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Because
You Needed Less Space For More Stuff:
Sony Unveils New PS2!
From
his cramped Fanboy Planet bureau office in Tokyo, Asia correspondent
Mish'al Samman alerted us to breaking news in the gaming
world.
From
Mish'al:
"So
today Sony unveils its new redesign of the Playstation 2.
Surprisingly enough it also seems from the press release
that the US will get it before Japan by a couple of days.
Although
it looks really sleek and nice, what this really means is
more business for mod chip manufacturers. Why? Well, according
to Sony, they completely overhauled the motherboard and
halved everything in the system, stopping short of the actual
features.
I
don't really see the feature benefits in this new design
and definitely don't see the practicality in the US where
space conservation isn't as much of an issue. The thing
looks like it would snap if you accidentally sat on it,
which most likely will happen and honestly doesn't scream
'BUY ME! PLEASE BUY ME!'
Cool
design? Yes. Go out and buy it come November? Why? All the
cool gadgets you probably stocked up on for this current
PS2 will probably not fit on the new model.
That's
all for now; I am going to watch the strange phenomenon of
Japanese baseball players in superhero masks."
From
Sony:
Sony
Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) announced today its plans
for the global release of a new, redesigned PlayStation®2
computer entertainment system (SCPH-70000 CB) in time for
the year-end peak-selling season. The new model will be
in stores on November 3 in Japan, and by November 1 in Europe
and North America.
While
inheriting the basic functions and design philosophy of
the current PlayStation 2 (SCPH-50000), the internal design
architecture of the new model has been completely overhauled,
resulting in a slimmer and more lightweight form. Internal
volume has been reduced by 75 percent, overall weight has
been halved, and thickness trimmed down to 2.8 cm (thickness
of current model is 7.8cm). Its size is almost as small
as a hardcover book, making it easier to carry around and
enjoy games and DVD videos anytime, anywhere.
Equipped
with an integrated Ethernet port for network gaming, the
new PlayStation 2 sets new standards in the fusion of design
and functionality and will enable the company to maintain
market momentum as it expands its online console gaming
community, the largest in North America with more than 1.4
million users. Approximately 40 percent (*1) of North American
PlayStation 2 online gamers use dial-up connections and
to satisfy this base, the North American model is equipped
with both Ethernet and modem ports.
During
the year-end peak-selling season about 80 online game titles
are expected to be available in Japan, with 120 titles and
65 titles respectively in North America and Europe. With
the launch of the new network-ready (*2) PlayStation 2,
the company expects to continually expand the world of online
gaming in this generation.
"The
introduction of the new PlayStation 2 is part of our long-term
vision for the platform," said Jack Tretton, executive
vice president, Sony Computer Entertainment America. "We
are pleased to bring the sleek, redesigned product to market
in time for the holiday season, and expect consumer enthusiasm
for the new model to translate into robust sales. As the
market leader, with an existing installed base of more than
27 million PlayStation 2 units in North America alone, we
will continue to provide solutions that expand our consumer
base and grow the category as a whole."
Gaining
an overwhelming support from a wide range of users from
all over the world, more than 72 million units of PlayStation
2 have been shipped as of today. Strongly supported by software
developers and publishers, PlayStation 2 is indisputably
the most popular computer entertainment system in the world
and the new design will position it for even greater success
over the next half of its life.
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