Sony Undecided on PS3 Hard Disk Drive

G

Guest

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/621/621155p1.html

Sony Undecided on Hard Disk
Head of technology unsure if hard disk will be included as standard.
by IGN Staff
June 1, 2005 - Sony has been somewhat vague on the inclusion of a hard disk
with the PlayStation 3. The system's specifications reveal a slot for a
detachable hard disk unit, but there's still not been any talk of a hard
disk being included with the system from the start.


It seems that we're going to have to wait for confirmation. In an interview
featured in the latest issue of Famitsu, Sony Computer Entertainment chief
technical officer Masayuki Chatani, when asked if a hard disk will be
included with the system from the start, replies "It has yet to be decided."
Chatani also reveals Sony's reasoning for going with a removable hard disk
setup. The company believes that people will want to both upgrade to higher
capacity drives in the future and carry their hard disks with them to attach
to other PS3 units.

Moving away from the hard disk, Chatani is asked to comment a little on the
system's controversial controller. "I don't think there will be any
fundamental changes," he answers in response to a question on the
possibility of changes to the controller's design, "but it's a prototype, so
there could be some small adjustments."

Chatani also gives some hints into PS3 network gaming. Internet-based
communication functionality will be a big part of the PS3, Chatani reveals.
He belives it important to come up with communication tools for all ages.

Finally, those looking forward to more news on the PS3 should turn to the
PSP for an estimated schedule. Sony debuted the portable system at E3,
shared first fully playable games at the Tokyo Game Show, then launched in
Japan on 12/12. Chatani reveals that the PS3 is set for Japanese release in
Spring, so we can expect, to a certain level, a similar flow. This seems to
suggest playable PS3 units at the September Tokyo Game Show.

And we can, hopefully, expect confirmation on the inclusion of a hard drive
by around the same time.
 
J

Jan Hyde

yeah,
I would like to see a HDD out of the box :)

I'd be suprised if they made any commitment on this.

If they feel they need to boost sales on launch they may
well include it but otherwise why should they? If they can
milk some more cash out of us then they will.

We can only hope the competition scares them enough to
include it.



Jan Hyde (VB MVP)

--
The city's water supply was so close to the coal mine that all they had was coaled water. When this was presented to the city council, they said, "Never mined"

(Keith Martin).

[Abolish the TV Licence - http://www.tvlicensing.biz/]
 
G

Guest

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=9265
PlayStation 3 to launch without bundled hard disk?

Tom Bramwell 09:52 02/06/2005
SCE CTO Chatani's comments raise price issue again

Sony Computer Entertainment's chief technology officer Masayuki Chatani has
cast doubt on the company's plans to include a hard disk unit in the
PlayStation 3's launch package next spring.

Speaking in the pages of Japanese magazine Famitsu, Chatani said that a
strategy had "yet to be decided", but added that he felt people would want
to upgrade to higher capacity drives - the implication being that Sony would
shy away from making the hard disk unit an obligatory part of the
PlayStation 3 launch package.

Sony has previously identified a detachable 2.5" (laptop size) hard disk
drive as an optional storage peripheral, and it is believed this will slot
inside a small rectangular port located on the underside of the unit.

However the company has never said that a hard disk would be bundled with
the unit at launch, and Chatani's comments this month seem to suggest it's
erring toward not including one - and perhaps offering the peripheral
optionally in the same way it currently sells Memory Card units separately
from PlayStation 2.

Chatani also said that he expected people to unplug their hard disks and
move them between PS3 units, implying a similar functionality to that of
Xbox 360, whose detachable hard disk units appear designed to be portable
rather than optional.

The biggest question now, of course, will be what impact such a decision
would have on the PlayStation 3's price tag, which is already expected to be
higher than that of its rival Xbox 360, which launches this winter.
Microsoft's J Allard recently said the Xbox 360 would cost in the region of
US$300.

Sony declined to clarify Chatani's comments prior to publication.
 

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