Storage space galore for gamers, as Sony announces 160GB PS3 launch in October. For prices, release date and more information, click through…
For more about the Leipzig Games Convention, click here.
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe today announced the 160GB PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) which will launch in the PAL markets on 31st October for a RRP of £339.99 (€449) in a bundle including additional PLAYSTATION®Network content. This new model has more than twice the storage capacity of the current models and can store and deliver more entertainment than ever before – perfect for people with an insatiable thirst for downloading and storing content.
This vast increase in available storage space gives owners the capacity to store large amounts of digital content in the same place, making the 160GB PS3 perfect for people who love to download. It allows for increased video, music, and photo storage as well as room to download even more games, game extras, playable demos, and trailers from PLAYSTATION®Network – making PS3 an even more attractive buy for those looking for an all-in-one entertainment system. With the new 160GB PS3, owners will have all of their media right where they need it.
Downloading content via PLAYSTATION Network is a one of the core experiences of PS3. PLAYSTATION®Store is the online destination for downloading games, extra content for games and more – all of which require hard drive space. In addition, SingStar® allows owners to download track after track from SingStore™, while Buzz!™: Quiz TV is supported by downloadable quiz packs direct from the developers. Little Big Planet™ encourages players to download and share levels that other gamers have created. Meanwhile, the forthcoming PlayTV™ will allow people to record free-to-air digital TV. There’s an impressive amount of content available and multi-media fans require a storage solution for all their needs.
Besides the extra hard drive space, owners can look forward to all of the other features of PS3: the high definition Blu-ray Disc™ player allowing for amazing sound and images, internet access, DUALSHOCK®3 wireless controllers, video chat, online play with other gamers across PLAYSTATION Network – and a stunning and ever-growing range of next-generation games including the forthcoming Resistance™2, LittleBigPlanet, MotorStorm® Pacific Rift, inFamous™ and more.
Great a new PS3 and a new PSP. I feel so rewarded for being a loyal customer to Sony.
Comment by Terry — Aug 21, 2008 @ 1:15 pm
Great news for those looking to get on board the PS train now things are getting better. A decent size hard-drive and it comes with free PSN goodies.
Cheaper than my launch 60gb, early adopters I share your pain
Comment by marvzilla — Aug 21, 2008 @ 1:33 pm
That’s great news - but where is the PSN update for today? I went home at lunch today especially as I always do on a thursday - imagine the bitter feeling I had when there was nothing new! I heard that we were meant to be getting Star Wars Force Unleashed! my god thats one of the reasons I bought my PS3 in the first place! HURRY UP and give me my PSN Fix! Jeez I do product updates/migrations all the time - at 5am!- don’t tell me you guys are busy with other things!!!
Comment by mrmitchell — Aug 21, 2008 @ 1:33 pm
@1 and 2 - There’s no pain being an early adopter. You’ve had those months of pleasure that the others haven’t.
Comment by PF — Aug 21, 2008 @ 1:36 pm
As this was announced on the US blog yesterday, everyone there ended up under the assumption that this 160 will be based on the newest 80 GB model, which are in turn based on the 40 GB unit. Which means 2 USB ports, no media slots, and no backward compatibility.
Being an early adopter does have some pluses.
Comment by NSI — Aug 21, 2008 @ 1:44 pm
Why’s everyone worrying - can get a cheap 320GB 2.5″ sata drive and just pop it into the console - regardless of when and where it was bought!
Comment by JohnSketch — Aug 21, 2008 @ 1:46 pm
JohnSketch you beat me to it… it’ll be far cheaper to buy a new HDD than shell out for another machine. I have to say I’m extremely disappointed about the lack of backward compat. I bought the 40Gb model as I couldn’t get hold of any other version for love nor money! The lack of media slots I can live with, but I’d really like backward compat. It’s either that, or I trade in the PS3 for a PS2 and get to play some games! Releases on the PS3 have been few and far between as I have most of them already on the X360…. I’m beginning to wonder why I rushed out to buy it now….
