I’m not quite sure why Sony decided to fire away a post that arrived on my RSS reader that went “Enjoy new savings on PlayStation 3 systems“, but a quick check with Amazon showed that they’re already selling similar systems at the same price point. Perhaps Sony just wants folks to remember them when they spent their Labor Day lazing in front of the computer, wondering just what kind of impulse purchase they should make on the spot as the day passes by.
What we have on the table would be the PS3 160GB system staring right back at you with a $249.99 price tag, while those who prefer a game to come along with the console itself to get you started can always rely on the $299.99 PS3 inFAMOUS 2 bundle, which is a rather sizeable $50 discount off its original price, with the PS3 320GB system accompanied by the inFAMOUS 2 game and a DUALSHOCK 3 wireless controller to get you gaming right out of the box.
Last but not least, the PS3 + PlayStation Move bundle will see it retail for $349.99 with a 320GB PS3 system, a DUALSHOCK 3 wireless controller, a PlayStation Move motion controller, a PlayStation Eye camera, and a copy of the Sports Champions game amongst others. These seem to be rather attractive in their own right, and would the price points actually cause you to rush out and purchase a new PS3 system?
What’s the best way to sell an almost 5-year-old gaming console, that’s rumored to be replaced sometime soon, but still has some value today? You repackage it as a special limited-edition device of course! And that’s what the folks over at Sony are doing with the aging PlayStation 3. The company has just announced that it will be releasing the “PlayStation 3 NINOKUNI magical edition” for fans of the upcoming fantasy RPG, Ni No Kuni, later this year.
The limited edition console will receive a classy looking coat of pearl paint, and will have the PS3 logo and a character from Ni No Kuni on the top of console in gold. The bundled dual-shock controller will be treated similarly as well, making it one of the most elegant-looking PS3 consoles. It will go on sale in Japan only starting on November 17th for about $443 – so if you plan to get your hands on this limited edition PS3, you better start planning your trip there soon. The Ni No Kuni game will be sold separately for $115.
The presentation of PlayStation 3 was held in Hollywood, in one of the pavilions of Sony Pictures. The console was introduced by the Co-founder of Sony and the father of PlayStation – Ken Kutaragi. Here it has become a common subject on how Sony is going to deal with X-box 360.
The name of the new console has remained the same, only number 3 is added to the end of the name. In fact Sony does not need any additional characters, like 360. PlayStation is a super brand, which in 2004 celebrated its 10th anniversary. PlayStation has sold about 190 million consoles and 2 billion copies of games. By the way, one third of the Sony proceeds are brought by consoles.
During the presentation the “iron characteristics” of PS3 were introduced. The heart of the whole system is CPU Cell, developed jointly by Sony, Toshiba and IBM. Having the size of a pin, it has a high productivity. The basis of this miracle is 64-bit kernel, built on the PowerPC technology and operating at 3.2 GHz frequencies. In the future, the frequency will be increased up to 5 GHz (!). There are 234 million transistors, while its area is only 221 square mm.
The company NVIDIA is responsible for the development of graphics processor for PS3, but X-box 360′s graphics processor develops ATI (note that even here the opposition of two “graphics giants” is clearly seen). It will be called RSX (“Reality Synthesizer”). Its operability is carried out at a frequency of 550 MHz. But the main advantage of PS3 is its capacity, which 2 times exceeds X-box 360′s.
The original gamepad for Free PS3, remotely resembling a boomerang, work on the protocol Bluetooth, and the battery can operate over 24 hours. As you can see from the specifications you can connect up to 7 gamepads.
PS3 will be equipped with a rich set of multimedia features: video chat, Internet access, as well as the opportunity to watch video and listen to music. Separately there was mentioned about an improved version of EyeToy – it is possible that the console can be controlled with the help of gestures. The participants of the presentation were very impressed by the manipulations made before EyeToy with conventional plastic cups, with the help of which they could draw virtual water on a huge screen, and transfuse it from one cup to another.
