I am so sick of the word 'FUD'. It's like the geek's version of the Paris Hilton

[jayselle]

Originally Posted by Ascended_Saiyan

What makes you think the Xbox 360 add-on will sell more than PS3 initially? Is it just because they sold out on Amazon? Do you think Amazon even had 100,000 units available for pre-order? Remember HD-DVD units use a blue laser diode as well. Quantities are limited and Sony has been hording there since the beginning of this year just to get about 1 to 2 million out this year. How many Xbox 360 add-on do you think they can make in this short amount of time?

Microsoft expects to have sold 10 million 360's by the end of 2006. Assuming only 5% buy the add-on then that is 500,000 HD-DVD drives. I would expect more than 5%. I think the pre-orders are around 100,000 - 250,000. Amazon initially sold out, but now is allowing more. Perhaps Microsoft geared up for higher production than initially anticipated.

Will this statistic hold true for the PS3. If only 5% are used for BD then only 50,000 of the 1 million are contributing to the BD movie sales. I imagine we will see around 500k-800k PS3's by end of 2006. Sales for the 360 are of course projected much higher than the PS3. How many folks will purchase the 360 and the add-on at the same time is unknown.

[dobyblue]

Originally Posted by jayselle

Will this statistic hold true for the PS3? If only 5% are used for BD then only 50,000 of the 1 million are contributing to the BD movie sales.

Hmm...I know at least 400,000 people in North America that will be watching at least one movie on Blu-ray.
The HD-DVD add-on, without HDMI, is pretty much shite. You have no idea what Amazon's pre-order numbers are, no idea at all.

[partridge]

Personally I would expect pretty much every PS3 owner to pick up a movie, why wouldn't they? Every PS3 can play them, and I expect X3 will be the title most of them pick up. I expect this title to break existing sales records for HD movies of both formats.

The flaws and issues with the 360 add on will soon appear when HDtv owners find they can't output a 1080p image using analogue connections, and can MS be absolutely sure that every potential owner has the latest firmware version? You need it to use the add on. On top of that, Peter Moore himself reported that units for the add on will be low due to the infancy of the HD movie market. It'll sell in good numbers I'm sure, but at a rate that outsells a brand new console? I'll believe it when I see it.

As for 10 million Xbox360's by the end of the year; MS were aiming for that, yes, but last I read they only had 7 million sales, are they really going to shift 3 million more in two months and during the launch windows of two new consoles? Forget it! MS will issue a press release with the usual spin explaining why they didn't hit their target.

The Xbox360, like the Xbox, has it's hardcore fans, but MS have yet to crack the mass market despite a years head start. They conceded that their 1st party games have been too thin on the ground and have hardly been triple A either. Gears of War is the big Christmas game, and surprise surprise it's another first person shooter. Yeah, an unknown franchise is bound to increase sales...

If anything, from this month onward sales of the 360 will slow as consumers have 2 more consoles to choose from. MS have had their year long window and have failed to capitalise on it.

It's now down to Sony to do a better job over the first few months for PS3 than MS did with the 360.

[jayselle]

Why wouldn't every PS3 owner buy Blu-ray? How many PS3's will be hooked up to home theaters or HDTV's? Our niche, home theater, typically does not rely on game consoles for movie playback.

The demographic of the PS3 does not match the demographic of home theater enthusiast or of those with HDTV's. BD is more expensive than DVD. The PS3 only comes with composite cables. So now John Q Kid has to buy a HDMI or component cables that run $70-$100 at your nearest Best Buy assuming Kid has a HDTV.

The PS3's lack of an infrared port will also detract a lot of home theater enthusiast looking for a cheaper solution.

Flaws with the MS HD-DVD add-on? Jumping the gun aren't you? You have no idea. The PS3 could have flaws. I am willing to bet in a blind test you couldn't tell the difference between component and HDMI. I can tell on one of my displays that HDMI is better, however, I have to get close and really analyze it.

You're right. I don't know Amazon's total number. Just sales rank. But MS did say they would have 100,000 to 250,000 units.