Comment by Monkey Rimmer — Aug 21, 2008 @ 1:57 pm
@johnsketch
Although there was a walkthrough and its pretty much as easy as changing a light bulb people are and always will be reluctant to change the HDD them selves as they think it might break or something.
If I had a pound for every time someone complained about the HDD space I would be £20 better off.
Comment by manley — Aug 21, 2008 @ 1:57 pm
It MUST come with a rear USB?? Surely this machine is aimed at the PlayTV market (40GB is nothing to store games + tv recordings!… even then 160GB is pushing it!). A front USB for peripherals is just asking for no buyers.
While Sony are at it, please give an IR remote option!!!
Comment by Dazzler — Aug 21, 2008 @ 2:11 pm
[...] Three Speech » 160GB PS3 coming to Europe… [...]
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The new 160GB PS3 will be great for new adopters, and hopefully will drive sales.
Personally I wouldn’t swap my full-spec launch model for the World - it’s ironic that people now pay more for a 2nd hand 60GB model than they cost new at launch despite these being the same people that complained so much about the launch price!
As for the HDD space I installed a 160GB HDD in my PS3 last Christmas so I’ve no need to feel left out (the backup/restore routine is absolutely flawless btw for those thinking of doing it, you would never know you’d changed a thing!)
At the end of the day refined models and better value bundles encourages new users, and the bigger the install base the better it is for all PS3 owners!
I expect the 160GB model to sell like hot cakes - £40 extra for £55 worth of pre-installed games and double the HDD space is a steal!
Hopefully Sony will market this right - the box should be plastered with colourful shots of the included games with a big sticker with something like “INCLUDES 10 FREE GAMES WORTH £55″ as well as more explicit mentions of it’s features - i.e. NOT a tiny Blu-ray logo and a little 160GB written in the corner.
The boxes for the PS3 are boring - it’s about time they started spelling out exactly what you’re getting like Blu-ray playback and Wi-Fi out of the box etc in an eye catching way. In the right informative packaging PS3’s would sell themselves! I’ve seen 360 and PS3 boxes side by side in stores and the 360 boxes are much better at promoting themselves!
This new bundle sort of out does the 360 Arcade and the 360 Elite at the same time, it’s a PS3 Elite Arcade! lol
I wonder if the pre-installed games will all be small launch games like Super Stardust HD, Super Rub a Dub etc or if they will include one “big” game like Warhawk or Tekken? Pain is bound to be one of them, they’re always giving that game away in the US!!!
Comment by Apnomis — Aug 21, 2008 @ 2:28 pm
@Apnomis
Agreed on all points.
Its definately a good thing.
Comment by manley — Aug 21, 2008 @ 2:33 pm
@ Dazzler
It’s not ideal, but if you really want IR control on your PS3 you could always buy a 3rd Party PS3 remote. Some of these use a little IR sensor that plugs into your USB port to use with an IR remote. You can then map this remote to your Universal Remote so can then control your PS3 with the same remote as everything else (I assume this is why you want IR).
As for rear USB, this unit doesn’t have it, and I don’t expect you have any chance of seeing it until a redesigned PS3 Slim comes out. There are more and more 3rd party USB Hubs/Stands coming our for the PS3 so it won’t be long until one of them includes a rear USB solution (there may be one out already I don’t know).
Comment by Apnomis — Aug 21, 2008 @ 2:37 pm
Strange timing to announce it if you ask me. 2 days before the launch of the new PAL 80gb…
Comment by BlueGene — Aug 21, 2008 @ 2:51 pm
I just really wanted to agree with everyone else who upgraded the hard drive; got a 160gb drive for just under £40 last week. Suprisingly easy to change- I would remind people not to use a magnetised screwdriver in case you wipe the old drive and a pair of pliers can come in handy to remove any screws that don’t want to come out of the tray.
Comment by Matthew — Aug 21, 2008 @ 2:56 pm
I’m still trying to get my hands on a 60GB launch NTSC PS3. At least then i’d finally get full backwards compat. At the moment, i’m desperate to play some PS2 games but i’m unwilling to play them on a PS2! “sigh” I guess i’m in the same camp as a lot of people with a nerfed 40GB PAL model.
