The Sony Playstation 3 is considered by many to be a complete home entertainment system for your entire household. Today’s PS3 consoles, in addition to playing the most technologically advanced, 1080p HD games, the Playstation 3 has become the Blu-ray player of choice for over two-thirds of U.S. Blu-ray owners!

So, how does the PS3 stand up to a standard Blu-ray Player?
The Playstation 3 has one enormous advantage when compared to the average stand-alone Blu-ray player: price! Although it is possible to purchase an off-brand Blu-ray disc player for a slightly lower price than you would pay for a PS3, the majority of full-featured, name-brand Blu-ray players can cost $600, $800, or even up to $2,000! The Playstation 3, priced at about $399 to $499 (depending on the bundle you choose) beats most of these hands-down. Especially considering the added gaming functionality you will receive!

Is the PS3 functionally comparable and as easy to use as a standard Blu-ray Player?
Many people consider the Playstaion 3, with its state-of-the-art technology, to be the superior Blu-ray player on the market today. In approximately the last year (since Blu-ray won the “battle of the formats” agains Toshiba’s HD DVD) statistics show that 10.7 million Blu-ray players  have been sold in the U.S. The Sony PS3 accounts for over two-thirds of those sales, with a whopping 70%! And no wonder… from the moment you insert a Blu-ray movie in the drive, you will be astounded by the picture quality. And using the wireless gaming control or the Playstation 3 remote controller, the on-screen menu is enjoyable and easy to learn.

The Blu-ray Player of choice: The Playstation 3
Sony made a fantastic move when they decided to integrate Blu-ray into their video gaming system. But even though Blu-ray has become the high-definition format of choice, it still has a long way to go in order to surpass the current format leader, DVD. Even thoug Blu-ray is a far superior format, the comparatively high price of both the player and the movie discs will keep high sales at bay for at least a little while longer.