Will MS be forced to go Blu Ray with the Xbox.

Dman001

Now that you can buy a PS3 for under €300 do you think MS will have no choice but to add Blu Ray support to the Xbox. The PS3 is a much better deal compared to the 360. You get BR support, free online gaming with a PS3 which also comes with a HDMI cable and WiFi out of the box.

I think in the next year, the will be a dramatic drop in Xbox sales and the PS£ will surge unless MS make some dramatic changes to the 360. The rumored increase in the HDD capacity for the Elite won't be enough and I reckon MS will at least have to add BR support, whether it be in the form of an add-on (similar to the HDDVD add-on) or built into the console.

rizzla

They won't go towards blu ray. There aiming for digital downloads.

There won't be a "dramatic" drop in sales but the PS3 will start to gain some steam.

grizzly

No, downloads are the future. Blu Ray wasn't the success story that makes people "need" a machine that plays it.

calex71

I despise both for different reasons, downloads because they are tied to your xbox and you pay for stuff you never truely own :mad:

Blueray because despite the obvious leap in quality doesnt offer enough to make me update my dvd movie collection and actually buy a player nor do the games make full use of it , there are maybe a hand full of games that would need blueray.

So I don't think MS need Blueray could be a nice add on option for movies though if people wanted it and the price was right. But as said the MS business model is all about downloads

rizzla

I actually think MS will be working on someting like http://www.onlive.com/

Next gen will be all about "the cloud"

Rev. Kitchen

I thought i heard they where going to do an add on for blue ray, might have just been a rumour though.

They are trying digital downloads at the moment with the "games on demand" thing but they are maiking a bloody mess of it, charging 30 euro for a game i can buy for 10 in the shops and i can walk to the shop buy it and walk back before its downloaded. Imagine if a game was over 10 or 20 gb it would take me a week to download anyway and destroy my download cap.

The industry is trying to get rid of the trade in market as its costing them a fortune. I can see games like battlefield 1943 coming out in the future being quite small and cheap then having bucket loads of add ons. That way you will end up spending the same amount if not more and you cant trade it in.

Liber8or

To be perfectly honest, even with the drop in price of a PS3 I would not buy one and that is because I see no reason to buy one.

Gimmicks like Blu-Ray, Wireless Built-In, Free Online Gaming, etc, simply does not tempt me to invest in a console. The quality and selection of games that appeal to my interest is what makes me decide on which console to purchase.

As it is right now, the majority of people who play consoles do not own a screen bigger than 22 inches, therefore Blu-Ray becomes redundant. You will not see a slight bit of difference in quality between a Blu-Ray and a DVD on a screen that size. You really need to hit 37+ inches to appreciate what Blu-Ray can deliver.

In addition to this, the difference in graphics on both consoles is negligible. Sometimes games look better/worse on either console, it is a waste of time arguing over which is better.

Wireless built-in? Sure, that has its benefits but how many households in Ireland have access to Broadband right now, with Wireless routers I might add? Furthermore, I have always seen the multiplayer aspect of a game as the added bonus, I am more interested in what the single player offers in terms of story, action and delivery. If I can not get past the single player experience then I won't even bother going near multiplayer.

Free Online Gaming? A fantastic aspect to the Playstation 3, but I also believe you get what you pay for. I remember the simulataneous launch of GTAIV on PS3 and Xbox360, I bought the 360 version and my friend bought the PS3 version. Three months down the line, I asked him what he thought of the online gaming on GTAIV, because I had played it and loved it. HIs response was he was not able to play it because it was always crashing and disconnecting, and yet, had a perfect browsing experience online.

Ultimately, these aspects to the PS3 that people declare as pivotal in deciding what console to purchase is irrelevent, in my opinion. People buy a games console to play games. Sony appears to have forgotten that, however, to their respects have recently begun to redeem this with their new marketing approach to highlight the main characteristic of their gaming console.

It comes down to games, games, and more games. Are the exclusive games on the Xbox 360 the type of games you prefer to play? Or would you be more excited by the exclusive ones on PS3?

As it is right now, I enjoy my Halo/Gears/Mass Effect/Fable games. And I can relax in knowing that the likes of Infamous/MGS/Killzone/Resistance are not games which I need to play anytime soon, if ever.

This console war will not be decided by price, style, features, but by the selection of games made available. Halo 3 and Gears of War made me buy an Xbox 360, the very same story applies to my friend who bought a PS3 because he wanted MGS. Deep down, that is what makes people buy a console, everything else is irrelevent.