Comment by King of Fun UK — Aug 21, 2008 @ 2:58 pm
So no PS3’s that can play PS2 games now Worldwide???
Why are SONY doing this for??? Glad i got my 60GB last year now. Come on SONY!!! Bring it back??? A lot of people want it in the PS3’s. Why don’t you listen to us for about this??? Apart from this i’m happy with the PS3 :]
Comment by PS3PS2PS1 — Aug 21, 2008 @ 2:59 pm
I’ve finally got it
threespeech must be a newspaper, because they’re always publishing yesterdays news
Got all this info elsewhere yesterday, thanks but no thanks
Comment by Chris — Aug 21, 2008 @ 3:01 pm
LOL @ Chris, that’s a funny way to look at it! I must say I was surprised myself that Three Speech seemed to take a day off yesterday (not a single post!) despite it being one of the biggest days of the year for PS3 related news and announcements! The US Blog were practically updating their site in real time during E3!
Comment by Apnomis — Aug 21, 2008 @ 3:14 pm
Hasn’t sony always changed the specs of their consoles either quietly or obvious physical differences?, there are over 12 different original PlayStations not including the coloured versions, then there’s the Resized ps1 with 4 quiet differences in each version, The Ps2…well dont get me started on that puppy….nah too late - there are 17 different Fat versions of PS2, again not including the coloured versions, most of those tweaks are hidden or silent upgrades, the rest are simple things like the removal of the ilink socket, quieter fan(which was dead quiet anyway!) faster USB etc, the psp is about to undergo its 3rd incarntion(3rd that I know of), and the Daddy of all consoles is about to go on its 4th or 5th revision, again a few of them quiet upgrades(faster bluetooth, faster wifi connection from 90nm cpu to 50nm cpu, cooler running, and another quieter fan(which was dead quiet anyway), and the rest are obvious physical differences.
All I’m saying is, Its Sony - They never stop improving their hardware - so no one should be surprised or upset by their upgrades.
Comment by linton — Aug 21, 2008 @ 3:27 pm
…And it still only have 2 usb-ports & no memorycard-readers. 60gb version ftw!
Comment by rBerggren — Aug 21, 2008 @ 3:48 pm
@all
psn update is up there and its not to shabby!
and for anyone that cares the kratos pack for everybody’s golf is available here in the pal region, which was an unexpected surprise
Well done SCEE!
Comment by manley — Aug 21, 2008 @ 4:02 pm
@ PS3PS2PS1 - they did listen! They listened to all the whinging and moaning about the price of the console so they took it out to save costs. When you look at the fact that 110M+ people have a PS2 in their home you can understand why it becomes almost a niche feature.
Also I bet that if you were to ask people if it is a wanted feature a high percentage say yes, but assuming it was a feature in a PS3 if they asked owners now a year on how many people actually used it regularly the percentage would be a lot lower.
I’ve had a PS3 from launch, and used BC for 3 games - FFXII, Tomb Raider Anniversary and God of War II, and that was only because I got a PS3 before I’d actually finished with my PS2 games! It’s one of those features that I like to have in case I want it as I’ve kept all my PS2 games, but wouldn’t have actually missed if I hadn’t had it as I’m too busy playing PS3 games! Same as I can count on one hand the times I used PS1 B/C on my PS2! A friend of mine on the other hand uses it a lot because he has young kids that he buys cheap second-hand Disney/Buzz Junior PS2 games for.
The other problem Sony have is that the PS2 has almost been reborn as an next-gen Wii competitor in itself! The sales of PS2 consoles are still very strong, they still have lot’s of new family-friendly games coming out for it and most mainstream multiplat games have a (cheaper) PS2 version as well as a PS3/360/Wii version. It’s an unusual turn of events to have two successful consoles out at the same time, and Sony probably had to make a difficult choice to break the bond and allow them to continue on their own path side-by-side.
