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Sony's 2012 PlayStation torn down, shows its evolved roots (update: another teardown)
We've looked intensely at the outside of the redesigned PlayStation 3 ever since it was unveiled in Tokyo last month. Getting a look inside has proven unusually tougher, but French YouTube member K0st3yr has volunteered to do what few gamers dare and tear down Sony's updated console. As we've quickly learned, Sony hasn't chosen to radically rework the insides like Microsoft did with the slim Xbox 360. The Cell processor and its RSX graphics companion are still separate parts, and a similar power supply capacity suggests that neither of the main chips has been built on a more efficient manufacturing process. Instead, it's everything else that has been given the shuffle: a smaller Blu-ray drive and more clever overall construction appear to be the tickets to the 20 percent volume reduction compared to the last model. While the revealed internals might be disappointments to those who were hoping the PS3's possible sendoff would involve more of a bang than a whimper, they do hint that Sony might have breathing room if it wants to advance the design any further. Just have some popcorn and a grasp of French on hand if you'd like to have a peek at the three-part video dissection found after the break. Update: Not to be outdone, iFixit has conducted its own teardown. There aren't any shockers in the mix beyond improved repairability, but you'll find many of the components given their exact names as well as more explanations of what's been changed to shrink the PS3 a second time.
Fujitsu unveils Esprimo FH99/CM, touts it as the world's first glasses-free 3D desktop
After seeing Sharp's 10.6 glasses-free 3D display last September, we left convinced that parallax barrier 3D technology was a long way off from being ready for prime-time, and then we reached for a bottle of aspirin. Demonstrations by Intel and Sony at CES this year proved, however, that a lot can change in four months, and we hope for Japan's collective eye sight that Fujitsu's Esprimo FH99/CM desktop PC follows this trend. That's because Fujitsu claims it's the world's first glasses-free all-in-one, and it's scheduled to launch in the country on February 25th with a whopping $3,100 price tag. All that dough will get buyers a naked-eye 23-inch full HD 3D display plus top-of-the-line features such as a Blu-ray drive with 3D Blu-ray support, a 2Ghz Core i7 processor, 4GB of memory, a 2TB hard drive, and two USB 3.0 ports. There's no word whether the computer will land stateside, but if it doesn't, Toshiba has hinted they could fill the void with a glasses-free 3D PC of its own by late 2011. Still, we wouldn't recommend stomping your 3D glasses just yet.
Sony Optiarc debuts 12x Blu-ray writers, makes 'em friendly with BD 3D
Not that we haven't seen a 12x Blu-ray burner before, but it'll be a cold day in the underworld before you hear us griping about a little friendly competition. Sony Optiarc has taken the cellophane off of its newest crop of half-height writers, the BD-5300S, BWU-500S and BWU-500S. These guys will soon be shipping in a variety of retail and OEM configurations, offering up Blu-ray 3D playback, 12x toasting of BD-R media (dual-layer steps down to 8x) and a copy of CyberLink's Media Suite 8 with the latter unit. The outfit's not talking dollars and cents, but you can judge the value for yourself when they start filtering out in the next few weeks.
Plextor gets all zen with PlexMedia: a modular, network-attached Blu-ray player
It's not often we come across an external drive that looks like anything but a brick, so we were pleasantly surprised to see Plextor demoing something a little more svelte at Computex. We can tell the PlexMedia network attached media player (bottom) is a looker right off the bat, but it truly becomes useful when you plug in the PX-B120U (top) designed to go with it. The combination is a fully-functional Blu-ray disc player that apparently outputs to a TV, but the smaller box can also detach, slip into your bookbag and become an external Blu-ray drive for your PC. Since there's no specs or pics of the unit's rear, we honestly have no idea how it accomplishes either, but we imagine the info will spontaneously pop into our being if we stare long enough at those azure ripples, and thus complete our meditation. On the off-chance that doesn't work, we've also dispatched a carrier pigeon to Plextor HQ for the answers; in the meanwhile, you can peruse the presser after the break.
OWC takes quad-interface Mercury Pro external BD burner to 12x
Pioneer's BDR-205 may not be hitting shelves in retail form until early next year, but those who desperately need a Blu-ray burner that outpaces the optical media currently available still have an option. OWC has today updated its long-standing Mercury Pro external BD drive -- which boasts FireWire 800, FireWire 400, USB 2.0 and eSATA connection options -- with Pioneer's latest, giving it the ability to toast BD-Rs at up to 12x. Of course, you'll need lady luck on your side to actually find any media that'll support said rate, but hey, there's always the future. It's available today for $349.99, or $449.99 if you want Roxio Toast Titanium PRO bundled in.
