The PS5 now has a release date, and while the late 2020 timing isn't surprising, the announcement was accompanied by some information on hardware capabilities that we hadn't heard before; namely that the PS5 will have a 4K Blu-ray drive built into the disc drive.
Because it is important? Well, if you tend to use your home console for 4K DVDs or Blu-ray discs, the best way to watch a movie in high quality without relying on your protected internet connection, you will know the correct way to play it. advantage of not having to. Buy a 4K Blu-ray player separately, which today has a shorter supply as many of us prioritize the content available through TV streaming services.
But there is a bigger problem over time when game console makers like Microsoft and Sony will continue to support disc formats.
Blu-ray or highway
Christopher Nolan wants you to see Dunkirk on Blu-ray
(Image credit: Syncopy Inc)
Sony has greatly favored Blu-ray discs by including a Blu-ray player on the PS3, which is considered critical to the success of the format. And for moviegoers, Blu-ray discs offer higher viewing quality than streaming online, with filmmaker Christopher Nolan openly choosing the format over Netflix.
But Microsoft has managed to move forward with the Xbox One S with an Ultra HD Blu-ray drive, putting the PlayStation 4's continuous HD player to shame. When the PS4 Pro came out in 2016, we were quite surprised by Sony's decision not to include the same, especially for an explicitly premium console.
But recently, Sony has often lagged behind Microsoft in this regard. Although the Xbox One X offers native 4K resolution for gaming, the PS4 Pro can only switch to high-end HD games for 4K effect. As video quality becomes more important to viewers and 4K televisions continue to appear in the home, not being able to support 4K games and 4K Blu-ray discs could have been a major problem for a console that expects, and needs, to be. a home entertainment center and gaming machines.
The higher sales of the current PlayStation testify to the strength of the PS4 games available, even without the support of the format, but Sony has only been able to resist this feature for a long time.
Disc death
Xbox One S All Digital Edition
(Image credit: LaComparacion)
With the emergence of streaming platforms such as Google Stadia, which even allows you to access AAA games from mobile devices, tablets, and browsers, and increase the number of games purchased and read via digital download, the appetite for the modest disc decreases more and more. .
Microsoft has already crossed this trend with the All Digital Xbox One S, delivered without a disc drive. Game discs and personal movies are now out of the question on a futuristic console. As long as the rumor persists, only one Xbox Two model is streaming. I could do the same. Sony is pushing PlayStation Now too, with a recent price cut that should allow the video game streaming service to further escalate in gamers' lives.
Hence, the PS5 disc player is a relief for those of us who have a late catalog of DVD and Blu-ray discs. We want a way to play without using old hardware, and the current generation of consoles will soon have that.
The PS5's support for 4K Blu-ray seems a bit late, given its lack on the last two PlayStation consoles, but, just as the PS3 has put Blu-ray discs on the map, the PS5 could retain disc formats. high quality. Living for a little longer