Cartridges or optical discs?

[dharh]

Pemalite said:

dharh said:

This link from reddit is the best I can do as far is corroborating why PS4 doesn't play CDs being a software issue and not a hardware/laser issue.  It'd be way too time consuming explaining laser tech and providing proof that blu-ray lasers are perfectly capable of reading CD-DA disc data if the software was there.

Well. Reddit isn't evidence which is the sad reality.

BDROM and DVD/CD operate at different wavelengths and the Bluray specification doesn't gaurentee backwards compatability.
I know Sony promised to look at adding the feature when the console launched, but it has pretty much been silent on the issue, if there is a hardware limitation, then that would explain allot.

Certainly Reddit is no actual evidence.

I did have more free time to look stuff up and found this iFixit breakdown that also mentions that this is a software issue.

Blu-Ray drives that can play DVD/CD have two laser assemblies.  One for Blu-Ray and one for DVD/CD.  The PS4 also has both of these laser assemblies.  We know this from actually looking at the laser lenses inside the drive and the fact that it can play DVDs.

It also appears thre are newer single laser assemblies that can do both red and blue lasers.  I think this is what the PS4 slim and PS4 pro are using.