Ben-DutkaThe next-gen format war has just begun, but consumers are already starting to take notice. And one of the things they're noticing is the very high price of Blu-Ray players, which is actually good news for the status of the PS3…provided Blu-Ray either wins the war, or there's room for both BD and HD-DVD. Check out the pic below of a Best Buy price tag for an internal Blu-Ray drive:
Clearly, even the 60GB PS3 – priced at $599.99 – is still cheaper, and there's one other crucial aspect to consider- as of right now, the PS3 remains the only hybrid player available (it can play both DVD and Blu-Ray). Therefore, not only is the price better in comparison, but you don't have to completely ditch that huge DVD collection of yours. And, oh yeah, it also plays games. Speaking of which, if you toss in the full backwards compatibility of the PS3, you're looking at the most comprehensive hardware out there.
Will Blu-Ray catch on? And if it doesn't, can it co-exist with HD-DVD? Well, all that remains to be seen, but here's a worst-case scenario for prospective PS3 owners: say Blu-Ray fails as an accepted format for movies. Okay, well you still have a darn good DVD player and a powerful next-gen system. Obviously, it's only that much sweeter if Blu-Ray is a major player for the next half-decade.
But of course, let's all remember the PS3 still needs the killer software to be a success, outside of the format war. Just wanted to remind the fans that it is, in fact, a gaming machine and there are benefits to being a PS3 owner.
