Gaming

Gaming
When it comes to gaming, Blu-ray takes you to another level. Gaming has been changed forever by Blu-ray technology. Find life-like experiences and unbelievable visuals with gaming on Blu-ray.
HD imaging, internet broadband and the capabilities of Blu-ray Disc have excited games developers. Games are becoming more like a cinema experience, and the PS3 allows games developers to represent feelings, sentiments and drama as never before.

The new generation of gaming is here in the form of Blu-ray. Blu-ray takes gaming to a new level of success. It is widely believed that Blu-ray will exert an influence over all of the gaming world which has been has been created by Blu-ray gaming technology.
Throw yourself into astonishing life-like experiences, amazing visual stimulation and personal interactivity. The capabilities of Blu-ray games developers to use High Definition images amongst other new technology will substantially better the whole gaming experience.

The PS3 allows games developers to accurately represent drama and emotion like never before. Gaming is becoming more entwined with cinema which has created a new digital art form. Using motion capture technology games developers are able to work with actors to show facial detail and accurate body movements which provides for an altogether better gaming experience.

Games on the Blu-ray PS3 will connect us to drama and intrigue more deeply than we have ever known in gaming.

Games Consoles

Although there is currently only one games console which contains a Blu-ray compatible drive, more are planned.

The Sony PS3 comes with Blu-ray playback and sometimes with a free Blu-ray movie as well! It is an excellent Blu-ray player with quicker loading compared to the less powerful standalone Blu-ray players, and the operation is fairly quiet.

Currently, the Sony PlayStation 3™ (PS3) is produced with Blu-ray playback as standard, and often comes with a free Blu-ray movie to get you started. The console itself loads much more quickly compared to some of the less powerful standalone Blu-ray players. It also operates quietly and is widely viewed as an excellent Blu-ray player despite it being a games console in the first instance! The PS3 also has DVD upscaling ability, which is also of excellent quality. The DVD upscaling is not as good as top end upscalers which use the specialised Reon VX chipset. To make full use of the PS3 as a Blu-ray player, it is important to buy the PS3 Blu-ray remote control. This will ensure you get an optimum viewing experience compared to using the standard PS3 wireless controller.

The PS3 also offers DVD upscaling to an excellent quality, although there are better upscalers on the market which use the Reon VX chipset. It is also important to ensure you purchase separately the PS3 Blu-ray remote (the official one), which will make your Blu-ray experience much better.

The issues we have outlined here including software profiles and loading speed are important to your whole Blu-ray experience, so decide which of these criteria are most important to you before deciding which Blu-ray player to choose.

When deciding whether to buy a PS3 or a standalone Blu-ray player, it is important to weigh up the issues regarding the software installed on the players, and the speed with which it loads discs. Obviously, if playing games is your main interest over Blu-ray, then the PS3 will obviously appeal more to you.

Computer Based Players
Recently, some new laptops and PCs are being sold with a pre-installed Blu-ray drive so you can enjoy Blu-ray movies on your PC or laptop.

The newer Sony Vaio laptops come with pre-installed Blu-ray drives, although Dell has now released a number of laptops with Blu-ray drives. Most of the large computer manufacturers are now allowing or will soon allow customers to install a Blu-ray drive to new computer systems. If you are a bit more hands on and wish to build your own computer, you can now buy a separate Blu-ray drive. Companies such as Sony, Pioneer, Asus and Lite-on are selling Blu-ray drives, and there are also dual format drives available from LG.

It is definitely worth noting that computer based Blu-ray players are quite resource hungry, and therefore there are some hardware requirements. Your computer will need plenty of RAM, and fast processor and a HDCP enabled graphics card and monitor. There is also some reliable Blu-ray software for your computer, of which WinDVD 9 Plus Blu-ray from Corel, PowerDVD Ultra from Cyberlink, and Arcsoft Totalmedia Theatre are probably the most reliable and least likely to crash! There is currently no appropriate software for Blu-ray on Macs, yet.

There are now more PCs and laptops than ever before on the market which have a Blu-ray drive pre-installed. The Sony Vaio and Dell XPS laptops both have pre-installed Blu-ray drives. Most large PC manufacturers will now allow you to add a Blu-ray drive to new computer systems. If you’re technically minded, you can also build your own by buying a Blu-ray drive. Drives are available from Asus/Lite-on/Pioneer and Sony, and LG are currently offering dual format drives.

Computer based playback has some strict hardware requirements, including a fast CPU, lots of RAM and a HDCP enabled graphics card and monitor. Currently, PowerDVD Ultra from Cyberlink, WinDVD 9 Plus Blu-ray from Corel and Arcsoft Totalmedia Theatre are the players of choice available for PCs.