Asmodean

I'm definitely not a fan of this games on demand BS anyway. Pay 30E across the board for games regardless of when they were released. You can pick some of them up for half the price in the shop and you get a box/manual/disc.

nevaeh-2die-4

no blu ray sucks its nothing special.
i have blu ray with my lap top and have watched one movie on it.

blu ray is the only ****n thing sony have and over xbox.

i have no intention on buying blu rays, were in a download era now and thats what i do, i downloaded the dark kinight 1080p , it was nice but it wasnt amazing.

any way i would rather micrsoft , make the xbox more quieter, its like a hoover, thats all i want.

Asmodean

i would rather micrsoft , make the xbox more quieter, its like a hoover, thats all i want.

+1!

Dman001

But there are many customers who want to get the best value for their money and the PS3, in my opinion offers better value for money.

The problem with MS, they seem to do things half arsed. They offer a video download service but you have to buy those Xbox Points to rent the films which is a waste of time. This upcoming 1080p Zune Video Store sounds good and would be enough to keep me from buying a BR player. But I won't hold my breath on it.

Liber8or

Dman001 wrote: »

But there are many customers who want to get the best value for their money and the PS3, in my opinion offers better value for money.

If people buy a games console to play games, how is the PS3 more value for money?

naughto

i think that the price that u have to pay for online is a bit steap.dont get me wrong online play (especially for cod4) is one of the best things that has happened to the gaming world i play online far more than i do game its self.

60 e for 12 months for xbox live iam not happy with that.and ther headsets are a joke cheap plastic ****e that they use and they break so easy iam on my 2nd one .

ok rant over

Dman001

Liber8or wrote: »

If people buy a games console to play games, how is the PS3 more value for money?

Free online gaming with built in WiFi out of the box makes it better value for gamers.

But I don't think many people go for a games console just for games. Alot want a console for media playback on top of playing games and the PS3 does media playback better.

Rev. Kitchen

Liber8or wrote: »

To be perfectly honest, even with the drop in price of a PS3 I would not buy one and that is because I see no reason to buy one.

Gimmicks like Blu-Ray, Wireless Built-In, Free Online Gaming, etc, simply does not tempt me to invest in a console. The quality and selection of games that appeal to my interest is what makes me decide on which console to purchase.

.

I agree with alot of what you say but if it is going to come down to the games surely Blueray is a major feature as it will allow the games to expand beyond the limits of a DVD disk.

I dont think downloading games will take off for a while at least not in Ireland with its terrible broadband service and slow download speeds. By the time it is the main stream distribution method i think the 360 and ps3 will be near the end of there life span anyway.

Liber8or

Dman001 wrote: »

Free online gaming with built in WiFi out of the box makes it better value for gamers.

But I don't think many people go for a games console just for games. Alot want a console for media playback on top of playing games and the PS3 does media playback better.

€250 for the most expensive Xbox, €299 for the most expensive PS3. The €50 difference can be attributed to the in-built wireless, for argument's sake.

However, you don't need to have it. Predominantly, games come with a Single Player experience more than a Multiplayer experience. This is because the industry understands how the Single Player element is more important and is the deciding factor on whether or not people will play the game in question. Games such as Battlefield 1943 are a rare exception to this rule.

Ultimately, what I am saying is; if I couldn't/didn't play my games online, would I be missing out? Hardly. Call of Duty 4 has a fantastic Single Player experience, which is a game enhanced by it's Multiplayer. Not the other way round.

With regards the Media Playback, the Xbox can play all media types (except Blu-Ray) that a PS3 can play. However, I come back to my initial argument, if I want a console it is because I want to play games on it. If I want to watch Blu-Rays and .divx files, I will buy a Blu-Ray cheaper than a PS3, that I can connect to my Network or connect USB HDD's to for file playback.

Rev. Kitchen

Liber8or wrote: »

€250 for the most expensive Xbox, €299 for the most expensive PS3. The €50 difference can be attributed to the in-built wireless, for argument's sake.

However, you don't need to have it. Predominantly, games come with a Single Player experience more than a Multiplayer experience. This is because the industry understands how the Single Player element is more important and is the deciding factor on whether or not people will play the game in question. Games such as Battlefield 1943 are a rare exception to this rule.

Ultimately, what I am saying is; if I couldn't/didn't play my games online, would I be missing out? Hardly. Call of Duty 4 has a fantastic Single Player experience, which is a game enhanced by it's Multiplayer. Not the other way round.

With regards the Media Playback, the Xbox can play all media types (except Blu-Ray) that a PS3 can play. However, I come back to my initial argument, if I want a console it is because I want to play games on it. If I want to watch Blu-Rays and .divx files, I will buy a Blu-Ray cheaper than a PS3, that I can connect to my Network or connect USB HDD's to for file playback.

Ah come on now COD4 was only the success it was because of the online the single player game was good but short. I've played it once the online ive played from release date up to now.

