How can the PlayStation 3 store all of the high graphics of games like Dirt 2.

Blu-ray disks are a new type of storage medium that can hold High Definition (HD) content in them, unlike DVDs which can only store lower resolution Standard Definition (SD) videos. The PlayStation 3 was the cheapest Blu-ray player on the market when it was released and this caused many people to buy the system even if they were never interested in playing a single game.

A Blu-ray disk has currently got a maximum capacity of 50GB, so even the largest games will have no problem fitting in it. However the DVD drive of the Xbox 360 maxes out at 8.7GB. This adds several problems to the developers of games for the Xbox 360. Not only do they have to make games look very good in terms of graphics, they also have to keep their minds focused on keeping the size of the game down. Newer games, such as Forza Motorsport 3 have had no other alternative but to move to dual disks to store the game. During a certain point in a game the player will have to get up and change the disk to continue playing the game. Even if this is acceptable for a linear game like Forza, imagine that when Grand Theft Auto 5 comes out, if its map does not fit on a single DVD, the player will always be required to keep changing disks whenever he goes into a certain part of the map. Multiple disk swaps are also required in the 2010 game Mass Effect 2.

Another advantage of the PlayStation 3’s Blu-ray drive is the ability of it to read 3D disks. This effectively makes the PS3 a device which can easily handle 3D games and movies in the near future through an updated firmware. PlayStation 3 Accessories for 3D films like 3D glasses are also under development. If 3D does take off then the PS3 will be the only console thanks to its Blu-ray drive that can playback HD movie disks in 3D.

Developers of games for the PS3 system have got no constraints of size due to the Blu-ray drive. This is proven by the fact that the upcoming game Gran Turismo 5 has got full 1080p video and 7.1 channel sound and boasts over 1000 cars. All of these are fit easily on a single disk. Such a game is just out of question for a system like the Xbox 360 and its DVD drive.