JamieG Analysis

In Jan this year, I posted to some blogs that I expected Blu-Ray on the Xbox360 before the end of the year.  I like making predictions especially when they come true as my June post on Blu-Ray winning, and now Xbox-going Blue-ray. See this article about rumours of Blu-Ray for the Xbox.

Still, I want to follow up the “Xbox going Blu-Ray” perditions with my reasons why.

Over Christmas, I actually got a Xbox360 and PS3 from two different friends. (I am not willing to buy them. I have no need, I do not play games and I use XBMC the best of the early Media centres), and put them through there paces.

Personally I think the PS3 is a far better device all round apart from Sony near incompetent handling of the product.  The interface is more elegant and I found it much more of a pleasure to use.  It was QUIETER but did produce too much heat. (The Xbox360 is far too loud and hot for an always on home media centre device).  A major issue is that it does not come with a media remote control like the Xbox. This is probably a major reason why a large percentage of owners do not even know it is a Blu-Ray player.

The Xbox, may have a few draw backs from the PS3, however, they are small.  It comes with a media remote, as such gives it the impression to the consumer that it is also a media device/DVD player. The games on the Xbox have it all over the PS3.

To get to the point, nice as the PS3 is, it has LOST the game console war.  The Xbox is simply too dominant and liked by the game development community.  It will always have games just as good as the PS3 and a lot more of them.

Still, the PS3 does have a few cards up it’s sleeve.  The major one BLU-RAY.  And blu ray has just definitively won the way as Toshiba have announced they have stopped all production and push for HD-DVD.  

Considering all this, if you where Microsoft, what is the killing blow for PS3.

BLU-Ray as standard (And addon) in all Xbox360 before End Year.  Once this has happened, Sony will be in a position of even considering dropping the PS3 completely.  The investment compared to potential return will be devastated.  It may be time to pull out for them.

Their only hope is to try and turn the PS3 into more than a Games console.  This has started with a Digital-HD-Set-Top-Box with DVR addon which has recently been released.  Microsoft cannot enter this market as it would cannibalise the MediaCentre market they have spent so much money on.

If they then added the functionality to make to an Open Internet-TV-Platform.  It’s starting to look like a very sweet media device for the living room.

The problem here is that Sony may hesitate as it jumps over many potential business models to try and own the consumer and make them use your gateways to access content.  Such as Apple/AppleTV and Microsoft with MediaCentre/Xbox-Xbox-live.

But really, they are so far behind on that, to get any tractions, they have to give consumers tools that make these business ideas obsolete.  Open systems, Open access. Producer to consumer devices based on open standards.

I am afraid I cannot say either way if Sony will do this.  Traditionally, I would say. “No-Way”.  However, Sony are so far behind, if they want to ever become dominant again in these areas, they will have to make some uncharacteristic decisions.  Let’s hope.