Report: Sony, Microsoft to Stick With Optical Drives for Gaming Consoles

31 May, 2012 By: Chris Tribbey

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Both Sony Corp. and Microsoft mulled the idea of shipping their next-generation gaming consoles without an optical disc media drive, but rejected the idea due to inconsistent Internet connections around the world, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.

The download-only consoles would have been a first for the makers of the PlayStation and Xbox, but the idea was rejected at Sony because the size of game files would have been difficult to download in countries where Internet connections are slow, the newspaper reported, quoting an unnamed source familiar with the matter.

Neither Sony nor Microsoft is expected to announce a next-generation console during the Electronic Entertainment Expo June 5-7 in Los Angeles, though Nintendo is expected to unveil the Wii U, the successor to the Wii.
 

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