Sony is marketing around console's advanced features by offering PlayStation 3 hybrid game/movie Blu-ray Discs later this year.
"We are actively pushing, and the way that we see the future is that the movie and the game are placed on the same disc," said John Koller, director of hardware marketing for the PS3, according to a report published online on
Videobusiness.com. "There are a lot of developers who say, we have this game based on a movie, wouldn?t it be great to marry these concepts? We will definitely see this stuff this year."
The concept of offering hybrid optical discs was there even before the so-called "format war" came to an end. Back then, the idea was to offer a HD resolution film and a standard DVD version on a single disc. With a right pricing, such a disc could enable a smooth transition from the DVD to the HD formats. However, the concept was not followed with some exceptions in Japan only. Instead, the studios started offering Blu-ray movies coupled with digital copy editions of the content, that could be played on different portable devices.
Sony has been always linking movies to PS3 and still believes that movies can help hardware sales. Video Business reports that details on the initiative have yet to be ironed out. PSPs would also factor into the proceedings, as gamers could transfer and then watch the film on their handhelds. Sony expects two to three titles to ship using the hybrid method this year.