You took the words right out of my mouth.

And remember Blu-ray isn't only used for games but also won the format war against HD-DVDs in the movie sector. As long as prices of Blu-ray players will keep as high as they are at the moment people will more and more become attracted to PS3 because of its multifunctionality.

With PS3 becoming cheaper in the future Blu-ray will definitely replace DVDs. But such a process just needs some time.

Hey KGB, you might want to update your sig. Specifically numbers 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7.

8 Reasons why PS3 will win 08 and Beyond

1. Blu-ray will become the only HD movie format, PS3 will be the cheapest 2.0 player. (CHECK)
2. PS3 will drop to 349/449 by may, then again to 299/399 by november.
3. PSN will become Democrat, to the iTunes Repubilcan or visa versa.
4. PSN will rival or surpass Xbox live with the launch of Home.
5. GT5, Getaway, KZ 2, LBP, MS2, RFOM 2, Socom, White Knight, Infamous, MLB 08, 1st party exclusives.
6. MGS4, Haze, Heavy Rain, Tekken 6, LA Noire,Yakuza, FFXIII (Japan) 3rd Party exclusives.
7. Better on PS3, Name brand GTA4, DMC4, Madden 09, Fifa/PES 09 3rd party.
8. HDTV's below $400, FW updates (IPTV, PS2 Emulation, In Game XMB, more..).

Is Blu-ray the future of gaming? Not to me it isn't.

nope downloads will be

I severely doubt the next Wii will use Blu Ray. In fact given that the current Wii doesn't use actual DVD I am 95% certain that the next Wii will not use Blu Ray. So no blu ray is not the future of gaming since the console made by the market leader going into the next generation will not use Blu Ray.

@tuoyo:

Good point, actually.

But where from do you know that the next console of Nintendo will again be such a huge success as the Wii? Just look at Sony. PS2 sold more than 125 mill. units according to this site. Now just compare it to PS3 sales.

You and other people can keep saying that but itll never be more main stream than physical media. For one, parents buy the games the most for their kids, its simpler for them to go to a store and pick it up. People like to hold onto and touch something real that they purchase and can keep to display as a collection. Another, bandwidth cap and not everybody has high speed internet or can afford them. itll take them much longer to finish downloading the game then to just go to a local electronics store, etc.  Unless those that prefer digital downloads are either fat and/or lazy people that cant get off their couches then i can see where that point is going.

Hmmm not sure.

Blu Ray is extremely expensive to license and in 4 years there will be alternatives particularly if you arent bothered about distributing High Def films which will almost certainly still be Blu Ray based for physical media.

I think some resurgence of HD DVD could come about.

The tech already exists and is much cheaper to produce than Blu Ray and the read speeds are improved. Factor in that the DVD factories can be retooled to push the format readily and the only downside is the non scratch proof surface and reduced capacity.

Of course if Blu Ray becomes more mainstream and is finally adopted by the public as a viable alternative to DVD then this may force the console makers hands.

If that comes to pass then I whole heartedly agree with akuma587

BR will be the cheapest option for the next gen IMO since it will have a decent userbase and there is plenty of BR players out there already. The market might not take it too lightly to switch again. Also, there is no need for a new format, since the new BR discs will be able to hold more then 50gig as shown in some articles on N4G.

I dont think DD will go down to well, since having a physical disc in ur hand allows you to trade it in at local games shop this helps with the purchase of a new game, it allows gamers to swap games with friends and play games at each others houses. On DD, these things will stop to exist, games boutiques will lose their business, complications will arise when your console's HDD is filled and you need more memory. The second hand market will stop to seize to exist and this will be a big blow to all gamers. e.g. if I am not sure on a game, or it is not a triple A title, I will not buy it at full price, I will pick up a second hand copy. This won't be possible with DD.

If games this gen already are taking up almost 40/50 gig, can you imagin how much space games will take on the next gen? Given the fact that many countries still do not have great connectivity or suffer from slow broadband, it will be a major gamble for all game Publishers as well as the likes of Sony, MS and Nintendo since they will potentially be alienating a large group of gamers.

There are more questions then answers with DD and at present, BR seems to be the cheapest and best medium to launch future games on, especially considering the growth in BR sales and BR players as well as cheaper production costs as time goes on. It is only feasible to make this assumption.

Sony & MS will have Blu-Ray next gen.
Nintendo will not.

Downloads will play a bigger part, but will not replace physical media next generation.