Posted by RobertVA on 08/09/06 21:23

AirRaid wrote:
> another article on the subject
>
> http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=3664
>
>
> Sony Says Disc Drive for PlayStation 4 Unlikely
>
> August 4, 2006 2:10 PM
>
>
> No discs for PS4
>
> When it comes to disc technology in the next-generation console market,
> Sony is making a Blu-ray drive standard on both the $499 and $599
> versions of its PS3, whereas Microsoft has decided to play it safe by
> using traditional DVD-9 media with its XBOX 360. While many like to
> point to a "Blu-ray vs HD DVD" battle in the console arena, one
> must take into account that no XBOX 360 games will use HD DVD media and
> the HD DVD drive will be an optional, external USB unit aimed at
> playing back high-definition movies. Microsoft has also stated that it
> has no plans to offer an XBOX 360 with an integrated HD DVD drive. With
> that being said, even though Sony's PlayStation 3 has yet to hit store
> shelves, Sony is already talking about its successor. Sony's Phil
> Harrison believes that the PlayStation 4 will forgo discs altogether.
>
> With the rising popularity of using an online marketplace to download
> games, additional game content, demos and movie trailers, many are
> questioning the need for physical media in the future. "I'd be
> amazed if the PlayStation 4 has a physical disc drive," said Harrison
> to Wired Magazine. While the market may not be quite to the point where
> a 100% digital distribution model would be feasible for console gamers,
> it may be ripe for the picking when the PlayStation 4 is released.
>
> Looking at the PS2, it has been on the market for 6 years. Both NVIDIA
> and Sony have stated that the PS3 will have a shelf life of 10 years --
> that pushes us to 2016 for PS4. Perhaps by 2016, large-scale digital
> distribution of game and movie content and high-speed Internet
> connections will be at a point where such a model would be feasible for
> a home console.

With the current and past consoles the dealers aren't marking the
console's price up because they are able to make their money selling
software, memory cards, controllers and other add ons. A lot of their
profit is in software sales. I wonder how the manufacturers would
persuade dealers to sell the consoles while planning to cut them out of
the software distribution chain.

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