Sony shrinks Blu-ray laser

Sony and Nichia have jointly developed a smaller, less costly Blu-ray reader/writer module.

The company expects the new laser unit, which is just 3mm thick, to appear in the company's 9.5mm laptop drives sometime this year.

According to a Tech.co.uk report, the new unit is able to handle disks with organic dye in the recording layers which can be churned out from existing DVD production lines.

A smaller, less costly Blu-ray laser unit could undoubtedly reduce production costs for the PlayStation 3, allowing Sony to drop the price even further should it choose to do so.

Although the company has denied an impending price cut, rumours have surfaced from US retailers suggesting that Sony will be phasing out the 80GB PS3 model. An internal Best Buy document surfaced allegedly indicating that the retailer would no longer carry the 80GB SKU after January 28.

Whether that means the company plans to introduce a new SKU or keep the 40GB as the only SKU - at the same price or at a lower price - remains to be seen.

When contacted by GamesIndustry.biz, a Best Buy spokesperson refused to comment.