Blu-Ray Should Have Been Optional on PS3?

Ars Technica has a piece looking at reasons why Sony may have wanted to make the Blu-Ray player optional in their next-gen console. From the article: "By tying what is essentially a gaming device to a new optical disc format, Sony is hoping to kill two birds with one stone, but they're expecting consumers to pay for the stone as if it were a diamond. That is, in hoping that consumers will see the Blu-ray player as a good investment in the future, they're risking the fallout that comes when consumers realize that diamonds aren't investments at all. They're for show. And the way the PS3 is priced right now, bling appears to be the operative word. But bling sells, and when manufacturing costs come down, we can all look forward to this edition of Sony Style... at least so long as we're not satiated by a competing product."

Comments

Re:1080p Games?

[gEvil (beta)]

It was my understanding that having games that play in insane resolution (1080p) requires not only high processing but also high storage.

Yes, but PC games have been able to do these sorts of resolutions for years and they barely fill up a single DVD. And that's with the inclusion of several sets of textures geared for different amounts of VRAM. The only way I can see them using up the space on a BluRay disc is to have a bunch of full-HD FMV. And with most games, after you watch the cutscenes once or twice, you end up skipping them every time they come up anyways. Sure, it's nice that the space is there, but I highly doubt they'll use even a fraction of it for games.