Less than a month from launch, Sony provides definitive details and price points for the PlayStation 3 and its peripherals.
At its Gamers’ Day event in San Francisco yesterday, Sony confirmed launch details and pricing for the PlayStation 3 console and its related hardware, due to hit store shelves on November 17. As previously announced, the console will ship in two different packages, for $499 and $599. The lower-priced system will include a 20 gigabyte hard drive, while the more expensive model will feature a 60 gigabyte drive, plus Memory Stick/Compact Flash storage slots and built-in WiFi connectivity. Both versions will include an internal Blu-Ray player and an HDMI port.
Neither of the PS3’s two launch packages will include the HDMI cable needed for full 1080p high-def output. Instead, the cable will be sold separately beginning on launch day, for $49.99. A multi-AV cable with composite connectors, an AC power cord, and an Ethernet cable will be included with the system. Unlike the Xbox 360, which features a large external fan-cooled power supply, the PS3’s power supply will be housed internally.
Additional Sixaxis wireless controllers will be available as of launch day, for an MSRP of $49.99. The controller will be rechargeable via an included USB mini-cable that plugs into the PS3, and will have 30 hours of playtime between charges and a 20-meter range. As previously announced, the Sixaxis will not include a rumble/vibration feature. The console will support up to six controllers connected at one time.
An adapter to transfer save games from PlayStation and PlayStation 2 memory cards to the PS3’s hard drive will also be available on launch day, and will retail for $14.99. A Blu-Ray DVD remote controller will be released “soon after launch,” for an MSRP of $24.99.
Sony announced that the first 500,000 PS3s sold will include a free Blu-Ray movie disc of Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby.
Sources: Gamasutra, Next Generation
