Why PS3’s Blu-ray Player Might Be Worth It

Why is the Blu-ray player on the PS3 important? This question has been addressed again and again; it even echoes a similar question asked ages ago about the PS2 and its DVD player. I’ve defended the PS3 before, although I don’t own one, though I will in the future (if I can ever afford it), but that’s irrelevant. Let’s ignore the PS3 for a minute and just look at the bonus of having a Blu-ray player included. Anime fans, pay attention.

If Blu-ray is successful and does take the place of DVD (and it does seem that way right now), DVD will soon be going the way of VHS and cassette tapes. If you like watching movies at home, then you’re eventually going to need a Blu-ray player. Especially if you want to watch movies that are coming out, the straight from theaters to video movies. But, on the bright side, you can take solace in the fact that Blu-ray players do play DVDs.

If you own special edition movies or have a favorite series on DVD, you know the hassle and cost of owning multiple DVDs for one movie set. DVD box-sets can run from $40-60 or more, depending on the number of DVDs. With Blu-ray’s capacity, you may end up paying more per disc but hopefully for less of them and have more content.

The cost of multiple DVDs is a big factor if you’re an anime fan, and even more so if you’re into a series that runs hundreds of episodes long. This brings me to my third point. Anime and gaming for many of the geek-elite go hand-in-hand, and when anime went to DVD it was huge. Fans no longer had to choose between the subtitled or dubbed versions, and they also got more episodes on DVD than on VHS tape. DVD takes up less shelf space than VHS, but it still puts a dent in your wallet when you buy multiple discs, though box-sets do cut some of the cost.

One of the biggest anime companies has already begun to convert to Blu-ray, with many more likely to follow. If you’re a fan and want to legally keep watching anime, then you’ll likely need a Blu-ray player. Better picture and sound quality aside, you’ll likely pay for fewer discs in the long run, especially if you’re a fan of a series with episodes in the hundreds like Dragonball, Bleach, Inuyasha, or Naruto. Personally I would like to get One Piece, but considering the show is up to 370 episodes long and still going in Japan, I think I’ll wait for the Blu-ray sets to come out. Of course, this all depends on how many episodes they’ll give us on one disc. And for the record, I prefer giant robots to both ninjas and pirates.

Given that a Blu-ray player can go currently for $200-900, the PS3 may be a worthwhile investment. Like the PS2 and DVDs, the PS3 provides a means to deal with this latest bump in the home video road while enabling you to enjoy a new generation of games. At least until the next format and console wars.