The PS4 and Xbox 720 may not have had any kind of official nod yet, but you can be sure that Sony and Microsoft are already hard at work on them, and with that in mind, speculation is already running rife over what might be inside them and what kind of power they’ll provide.
New technology, dubbed Holographic Optical Media has been kicking up a fuss lately, offering 100 times the storage of a DVD, but at very low cost. Will it be inside the next generation of games consoles? Read on to find out why it could be.
For better or worse, the choice of optical format has been a major part of the console wars. Blu-ray’s famous defeat of rival HD-DVD was helped along by the huge backing provided by the Sony PS3, but found itself hampered by delays in producing Blu-ray lasers and the sheer cost of the console when it was first released.
Given that mammoth investment, it seems crazy to entertain the notion of Sony giving up on Blu-ray in the PS4, but that’s where Holographic Optical Media has a trick up its sleeve: it’s now possible for holographic discs to be read by Blu-ray devices. For Sony that could mean backwards compatibility and enhanced gaming without undermining its current Blu-ray movie business.
Meanwhile, Microsoft could soothe its aching pride over the demise of HD-DVD by adopting higher capacity Holographic Optical Media discs, and side-stepping Blu-ray, while also catering for massive next-generation games.
The technology’s still being perfected by its inventors, General Electric. But already interest in HOM is high. What’s more, it’s expected to become much cheaper by the time the new consoles launch, such that the per gigabyte cost will be below that offered by Blu-ray.
Of course, nobody but Sony and Microsoft really know whether Holographic Optical Media has a shot at becoming the next-generation of low cost storage. But in a year or two’s time it’ll be mainstream, according to its manufacturers. Watch this space. This could finally bring an end to format wars.
Out TBC | £TBC | (via Cinemablend)