Keep in mind the studios chose their format before sales begun. Many chose BD because of "increased" DRM. There is talk of a couple jumping ship in early 2007 depending on if the Sony promised PS3 will be a catch all. Disney in particular seems ready to come over to HD-DVD.

I'm not trying to spread "FUD" or be a "fanboy". I am just trying to bring another point of view.

Game developers are calling the systems equal. The PS3 does have higher processing power but less memory than the 360. The PS3 and 360 can and will survive together and there are some games are console exclusive. I would expect Halo 3 to surge 360 sales again.

[partridge]

Originally Posted by jayselle

Why wouldn't every PS3 owner buy Blu-ray? How many PS3's will be hooked up to home theaters or HDTV's? Our niche, home theater, typically does not rely on game consoles for movie playback.

The demographic of the PS3 does not match the demographic of home theater enthusiast or of those with HDTV's.

I disagree with you there, it's my view - based on visits to a number of forums - that the modern gamer is far more up to speed with AV than they were last time around. They know they need decent screens and sound systems to enjoy these new consoles. I'd say I'm a gamer first and AV enthusiast second, but these days the two are inseparable. MS themselves carried out a survey that showed over 90% of 360 buyers - at launch - already had an HDtv to connect it to. Why won't the same be true for PS3? I believe it will be even higher as HDtv's are selling in greater numbers than ever before.

Also, the demographics for PlayStation, since PS2 arrived, are gamers in their 20's and up - they can afford an HDtv & HDMI cable! You must be thinking of Nintendo? Maybe that's why their console doesn't support HD?

I can buy an HDMI cable in Britain for around £25, that's less than $50, and yes it's a quality make.

The flaws with the add on? Most sets won't accept 1080p via analogue, there's one. It won't work once ICT comes into play, there's two. HDMI is, I believe, required for true HD audio, there's three.

Look, it's all up to the individual but I'd rather have a complete all in one package than a "make it up as they go" Xbox360.

[jayselle]

Originally Posted by partridge

I disagree with you there, it's my view - based on visits to a number of forums - that the modern gamer is far more up to speed with AV than they were last time around. They know they need decent screens and sound systems to enjoy these new consoles. I'd say I'm a gamer first and AV enthusiast second, but these days the two are inseparable. MS themselves carried out a survey that showed over 90% of 360 buyers - at launch - already had an HDtv to connect it to. Why won't the same be true for PS3? I believe it will be even higher as HDtv's are selling in greater numbers than ever before.

Also, the demographics for PlayStation, since PS2 arrived, are gamers in their 20's and up - they can afford an HDtv & HDMI cable! You must be thinking of Nintendo? Maybe that's why their console doesn't support HD?

I can buy an HDMI cable in Britain for around £25, that's less than $50, and yes it's a quality make.

The flaws with the add on? Most sets won't accept 1080p via analogue, there's one. It won't work once ICT comes into play, there's two. HDMI is, I believe, required for true HD audio, there's three.

Look, it's all up to the individual but I'd rather have a complete all in one package than a "make it up as they go" Xbox360.

I would say you are correct that most gamers getting a PS3 are aware of HDTV. Most would probably like to have a 70" 1080p HDTV. Most do not have the means. Most children (18 and under) receiving this most likely will not have a HDTV. The remaining demographic (18-25) stereotypically does not have the luxury of HDTV and home theater.

There's no doubt the PS3 has the upper hand with HDMI and better audio support. But keep in mind, it's a gaming console first. To take full advantage of this you will need an expensive receiver as well (for TrueHD). The 360 support TrueHD but it's down mixed to Dolby 5.1.

I just can't see the PS3 being the end all be all for BD. It will have an impact, but not to the degree that every PS3 owner will rush out to buy blu-ray.

[theknub]

Originally Posted by jayselle

You're right. I don't know Amazon's total number. Just sales rank. But MS did say they would have 100,000 to 250,000 units.

they also said they'd sell 12-15 million units by december of this year. however, they're sitting on about 6 million sales worldwide...

[Monkey]

Bill Gates guaranteed 10 million in homes by the time the PS3 launched