Spec speculation on new system - $300 limit though, perhaps even $200.

[Squilliam]

gumby_trucker said:

Squilliam said:

Blu Ray or equivalent is a must at this point. It isn't because they couldn't live with a DVD sized disc for one more generation as much as they need a media which can stream faster than 12MB/S without sounding like an angle grinder in the process.

The reason why Blu Ray are more expensive is because you need to pay not only for the physical drive but also for the right to play back Blu Ray movies, likely DVD movies as well and for the increased markup passed along the chain. The physical drives won't cost significantly more than physical DVD drives especially if they decide to save ~$15 and not play back movies with it.

are you sure of this?

bluray drives definitely have more components than DVD drives seeing as you need two sets of lasers, optics and actuators for compatibility with DVDs...

I agree with you that a better storage medium is very much needed. Not only for the increased space, but also in order to have better protection from piracy, which is something bluray can offer.

I'm just not 100% certain of it yet, seeing as the other components in this system are already rumored to be expensive as it is... I'm thinking Nintendo may surprise us with a different custom-format that is cheaper and also compatible with DVD, if such a thing is feasible.

Well I said it wouldn't cost significantly more when the royalty costs were removed from consideration. They would save some money if they chose not to have backwards compatibility with the Gamecube. As for the rest of the components the only major increase in cost is likely the I.P. of the components rather than the actual cost of the machine. Infact I would bet real money that the NES 6 will cost less to manufacture than the PS3 when it is released, controllers inclusive.