PlayStation 3 won't help Blu-ray in HD war

Many console owners don't use them for watching DVDs or movie downloads. Lots of them don't even know you can even do those things...

Sony's PlayStation 3 console will not have any effect on the final outcome of the high-definition disc battle between Blu-ray and HD DVD . New research shows that of the 80 per cent of US households which own a games console, only 13 per cent actually use it to watch movies.

Many console-owners are not even aware that their games machine can play DVD movies.

"Today's next-generation games consoles such as the Xbox 360 or Sony PS3 are true digital multimedia powerhouses," commented Dale Gilliam III, director of primary research and author of the report at The Diffusion Group .

"Yet very few of these devices are connected to the internet. And even though these same platforms may feature a high-definition DVD playback system, very few consumers are using them for non-gaming media applications," he said.

Bad news for Blu-ray

This is not at all the kind of news that the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) wanted to hear. It's hoping that the PlayStation 3's Blu-ray functionality will be enough to give it the edge in the HD war against the HD DVD camp.

But if the Diffusion Group's research is to be believed, games consoles are rarely used for watching movies anyway. And so the PS3 is unlikely to have much of an impact on the high definition disc format war. Exactly the news that the HD DVD camp wants to hear.

James Rivington

James was part of the TechRadar editorial team for eight years up until 2015 and now works in a senior position for TR's parent company Future. An experienced Content Director with a demonstrated history of working in the media production industry. Skilled in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), E-commerce Optimization, Journalism, Digital Marketing, and Social Media. James can do it all.