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TGS ’10: Sony Boss Talks Numbers, Hardware, and White PS3s

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How well does Sony say the PS3 and PSP are holding up against the competition?

Sony Japan President Hiroshi Kawano took the stage on Thursday at TGS to talk numbers and dates.

But what better way to kick off a press conference than to sit back and appreciate one’s own sales figures? According to Kawano, the PS3 has sold 38 million globally with PSPs numbering 62 million. Of those figures, the hardware purchased by Japanese gamers amounts to 5 million PS3s and 15 million PSPs.

Kawano’s presentation heavily touted the PlayStation’s push in movement, control, and 3D. During this part of the presentation, it was revealed that a new firmware upgrade (3.5) is on the way on September 21st which will enable 3D Blu-Ray support on the PS3.

He also found time to reveal Japanese release dates for a slew of upcoming hardware. Among the announcements was a 320GB White PS3 coming October 2nd, an idol-themed Kiss-marked PSP on December 23rd, and a Winning 11 PS3 package on October 28th. He also brought on Monster Hunter 3 producer Ryozo Tsujimoto to talk at extreme length about a new Monster Hunter-themed black and gold PSP coming on December 1st and retailing at 19,800 yen ($231). Seriously, that Monster Hunter presentation was probably the single longest item of the day … only in Japan.

TGS 2010 reporting is done jointly by Fintan Monaghan and Lisa Gay.

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