- Engadget have reported that Blu-Ray hardware and movies are to finally hit USA stores May 23rd.
- A second wave will appear around three weeks later on June 13th.
- Movies are expected to be priced $23.45 for new titles and $17.95 for catalog titles.
- Interestingly, Sony and NEC have established a joint venture for their optical drive business, named Sony NEC Optiarc.
- Joystiq reminds us why this may be important:

"Sony is firmly embedded into the Blu-ray camp and is somewhat banking the success of the format with its upcoming PlayStation 3 console. NEC, however, supports HD DVD, so on which format will Optiarc focus? Our guess is Blu-ray, since Sony owns a majority (55%) and the joint venture is to be run by a Sony exec. This would be a major blow to the HD DVD camp, who might have just lost a major player."