comes out of this generation with enough money to make a PS4, continuing to make Blu Ray if they haven't caught on by then would be a bad business decision. The media format for a PS3 successor can't be Blu Ray, and if it isn't Blu Ray, that means no backwards compatibility with PS3 games.

I think judging by recent sales, people want both formats. Blu-ray, however, will have the edge, because it will have the great name Playstation, behind it. I know, I'm starting to sound like a damned commercial (I hate commercials).

that when Sony created the PS2, they basically crippled the games by using the less efficient DVD-5, whereas MS went with the higher capacity DVD-9. So you are actually thanking Sony for giving you less storage capacity while charging you the same money as an XBox?? Also for a system with inferior graphics to the XBox, and again, like the PS3, that gives developers fits to code for?? And that went through 13 different laser units before they found one that works near the end of it's life?? Oh, yes, you Sony fanboys just have so much to be thankful for. (hmmm...that reminds me, I still haven't seen a copy of the official memo from Sony admitting that first gen Playstations run hot and self destruct)

You can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs. And the frying pan can get hot, but man, what an omelette! Oh! and the end justifies the means. The thing is, PS2 still ended up kickin XBOX ass. What does that say about XBOX?

Xbox was ms first console, and it released a year later. trying to prove themselves and playing catch-up. NOT trying to shove an unwanted format down our throats...also I remember a quote from a sony exec "I don't see the ps4 having a phsical drive at all" sounds like confidence to me.

Congratulations. You are officially a commercial and an official Sony talking-head spokesperson.

You keep trying to draw parallels between last gen and this gen. Why did PS2 beat out Xbox? Maybe it was the 10,000,000 unit head start PS2 had. Wait, isn't the 360 going to have a comparable lead by the end of this year? Oh...the 360 HAS to win. Or maybe not. If you want to draw another parallel, maybe the third console, ala Nintendo, will tank hard. Your arguments have no real validity.

What was the second competing format with DVD back when the PS2 came out? What was that? Nothing? So you are saying that the DVD was a gigantic leap above VHS? Because you didn't have to rewind a DVD before you took it back to the rental store? And the picture quality was incredible and never faded? And you could pick where you wanted to start? What are the big advantages of Blu-Ray or HD-DVD over DVD? Higher picture quality but not the jump that DVD had over VHS. There is an internet connectivity thing, if anybody uses it. Oh, and you can navigate while the movie is playing. I have a PS3 and my wife doesn't even know that it isn't DVD. My wife is the average consumer, not a Sony zealot, HD lover such as yourself. And when the average consumer sees a Blu-Ray player for $900, an HD-DVD plaer for $500, or a PS3 for $600(but that is a game machine)...and then they turn around and see a DVD player for $80... what do you think they are going to buy?

I am an early adopter. I have my PS3 and Blu-Ray movies, but I am not the norm. Another good example is UMDs. I bought about 5 UMD movies for my PSP before I realized I had all of the exact same movies on DVD. Why would I pay almost the same amount for something I could only play on one device? Use your head and realize that Sony and its propietary formats are almost doomed to failure, because you can only use most of their formats with just their devices.

You have one bubble left. Use it wisely.

I wanted to respond to Master of Menace too. But he is just too diluted for it to matter much.

Yes PS2s helped out the DVD market. At the time there was a noticble advantage of upgrading to DVD as a medium for their movies.

Bluray and HD-DVD are in a different position than DVDs. The consumer market is NOT tech savvy. They do not own HDTVs yet, many who do don't even have HD television service (just assume its in HD since it's on an HDTV).

VHS had been around a long time and been dominant in the market and people were looking for a replacement, with CLEAR advantages.

DVD is in it's prime. Most consumers just in the past few years jumped on to dvd. They do not want to upgrade their movie collection again.

Bluray AND HDDVD will go the way of Laserdisc. They will have a niche market, but will not become the new standard format.