Netflix hits PS3 this week

In late October, Netflix broke a year of Xbox 360 exclusivity by announcing it was bringing its video-streaming service to the PlayStation 3. The move came after months of hints and PS3-related hires, culminating in CEO Reed Hastings saying it was his vision to support "all consoles."

At the time of the announcement, all Netflix officials would say was that the service would go live on the PS3 sometime in November. Today, though, Netflix subscribers began receiving notices that the Blu-ray discs required to use the service on the console are being shipped to customers. The first are slated to arrive as early as tomorrow, and subscribers will be able to access the service as soon as the disc is loaded into the PS3. Available to order at www.netflix.com/ps3, the Blu-rays must be used until next year, when a firmware update will add Netflix to the console's XrossMediaBar.

With the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 now supporting Netflix streaming--along with Sony Bravia HDTVs, HD Tivos, Roku boxes, Samsung Blu-ray players, and many other devices--only the Wii remains outside its grasp. That may change soon, though, as unconfirmed reports have the service already being tested on Nintendo's platform.