyway, I didn't buy any games for it, only two BD titles, and may I say its absolutely stunning quality on my 1080p native/input/HDCP 60a2000 SXRD set. And we watched silent hill, which, although nice, is only a 25gig title, and 95% of the film was shot in 35mm. (Me and my friend freaked the first time it went pure digital and the film grain dissapeared, while our girls just looked bewildered at us, and that was only with a ~18mb bitrate for video because of the lack of color, and mpeg2) I looked for upcoming games on it, but nothing remotely interest me... downloaded some demo's for it online and plan on installing linux on it soon, but yes, Its a blu ray player 1st, linux toy box 2nd, and far distant 3rd game console at the moment. Eventually some good titles will come from the devs of God of War or Shadow of the Colossus or something, but till then, Ill be Wii60'ing it up for my gaming needs (Viva Pinata has been my latest exploit...)
JR @ Dec 28th 2006 2:37AM
Kid, go swim in your money and stop trolling.
Ross @ Dec 27th 2006 7:26PM
The cheap BluRay played argument only works for so long. Once the price of stand alone BluRay players drops, the PS3 will be an expensive console that also happens to play BluRay.
I have a PS3, and a 360, so no fan boyism here...just reality.
CHUDGOO @ Dec 27th 2006 7:31PM
I pity those who base their choice of next-gen movie formats on which has the cheapest players available right now. A bad car analogy (aren't they all) would getting a new "UberCar3" for $5,000 that monitors where you go and refuses to drive in certain areas.
This car might also run exclusively on "UberCar3" branded fuel...oh, and it KNOWS when you are not at an authorized fuel station and will refuse to open the gas hatch) A little over the top, but I think you get the idea. A good deal -now- might cost you more than you could have imagined later on.
The DRM technologies in both of the formats mean that the consumer has very little control in how they can use their purchased products. All of those things you take for granted with DVDs (like the ability to make a 'disposable copy' of a movie for your kid's room) are in serious jeopardy as the content producers will have the final say in WHAT you can do with the disc.
Until media companies stop trying to RETAIN OWNERSHIP of the products I buy, I'll happily sit the entire mess out.
(and as the owner of roughly 450 DVDs, (including many Criteron/Superbit) it's THEIR loss)
(and please don't count on the crackers to come to your rescue...they likely will, in some time, but the point remains... These media companies want to control the product after it no longer belongs to them. That is NOT the sort of idea I want to -encourage- with a purchase.)
Josh @ Dec 27th 2006 7:31PM
Or instead of bothering with a MINIMUM $500 PS3 purchase for your HD movie needs, you can just get a full-featured standalone HD-DVD player for $450 or less.
nick @ Dec 27th 2006 7:34PM
I don't know. First off, I wouldn't pay above $300 for a movie player if I could help it. Second, I wouldn't want to control movies with a gamepad. So I guess that means I'd have to buy the bluetooth remote, which doesn't interface with any other AV component, because they're all based on IR, and there's no universal remote that I'm aware that works with components and a PS3.
Plus the PS3 has some issues with non 1080p TVs, of which mine is, and I really have no immediately plans to upgrade. Is this a DRM issue or a technical issue?
So even though this is brought up time and time again, I have no plans for a PS3, and I have no plans for Blu-Ray, and I have no plans for HD DVD. I don't care if the PS3 is a cheap blu-ray player. I don't care that the PS3 plays games. It's too expensive. Call me when there's a HD player or PS3 under $300 and maybe I'll reconsider.
Revo @ Dec 27th 2006 8:13PM
Well, at least this post should shut up all of those who shout "omg joystiq is bias against sony!!!!!!" at the drop of a hat.
eddyk @ Dec 28th 2006 5:51AM
Is talking about movie playback for a game console relevant ? I mean, maybe for now, but how many people did actually used their PS2 to play DVD movies ? I have a PS3 AND a DVD player, the same for all the people I know who own a PS2 (first because the PS2 didn't include a remote in the box, the same mistake for the PS3).
It looks like the Blu-ray is just a consolation for PS3 fanboys because games are crap so far (at least not so breath taking as promised), the only fact to rely on movie playback shows that the gaming abilities of the PS3 does not worth 600$, whereas for the xbox360, it's all about gaming, movie playback is just an option and that how it should for a game console.
When I play Gears, i don't watch a movie, If I want a movie i can rent on in HD in the Xbox Live Market Place. This blu-ray shit is a big mistake and I think it's drowning SONY's gaming platform.