You would be better off saying the wi fi isnt much use because to play online you really should be on a wired connection.

The multiplayer aspect of a game is far more important this is why the biggest gmaes have the best online gameplay and the others just fade away. COD 4 COD 5 Left 4 dead etc etc

corcaigh07

naughto wrote: »

i think that the price that u have to pay for online is a bit steap.dont get me wrong online play (especially for cod4) is one of the best things that has happened to the gaming world i play online far more than i do game its self.

60 e for 12 months for xbox live iam not happy with that.and ther headsets are a joke cheap plastic ****e that they use and they break so easy iam on my 2nd one .

ok rant over

xbox live is only 30 euro for 12 month if you look in the right places and if your using headsets a lot, why not get a proper one?

bucks73

Dman001 wrote: »

Free online gaming with built in WiFi out of the box makes it better value for gamers.

But I don't think many people go for a games console just for games. Alot want a console for media playback on top of playing games and the PS3 does media playback better.

People always throw out the wifi and free online argument but fail to mention that online isnt much use without a headset (add around €25) and that the sound quality on PSN is crap. Something which also baffled me when I opened my new PS3 box was the lack of any kind of HD cable. How can HD console not come with even a component cable? Another cost for the PS3er.

Some of us have the Xbox connected via ethernet so no extra cost for me there either.

As for media, anything I have played on either console works perfectly well. No difference whatsoever.

The reason I went for the 360 was the same as Liber8or. Halo 3 and Gears and the decent shooters havent stopped since. I am currently playing only my THIRD game (Uncharted which is excellent btw) since I got my PS3 6 months ago. Just not enough games that interest me.

Back on topic, I dont think Blu Ray will ever appear on the 360. MS have said as much and are far more interested in digital downloads. Not just the overpriced games on demand but for DLC, videos and the option to install to hard drive. The news of a new 250GB 360 makes sense with the axing of the 60GB model. MS want you to download more so they can make more moeny.

Liber8or

Rev. Kitchen wrote: »

I agree with alot of what you say but if it is going to come down to the games surely Blueray is a major feature as it will allow the games to expand beyond the limits of a DVD disk.

Does it though? Have we seen any evidence of this? Metal Gear Solid is probably the only exception, and personally I would rather play my games than watch them.

It is all well and good if the media storage device of the PS3 can contain a lot more textures, and data for detail, but that is redundant unless it can utilise it effectively. The PS3 is limited by it's rendering capabilities, not its storage capacity. The processing technology of the PS3 is on par with the Xbox 360.
Ultimately, what this means is, I can make a game and fill an Xbox DVD to its capacity and produce a certain level of quality in graphics display. I can also do the same for the PS3, but instead I have more space to add more data, but it is data that it can not render at the required FPS or resolution because the processor is limited to how much it can handle.
In my opinion, the benefit of having Blu-Ray storage capacity is for cutscenes in games. Large, high level of detail cutscenes which can be played and not rendered as seen in the example of Metal Gear Solid.

Liber8or

Rev. Kitchen wrote: »

The multiplayer aspect of a game is far more important this is why the biggest gmaes have the best online gameplay and the others just fade away. COD 4 COD 5 Left 4 dead etc etc

Do you think millions of people would have bought Call of Duty 4, if reviews of the game came back saying: "Terrible Single Player, makes no sense, badly scripted, etc, etc, but Multiplayer is fantastic!"?

I do accept the point that Multiplayer can extend the life of a game, but you have to reach step A before you can reach step B. Games like Mass Effect, Fable II, Fallout 3, BioShock, Assassin's Creed, etc, feature no multiplayer, but are still being purchased and played to this day and yet, some of them are two years old.

Extending the life of a game can be a vital selling point, but you cant extend the life of a game that contained an awful single player experience.

Dman001

Well maybe I'm just speaking on a personal basis.

If I had the choice now I would pick a PS3 over a 360. But I don't think I have ever played a PS3 before so I could be disappointed. If MS came out with a BR add-on, it would keep me, a current 360 user, very happy.

joe123

I wish they would to be honest. This downloading films/games things wont take off (not yet anyways). Broadband isnt good enough and i know alot of people myself included would prefer to have a box in hand and a disc rather than something downloaded that never actually feels like you own it.

Onlive/digital downloading has a looooong way to go before it does anything. IMO i dont think it will ever beat actually holding something you just bought.

Blu ray quality is class. Still think the Xbox live (which cant be easily got for around 30 euro) is alot better than ps3 online.

Zippitydoo

How do you go about getting live for 30 a year? My subscription just ran out...

EGriff

Zippitydoo wrote: »

How do you go about getting live for 30 a year? My subscription just ran out...

www.live-codes.com

Kinetic^

Lads, can we keep this relatively on topic please.