At the end of the day Sony make a profit on PS2’s sold and a loss on PS3’s sold - taking out B/C removes an expensive component of the PS3 allowing them to price it more competitively and at the same time allows them to continue selling the more profitable PS2 hardware. In addition PS3 owners no longer have the temptation of buying the cheaper upscaled PS2 version of, for example, the latest EA Sports Sim instead of PS3 version as again Sony would lose profit and sales for PS3 software which is crucial to cover the losses on the hardware.
I suppose that is the only drawback of the 10 year life cycle approach, had Sony took MS’s approach and pulled the plug on the PS2 practically the day after the PS3 came out B/C would probably still be included in the PS3. But that approach is bad for Sony and very bad for the consumer. Sony needed to strike a balance, and that balance was to remove B/C from the PS3.
I wouldn’t be surprised if when the PS2 finally dies and mainstream games are no longer released for it we get some kind of Emulation Disc or USB peripheral that allows PS2 playback on a PS3 - if only to help usher all the PS2 owners over to a PS3. It may even come back in the PS3 Slim, but at this moment in time the PS3 and PS2 are almost competitors, only with this console war Sony win whichever one you choose!
Comment by Apnomis — Aug 21, 2008 @ 4:24 pm
Yes, I totally agree, Apnomis.
The Backward Compatibility feature in my PS3 60Gb European launch day console has been used very little; and even then, “Black” never played properly & I had to go back to (one of) my PS2 console(s).
We have a long wait for the rumoured newer & slimmer & lite-r PS2 with “forward compatibility” for the PS3 titles though (although a new PS2 model with an integral power block was mentioned in the press at the beginning of the year for release towards Christmas).
The ability to play PS2 titles on the PSP may well come first (as releasing a newer PSP model when there are no new quality games planner &/or no shops that stock them seems a little pointless).
I’m sure Sony didn’t rush out a newer PSP model to a) combat those with a “Pandora Battery”, or b) to try to get sales in the lead-up to Christmas from the new Nintendo DS model, or c) both of the above.
BFN,
fp.
Comment by fanpages — Aug 21, 2008 @ 4:36 pm
No new games planneD for the PSP, that is
A spell checker on the PS3 may not be a bad idea once the new keypad is available too
BFN,
fp.
Comment by fanpages — Aug 21, 2008 @ 4:37 pm
No Euro PS3 has ever had hardware backward compatibility. It was always done in software. So saying it was a cost cutting measure is incorrect. It is just a different software load and costs Sony nothing (and in theory could be enabled on any PS3 in a future firmware update–no boot disc or hardware needed).
That only leaves that Sony has removed the feature to manipulate the market (keep people buying PS2 systems or make them focus on buying PS3 games).
I’ve only bought one PS3 disc (and a few PSN downloads). There are no games for the system which interest me. On the other hand since I got the PS3 I’ve probably bought 20 PS2 titles. Sure, I could have played them on my PS2, but it was starting to fail (the primary reason I picked up a PS3), and I’d rather not have an extra console hogging space in my living room. If the PS3 never supported PS2 games, I wouldn’t have one yet.
Comment by NSI — Aug 21, 2008 @ 5:15 pm
“additional PLAYSTATION®Network content”
this, according to the announcement at LZ is a voucher for PAIN on the Store.
whooop-de-doooooo.
and seriously they should have included BC, it’s what the consumers NEED, kinda kills the whole ‘one box’ ethic if you also need a PS2 sitting next to it so you can play your old titles.
Comment by mobiletone — Aug 21, 2008 @ 5:22 pm
@ mobiletone - you are mistaken. You are referring to the completely different US limited edition 160GB model - this comes with Unchartered Drakes Fortune and a PAIN download voucher.
The EU version has €70/£55 of PSN content preinstalled on the HDD, we don’t know which games yet as they will vary by Country. Last time I checked PAIN didn’t cost £55, so I very much doubt that’s all you will get!!!
