New Sony Hardware

The new, slimmer Playstation will go on sale in Japan on July 7th with a retail cost of 15,000 yen and the official name PS One. The PS One will not have a link-cable port, but will introduce a special network cable compatible with the Playstation, PS One and Playstation 2 that will allow users to go on-line with thier console through a mobile cellular phone. “The cable will be available this winter and, according to Sony, permit users to ‘download information, entertainment content and software programs in addition to exchanging data with other users.’ While this may seem odd, more people in Japan go online via their cell phones than any other communications medium, so cell phone compatibility is a feature many new consoles are eager to implement.” Sony has also now revealed a new small LCD monitor attachment for the PS One that will make the system truely portable. The PS One is expected to replace the standard Playstation in the US and Europe this fall.

Sony has also finally revealed a first look at the Playstation 2 hard drive. The HDD (Hard Disk Drive) is a smaller match to the PS2 system and will allow for downloading additional levels, extra tracks, updated sports information, as well as non-gaming functions including “e-Distribution” of various kinds of digital content, along with connectivity with digital cameras and storage of digital video. The system will be compatible with standard dial-up internet connections, as well as cable modem and DSL connections. Sony has so far only hinted that the drive will have a “large” storage capacity and will be released sometime later this year.

Source: The Gaming Intelligence Agency