LaCie intros 8x d2 Blu-ray burner, LaCinema Black MAX media streamer
It was May of last year when LaCie last updated its external d2 Blu-ray burner, so it's about time we saw that 4x burn rate double to an entirely more palatable 8x. Available now for consumers in the US, the latest d2 Blu-ray Drive ($449.99) can toast both single- and dual-layer BD-Rs at 8x, and it can connect to one's machine via FireWire or USB 2.0. In related news, the outfit has also introduced a LaCinema Black MAX over in Europe, which acts to serve up all sorts of digital media (photos, video clips, music, etc.) on one's HDTV. You can order it with 500GB / 1TB of inbuilt storage, and the integrated Ethernet jack / WiFi module enables it to pull media (up to 1080p) from other locations on your network. We've nary a clue on pricing / availability for this one, but we'll leave it to those in Europe to hunt it down and brag to us Yanks.Read - 8x d2 Blu-ray DriveRead - LaCinema Black MAX [PDF; thanks Predator]%Gallery-44200%%Gallery-44201%
Blu-ray optical drives still a rare find in British PCs
This here survey may have been conducted by GfK across the pond, but we'd be willing to wager the results are actually indicative of most major developed markets. Baseless assumptions aside, the facts are that a subset of surveyed individuals has led the research firm to conclude that at the tail end of 2008, DVD-RW drives still held a 92 percent share in the optical disc drive sector. Needless to say, sales of standalone BD optical drives were much, much lower, holding just a 4 percent volume share in November 2008. Moreover, some 81 percent of "mobile computers" and 86 percent of desktops came loaded with a DVD-RW drive last October, and just 1 percent (yes, one) of desktops came with a high-definition drive of any kind pre-installed. It's not shocking to see that the PC market is adopting BD slower than the standalone home entertainment segment, but what this could also signal is the declining interest in cutting-edge HTPCs altogether. What say you, oh knowledgeable ones?
SonyNEC Optiarc projects sub-$100 Blu-ray optical drives by year's end
If you'll recall, SonyNEC Optiarc was the same company that suggested BD prices would be halved by 2008 from what they were in late 2006, and while stickers are still relatively high on standalone decks, the prediction actually wasn't too far off. A new report from Tom's Hardware notes that the aforementioned outfit is expecting Blu-ray combo drives "to reach the $100 line before the holiday season." For around $50 more, it reckons you'll have access to slim-line notebook drives that handle the same duties. Granted, there's no real confirmation surrounding the assertions, and we'll be the first to blindly hope such wishful thinking comes true, but we'd say BD prices in general have a whole lot of falling to do in six short months for this one to even stand a chance.[Via TechDigest]
Dell's XPS M2010 now sporting slot-loading Blu-ray drive
We've got all ideas that anyone crushing on Dell's awkward, albeit expansive, XPS M2010 probably already has one by now, but if you've just started falling for the unsightly beast, this one just may pull the trigger for you. Just over a week after cramming half a terabyte of hard drive space into the machine, Dell is now offering up an internal slot-loading 2x speed Blu-ray burner for the HD set. As expected, this newfangled luxury won't run you cheap, as the BD-equipped machine will run you upwards of $4,000 -- and that's before the upgrade bug attacks at the checkout aisle.[Via NotebookReview]
Pioneer hits China with $300 BDC-S02 Blu-ray drive
We're sure China hasn't given up on its efforts to skip over the major format war players and go with its home grown EVD format, but that doesn't mean Blu-ray manufacturers can't give it the old college try over there. To that end, Pioneer is busting out a $300 combo Blu-ray burner / player drive for PCs, the BDC-S02, and is launching it exclusively in China, with other markets to follow later. As far as we know, this is significantly cheaper than any other such drive on the market, and while $300 definitely isn't cheap by Chinese standards, it's a valiant effort on the part of Pioneer -- though we wouldn't mind a bit of that effort Stateside, we've never been bonkers for these $500-$1000 pricetags ourselves. [Via TG Daily]
FastMac debuts Blu-ray Drive for your fast (or slow) Mac
Have $800 burning a hole in your pocket and a strange urge to create Blu-ray discs with your slot-loading Mac? All four of you might dig FastMac's new Blu-ray Drive upgrade, which can fit in a wide range of Macs, including the 17-inch MacBook Pro, Mac mini and Intel iMac. Apparently no love for the MacBook or 15-inch MBP, but the iBook G4 can handle it -- though it's hard to fathom stuffing one of these drives inside that oh-so-consumery laptop. The drive is rated at 8x DVD±RW and 1x BD-RW. You can write to 50GB dual-layer discs, and boot to the drive with OS X. FastMac calls the drive "Plug & Play," but the "plugging" end of that equation is going to take some adventurous exploits inside your Mac, by you, your hacker nephew or a trained computer repair guy. If you think you can stomach it, the drive is available now.[Via MacMinute]
Buffalo's "all the cool kids are doing it" Blu-ray burner
They're just stuffing that Panasonic OEM drive into a USB 2.0 case like everyone else is, but Buffalo has the distinction of selling their external BR-H2U2 Blu-ray drive for $1012, along with black and white internal versions for the equally steep $916. The drives will be shipping (in Japan, at least) early this June, so early adopters looking for a little abuse between now and then can feel free to drop by our place to be kicked in the head and have your money lit on fire.[Via Akihabara News]