Personally I prefer the EU bundle, there’s something accessible and appealing about a console that comes with preinstalled games, that you just plug in and turn on and you are presented with a list of games to click and play. I think over Christmas this will resonate with a lot of parents (again assuming they market it properly), because you can just plug it in on Christmas Day and start having fun, with no immediate need to fork out for a load of games to go with it, much in the same way parents bought a Wii on it’s own because it already had Wii Sports.
By contrast, in the US they are paying the extra for the HDD and Unchartered, PAIN is just a promotion to convince users to sign up for a PSN account. It’s a technique that’s employed a lot in the US, lot’s of things give you extras or cash back rebates for registering your product.
Comment by Apnomis — Aug 22, 2008 @ 10:46 am
As I tried to post on another blog entry this morning (and failed due to stupid moderation rules)…
Australia is not going to get the 160Gb PS3 model.
BFN,
fp.
Comment by fanpages — Aug 22, 2008 @ 10:48 am
FYI:
[ http://talkplaystation.com/all-ps3s-to-have-backwards-compatibility/ ]
—
All PS3’s To Have Backwards Compatibility?
Posted by aerfoxkelly
on Aug.24, 2008 at 3:57 am
In an article translated by google on heise online, David Reeves hinted that backwards compatibility will be on all PlayStation 3’s through future firmware updates. He describes it as a long complex process, but it can be done. An example of this is with the compatibility to play SingStar PS2 songs straight on the PS3 version of Singstar.
Reeves said the new backward compatibility with PS2 SingStar titles accurate. It would be using a software emulation realized in a future firmware update. This could all PS2 SingStar impacts directly on the PS3 to play. One need not PS3 SingStar. “We observe, in which titles are still worthwhile, and are likely to be more PS2 games on the PS3 up and running by emulation.” This was, however, a technically very complex process because the necessary PS2 chips PS3 the current models are missing.
If what Reeves says is true, than it would be nice for all users that don’t have backwards compatibility on their PS3s.
—
BFN,
fp.
Comment by fanpages — Aug 24, 2008 @ 2:04 pm
@24 [me!]:
Nope… the UK won’t be getting the super-slim PS2
[ eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=226601 ]
—
News by Ellie Gibson
Today 12:05
Sony has confirmed to Eurogamer there are no plans to release the new super-slim PS2 console in the UK.
The new model is slightly smaller and thinner than the traditional slimline and doesn’t come with an AC adapter. As reported by Kotaku [ kotaku.com/5041923/new-ps2-models-hitting-us-stores ], it’s just started appearing in American shops.
But according to SCE UK, that doesn’t mean we’ll be seeing it over here any time soon. “We won’t be releasing the new model PS2 in the UK,” a spokesperson stated.
Other parts of Europe are in luck, however. “It has launched in a few SCEE territories already,” confirmed Mr Sony.
—
That’s because “Backward compatibility” is coming forwards again?
[ heise.de/newsticker/Erster-Blick-auf-die-PSP-3000--/meldung/114603 ]
(via Google Translate)
—
Reeves said the new backward compatibility with PS2 SingStar titles accurate. It would be using a software emulation realized in a future firmware update. This could all PS2 SingStar impacts directly on the PS3 to play. One need not PS3 SingStar.”We observe, in which titles are still worthwhile, and are likely to be more PS2 games on the PS3 up and running by emulation.” This was, however, a technically very complex process because the necessary PS2 chips PS3 the current models are missing.
—
Hope this is not poor translation from English to German & back again.
BFN,
fp.
Comment by fanpages — Aug 28, 2008 @ 3:05 pm
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Does anybody know the official spec for the 160GB version, as the only thing i can think of is that the 80GB had 2 USB ports and the 160GB may have 4 USB ports.
Also I read somewhere that 65nm chips where being used so that the user user will get the same performance from the console but with out using up as much electricity as say the 60GB version.
Comment by Faz — Nov 8, 2008 @ 1:49 pm
When I say same performance i mean the sme performance as a 60GB with out the console drinking so much electricity!
Comment by Faz — Nov 8, 2008 @ 1:50 pm
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