PlayStation 3 sales keeping Blu-ray going

Consumers reluctant to purchase expensive standalone player

5 August 2008 13:57 GMT / By Verity Burns

It seems PlayStation 3's support of Blu-ray could be what is keeping the format going, according to a study by ABI Research.

The survey revealed that consumers are reluctant to buy standalone Blu-ray players due to high costs. In fact, more than half of those surveyed have no plans to buy a Blu-ray in the near future, with only 23 people considering it, but not until 2009.

However, it seems strong sales of the PlayStation 3 are keeping Blu-ray going, with 87% of PS3 owners watching Blu-ray movies, according to an earlier report from the Entertainment Merchants Association.

It seems that people see it as a better investment to fork out the cash for a PS3 with both gaming and Blu-ray compatibility than to bother with a standalone player, some of which cost more than the PS3.

Sony has admitted that it loses money on every PS3 sold due to the selling below its production cost. The inclusion of the Blu-ray player has to be a huge part of this if standalones can barely compete with its price...

If you've been following CNET's Blu-ray coverage, it shouldn't be shocking that standalones are struggling. The PS3 holds the top spot on our best Blu-ray players list, and every time we review a new Blu-ray player we use the PS3 as our reference. It's the best Blu-ray player we've tested so far, plus you get a high-def gaming console and a well-featured media streamer for $400. Yes, there are a few reasons why you may not want to use a PS3 as your Blu-ray player, but for the vast majority of people the PS3 is just a better value. And with standalone players at current price levels, it seems like consumers agree with us.

Full tags

Gaming, PS3, Blu-ray, Games industry, Sony