Sony plans movie+game dual-media Blu-ray Discs
Coming this year, says exec
Blu-ray Discs holding both games and movies will be launched for the PlayStation 3 this year, a Sony executive has said.
John Koller, Director of Hardware Marketing for the PS3, said that Sony envisages a future when a movie and a game are placed on the same disc, according to a report by website Video Business.
“There are a lot of developers who say, we have this game based on a movie, wouldn’t it be great to marry these concepts? We will definitely see this stuff this year,” he said.
Specific details are still being finalised at Sony’s HQ, according to the report, but the game and film combo could also allow movie content to be transferred onto the PlayStation Portable.
PS3 sales have taken a bashing in of late, with figures revealing that Microsoft’s Xbox 360 is now the sales leader. According to the latest manufacturer-supplied - but not independently verified - figures, some 28m Xbox 360s have been sold globally, compared to around 16.8m PS3s. Koller added that movies can help to sell hardware.
He didn’t confirm what game and film Blu-ray Disc combos are in the works, but reportedly said that up to three such discs could be released in 2009. A potential price hasn’t been mentioned. ®
COMMENTS
Great Idea
What a bunch of naysayers! Even if one in one hundred games is any good or a keeper, so what? That still means you get ahead, a great game with a great movie. That's still better than if no game was ever offered. Then the developers will be encouraged to make an even better game with the next movie, so it will sell better and make him even more money next time. Can't you people accept that? Why so negative?
Yes, great idea, Sony.
Or would you actually like me, as someone who doesn't own a PS3, to buy your Blu-ray film releases? Because I'm not paying a fortune for content I can't use. I'm not even paying the same I previously did if the quality of the film transfer has to go down to make room for that unusable content.
Wii says hi ....
is like ford comparing its ford Ka sales with bmw and merc arguing over who sold the most high powered roadsters
360 and ps3 are heavy competitors
wii does not compare and is in a league of its own, has no direct competitors and is cheap.
I think this movie/game thing might yield a few good'uns, wait and see
Re:Wii says hi
Yes, but they are talking about sales of "next generation consoles", not re-hashed gamecubes with a funky controller.
@Ian
'The PS3 is dead, live with it'
I think you may be jumping the gun a little there mate. However when I see Sony come out with rubbish like this I do wonder how much time it has left.
It is a real shame as it is the technically superior console by far. They just didn't count on MS and their botomless pockets. They pushed the X Box out before it was properly tested (same old microsoft) and just bit the bullet when half of the first generation died on it's arse and replaced them. By doing so they reached the market well ahead of Sony and got the foothold.
They outright bribed developers where possible to develop exclusively for their machine and the limitations of the X-Box actually worked in their favour too- As they had the bigger market share from the start not many developers would want to develop exclusively for the PS3 (even if MS werent offerring them truckloads of cash), which means that very few of them have been pushing the envelope on what it can do. This means that the code library available to make future developments better doesnt grow much either. It is more profitable to develop a game on the X-Box and port it to the PS3, selling to both platforms, then develop a game that pushes the PS3 and not be able to port that to the X-Box.
Add to that Sony's total loss of the plot when it comes to marketing and it does start to look like it's days are numbered.
Is the PS3 the 21st century Betamax? By far the superior standard but out-marketed and destined for oblivion...
