** This thread discusses the Content article: Magid: Blu-ray Will Become 'Major Driver' of PS3 Adoption **

Today we present the next column in our exclusive series from the researchers at Frank N. Magid Associates. Although the hi-def format war is far from over, Managing Director Mike Vorhaus believes that Blu-ray will eventually drive PS3 sales. More within...

The gaming industry has talked for years about the consumer interest in using consoles as DVD players. Some industry experts believe the DVD functionality in consoles is an important purchase driver, while others believe that few people watch DVDs through their consoles.

Sony has particularly emphasized the capability of their PlayStation 2 to play DVDs and now the PS3 offers the opportunity to play high definition movies on the Blu-ray player included in the PS3 console.

Over two-thirds of all PS2 owners have used their PS2 as a DVD player and over 15 percent of PS2 owners report that they frequently use their console to play DVDs. Furthermore, over 80 percent of PS3 owners have reported using the system as a DVD player and 20 percent said they use the PS3 frequently for DVD playback.

Based on the large number of consumers that have used their PS2 for playing DVDs, we believe that many consumers will continue to use their PS3 for playing DVDs as well and that the Blu-ray device will eventually become a major driver for consumer purchase of the PS3 as the format takes hold.

I don't know what to think about that