PS3 - Harisson Makes Case For Blu-Ray

PS3 News by Lyndon M STAFF 1116 days ago

In an interview with gameindustry.biz Phil Harisson, Sony Worldwide Studio boss, says launch games for the PS3 are already coming up to the 25 GB limit of Blu-Ray discs.

¨Already, at our launch titles, we´re getting up close to the 25GB limit that we have on our Blu-Ray discs this year,¨ he claimed. ¨Next year we´ll raise that to 50GB, and I´d expect that we�ll be getting close to that in the fairly near future as well.¨

This interview was in response to allegations that Sony put Blu-Ray in the PS3 for the sole purpose of pushing their format in the battle against Microsoft´s HD-DVD.

¨It´s got nothing to do with movies,¨ he responded. ¨DVD is not sufficient capacity to power the kind of data consumption, or to feed the data consumption needs of Cell and RSX - just purely as a gameplay device, we need Blu-Ray to supply the kind of data that PS3 games use.¨

He also responded to questions about the additional space being used simply for providing more high-def movie sequences and filling the discs with non-interactive content, both for movies and games.

¨It´s not just about graphics,¨ he said. ¨It´s about 7.1 audio, it´s about speech, it�s about having up to 1080p movies built into the game; it´s high res textures, it´s animation, it´s everything that goes into making a very rich and varied next-gen experience. Partly it´s visual, partly it´s sound, and partially it´ll be down to gameplay benefits as well - more levels, more detail, richer experiences.¨

He did defend the right to use some rendered video, saying ¨I see nothing wrong with having non-interactive, full HD sequences as part of the game. That´s all part of the production value and the experience that you get when you buy the game. I don´t see that as a weakness at all.¨

Sony has faced an upward battle with production delays and higher costs being blamed on the new Blu-Ray format as well as the moving of the UK/ European PS3 launch to March 2007 from the original November 2006. They also caught some fire from Microsoft, who decided to make their HD-DVD drive an optional accessory, saying Sony wasn´t giving consumers a choice. One thing to keep in mind, however, is HD-DVD will only be for movies and not be accessible for games.

Harisson acknowledges that not all games will fill the disc but still claims the standard will be vital in upcoming years. ¨Not every game is going to fill 25 or 50GB,¨ he said. ¨I completely accept that - but there will be games that require that this year, and will push that further in years to come.¨

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