ps3 would be 2nd place, and HD-DVD would be the standard.

Hell, I would have a ps3.

i concur.

sony in 2nd place, be only losin’ a few hundred millions instead of more than a billion and HD DVD woulda won.

recession also is not helping sony...

neither is makin’ their console practically a damn PC

  i think sony woulda fare better if they had gone M$ way --> Blu Ray optional <<as already mentioned, i just noticed>>

EDIT:

I want reiterate that I meant 2nd place as in going toe to toe w/ Nintendo.

Most likely only behind by roughly 5-8 millions, IMO.

I guess we’ll never know..

It would have launched much cheaper and be first place by a mile now

I agree with this post. Sony really got what it wanted out of Blu-ray. It hasn't got anything out of the Cell. Prices may not be quite that low, but they still would be much more competitive.

I need to clear one thing up, Sony don't own Blu-ray,  Blu-ray is own  by 19 or so companys.

Im 100% sure if sony released the PS3 with just a DVD drive at a low cost it would be selling nearer 35+ million units to date and xbox 360 be like 15 million.  As all the PS2 owners would of got a PS3 instead of a Xbox.

where would all the $ spent on R&D for blu-ray have gone to (money hatting i would assume)? or would be see add-on style blu-ray for the ps3?

Assuming PS3 launched with only DVD then I assume add-on.  Given the likely uptake for a much cheaper PS3 early on, you do wonder whether a core unti with DVD and BR as an add-on wouldn't have enabled them to get both much higher PS3 sales and help BR (although not as much as with it mandatory I guess).

I do kind of admire Sony for taking such a flat out crazy risk as sticking BR in PS3 as standard, even though its surely cost them 10 Million plus PS3 sales so far (if not more) and enabled 360 to gain enough traction and install base to remain firmly in 2nd place.

Then MGS4 would not exist... remember, MGS4 is not possible w/o th3 blu ray powah!!!!

What happens to all the games that have been published in Blu Ray?

PS3 would sell A LOT more, especially due to the increased momentum in the beginning. 360 would be doing considerably worse. Wii could possibly have still been leading but with a much smaller margin against ps3.

The increase in demand on ps3 would not only decrease the demand on 360 but also wii, because many casual users who dont buy a ps3 for its hefty price and just dont trust ms or xbox as a brand end up buying a wii. Also if more had bought ps3 in the first place, "wii awareness" would be much smaller, and the ps3 could have even rivalled the wii for the first place!