PS3 - Cost and release problems due to Blu-ray?

[Raider]

Following the Blu-ray announcements at the end of last week I can't help but wonder about the PS3's release date.

Sony announced last week that Blu-Ray will have its launch in early Summer. Pioneer's first player will hit the streets in June at a whopping $1800 RRP, with Phillips and Sony also releasing players. I doubt we'll see any players for less than $1000 in the first few months.

So my first question is, if Sony sells the PS3 for around $499 (reasonable guess atm!) how the hell can they bundle a Blu-Ray player for only $200 more (guessing the cost split here!). Even if the player was really basic I don't see how they could manage it without taking a huge profit loss on each console.
When the PS2 first came out, it was at least 3 years after the release of DVD, so putting one in a console wasn't too tough.

Second question (or observation) is that if the first top-of-the-line players are out in June, then at the earliest the PS3 will be released in Japan in June. So I guess Xmas in the UK might just be possible

Sorry if this has been discussed already, but the cost thing really does baffle me! Unless of course the early adopter players made by Pioneer etc. are hi-fi spec, but that wouldn't make sense as you'd think they'd all try and release the cheapest possible player to make sure they bury HD-DVD

 

[Raider]

i hear they r having problems getting the cell chip up to a certian quality needed for production

That could be another problem. But I can see that my thread title may be a bit misleading. What I meant to ask was, how can Sony possibly afford to but a Blu-Ray player inside a console so early in the format's life?

 

[Raider]

the rights to the DVD market is worth billions !!!, so just think how much the next gen one is worth, if sony win it they could easy get back what ever they lose on the ps3

Yes that's true, but as i've said, unless Sony is putting a hurrendously cheap and nasty player in there, then they'll lose $400+ per console??

 

[Raider]

Sony are also having some issues with copy protection on Blu-Ray as they want to try some new stuff which technically isnt legal yet, and there awaiting for that to be cleared up first.

If Blu-Rays are really costing that much i cant see the PS3 having one built in without costing a bucket, especially with HD-DVD costing so little in comparision. I really see this going the way of Betamax / VHS again, even tho Betamax was better.

Personally i wont be buying any HD DVD's until i have the rest of the equipment to match, and then i would choose anything over sony.

The HD-DVD players do seem cheaper, with Toshiba apparently producing one at launch (by March in the USA) for $499.

If HD-DVD gets a 3 month head-start, plus cheaper equipment, then Sony could be in trouble, especially if the PS3 Blu-ray player stinks

 

[Raider]

Rember that pioneer are releasing a bd-rw at the end of this month so when the ps3 comes out, drives will have been out for a couple of months.

I think what they meant is that they have a near-final bd-rw player completed. Pioneer have just said that their first player will not appear till June, and I'm highly doubtful that we'll see any before that.

In terms of the age-old argument of Blu-Ray vs HD-DVD, it's definately 50/50 atm. Blu-ray may sound theortically better with the extra capacity etc., but HD-DVD is much easier to implement from a cost and player perspective, and the HD-DVD camp was first to demonstrate their dual-layer system, where as the Blu-Ray people struggled to do the same.

If it were up to me, i'd go with Blu-Ray, simply because of the extra capacity that's possible, but if it's a nightmare to manufacture players and discs, then what's the point?

 

[Raider]

Looking at the coverage of CES, Blu-ray definately seemed to have had the best showing.

mmmm rack
"Stealth" though... that could just hand victory to the HD-DVD camp

 

[Raider]

IIRC HD-DVD had about 3 times as many titles announced as blu-ray (i think 45 at launch, and 150 for the end of the year).

Sorry I guess my post was a bit vague. I wasn't going on just the number of titles announced. Blu-Ray just had a lot more flashy stands. I guess because they have Sony, Samsung, Sharp, Phillips, Hitachi, LG, Panasonic, Pioneer etc.., where as HD-DVD is mainly Toshiba, Thomson and a few of the lesser known makers.

 

[Raider]

I expect we'll see the PS3 in action properly for the first time at E3 this year. If they miss that deadline then heaven help them!

If the PS3 was due for a spring launch then as people have already said, we'd have seen final consoles being played by now. With no such thing in sight, my bet is that it'll get a Japanese launch in September, with a frantic US / Europe launch for Christmas, along with the all too familiar chronic stock problem.

Although if the console sells for around £399 (safe bet I think), the demand will certainly be reduced. And if the Xbox 360 takes off, then the PS3 will be facing an established consoles with a probable Christmas price in that all important sub-£200 price range.