Sony announced today a new Blu-ray laser that is said to cut production costs without sacrificing any features. This announcement comes shortly after major player, Warner Bros. Studios, declared they would be backing the format exclusively. Sony, in conjunction with Japan’s Nichia, developed the new, more reliable laser (3mm in diameter), which is capable of reading and writing single- and dual-layer disks. It can also read a recently developed organic ink that is said to cut the cost of disk production.

The new laser should reach store shelves by the end of the year in the form of 7.5mm drives for notebooks. We are crossing our fingers hoping that this new technology will be put into a smaller, maybe even cheaper, PlayStation 3.